Returning With Purpose: How Nikki Irish Shaped Her Next Chapter

Nikki Irish doesn’t describe her career as a straight climb. Instead, she talks about moments when opportunity appeared and she chose to lean in, even when the next step wasn’t fully defined.

Today, Irish serves as chief operating officer at Harrison Financial Services in Omaha, where she oversees strategic operations and the people systems that support performance and culture. At a smaller firm, the role requires both big-picture thinking and hands-on involvement.

“I wear a lot of hats,” Irish said. “In a smaller organization, there are a lot of nuances. You’re involved in everything.”

It’s a position shaped by years of experience in leadership, learning and talent development – and by the education she completed through Bellevue University.

A career shaped by people

Throughout her career, Irish has gravitated toward work centered on people, developing leaders, strengthening teams and building cultures where employees can grow. She built progressive leadership experience at organizations including WoodmenLife, Farm Bureau, ConAgra Foods, Lincoln Financial Group and Carson Group.

At Carson Group, she led enterprise-wide strategy for executive and leadership development, succession planning and performance management. Her background was firmly rooted in talent and leadership development.

So, when an opportunity emerged at Harrison Financial Services, first as director of operations and then as COO, it pushed her beyond the functional lane she’d occupied for years.

“Operations as it pertains to business operations isn’t my background,” Irish said. “My background is in talent operations and leadership development. But there are a lot of adjacent skills. Those experiences become transferable.”

What ultimately drew her to Harrison wasn’t the title. It was the culture.

“What I fell in love with was the cultural side of the firm,” she said. After years in larger organizations, she welcomed the chance to help shape direction more directly.

Rather than positioning herself as the expert in every area, Irish focuses on building strong teams and leveraging collective strengths.

“Where I’ve found achievement is leveraging teams and team dynamics,” she said.

Returning to finish what she started

Irish completed her Master of Science in Business Management at Bellevue University in 2022, but her graduate journey began much earlier. She originally enrolled in 2009, then stepped away when life became overwhelming.

“It just wasn’t a time where I could concentrate on me,” she said.

Years later, with more professional experience and clarity, she made the decision to return.

“It was a loose end that I wanted to finish,” Irish said. “And I’m really glad I did.”

Returning as a seasoned professional changed the experience. Irish could connect coursework to real-world challenges and learn from classmates whose perspectives expanded her own.

“To really get the value of higher education is to learn from other people’s experiences,” she said.

Learning that stayed with her

Several lessons from her Bellevue University coursework continue to influence how Irish leads today, particularly around people management.

One assignment stands out: recording herself navigating a mock employee separation conversation.

“It’s really interesting to see yourself back on video,” Irish said. “You learn different ways you can adapt and make those experiences more seamless.”

That exercise helped shape how she now approaches difficult conversations with greater clarity and empathy.

She also credits the structure of the program with helping her persist during a demanding season of life.

“There was a deep understanding that everybody had lives,” she said. “If I wouldn’t have gotten that level of empathy from instructors, I don’t think I would have finished.”

Advice grounded in experience

Irish doesn’t hesitate when she talks about what she’s learned along the way.

“Don’t be afraid to use your voice,” she said. “Lean in with curiosity. That’s where you learn.”

She also emphasizes the importance of being willing to fail.

“I am where I am because I’ve had leaders who made it okay to fail,” she said. “They allowed me to take risks and learn.”

It’s the same advice she offers to anyone considering returning to school.

“Don’t give in to imposter syndrome,” Irish said. “Lean into the opportunity.”

A story many adult learners recognize

Irish’s path hasn’t been linear, but it reflects the experience of many working adults balancing careers, family and the decision to return to school. It’s the kind of journey Bellevue University is designed to support.

“Every step has built on the one before it,” she said. “Even when I didn’t know exactly where it was leading.”