Gina Bradley: Always a Bearcat

TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
University Event Coordinator Gina Bradley poses with the “Marketing Bobby” mascot head in one of her storage closets on campus. Bradley has been working at Northwest since 1997, and in her current capacity since 2009.

Gina Bradley is truly an icon of the slogan, “Once a Bearcat, Always a Bearcat.”

After graduating from Northwest in 1987 certified to teach kindergarten-12th grade vocal music, Bradley returned to Northwest on staff in 1997 in the cashiering office.

Before too long, the executive secretary position in the marketing department came open, and pushing to get that job started Bradley on her current trajectory.

“As the executive secretary, I got to plan and coordinate the commencement ceremony,” Bradley said. “But it evolved past that point before too long, and I started to plan more events through the year to the point where I wasn’t able to be the secretary.

“About eight years ago, I put myself out there and asked for my job title to change because I wasn’t doing the work of an executive secretary anymore. It was during a time when they were trying to do more market matching, so that people were in positions that reflected what they actually did day to day, and they gave me the new job title.”

Since 2009, Bradley has been the University Event Coordinator, a job she says she loves because it’s never the same each day.

“I never do the same thing,” Bradley said. “I have so much freedom to do a lot of different things and be creative.

“I’ve actually begun to make some of my own decorations, like the balloon towers. That came about around four or five years ago when there was a helium shortage, and I had to adapt, so I watched a how-to video on YouTube, and the rest is history.”

Bradley earned the moniker “Balloon Tower Lady” because of the skill, which she noted has evolved past just making the towers. She noted she buys a lot of her own materials, including cement and PVC pipe to make the towers.

Another step in Bradley’s evolution of the marketing department took place a few years ago, when Bradley noticed that the Bobby Bearcat mascot wasn’t present at many things outside of Bearcat Stadium or Bearcat Arena.

“We decided to make a ‘Marketing Bobby’ so that we could have him go throughout the community,” Bradley said. “The whole thing goes through my office – I get to post the job opportunity, interview and hire the candidates, and basically decide where Bobby goes next.

“Anyone in the community can request an appearance from Bobby, all they need to do is sign up for a time online. He doesn’t do any of the game day stuff, he’s just there to be part of the University and the Maryville communities.”

But the fun doesn’t only take place when she leaves the office. Bradley said some of her best friends work inside the department.

“I love my officemates, I call them my ‘playmates,’” Bradley said. “We have such a creative team in here – the graphic designers, the multimedia services professionals, the marketing team – they’re all creatives and they’re all great to be around.

“We actually do stuff out of the office. People see us around, and they wish they could be working in our office because it’s so fun to be in here.”

Outside of work, Bradley enjoys spending time with her husband, Jeff.

“We like to go to Graham and Maitland and share our music ministry with them,” Bradley said. “He plays guitar, and we just sing. We also do that around the house on regular days, just singing to the Eagles or whatever we feel like.

“We like to cook, but Jeff’s a better cook than I am. He also loves to bake, and I love to eat what he bakes.”

The Bradleys have three cats they rescued which take up some of their time and plenty of their love, as both of their children have left home and started their own lives. As for her advice, Bradley focused on something she heard and wanted to apply to her own life.

“Any job that is worth doing is worth giving your all,” Bradley said. “Everything I do, whether in this office or anywhere else, I give 110 percent; never any less. I’m a perfectionist, admittedly, but that also makes me good at my job because I don’t settle for anything less.

“As for Jeff and I, we also live by the idea that we may be the only Bible someone reads, so we try to walk the walk and talk the talk. We are kind to people and we try to be good to others. We live to love; we’re ‘people’ people.”