168WINTER LEADERSHIP LEADERSHIP AT HARDING CAME AND WENT over the years, and the rejuvenating effect of new faces could not be overlooked. One of these newcomers was former Seattle Seahawks’ Director of Communications and Publications Lane Gammel, who moved into his new role as director of university communications and media relations for Harding University in spring 2021. “A couple of my colleagues made this move from the NFL to higher education in the past, and I had a lot of conversations with them about what the job entails,” Gammel said. “After my wife and I saw this job opening at Harding, we prayed about it, looked a month later, saw that it was still open and thought that this may be the job we were looking for.” Gammel worked for the Superbowl-winning NFL team for 24 years, and he found his leadership, communication and organizational skills translated to other related fields. “It was something that I thought I could do; my skills would translate well to it,” Gammel said. “If I left this job that I loved, I knew Harding would be a place where I would be happy.” Gammel moved to a new place with new people. His colleagues in the University’s communication team helped him be a more confident communicator and leader in his new role. “I work for some really brilliant people,” Gammel said. “Because I’m new to some of these areas, especially in the digital and marketing areas, my team helps to lift me up in those weaknesses.” Digital media coordinator and co-worker Megan Stroud saw Gammel’s collaborative effort and leadership in action and reciprocated his fondness for Harding’s communication and marketing team. “He’s only been here for six months or so and already is a big part of our brainstorming and content planning, including big picture strategy for our news media, communications and digital media,” Stroud said. “Our office was going through a lot of changes when he came in, so he didn’t know exactly what he was going to be doing, but he’s transitioned well into our team and fits in with everybody.” Six months into the role, Gammel caught on to the new communication style. “At the Seahawks, we were being talked about; we were in the news every single day,” Gammel said. “There was going to be a story consumed by millions of people no matter what, so we didn’t have to be as aggressive with pitching stories or handling the marketing side of things. At Harding, I’m learning that you have to be a little more direct with how you pitch stories for news and different content.” The rise in activities on campus not only kept Gammel busy with his job as a storyteller, but also led him to serve as a sponsor for men’s social club Omega Phi. “I have appreciated how fast he has gotten himself involved,” senior Omega Phi member Ethan Brazell said. “He is incredibly fun and engaging, and I know all of the members have loved getting to know him.” Being engaged on campus was important to Gammel, but even more important was his commitment to his family. “I have a 7-year-old daughter, and one of the biggest reasons for the move was family,” Gammel said. “At the Seahawks, you worked seven days a week for seven months out of the year, and since our games were on Sundays, what kind of example was I setting for my daughter? Showing up, being present— these are things that I wanted to improve on.” Faith, family and work were of utmost importance to Gammel, holding higher value than things such as reputation and popularity. “He’s so humble; he truly believes that he’s no better than the next person,” Stroud said. “I tell him that people know him around campus as the cool Seahawks guy, but he doesn’t understand that.” WRITTEN BY ZACH BISHOP Lane Gammel is hired as the new director of communications and media relations in the spring of 2021. EYES ON THE PRIZE Gammel takes pride in his work. Gammel used skills he learned from being with the Seahawks to further develop Harding’s media communications. Photo by: Julianne Baker Changing LANES
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