Welcome to Comm-UNITY!

This month, we’re excited to spotlight Kay Jarvis, Director of Public Affairs; Jennifer Thomas, graphic designer with Michigan Commons; and Vincent Duffy, News Director at Michigan Public.

Kay Jarvis

Director of Public Affairs, Public Affairs

What hobby are you most passionate about outside of work?
 I love flowers, gardening, and cooking. I carry in all of those things, and in my daily life, a spirit of exploration and excitement for what’s around.  I grew up on a ranch, playing outside, looking at bugs, learning about dirt and plants, having conversations with my grandfather while watching how weather rolling in would affect the leaves, and talking about natural ways to check barometric pressure. But I also grew up in a very modest household where the luxuries were sitting down to a family meal and enjoying good food. So baking and creating those moments was also important.

What is an item at the top of your bucket list?
I want to go to a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Japan called Shirakawa-gō, and I want to understand some of the ancient customs from Japan. So Shirakawa-gō is a mountain village, and they have these farmhouses called, gasshō- zukuri, and they’re hundreds of years old. So these were from the Edo period. They’re made out of wood timber and grass roofs. And the homes are meant to look like prayer hands. So gasshō- zukuri is the term for prayer hands.

I want to go there to understand the culture and ancient customs of Japan, visit the old water wheels that are hundreds of years old, Shinto temples and Shinto shrines, go through and see Torii gates.

What’s your top lunch spot near campus or downtown?
Kangs

What’s a book, movie, or song that you would recommend to anyone?
I love music. I’d recommend anyone listen to Robbie Williams’ Angels. And the funniest book I’ve ever read is “A Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Toole. 

Coffee or tea?
Both

Early bird or night owl?
Both

Beach vacation or mountain retreat?
Yes please!

Jennifer Thomas

Graphic Designer, Michigan Commons

Describe a moment that made you proud of your work:
A project came to me in like two seconds, and we had two weeks to do a logo, a “look and feel,” a social media presence, and a mini site, all in two weeks. But we had like a day and a half  for the pitch. It was very fast, and we stayed up until like three o’clock in the morning.

We Love You to Health was the name of the campaign. It was for women’s maternal health. In New York City, the statistic for black and brown bodies dying in childbirth is 11% higher than anywhere else in the country.  So it was an awareness campaign, but pushing towards an event. That’s why it was such a quick turnaround.  Then after the fact, we did a magazine and I got to go to New York for the event. It was great!

What hobby are you most passionate about outside of work?
Probably coloring!  I’ve been painting since high school, but the adult coloring probably started in the pandemic.  It was just a way to calm down, you know, get to actually use my markers that I hadn’t touched in like 20 years. Then I kind of went down a rabbit hole.  I’ve followed this one lady online, she does mixed media with markers and colored pencils and everything and I’m trying to mimic it!

What’s your top lunch spot near campus or downtown?
Tomukun! The pho is really good!

What’s a book, movie, or song that you would recommend to anyone?
Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now”  Being able to live in the moment is something that I have struggled with. I’ve read it like three times now, and I feel like I need to read it again, because it’s just like, it’s a process. Everything shifts. You need to be mindful of your presence.

Coffee or tea?
Both

Beach vacation or mountain retreat?
Beach!

Vincent Duffy

News Director, Michigan Public

Describe a moment that made you proud of your work:
 I’ve been here for, this May will be 18 years. We’ve done lots of fantastic work that I’ve been proud of, but if you ask what I am most proud of, I would say it would be our coverage of the Flint water crisis. 

We as a station, really owned that story. We were the ones who broke it nationally with NPR, with the exception of, of Curt Guyette at the ACLU, who was the first reporter that noticed it. We kind of broke the story on a larger scale in the state.

You like to think when you’re doing journalism that there will be a positive impact from the news. That it will matter. That it will help somebody. And that was a period of time when we were doing stories that were doing just that. We owned the story. It was a station-wide effort. We had we had large teams that were working on it. It wasn’t any one reporter. We were able to put together a nationally award-winning documentary on it, NPR was relying on us for the national coverage, and it really was the validation for this station that we could do that type of major work that mattered to so many people and changed  policy and changed the way the state was doing things. There was a an obvious impact that occurred that we believe was a positive result of our reporting.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
If I had to pick one, it would be teleportation.  I love the idea of how efficient it would make life and, and the possibilities that it would offer. I mean, imagine being able to go to work and then go to a meeting in Washington DC, go from there to lunch with a friend in Brisbane, come back to finish your work, have dinner in Paris, and come back home and go to bed. All just by being able to snap your fingers and go where you needed to be. Truly amazing.

What’s your top lunch spot near campus or downtown?
 Zingerman’s Roadhouse

What’s a book, movie, or song that you would recommend to anyone?
“1984” by George Orwell

Coffee or tea?
Coffee, there’s not enough caffeine in tea.

Early bird or night owl?
I want to be a night owl, but probably an early bird.

Beach vacation or mountain retreat?
Beach! I love the beach. Mountains are fine, but the beach is my happy place!

Welcome to Comm-UNITY!

This month, we’re excited to spotlight Deborah Holdship, assistant news director & Michigan Today editor; Lisa Jeffreys, associate business manager at Michigan Creative; and Joe Borek, communications specialist at UMSocial.

Deborah Holdship

Assistant News Director & Michigan Today Editor

Can you describe a moment that made you proud of your work?
Most recently I’m extremely proud of my contribution to  “Our Michigan,” which is a book that Jim Tobin and Kim Clarke spearheaded and edited, and I contributed to. It’s this book about the history of the university and the different milestones and people that animate our history. To see my name on the title page in print like that was very exciting. I only wish my dad, who is a U-M alum, were alive to see it because he would be so proud. So I was kind of proud on behalf of my dad, more than anything else. But all writers go into the business to see their name in print, which I’ve seen many times in my life. But that was definitely a high point, and I’m very proud of contributing to that book.

What’s one thing on your bucket list that you hope to achieve?
 I would really like to go to Italy, Ireland, Scotland and England. Mostly Scotland!

What’s your top lunch spot near campus or downtown?
I really love Taq. Whatever the season their steak with is just amazing. You know, I practically make little sounds when I bite into it. Oh, it’s so good

What is a book, movie, or song you’d recommend to anyone?
 The other night, I watched Sherlock Junior. It’s a silent movie, written, directed, and starring Buster Keaton, who also performed all of his own stunts. We laughed out loud multiple times. I mean, it is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen and will just make you love Buster Keaton.

Coffee or tea?
Hot black coffee!

Early bird or night owl?
I’m a little of both. I stay up too late and I wake up early.

Beach vacation or mountain retreat?
Beach vacation!

Photo courtesy of Michigan Photography

Lisa Jeffreys

Associate Business Manager, Michigan Creative

What hobby or interest outside of work are you most passionate about?
Anything that gets me outside and moving.  I love cycling, running, boating, camping – all the fun stuff. I started running during the pandemic when the gyms closed. At first, I hated it and couldn’t wait until the gym reopened! Somewhere along the way I just got hooked and have incorporated running into my regular health and wellness routine. Doing anything outdoors energizes me. I don’t even mind the cold, but certainly crave sunshine on our dark days.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
I’d love to be able to adjust people’s attitudes when they’re feeling off or icky.  Is that a superpower?

What’s your favorite spot to grab lunch near campus/downtown?
Jefferson Market

What’s a book, movie, or song that you would recommend to anyone?
Movie: Sound of Music, Book: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, Song: What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye

Coffee or tea?
Coffee

Early bird or night owl?
Night Owl

Beach vacation or mountain retreat?
Beach

Joe Borek

Communications Specialist, UMSocial

Describe a moment that made you proud of your work:
One of my favorite projects I have worked on is our solid partnership with Adaptive Sports. It was exciting to learn and see firsthand techniques that anyone can incorporate into their daily lives, making life more accessible across various areas, from sports to communication. I will always sing the praises of U-M Adaptive Sports for the great positive and welcoming voice they put out into the world.

What hobby are you most passionate about outside of work?
I love photography and have spent a lot of time doing it for fun over the last few years. I started getting into it in high school when I bought a camera for a trip, and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. My favorite part is experimenting with new techniques and styles as my passion continues to evolve.

What’s your top lunch spot near campus or downtown?
Le Dog

Coffee or tea?
Coffee

Early bird or night owl?
A bit of both

Beach vacation or mountain retreat?
Mountain retreat