Estelle DeJonge

Estelle DeJonge serves as Facilities Director at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she oversees custodial services, integrated pest management, inventory, moving and surplus asset management, and the key shop. She has been in facilities leadership since 2014 and stepped into her current role in March 2021 after working as assistant director focused on custodial and pest management. Prior to entering higher education facilities, DeJonge spent over two decades in IT, beginning in 1990 as a programmer creating custom programs and advancing to analytical and managerial roles, including managing state employees and contractors on the Nebraska Medicaid system. She earned a computer programming degree from Southeast Community College in Milford, Nebraska in 1990 and completed a bachelor's degree in multidisciplinary studies emphasizing administration, leadership, and IT from the University of Nebraska Omaha in December 2020. DeJonge is a SIMS certification expert through ISSA and maintains memberships in ISSA and APA, a facilities and higher education organization. She attributes her success to her ability to relate well with colleagues in a male-dominated field without taking things personally, rolling up her sleeves to help, and showing emotion when situations warrant seriousness. DeJonge is passionate about connecting frontline employees to upper management, creating career ladders for advancement, and leveraging technology to professionalize custodial work while advocating for better compensation in a state-funded environment.