Azhley Rodriguez
Staff Writer
Director of Public Information Jessica Mackinnon retires after almost two decades at Dominican.
Mom, journalist, traveler and die-hard Bears fan, Mackinnon has had an extraordinary career full of sleepless nights and busy workdays during her 19 years at Dominican.
Mackinnon has lived in Oak Park for the past 30 years. In her interview, Mackinnon reminisced about her first memories driving past campus and being fascinated over how beautiful it is.
“I would drive by Dominican frequently, and as we all know, it’s just such a beautiful campus,” Mackinnon said. “My mom lived in the northwest suburbs, and when she came down to visit, she told me she’d prayed for me to work at Dominican,” Mackinnon said.
Her mother’s prayers were answered when Mackinnon was recruited in May 2003 to begin the interview process to be the Director of Public Relations and Advertising. The title has since changed, but the responsibilities have remained the same.
During her time at Dominican, Mackinnon has organized several events on campus geared towards community outreach. Her favorite ones include the sold-out event “Potterpalooza” where 250 people participated in 2011 to celebrate the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II”.
Students and community members experienced the Hat Sorting Ceremony in the Dining Hall where attendees were placed into different groups based on the Hogwarts Houses from the movie. Then, Dominican professors offered mini classes to the attendees.
“Classes included were: Potions (chemistry), Defense Against the Dark Arts (an Aikido class), Divination (psychology), Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures (a demo of Neuroscience Program Director Dr. Calin-Jageman’s Slug Lab), and Charms (Latin)” Mackinnon said.
The event is accompanied by campus tours that highlighted the key moments from the series.
“The event provided an opportunity for Dominican to show off its facilities and present professors in a fun light” Mackinnon said. “My only regret is that we couldn’t accommodate more families or promote this event more widely because it sold out so fast.”
Some other responsibilities Mackinnon took on include, “the university sponsorship of and participation in the annual Frank Lloyd Wright Races, and our participation in the River Forest Memorial Day parade,” according to Leslie Rodriguez, the executive director of external engagement at DU.
“It’s a constant balancing act. You have to try to prioritize and frankly, you can’t do everything well, which can become a source of frustration. It’s hard to make sure that everything is done the way you would like it,” Mackinnon said.
Mackinnon graduated with a B.S. of journalism from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Thanks to that academic training, Mackinnon is also the editor of the university magazine that keeps alumni involved in campus events.
She has also gone on DU trips to “Fanjeaux, Rome, Strasbourg, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Guatemala, Cuernavaca, Cuba, Nepal, Nazereth Farm in West Virginia and to Native American reservations in South Dakota,” Rodriguez said.
Her last day on campus was Jan 14th and she couldn’t wait to start the new chapter of her life that involves traveling and relaxation.
“I want to spend more time traveling with my brother and sister,” Mackinnon said. “I just want to be able to pick up and go to Arizona in the winter if I wanted to. I’m excited!”
She’s also looking forward to becoming more involved with the several non-profits she is on the boards for.
“I’ve been blessed to travel to so many places with Dominican,” Mackinnon said. “I love to travel; so, that’s what I plan on doing afterwards, but on Monday, I’m gonna sleep in late!”
arodriguez2@my.dom.edu
