Episode 8: Jeff McNaught (Part 1)
Episode 8: Jeff McNaught
Jeff McNaught
Senior Director Campus Safety – Facilities Office
Jeff McNaught was born and raised in Melrose, MA. His family is from Malden, MA with a history that can be traced back to Canada, Italy and Scotland. Jeff and his parents lived most of their lives in New England, until they moved to North Carolina in 1998.
Jeff followed his siblings’ footsteps and attended Malden Catholic school until he transferred to Melrose Public School, a place where he felt more connected. One of the biggest reasons for this transfer was to be closer to Katie, with whom he had a good relationship (and would marry years later.)
Jeff’s high school experience is not the best memories he keeps. He felt out of place, distracted and not interested in the academic side of school. He felt better being outdoors; he participated in sports and skating as much as he could. Even though he wasn’t fully interested in pursuing higher education, Jeff enrolled in college to honor his family for paying his tuition at a New England school. After moving to North Carolina, he felt a larger school (with thousands of students) worked well for his personality; with a larger student body he didn’t feel as if he was always put on the spot and was able to enjoy that environment until his graduation.
It would be only in his 40s when Jeff got diagnosed with ADHD that all those restless moments during school years made sense and he would have a better understanding why he felt that way.
After college, Jeff found a job at the North Carolina Country Club where he received good on the job training. He learned a lot about costumer service from his manager/mentor; working well with people would shape his professional career in the future. While in North Carolina, he kept in contact with Katie and decided it was time to return to Massachusetts, a place he called home. Katie was already working at Harvard and Jeff decided to apply to a job there as well. He got a call from Debbie Gallagher from Harvard Law School; although he did not know exactly what the job would be, he accepted a position at the Events Office. This position was a good fit due to the training he received from this manager/mentor in the fine art of working with people. Working at Harvard Law School motivated Jeff to attend law school; please stay tuned for the next episode as we learn about Jeff’s experience in law school.
Some fun facts about Jeff:
-His favorite hobby is trying new foods/ going to new restaurants.
-His favorite childhood memory is being surprised with a Disney trip, “I remember being so excited driving to the airport for our departing flight.”
-The movie he has seen the most is “The Devil Wears Prada” and admits that he can’t change the channel if it is playing.
Photos of Jeff over the years!
The goal of this podcast is to introduce folks to HLS staff members from across the community. You may recognize the names of some guests, and if you don’t, that’s okay! We hope that you will tune in to learn more about your colleagues—what their role is, what makes them tick, and why they do the work that they do at HLS. If you’re interested in being a guest, please let us know—we would love to hear your story. Our stories bring us together; we come from different backgrounds and serve all different roles, but our shared community at HLS unites us. Let us hear your story!
Filed in: Tell Me Your Story