Communications Director Cris Hay-Merchant Shares Her Five Lifelong Favorites

By: Xitlally Velasco

As the Director of Strategic Communications at Bellevue University, Cris Hay-Merchant adores the fact that not one day is the same.

She thrives on the variety of challenges involved in crafting content and communication for audiences ranging from students to reporters to employees. And although her Mondays don’t look much like her Fridays, her five life essentials work for her, day in and day out. Some of them keep her brain fresh and help her see things differently. Other items serve as things she can count on when life inevitably gets a bit hectic.

Before joining the university, she served as director of marketing communications for one of the oldest life insurance companies in the country, spent close to 10 years working in advertising and PR agencies, and helped shape the early branding efforts of the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Then and now, her five things haven’t changed. And here’s why…

1. My Kindle. 

“It’s like the front door to a library created by yours truly.”

- Cris Hay-Merchant

It’s not the device but what it holds. Fully charged, it’s like the front door to a library created by yours truly that always has the latest release, as well as the more obscure title. I’ve been a “bookie” since I fell in love with “Little Women” and “Nancy Drew” in elementary school. I read everything – fiction, biographies, mysteries. I’m currently reading “The Righteous Mind” by Jonathan Haidt. And next up on my Kindle? “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin. 

2. Dog leashes. 

“I’m a dog person through and through.”

- Cris Hay-Merchant

That’s because I’m a dog person through and through. I love all the breeds, and right now, I’m fortunate enough to share my home with two of the best. Sheila is a brown and white Aussie-Collie mix who watches over everyone, and Loki is a black and white (not-so-mini) Mini Aussie who doesn’t want to miss out on a thing. Regularly, they make me laugh, get me outside, help me appreciate the simple things, teach me about unconditional love and leave a slightly chaotic but happy trail everywhere our pack goes together.

3. My Subaru. 

“To quote a smart brand marketer: ‘Love. It’s what makes a Subaru a Subaru.’”

- Cris Hay-Merchant

Yes, it’s four wheels and a lot of stuff under the hood that I don’t know enough about. But my Forester and Outback models have been with me for the last 20-something years. They’ve taken me to family and friends doorsteps, to graduate school and back, and to my wedding so I could marry the love of my life. They’ve helped me traverse all kinds of terrain and made traveling to some of the country’s most scenic places possible. To quote a smart brand marketer: “Love. It’s what makes a Subaru a Subaru.”

4. Experiences in Our Home. 

“We love every one of the items, what they represent, and most importantly, the people behind them.”

- Cris Hay-Merchant

When I married Jim Merchant, he had this brilliant idea to ask our friends and family members to skip the traditional registry-type gifts and instead share with us a small “thing” that conveyed them and their relationship with us. It was the best idea ever. We collected and displayed all of the items in a cabinet in our living room. There’s everything from a poker chip with a friend’s face on it to a spool of red thread to champagne corks. We love every one of the items, what they represent, and most importantly, the people behind them. 

5. Art Everywhere. 

“Art makes me look at the world differently, and I like the conversations that start because of the act of expression.”

- Cris Hay-Merchant

I abide by the saying, “Good art won’t match your sofa.” We have art representing multiple media throughout every room in our house, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Jim’s dad, Ken, was an artist, and we’re lucky enough to have landscapes and street scenes done in watercolors and oil, plus caricatures and cartoons that he drew. We also have a woman and mysterious leopard by Josefina Loza in our primary bathroom, a colorful abstract by Karen Schnepf near the kitchen, and more than a dozen of the most mesmerizing ceramic masks by John Dennison in our dining room. Art makes me look at the world differently, and I like the conversations that start because of the act of expression.

Xitlally Velasco is a University of Nebraska at Omaha journalism student with a concentration in public relations and advertising and a minor in Psychology. Velasco is the Digital Content Curator at Lozafina Marketing and Public Relations. Send your tips and story ideas to office@lozafina.com