When Culinary Services Associate Director of Community and Engagement Brenda Nelson, Ph.D, first arrived at Michigan State University in 1975, she was a 17-year-old undergraduate student from Flint, Michigan, still figuring out where life might take her. Nearly 50 years later, Nelson has become a steady, compassionate presence within the Division of Residential and Hospitality Services (RHS); someone whose impact reaches far beyond dining halls, offices and job titles. 

For Nelson, the story begins with people. 

She says her connection to Michigan State started long before she enrolled, when a tutor named Kearney Thomas, who was an MSU student at the time, worked with her after she fractured her ankle as a child. That early connection stayed with her. Later, when she visited campus for Alumni Distinguished Scholarship testing, the kindness she experienced made her decision clear. 

“Everybody was really nice. Everybody was very kind,” Nelson says. “I thought, ‘Oh, okay, this is a nice place.’”  

Building a Career Centered on People 
Nelson came to MSU as a psychology major and later earned degrees in psychology and urban studies, eventually going on to earn her doctorate. After graduating, she was unsure of her next step, but a supervisor position in Culinary Services opened the door to what would become a lifelong career. 

She joined the division full time in 1982 and spent the years that followed learning every corner of the operation. From Case Hall to Akers, Shaw, Kellogg, Brody and beyond, Nelson moved through roles across campus with the goal of learning as much as she could — not just about the work itself but about the people who made it possible.  

What stayed with her most were the full-time team members who welcomed her in and taught her the ropes. 

“The cooks, the servers, the folks that were the adults, full-time employees just really took me under their wings,” Nelson says. “My goal was that at some point, I would have a position that I can make sure they were seen, heard and valued.” 

More Than a Meal 
That commitment to helping people feel seen has defined Nelson’s career. 

Whether working in Culinary Services, helping shape the MSU Neighborhoods model, mentoring students or supporting colleagues, Nelson says her work has always come back to belonging. She describes herself as someone who wants others to feel they matter, because she knows how much that feeling can change a person’s experience. 

“I didn’t stay because of the institution,” Nelson says. “It is the people in the institution that I’ve stayed for, because I can do some good.”  

For Nelson, that philosophy extends to the way food is served, the way team members are supported and the way students are welcomed. One phrase she carried throughout her years in Culinary became a personal trademark: Serving it with love. 

She says the concept came from her mother, who taught her never to serve food without care behind it. Over time, that lesson reached farther than meals. It became a way of leading. 

A Lasting Impact on Students and Colleagues 
That care is something Nelson’s colleagues have felt for decades. 

Associate Director of Residential Dining Don Donagrandi, who has known Nelson for roughly 40 years, says she has always been someone who champions others and makes people feel like they belong. 

“Brenda has always, always, always been the person who champions the full-time staff,” Donagrandi says. “She just wants to make people feel like they belong, that they have a reason for being here and that that reason is important.”  

Assistant Director in Residence Education and Housing Services’ Community and Engagement Unit Maggie Chen-Hernandez, who has worked with Nelson in a variety of capacities over the years, says Nelson leads “with her heart first” and has a rare ability to connect with all kinds of people. 

“She gives her full attention to you,” Chen-Hernandez says. “When she says, ‘How are you,’ she really does want to know.” 

Chen-Hernandez says Nelson’s impact on students has often been both broad and deeply personal. Sometimes it may be through mentorship or support in a difficult moment. Other times, it may be through an act as simple as greeting a student with warmth and sincerity. 

“Maybe that does have a huge impact,” Chen-Hernandez says. “The most minuscule little things she does make that kind of impact in the smallest of ways, right? And then others, I mean, absolutely transformational.”  

Assistant Vice President of Culinary Services Rebecca Selesky, Nelson’s supervisor, described her as a calm, grounding presence within Culinary Services and someone who inspires others to be their best selves. 

“She always is taking students under her wing, mentoring them in many different ways,” Selesky says. “She just wants to help guide students and give them an opportunity, help them grow, help them develop.”  

A Legacy of Belonging 
After five decades with the division, Nelson’s story is not simply one of longevity. It’s one of consistency, compassion and service. It is a story about choosing, year after year, to invest in people. 

Nelson says that she hopes, if readers take anything from her story, it is not just what she has done but who she has done it for. 

“I hope that’s what this does when people read this,” Nelson says, “not so much about what I’ve done, but it’s what I’ve done it for. And it’s always been the people.”  

Within RHS, that is exactly how many will think of Brenda Nelson: not only for 50 years of service, but for 50 years of making people feel seen, supported and at home. 

Author: Daniela Del Castillo