Offering a Hand: Alumna Takes University of Findlay Mission into the Local Area

This story is part of a series following University of Findlay alumni who have gone on to have meaningful lives and productive careers right here in the local Findlay community. Their stories provide a glimpse of the difference UF students and graduates make in the lives and businesses of our immediate area, and of the impact a UF education can have right here at home.

People helping people.

You see it all over the University of Findlay campus, and it almost appears to happen organically. There is definitely the idea of people coming together to actively work to assist those who need it; however, whether it’s the the innate quality of the students, faculty, and staff at UF, or otherwise, the attitude of support and encouragement just seems to naturally happen.

What is most remarkable is what happens when alumni like Nicole (Hauenstein) Burgy ’99 take that attitude and skill set out into the world, and, in an example of the immediate benefit of what UF instills in its students, into the local community. Burgy, who graduated from Arcadia High School, roughly 15 minutes northwest of the UF campus, grew up with the sort of midwestern values that permeate the area, so UF’s “home-like” atmosphere was of a familiar appeal to her. As the valedictorian of her class, Burgy had an appeal to the University as well. “UF was offering scholarships to valedictorians and salutatorians of the Hancock County schools,” she said. “I wanted to pursue a business major and eventually my juris doctorate. Thus, because of its great business program and the full scholarship, I chose UF.”

While pursuing a dual-major degree in Business Administration and Accounting, Burgy found a mentor in the late long-time UF economics and marketing professor, Shiv Gupta. Known for his role in molding the type of students and graduates who value their ability to assist others with their knowledge and work ethic, Gupta became an important part of Burgy’s time at UF. “He had that passion for teaching and for business, and he was the one who urged me to dual major. He knew that those majors would help me toward my goal of eventually pursuing a law degree and being an in-house attorney at a company,” Burgy explained. And, by being a part of UF’s Dana Scholar Program, which provides an opportunity for business students to connect higher education with the real world of business, Burgy set her sights on improving both herself, and the people and places that surrounded her.

She began an internship with Marathon Petroleum Company in Findlay as a UF student, and upon graduating, she attended and graduated from Ohio Northern University with her juris doctorate. The internship particularly would end up leading to the opportunity for a meaningful life and productive career within the company. Now, with the title of Marathon’s Tax Director – Indirect Tax Compliance and Planning, Burgy said that the mentoring she received from Gupta, coupled with both her education from UF and the internship opportunity, had her well-prepared for her various roles at Marathon, she said, roles that have progressed along with her time at the company. “I began as a tax attorney,” she explained, “and have held various positions of increasing responsibility at Marathon through the years. In my current role, I am responsible for tax planning, sales and use tax compliance, motor fuel and excise tax compliance, property tax compliance, and customs and international trade compliance. This includes managing a large team and ensuring that the company remains compliant with timely remitting taxes and filing thousands of tax returns each year.”

In her quest to continue being a steward of success for the Hancock County community, Burgy leads a busy life outside of her career as well. She is a member of the Marathon Classic Charity Golf Tournament Selection Committee for 2020 and 2021, of the planning committee for Marathon’s UF alumni chapter, and was a past member of the United Way of Hancock County Campaign Committee. And, as the president of the UF Alumni Board of Governors and a member of the UF’s Women’s Philanthropy Initiative, Burgy is actively working to have a hand in UF’s graduates’ success going forward. “UF’s mission is to equip students for meaningful lives and productive careers,” she said. “This is truly the case for me and so many other UF alumni that I know and have had the opportunity to meet throughout the years since I graduated. Supporting UF ensures that our future generations have the same opportunities we had while at UF.”

So, while we grow and prosper as a University, the quality education will come. With the help of a vast amount of folks, the scholarships and internships will as well. Among the most important commitments, however, is that UF continues to thrive as a collective body, playing a part in offering a hand when its needed to help navigate life, particularly in our local area. Nicole Burgy, who is as familiar as anyone with the county community, carries that torch proudly. “Findlay is my home and UF is a key part of Findlay and I want to ensure that others have the same opportunity that I did to earn a degree from UF,” she said. “Hancock County is where I work and where my family lives. My husband, Jake, and I want Findlay and Hancock County to continue to thrive and we want to support those in our community who need it the most.”