Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Megan Stockburger. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Megan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
The National Law Enforcement Officer Hall of Fame means much more to me than just our Mission Statement. My father is a retired Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) and also the reason this organization exists. Not only did he give us the idea, but he showed me over the years what it means to be an officer. Everyday you never know what will happen, or if you will come home to your family. Yet everyday my dad put that uniform on and went and risked his lives for others. To me those types of people deserve the upmost respect.. The mission we have at the hall of fame is simple: support law enforcement.
Megan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I graduated from Bowling Green State University in 2006. I still felt lost as to what I wanted my future to be until 2009. I had a beautiful bonus daughter and my almost 1 year old and I was working while someone else spent time with them. It motivated me to start my own event planning business called “Events by Megan” . Not very original, but it was mine. I joined a local networking group and reconnected with a high school friend Adam Davenport. He had recently took over the Entrepreneurial Business Excellence Hall of Fame and he asked me to be the event planner. We still work this event together today, but in 2016 my father attended, retired LEO and asked why we didn’t do this for law enforcement. So Adam and I set to work and realized there wasn’t an organization like ours. We started small and local in NorthWest Ohio. A lunch with about 60 people. We had no idea the impact it would have or the course we would take. Until 2019 we remained local, not national and then we were told that this needed to be a national organization. We opened up nominations to the country and to our surprise they started coming in. We knew we wanted to better serve our community so we sought to become a non profit and did just that in 2023. Now we are holding our ceremony in Fort Worth Texas to a room filled with a few hundred people. We still have a long way to go, but we are proud of the law enforcement we have been able to support and honor so far. I think what sets us apart is we are focusing on the positive in law enforcement, we want to remind the country what these officers sacrifice everyday and someone has their back.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
One of my favorite stories to share about the hall of fame journey is about NYPD Detective Dan Murphy. We had just landed in Boston for a charity event after our induction ceremony. I was tired and cranky and I will admit that. I look at my post on social media about the previous nights event and see a comment from Dan. He’s questioning the validity of the organization, seeing so many people awarded from Ohio the first years he sensed some bias. As most people know it is built in an officer to question things. I know this as a daughter of a LEO. I responded something sarcastic, then I realized we get much further in life if we just communicate. I asked him to call me, and he did. I explained we were small and local the first few years, that we have never taken a paycheck and all we want to do is see this organization flourish! He listened, he understood and he’s now one of my good friends. We have been to CrimeCon together, the hall of fame, and I have been on his podcast the GoldShields. It shows we both rushed to judgement as most of us do, but when we took a step back and got to know one another we learned we could uplift each other and our missions.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
My pivot in life and career came when I had children. Family is and always will be the most important part of my life. I thought I was a failure at first. I went to college on loans, some of which I am still paying back. My husband was working crazy hours, and I had no idea what I wanted to do. I took a trip up to the “trailer” on the lake my grandparents owned with my dad. We chatted and he helped me figure out what I needed. I needed a career that was fulfilling but allowed me to stay at home with my kids. This is when I created my own event planning business. Had I never done that I would have never re connected with my high school friend Adam, worked with him and years later create my other family the hall of fame. Most importantly I was able to raise my four beautiful children with me at home.
Contact Info:
- Website: www. nationalleohalloffame.com
- Instagram: @nationalleohof
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nationalleohalloffame/posts/what-a-night-please-feel-free-to-tag-and-share-thank-you-to-the-one-and-only-ted/725587529758664/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganstockburger?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Twitter: @nationalleohof
Image Credits
Morgan Smith and Ted Bacho