By SHANNON O. WELLS

Jody Federer’s family is inextricably tied to the Pitt community. At various periods, she’s studied or worked on campus at the same time as her sister, mother, father, aunt and cousin.

Before settling in for a long-running career at the University, where she now serves as assistant director of operations in undergraduate programs in the Pitt Business, Federer needed to spread her wings somewhere beyond the confines of Oakland.

“They were all working there, and when it was time to choose a college to attend after high school, of course I was going to Pitt because I loved it. Not because it was free — and we had free tuition, but that didn’t hurt either — I started out at Pitt–Greensburg because I wanted to get away from my parents.

“I knew they would be hovering over me. I didn’t want to do that.”

As it turned out, she couldn’t stay away for long. “There’s nothing wrong with Pitt–Greensburg, it just wasn’t Pitt to me,” she admitted. “The main campus, seeing the Cathedral of Learning, that was Pitt to me. So, I transferred and went to school for four years.”

As expected, Federer’s mom, Joanne Getsy — who worked her way up from a word processor-inputting role to assistant director of financial aid for the Study Abroad program — was there for her in a big way.

“I started out at the work study in the summer because she managed the work study program in the Office of Financial Aid,” Federer said. “She made me work that whole summer before I started college, because apparently, you’re allowed to do that. Nobody knows that because they don’t have mothers in the financial aid office, so she made me work the whole summer with her.”

Fast forward to spring 2026, when Federer found herself celebrating her 20-year work anniversary at Pitt. She wasn’t alone in marking a milestone.

“I thought it was special that my sister also celebrated her 30-year work anniversary the same year,” Federer said of Robyn Jurczak, who works in the Office of Business, Hospitality and Auxiliary Services, Security & Transportation. “We have a history of family who have worked with the University, and we are so grateful.”

The sisters were recognized, along with several other people, for their decades of individual service to the University in a ceremony on June 11.

As a student, Federer — the seeming live-wire of the two siblings — recalled having campus-based support from both parents, as dad, Fred Getsy, worked in the Pitt Bookstore for several years.

“That was really nice as a student, when you didn’t have to wait in a long line to get your books,” she noted. “My dad’s like, "Give me your course list. I got you.’ And he would just have it ready, and I bypass all the 1,000 kids in the line.

“I’m like, ‘See ya! Bag for Jody Getsy?’ ” and they would be paid for. So, it was another bonus.”

Taking care of business

Although Federer technically has been in the Pitt employment system since 1996, a “mere” 20 of those were as a full-time employee. After work study with her mom, she worked a bit with sister Robyn in the Pitt Panthers football office as a recruiting assistant.

“When I graduated Pitt, I wanted to go to grad school because I wanted to be a teacher. I was waiting to do the fifth-year program, and I didn’t have any work, so my mom’s like, ‘Sign up for the (temporary employment) pool. They pay pretty well.’ I worked in millions of different departments as a temp while I was in grad school … (along with) substitute teaching in a whole bunch of different school districts.”

Turning down job prospects in Florida and Virginia, Federer, who grew up with Robyn in Swissvale, chose to stick closer to her Pittsburgh roots. She moved around at Pitt through stints as a grants assistant in the School of Nursing and event planner in the Cancer Institute. When she got hired in 2009 at Pitt Business, it started to feel more like home.

“Students would come into our office, and you would assist them,” she said. “That’s what I liked about it, just being closer to the student aspect. I liked the environment of where I worked, but I always had my eye on being an academic advisor, so I did a lot of training with academic advisors in the School of Business.”

At one point, she moved to an office down the hallway, where she eventually became the school’s assistant director of academic advising.

“I started out as academic administrator, manager, and then assistant director of operations in the School of Business, and then moved to the assistant director of academic advising and student records,” she said of her climb toward full-time-with-benefits status. “I just had to get out. … I was playing a lot of sports and getting injured, and I couldn’t go to the doctor because I didn’t have health insurance.

“I think I borrowed Robyn’s crutches at one point and had our mom wrap my leg up. It was like, ‘OK, that’s it. I gotta be mature now and get a real job.’”

She describes her current advising role, which connects her with 160 students, as “a little bit of both words.”

“I get to stay within the University of Pittsburgh, which I love, and then I get to work very closely with our Pitt business students. I have tons of meetings all the time with them,” she said. “I love helping them every day, but then I still get to do the administrative piece as well … like managing the student records.”

Despite what she called a “lot of leadership change,” Federer said she “can’t complain.”

“I think just being student-focused for me is really wonderful, because I see the students when they come in as freshmen, and then grow into mature seniors. Eventually they’re getting these great jobs and getting paid, like, twice as much as (me),” she quipped. “I help guide them there, and that makes it very rewarding.”

Making it work

Federer’s sister Robyn Jurczak said going to Pitt Panthers football games — sometimes with her mom — planted the seed for her 30-years-and-counting career at Pitt.

“I believe she started when I graduated high school, and I’ve always gone to the football games and enjoyed all that when she had her foot in the door with Pitt,” Jurczak said. “My aunt was also there, and there was an opening that came up and they said, ‘Hey, why don’t you try — you always liked football — and see what can come up out of it?’

“I actually applied and got hired in athletics in the football office in ‘95. So, that’s how that started.”

Starting out working for Johnny Majors in his second stint as the Panthers’ head football coach in 1993-96, Jurczak called her various adventures and changes, a “journey.”

“There were a lot of changes throughout. There was some longevity with some coaches, some short-term coaches. … Johnny Majors was the first coach that I worked for, and they progress from there,” she said. “I can’t really tell you how many I had, but there was a handful of changes as far as head coaches and assistants. … It was very interesting dealing with all the coaches throughout.”

She also relishes her experiences meeting players, including many who went on to national success.

“Looking back and seeing how they progressed … some of the players that I started out with went to the NFL, and now they are retired. And I’m not, you know?” she said with a chuckle.

From there, Jurczak moved to Printing Services and eventually landed in Parking, Transportation & Services about 10 years ago.

“I’m on the transportation side, more or less,” she noted. “I deal with all the Pitt shuttles services for the departments that need help getting to their venues — whether it’s going to park, games, whatever the departments need. I (coordinate) that transportation for them.”

She said it’s rewarding “to see everything come together and know you played a big part in it,” adding that the start of a new academic year is “always a challenge … especially with (the number of students) growing every year. … Things are picking up, and a lot more kids are coming … and there’s more construction always going on around here.

“We’re trying to accommodate a lot, but in the end, we make it work,” she said.

As far as the two sisters crossing paths on campus, since the older days of birthday lunches, sometimes with their mom, it doesn’t happen as much as they’d like.

“We hardly ever, honestly, because her office moved around a lot,” Federer said of Jurczak. “I think now we’re closer than ever, because she’s up in the University Club, and I’m in Sennott Square (on Bouquet Street), so maybe I’m hoping we’ll have more lunch dates or something. I know our schedules are off with working from home and stuff like that.

“We used to meet for lunch, and then sometimes they would do our birthday lunches (or we’d) go down to (Schenley Park) and hang out and walk. Hopefully we’ll do that more that (Robyn’s) a little closer.”

Logistical barriers aside, the sisters — carrying the family employment legacy at Pitt ever-forward — remain as emotionally close as ever.

“I didn’t even bring a date to the (anniversary recognition) ceremony that they had for us, because I was like, ‘Oh, you’re coming with me, you’re my date,’” Federer said to sister Robyn. “I didn’t even bring my husband. I’m like, ‘He’s no fun. I’m gonna bring my sistah.’ We always say, ‘Sistah!’ to each other.”

Shannon Wells is a University Times reporter. Reach him at shannonw@pitt.edu.

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