HUMANS OF NEENAH

“Leadership is influence,” according to author John C. Maxwell who wrote The 360 Leader. Chris Hillen is a strong example of a leader. He is a fire truck driver for the Neenah-Menasha Fire Department. His job requires him to set up the equipment when arriving at the scene. He is also a trained firefighting diver. When there is trouble, he doesn’t just sit back and watch he steps in and makes a difference. He was born in Appleton, but he loved visiting Neenah when he was a kid. When Chris was 17, he moved out to Colorado, where he caught the fire bug and began his firefighting career. After a brief stint in Colorado, he returned to Neenah as a firefighter and has been here for thirty-one years. Although he loves his job as a firefighter, retirement is on the horizon. He wants to spend more time with his wife and son. He also plans to travel around the world, and play more golf. Some of the activities Mr. Hillen enjoyed in his youth and still enjoys include: going to Cy’s Asian Bistro, the YMCA, and playing golf. Chris says that this is a “…wonderful city, it’s safe, it’s relatively inexpensive . . . schools are great, people are friendly, it’s just a nice area. It is…so safe.” This Neenah leader proudly states, “I love my job; I really do. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

This “Humans of Neenah” Blog Post Created By NHS Student Allyson Koenke