Keeping Tabs on St. Nick

Jennifer Schaming-Ronan ’95 is standing in a room filled with technicians glued to monitors and operators manning multiple telephones.

The sounds of tracking signals and voices relaying information appears chaotic and hurried, but each moment is trained for and each blip on the screen is anticipated.

Schaming-Ronan surveys the room and smiles. She has just one objective on this day and it’s the tracking, trajectory, safety and successful mission for the most important thing for millions of people all around the world.

The room is an operations center for the binational, U.S. and Canadian, North American Aerospace Defense Command, aka NORAD, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The day is December 24.

The focus is Santa Claus.

Jennifer Schaming-Ronan ’95 addresses a group of volunteers before the start of NORAD Tracks Santa.

Schaming-Ronan, a Department of Defense senior civilian, is the chief of Future Plans and Operations in Public Affairs at NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, a U.S. combatant command responsible for Homeland Defense. Normally, her job places her at the intersection of national security, diplomacy and communication, crafting public affairs strategies for military exercises, binational operations with Canada and multinational relationships with Mexico and the Bahamas. But for one 24-hour period every year, this Furman graduate is part of the Public Affairs team that leads the Department of  War’s largest public engagement initiative: the NORAD Tracks Santa program.

“It’s an incredibly creative way to talk about what we do – radar systems, fighter jets, aerospace monitoring – but through the joyful lens of following Santa around the globe,” Schaming-Ronan says.

Raised in several U.S. cities and rooted in the values of service and global awareness, Schaming-Ronan double-majored in political science and urban studies at Furman, drawn in by courses like professor Donald Gordon’s Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa. That one class – taken as a senior just to fulfill a requirement – altered her professional trajectory.

“It was the most fascinating course I’d ever taken,” she recalls. “That class is what set me on the path to where I am today.”

That path has taken her around the world. She went on to serve as press secretary for congresswoman Nancy Johnson of Connecticut in the early 2000s. That led Schaming-Ronan to the U.S. Department of State where, for more than two decades, she served a variety of roles in Washington, D.C., Jamaica, West Africa and now, in Colorado with NORAD and U.S. Northern Command.

She never imagined she’d be part of it. But a move to Colorado to care for her ailing mother, a decision grounded in the values she says Furman instilled, landed her a public affairs role there. Only after accepting the job did her husband point out the
connection: “Hey, doesn’t NORAD track Santa?”

It does. And Schaming-Ronan’s Public Affairs team leads the global effort.

From 4 a.m. to midnight MST on Dec. 24, hundreds of volunteers – military personnel, civilians and Colorado Springs community members – take shifts to field calls and emails from every corner of the world. “Where is Santa now? When will he get to my house?” they ask. Schaming-Ronan helps ensure the answer comes with both festive cheer and subtle education about military readiness and aerospace defense.

“It’s not just holiday fun. This program lets us shine a light on the mission and sacrifices of our military service members,” she explains. “We’re able to share our story about radar tracking, air defense and homeland security in a way that connects with millions.”

Now entering its 70th year, the program draws calls from all over the world, including Japan, the United Kingdom, the Philippines and every U.S. time zone. Entire families volunteer year after year.

“Some even show up in elf costumes at 4 a.m.,” Schaming-Ronan laughs. “It’s become a tradition; a way for the community to give back.”

That spirit of service and community is what Schaming-Ronan says Furman gave her first.

“Furman taught me to align my personal values with my professional aspirations,” she says. “To lead with compassion, curiosity and commitment to others. I can honestly say that everything that I have now, whether it’s my career, my family situation, my best friends, it all stems from my Furman experience.”

Today, whether briefing four-star generals, organizing binational media strategies or helping a 6-year-old find Santa on the radar, Schaming-Ronan is doing exactly what she set out to do – serving the public with integrity, warmth and purpose.

And if she ever does get to speak with Santa? “I’d thank him,” she says, “for reminding us all – especially in challenging times – how important generosity and goodwill are.”