Driven to Connect: Jamie Racklyeft’s Journey from Rip Currents to EV Currents

How a Storyteller, Strategist, and Steward Found Purpose in Communication

Jamie Racklyeft has always believed in the power of connection – not just Wi-Fi or EV charging networks, but the kind that links people to meaning, to each other, and to a better future.

As Communication Director for the University of Michigan’s Electric Vehicle Center, Jamie leads with both vision and voice. Whether he’s championing the center’s mission to make Michigan the E-Motor Capital, coaching leaders on presentation skills, or helping design the next state-of-the-art Battery Lab, Jamie brings a strategic, story-driven approach to everything he does.

And his story? It’s electric.

From Batman Dreams to Bold Communication

“As a kid, when people asked what I wanted to be, I said a race car driver, a baseball player, or Batman,” Jamie laughs. “Batman didn’t pan out. I had asthma, so I fell behind other kids in baseball – although I had a great arm. But cars… cars stuck.”

So did storytelling. A Pentax K-1000 camera from his grandfather (aka “More Dad”) launched Jamie’s first love: photography. Soon he was writing, editing, designing, teaching, event planning, and eventually leading teams from one to 1,000. “People said I had to pick one,” he says. “Instead, I built a career that ties them all together.”

He started that career with a string of entrepreneurial ventures working his way through college: photojournalism, graphic design, video production, even a DJ business. And while he’s enjoyed the security of a day job with a steady paycheck, he’s already planning to bookend his career with side hustles that help others, including leading nonprofits and launching digital courses for early- and mid-career communicators.

Leading with Strategy, Heart, and Slides

Jamie has led teams across sectors and sizes. He’s known as much for his attention to a positive work culture as he is for his slide decks. “I’ve coached CEOs and conference speakers, created thousands of presentations, and published newsletters since sixth grade,” he says. “But what I really do is help people connect – to a message, a mission, or a moment.”

His strategic communication philosophy blends human-centered design techniques with the latest AI technologies. “AI might not replace all communicators,” Jamie says. “But communicators who embrace AI will stand a much better chance.”

Near Death, New Purpose

In 2012, Jamie was saved seconds before drowning in a Lake Michigan rip current. That brush with death became a turning point. “People told me I survived for a reason,” he says. “I decided it was to use my communication skills and experience to help keep people safe around the water.”

He founded the Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium, growing it into a 1,000-member nonprofit uniting experts and advocates across the region. Curating key messages like “When in doubt, don’t go out,” “Stay dry when waves are high,” and “You’re not a fish, so wear your lifejacket,” he wants everyone to know how to avoid, escape, and safely save others from dangerous currents and conditions.

That calling to protect expanded beyond water. Jamie once purchased a one-foot by one-foot plot of land in a Nature Conservancy preserve and now leads the Michigan Electric Vehicle Alliance (MEVA), promoting smart, clean transportation for a healthier planet. A longtime fan of the classic cars at the Woodward Dream Cruise, Jamie is now helping plan MEVA’s Clean Cruise along the same historic stretch of Woodward Avenue. 

The EV (and Family) Connection

Jamie jokes that his boss, EVC Director Alan Taub, really didn’t need to interview him for the job: “I had three EVs in the garage, so clearly I was qualified.” 

Now he’s on his fourth – and just like his dad used to do when bringing home a new car, Jamie recently piled the family in for a ride around the block.

Family is the center of Jamie’s universe. He married Susie, his college summer flame, decades later on the very beach where he nearly drowned – a second chance at life and love. “Being a More Dad to her son Johnny was a beautiful bonus. And, he’s a professional communicator now,” Jamie says. “Susie is a professor of media communication arts. So yes, we talk shop at dinner.”

Jamie is especially grateful to his parents for shaping the passions that guide him today. His mom, an interior designer, instilled an appreciation for art and design. His dad, a GM supplier and gifted public speaker, was a role model for both leadership and his lifelong love of cars. 

Vision, Resilience, and the Long Game

Goalsetting has been part of Jamie’s life since the fourth grade. He’s led workshops, inspired friends and teams, and even attributes one of his most cherished moments to a goalsetting session.

“I like to begin team meetings with mini celebrations – professional or personal – to set a positive tone. One time, I missed a flight to Vancouver, so I returned to work where my employee of 20 years told me she was about to live out one of her goals: singing in a Broadway show. She tragically passed away the next day from a brain aneurysm. I will always believe that the reason I missed that flight was so I could hear her story and celebrate with her one last time.” 

Jamie brings that same sense of purpose to everything he does, including advising early career communicators. His advice: “Figure out what you love, get really good at it, and find ways to help others. Help ever. Hurt never.”

Despite the noise of the world, he finds solitude in gratitude. “There are always bad things happening. I try to focus on what I can control and be grateful for what I have. My wife. My son. My dog. My friends. My EV. My chance to make a difference.”

“A setback,” Jamie says, quoting a favorite line, “is a setup for a comeback.”

Note: Jamie edits the Current and writes the monthly feature stories about EVC staff and faculty. His Director challenged him to feature himself this month, so he teamed up with AI to simulate an interview – flipping the script on his usual behind-the-scenes process. The result: a uniquely meta profile that lets Jamie turn the pen on himself, with more than a little help from his virtual sidekick.