What area do you work in within the VPFA portfolio?
IT! 

What is your current position, and what are your job responsibilities?
I’m a newly minted sysadmin for USS Admin.

What has been your career path; how did you end up in your current position?
I have a master’s degree in Medieval and Renaissance Literature and had intended to get a PhD after a short break. During that break, I fell into dealing with the office computers when they would aggravate someone. 

Then, I was poached by my boss’ husband to be a “user support specialist” for his insurance brokerage. When the system administrator there left suddenly, I was thrown in. After that, it was a series of jobs in and around tech—everything from teaching it to high school students, to fixing it for teachers, creating festival websites, and sleeping under my desk at startups.

What obstacles have you overcome in your career?
As a GenXer, there weren’t a lot of women in tech when I started. I had to face a lot of sexism and really bad behavior. I also had to contend with the lack of confidence in my abilities those attitudes gave me. I had one employer tell me that, “Women shouldn’t do computers; their minds aren’t suited to it.” I turned that into motivation after the initial shock.

How has working at UO enabled your professional goals and interests?
I always want to be learning: new skills, new information, new ways of doing things. The UO gives me many opportunities to learn in a variety of ways. 

What do you like about your current position?
I love the group I work with. The User Support Services (USS) Admin team is full of knowledgeable, hardworking, and hilarious folks. I have a chance to learn something every day and I feel respected and supported. I have a great mentor in Dave Roberts and a lot of challenging projects. I love a challenge.

Share a little about yourself personally:

• Family: 
  • Married for 23 years
  • One daughter: Em, a UO student who is the absolute delight of my life
  • A wide and varying assortment of cats. We have four currently, Bix, Hugo, Bastian Moon and Charlotte Sometimes. 
• Favorite food: Potatoes, every kind.  Japanese sweet potatoes taste like cake when you bake them low and slow.
• Best movie you’ve seen: Seeing Barbie with my daughter was truly heart-warming and wonderful. It may not be the best movie, but the experience was the most meaningful. 
• Final note: Halloween isn’t a holiday, it is a lifestyle.

(January 2024)