What area do you work in within the VPFA portfolio?
Printing Services satellite location aka Campus Copy in the EMU.

What is your current position, and what are your job responsibilities?
I am the supervisor at Campus Copy. 

I manage the daily operation of the Campus Copy unit, fulfilling the printing, design, and associated needs of all campus departments, including print consultations. I am the resident large format guru, which means I know a lot about banners and large signage. I oversee digital print production and outsource coordination, and I also facilitate communication and marketing solutions for various units and groups across campus. 

What has been your career path; how did you end up in your current position?
My career path has been a winding, and sometimes bumpy path of attrition.  Starting as a single parent at 19 years old, my career was developed as required to accommodate the needs of my family.  I have been a chef, I’ve owned restaurants, and I’ve been in the car business on multiple levels: washing, selling, and finance. I moved into my current path in printing and shipping with Kinko’s and FedEx. My expertise and well-rounded knowledge of the printing and shipping industry was cultivated through various positions and applications in this environment.  I came to the University of Oregon five years ago as the Campus Copy supervisor; it has been my goal ever since to revitalize Campus Copy. 

What obstacles have you overcome in your career?
Here at the university, understanding the political climate between departments has been an unexpected challenge.  One of the things that drew me to the university was the mission of inclusiveness.  I strive each day to create unity between departments, and to bridge the gap in communication. Value is a matter of perspective on an individual basis and I find that opening a discussion can help us cultivate an understanding of the pieces that we each find valuable. 

What is your work history and education that enabled you to attain your current position?
I spent 11 years in the print and shipping industry prior to coming to the university, and I have a combination of different experiences in varied business environments. The most utilized and valuable set of skills that I possess is my deep understanding of what good service really means.  

How has working at UO enabled your professional goals and interests?
I enjoy the feeling that I’m part of something bigger that I respect and love, and that I’m giving back and participating locally. I also have an opportunity to develop and support young aspiring minds.

What do you like about your current position?
I love being an influential leader for the young community. I thrive on helping clients bring their big ideas to fruition. It’s great to have freedom to expand ideas and that my ideas or expertise can make positive changes and produce better-than-expected results. 

Please share some insight into what your job involves.
When I was hired here five years ago, my purpose was to save Campus Copy. It had been an underutilized resource and was struggling to be self-sustaining from a financial perspective. I started just before the construction began here at the EMU. That construction time really allowed me to fully understand the vision of the university and the EMU. It helped me define my direction for the department. Witnessing and participating in the rebirth of our unit has been enlightening. Since this time, my team and I have cultivated a welcoming environment and we’ve become a hub for creative processes and thinking as well as a valuable, thriving service unit for the campus community.  

What advice do you have for others; what secrets would you share for someone thinking of applying to the UO?
No matter what your passion is, you will find a place to develop and utilize your skills here.  Whether your drive is toward a career or education, or a combination of both, the university has something for everyone. The university truly supplies an opportunity for growth and lives by its values of inclusiveness. 

Share a little about yourself personally

• Family: I have 7 daughters, and a fiancé. Needless to say, I’m busy 
• Favorite food: I don’t have one favorite, I just love good food. I’m a born chef!

If you could only take three items with you to a deserted island, what would they be?

I’m a realist so I’d say: A good sturdy pot to cook in, a high carbon steel knife, and a brick of magnesium to spark a fire. 

How do you want to be remembered?

Fondly, of course. 

If you could have the answer to any question, what would it be?

What truly makes one person more valuable than another? I live by and understand two rules:

• The golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have done unto you”, and 
• Reality: “He who has the gold makes the rules”.

(December 2019)