Nikolai Majorin and Anna Stackhouse

Anna and Nikolai have become quite the dynamic duo making sure no leaf is left unturned with the Telecom Replacement Project. They are both beyond dedicated to seeing this project through and doing whatever they can to ensure the impacts on our customers are as minimal as possible. They have built trust and good communication with each other, which is so important within a team on such a high-impact project. And all the extra hours they put in do not go unnoticed... and they seem to still manage to have some laughs along the way. Thanks for your contributions, commitment, and teamwork.

-Lauren Reese

Brad Sullivan

Brad was called upon to help with an MS Team that was experiencing a technical glitch. He provided exhaustive troubleshooting; however, the problem persisted. When time ran short, Brad offered to recreate the team, which was successful in addressing the issue. His technical knowledge and customer service are excellent! Thank you, Brad!

-Charlie Spann

Josh Grant

Our Vonage implementation had a major bump in the road in the SUB I building. There were ~60 lines that were not patched for the conversion to take place. Josh stepped up and worked diligently in the telecom closet patching these missing lines. It did delay our install as this was time-consuming, but we were able to complete 90% of the building that same day. Thanks, Josh, for taking the lead and initiative to keep us focused and on track.

-Cherie Galantis

Anna Stackhouse

Anna is a key player in the meetings she attends. She is always clear with the audience to which she is speaking, be it lay-users, or the technical experts. She listens, she thinks, she responds. Anna may be known for her friendly demeanor - but those that do not know her smile, know she is professional in everything she does. I am glad she is on the projects in which we cross paths.

-Matt Berlejung

Whitney Sublett

No matter how busy she is Whitney maintains a great attitude and participates in other campus initiatives outside of ITS. She sets the example, encourages others to participate, and is a great role model. Thanks for taking care of the faculty and staff from the Green Community!

-Johanna Lizardi

CJ Morgan

CJ was a life saver for me. I had been tasked to help the GMU Gaming Department get fitting for Vison Pro. Apple Reps had forwarded me the steps and process, but I needed help badly because the steps were not working. I knew I was missing something. I reached out for help from our Apple Reps and they could not provide me the help that was needed, so I reached out to our Logistics Department for help. At last, at last, at last - CJ was recommended for assistance since he is the wiz of all things Apple. I forwarded him all the proper instructions and he was able to figure out the process - batta bing batta boom - CJ and I connected and he walked me through the proper steps via Teams. He was great, understanding, and empathic with me. I cannot give him enough praise. I am just so grateful for him. I feel so much better. Thanks so much, CJ.

-Toni Mehrman

Mike Richardson

Mikey! Moke! Big Red! Thank you so much for helping out. Often times ITSO will be tasked with building a computer to a higher degree of security than the standard fare. The good news is these systems are locked down and super secure. The bad news is they are locked down and secure and can be challenging for customers to troubleshoot. One of these particular computers is on the SciTech Campus which is a long way from Fairfax. Mike was able to assist the department and troubleshoot their issues and get them back up and running in a jiffy! The assist from Mike being willing and able to show up and also troubleshoot to the Nth degree to resolve the issue is beyond appreciated. It saved me a trip and thereby also saved the customer an immense amount of down time in the process. Thank you so much for being a great teammate and helping out even when it isn't in your day-to-day duties, Mike. Kudos and much appreciated!

-Tony Houdek

Noor Aarohi, Mark Craft, Mike Fletcher, Mitchell Fletcher, Tim Flynn, Teresa Gibbons, Kyle Goodell, Richard Jackson, Kristen Jennette, Saima Khan, Alex Loper, John McShea, Bates Nunamaker, Bob Peraino, Lori Polnow, Lauren Reese, Ryan Sakai, Umer Shahzad

This group assisted with the process, documentation, and testing of TeamDynamix Change Management. Their assistance made it possible to move ITS from CMDB to TDX with minimal issues. Over several months, they reviewed documentation or entered test RFCs allowing us to tweak the processes that had to be put in place.

-David Robertson

Matt Berlejung

Despite my poor planning and last-minute request for help, Matt helped me get ready for a big meeting this week. He walked me through everything I needed to know and as a result, I was able to be present with the group I was meeting and not worry about logistics. Thanks, Matt!

-Joy Taylor

Lisa Carr, Brad Sullivan, Marcus Wilson

The O365 team got a message to assist with Mail Merge from another Mason department. While we do not support mail merge and do not have any interaction with this service, the request was time-sensitive and high-profile. This team of wonder-lings worked it through, got the solution, and they sent the client happily on their way. As always, this team finds a way to pull through, and drop what they are doing to meet any and all URGENT requests. KUDOS, team amazing!

- Cherie Galantis

Devin Bist, Chris Nayeri, Alex Saleh, Larry Song

I wanted to share some special appreciation for this group of ITS teammates. We ran into a scheduling conflict last week with ITS maintenance and a large-scale event for admitted students. Chris, Devin, Alex, and Larry were very responsive and cooperative in pivoting our plans quickly, and their willingness to help my team help an external partner was beyond top-notch customer service. I know last-minute changes like that are very frustrating, but their "we'll get it done" attitude and understanding are always appreciated and I really value getting the chance to work with them.

-Lauren Reese

Bates Nunamaker and David (Drob) Robertson

Thank you to Bates and Drob for being extremely accessible. They answered and clarified many questions for us in a speedy fashion. In addition, Bates quickly jumped in to assist me several times to get things moving forward. They are great team players!!

-Yuko Kuo

Mike Rothgeb

Mike is instrumental to the implementation of our HIPAA Zoom Secure account. He is always quick to assist and never complains. Thanks, Mike!

-Matt Berlejung and Mike Fuemmeler

Bates Nunamaker

A TDX Godsend, that should be Bates' title! I have a well-oiled team that is in the TDX system all the time. Me, not so much, and that is why I reached out to Bates to assist me with setting up some specific dashboard settings, reports, and to give me a quick guide/review of this beast of a system that I lacked knowledge in. Bates got me so well equipped that I can now do some actual damage, but in a good way. I cannot stress the gratefulness of his patience, as he led me through all sorts of avenues, got me settled and comfortable in reviewing and tracking. What a joy to work with our great talent here at Mason. Bates, you are a wonder, and thanks for all of those excellent ideas and for showcasing what I needed to know! KUDOS!!!

-Cherie Galantis

Toni Mehrman

There are a number of tasks that take a lot of time and energy and that don't necessarily fall neatly under one person's purview. Toni is an expert at purchasing and keeping ITS equipped with the tools they need to successfully do their jobs, but she also steps up to other tasks that the org needs help with, such as tracking down items for fixed assets, helping with surplus items and telecom coordination, and numerous other things that often happen behind the scenes. She always follows up and checks in with people personally as she's working with them, adding a personal touch to her work and making a mark on people she interacts with. Toni is accountable and determined and does everything with heartfelt intention. Thank you for your many efforts, Toni, both seen and unseen!

-Whitney Sublett

Brian Gantt

Brian Gantt is an incredible asset to Mason and ITS. He excels in his role overseeing IT Finance, both as a leader and steward of Mason's resources, while actively identifying ways to improve across the organization. He naturally addresses challenges with solutions and can whip up a presentation and pivot table quicker than anyone I've ever known. He takes the time to ask questions, listen, and then coordinate with everyone impacted, bringing a team mentality to every project or assignment he owns. He takes time to understand and work with people individually on their strengths and helps them overcome challenges to be more successful, while also asking for input with regard to his own areas of growth. He is an excellent communicator and thinks of every helpful detail to aid in avoiding confusion for what is often a quite complex topic/request/update. I'm grateful for his expertise and mentorship, and the integrity he has in overseeing the ITS budget.

-Whitney Sublett

Lisa Carr

I'm convinced Lisa Carr has a fix for almost any question thrown her way, and not only is she helpful and thorough, she is also kind in her approach. Whether it's a rogue certificate error, an email getting hung up from sending, or something more serious like a major meltdown (of a system and impacted parties) - Lisa remains calm and immediately jumps in to help find a solution. She is creative and highly knowledgeable and never backs down from a challenge. All of these attributes are consistent with the ITS values that Lisa so openly lives. Thanks as always, Lisa!

-Whitney Sublett

Carrie Stewart

Many probably know that central HR has implemented PageUp, a new enterprise talent acquisition software, to help automate PDs and the recruitment process, but you might not know that someone has to manually input every existing EWP/PD into the system. For ITS, there are close to 250 FT employees, all of which had to be manually copy/pasted into PageUp, and without Carrie Stewart this work never would have been done. With all of these PDs now online, future changes can be more easily tracked and reviewed, and the number of steps required by supervisors for recruitment, significantly decreased. Thank you to Carrie for her persistence in overcoming this daunting task and ultimately saving the department a lot of time and headache in the future!

-Whitney Sublett

Tony Houdek

It's impossible to just chose one story about Tony's consistent and strong leadership and guidance so I'll share some general thoughts on why I believe he deserves to be recognized for VTTC.

I've been at Mason 6 years and the past 1.5 with the excellent team in the IT Security office. During my time in ITSO I've seen Tony clearly articulate his expectations while never forgetting to pause and listen to all of us (from the new hires to the old guard) and offering actionable insight for even the most mundane questions we have. Tony consistently acts with integrity and happily engages in all work tasks be they guiding our interns on a new problem they're facing or preparing findings for Curtis to present to senior leadership on a security incident.

Two of the greatest things about working with Tony though are his commitment to providing a respectful workspace where everyone feels comfortable voicing their opinions and his commitment to teamwork - be that diving into the weeds on a large scale complex IT security issue or simply joining us analysts for a quick pick-up ping-pong game at the end of the day. Our team wouldn't be where we are or as good as we are without him.

-J.D. Sayle

Ryan LeBreton

Ryan always takes the time to help me out no matter how wild the ask might be. He takes his time to teach me how to do things and point me to resources. When we work together, it's so seamless because we can communicate so effortlessly. I have learned so much from him, and enjoy working with him. Thank you Ryan!

-Christina Crockett

Lisa Carr

Thank you to Lisa for helping out with an urgent user-account issue today. She was immediately accessible, checked on the issue herself, and gave us the information we needed to develop a plan. With Lisa, I could probably submit one of these every week, but today's assistance was especially appreciated!

-Kathi Gelona

Brad Sullivan

Thank you to Brad with assistance in an urgent user-account issue today. We were in uncharted territory, and he gave us the information we needed plus some important background for going forward. The conversation was very collaborative, which is always appreciated.

-Kathi Gelona

Noor Aarohi

We had a contractor who had difficulty completing the required security training and was going to lose access. Rather than sending us into a frustrating loop of trying to get access and have the security training completed (which we understand is our own responsibility), Noor offered assistance to both our department, and to the contractor to make sure the training was able to be accessed and completed.
Noor understood that the goal of the mandatory security training is helping people be compliant with security processes and procedures and that we needed this contractor to be compliant with our security. She worked persistently with us through all of the issues until the training was finally successfully completed. Even after all of the back and forth, she took seriously the contractor's feedback about the training, and offered to look into his questions. She demonstrated that she cares about the security compliance and the individuals involved in our work.

-Aileen Miller

Michael Kramer

Thank you to Michael Kramer for his assistance with an urgent user-account issue today. Michael immediately contacted the appropriate administrators, submitted a ticket on my behalf, and then followed up with me twice. We were able to solve our problem hours before we’d expected to. Thank you to Michael for being so proactive, in this situation and with previous tickets.

-Kathi Gelona

Nico Clemente, Richard Jackson, Brandon Capes, Mark Craft & Michael Rothgeb

I would like to recognize the effort this excellent team has been putting in for the MESA migration project. They put on their engineering hats, diligently and proactively work ahead of what's asked of them to move the migration project forward. In addition, they have been resolving issues, some of which the vendor/consultants have not encountered before, and sharing their observations with others. It is a great collaboration they are performing!!

-Yuko Kuo

Jennifer Newsome & Benita James

On nights and weekends the Data Center team monitors the itsalert@gmu.edu email box for outages, and on weekdays members of the ITS Support Center monitor it. Over the past several months, there have been multiple occasions when we were short staffed at the ITS Support Center, and didn’t have anyone to monitor the mailbox during the day. I would call the Data Center and ask if they could take over the monitoring early or watch it for a few hours when we didn’t have anyone. Every time I called, Jennifer or Benita would cheerfully agree. I really appreciate their willingness to help out, it truly shows their commitment to One ITS!

-Teresa Gibbons

Elizabeth Redwine

I just received outstanding service and I am compelled to let you know. Teams on my iPhone stopped working with a password reset over winter break. I tried to fix it then and I was unable, and latter forgetting its broken state. Last Friday a serious production server issue occurred and because Teams was broken on the phone, my colleagues experienced delays in contacting me. Fast forward to today, and the pressing task of getting back in the communications loop was corrected by Liz with calm, her great knowledgebase, her persistence, and, ultimately, success. I am so very grateful!

Keep up the great work and thanks again,

-Peter Rea