Tom Deike, TSS Voice & Logistics Manager

Tom joined Mason in May of 2000 as an IT Logistics Technician. The role had an extensive list of responsibilities, some of which included working with vendors to identify and negotiate cost savings related to parts and materials for computer repairs, and IT equipment generally. Tom also created various automated systems lending to more efficient university processes, and continues to serve as the Rivanna Module building manager. In his current position as TSS Voice and Logistics Manager, Tom manages the Telecom Technicians assigned to Technology Support Services (TSS), and is responsible for related activities and logistical activities, some of which also cross over to TSS Desktop. This includes management of field work, purchasing of equipment and parts, inventory management, and software duplication and distribution. Tom also provides leadership, training, information, and technical support to technicians on hardware and software, including all materials purchased to support the installation, repair, and troubleshooting of Mason-supported personal computers, printers, and peripherals. As is evident, Tom has had an extensive career with ITS at Mason.

Colleagues have said, “Tom is the first to jump in and help move forward with any change that is proposed to improve services to customers or processes.” “He has consistently demonstrated that he can take a complex problem with many angles and create a plan to move forward.” “Tom embodies Information Technology Services true sense of mission, teamwork, and support.”

As further testament to Tom’s incredible work ethic and reputation, it should be noted that this is his second time being awarded as the ITS Employee of the Month, the first of which took place in September of 2007.

Congratulations to Tom for being the December 2019 ITS Employee of the Month!

Denise Coates, Telecommunications Applications & Service Specialist

Denise joined ITS in the spring of 2011 as a Telecom Service Assistant, and in 2015 Denise was promoted to Telecommunications Applications & Service Specialist. In this position, Denise is responsible for helping to maintain the university’s telecommunications services and applications (e.g. PBX, call center, voicemail, and unified communications system administration, application programming, etc.). Denise provides customer support, coordination, and administrative project coordination for special projects in conjunction with university mandated move projects and new building end-user telephony implementation design requirements. Denise is also a part of a team responsible for telephony ticket triage.

Colleagues have said, “Denise's knowledge of telecom and related processes is nothing but exceptional. Whenever I have a question or problem, Denise acts swiftly and promptly to help find a solution.” “When working on projects, Denise always meets deadlines and makes sure all parties are made aware of any changes to the timeline. Our customers love her, as do our vendors. She's personable, efficient, and hard worker.”

Congratulations to Denise for being the November 2019 ITS Employee of the Month!

Casey Campbell, RTC Network Engineer

Casey has had an extensive career in the IT arena within Mason and ITS, starting back in 2004 as a Lab Assistant. In 2006, Casey moved into a new, full-time role as Videoconferencing Technician, where he worked for 10 years and gained further interest in engineering. This interest ultimately prompted Casey to apply for an open position as Network Engineer, which he assumed in 2016 and still holds today. In this role, Casey is responsible for functional network architecture, with a focus on maintaining network stability, security, and performance. Network Engineers design, deploy and maintain telecommunications systems, configurations, and networks to support university business operations. Casey has to demonstrate technical expertise and use sound judgment and participate in and sometimes lead strategic project teams. While expected to maintain proficiency in all areas of network engineering, this position is primarily responsible for data center networking, network security configuration, and virtual networks.

Colleagues have said, “Casey knows we need to be One ITS – that only together can we foster an environment of openness and learning that will help build an improved ITS and help make us all better.” “I feel that Casey possesses intellectual curiosity and is willing to do the hard work needed to achieve goals.” “Casey is an asset and team player. I appreciate his frankness and willingness to work with others to achieve lasting results.”

As further testament to Casey’s incredible work ethic and reputation, it should be noted that this is his second time being awarded as the ITS Employee of the Month.

Congratulations to Casey for being the October 2019 ITS Employee of the Month!

Ahmad Shaker, ITS Support Center Specialist

Ahmad joined Mason in July 2016 as a student wage with the ITS Support Center and, then in just under a year, transitioned into a full-time role as an ITS Support Center Specialist. In this position, Ahmad is responsible for responding to telephone, walk-up, email, online and chat requests from the Mason community pertaining to a wide array of technology issues, and aiding customers in finding valuable solutions.

Colleagues have said, “Ahmad consistently offers great customer service.” “He never gives up on an issue and he is always the first to ensure his work is completed with excellence.” “ITS colleagues that work with Ahmad have noted his professionalism and thoroughness in his actions and that he fully embodies what ‘One ITS’ is all about.”

Congratulations to Ahmad for being the September 2019 ITS Employee of the Month!

Peter Duong, Network Engineer

Peter joined Mason in January 2016 as a wage employee with Network Engineering & Technology. In October 2017, Peter transitioned into a full-time role as a Network Engineer, now under Network & Security Operations, Enterprise Infrastructure Services. In this position, Peter is responsible for installing, supporting, and maintaining hardware and software infrastructure according to best practices. This includes routers, aggregators, switches, Wi-Fi controllers, and assisting with firewalls and VPN creation on all campuses. Peter also provides engineering support for network connectivity issues and is responsible for solving and preventing data outages with wired and wireless systems.

Colleagues have said, “Peter always puts his fellow co-worker’s needs above his own and has a warm rapport with everyone he comes in contact with.” “Peter has great drive and always tries his best to quickly resolve client tickets.” “Peter has a great attitude, great work ethic, and provides a great example for everyone he works with.”

Congratulations to Peter for being the August 2019 ITS Employee of the Month!

Stephanie Klare, ITS Support Center Team Lead

Stephanie joined Mason in August 2006 as a Resident Technician (AKA “ResTech”) with the ITS Support Center, where she also held numerous other wage positions before transitioning to a full-time posting in 2010, as an ITS Support Center Analyst. Shortly thereafter in 2012, Stephanie was promoted to ITS Support Center Team Lead, where she is responsible for leading the daily operational supervision of the ITS Support Center which services the technology needs of Mason’s faculty, staff, and students. She also serves as backup to the ITS Support Center Manager as needed.

Colleagues have said, “Stephanie is my go-to for all questions and she is the human equivalent of the ITS knowledge base. She is happy to share knowledge and always makes time to provide her insight.” “Stephanie embodies ‘One ITS’ by her cooperative attitude…She is a lynchpin in the organization and we are better because she is here.”

As further testament to Stephanie’s incredible work ethic and reputation, it should be noted that this is her second time being awarded the ITS Employee of the Month, the first of which was in October 2013.

Congratulations to Stephanie for being the July 2019 ITS Employee of the Month!

Mukarram Shahzad, Support Center Analyst

Mukarram joined Mason in November 2008 as a wage employee with the ITS Support Center. In August 2012, Mukarram transitioned into a full-time role as a Support Center Analyst. In this position Mukarram is responsible for responding to telephone, walk-up, email, online and chat requests from the Mason community pertaining to a wide array of technology issues, and aiding customers in finding valuable solutions.

Colleagues have said, “Mukarram stands out due to his high level of maturity, professionalism, and unwavering assistance over the years!” “He has a quick wit that allows him to diffuse difficult situations and resolve customer issues in record time.” “His daily contributions to the campus community confirm his determination to further the successes of everyone in ITS.”

Congratulations to Mukarram for being the June 2019 ITS Employee of the Month!

Carolyn Combs, Information Specialist II

Carolyn joined Mason in December 1994 and has served as an Information Specialist II since that time. In this role, Carolyn is responsible for helping to maintain the university’s broad array of telecommunications services and applications, some of which includes unified communications system administration, application programming, configuration, training, and trouble resolution. Carolyn provides customer support, coordination, and administrative project coordination for special projects in conjunction with university-mandated move projects and new building end-user telephony implementation design requirements. Carolyn is also a part of a team responsible for telephony ticket triage, which includes project coordination, technical customer consultations, needs analysis/assessments, and problem resolution/recommendations.

Colleagues have said, “Carolyn has a keen eye for detail and is always willing to assist others when needed.” “Carolyn takes it upon herself to provide exceptional support and service to our faculty and staff. She discerns quickly their individual needs and moves efficiently to provide key information.” “Having a pleasant tone on the phone and kind words in an email make all the difference, and Carolyn always displays kindness when assisting all.”

As further testament to Carolyn’s incredible work ethic and reputation, it should be noted that in 2004 she was selected as the Mason Employee of the Month.

Congratulations to Carolyn for being the May 2019 ITS Employee of the Month!

Sophie Luu, Desktop Support Technician

Sophie joined Mason in December 2016 as a wage employee working as a cable TV technician. In April 2017, Sophie transitioned into a full-time role with Fairfax Campus Desktop Support. As part of the Desktop team, Sophie is responsible for the installation, troubleshooting, and repair of Mason-owned and supported computer hardware, software and various types of peripherals. Sophie helps to provide support to over 23,000 desktop and laptop computers (to include, but not limited to, Dell, Apple, HP, etc. hardware); various peripherals, including printers, scanners; and all Mason supported software, including operating systems (Microsoft Windows OS; Apple OS X; etc.) and application software (Microsoft Office, etc.).

Colleagues have said, “Sophie represents her department very well. She has an upbeat personality and a can-do attitude.” “She reflects the Mason spirit, attitude, and willingness to help others through her skill set and knowledge.” “She is such an asset to ITS as a whole and so deserving of this award!”

Congratulations to Sophie for being the April 2019 ITS Employee of the Month!

Rob Faber, IT Project Manager

Rob joined Mason in May 2017 as a wage employee working on various ITS projects as part of the ITS Portfolio and Project Management (PPMO) team. In February 2018, Rob transitioned into a full-time role with the ITS PPMO as an IT Project Manager. In this capacity, Rob provides project management and business analysis support and guidance for IT projects. This includes serving as the lead on projects as well as liaising with project stakeholders and ITS customers across the university to develop, foster, and maintain business relationships. Rob also assists the ITS Portfolio Owners by capturing portfolio and project lifecycle information, monitoring progress and deliverables, and preparing communications as necessary.
Colleagues have said, “Rob is an organizational ROCK STAR! He is meticulous in his attention to detail and customer service.” “Rob has embraced ITS and Mason culture in a very positive way in order to deliver positive outcomes for the projects he is leading or participating in. He works collaboratively with his coworkers in ITS and successfully engages them in order to get the job done.” “Rob understands ‘One ITS’ and how to make our world effective in what we need to achieve to better help the organization, and thereby Mason, be more successful.”

Congratulations to Rob for being the March 2019 ITS Employee of the Month!

Nabiha Hasan, Sr. IT Security Operations Engineer

Nabiha joined Mason and ITS in July 2013 as a Security Operations Engineer with the IT Security team. In 2015, Nabiha was promoted to her current position as Senior IT Security Operations Engineer, where she is responsible for managing the evaluation, selection, implementation, configuration, upgrading, and patching of systems and applications that support and maintain Mason’s IT security. Nabiha also manages and supports project work and business workflow related to IT security, as well as providing oversight to the security engineer interns.

Colleagues have said, “Nabiha always follows through to see that any project she is working on is completed promptly and thoroughly.” “Nabiha is the most ‘people person’ engineer you would ever hope to meet.” “She understands the importance of teamwork and keeping a close-knit community in the office, often referring to us as her ‘ITSO family’.” “She understands the importance of sharing, honesty, integrity and dedication, and the value in finding and doing meaningful work.”

Congratulations to Nabiha for being the February 2019 ITS Employee of the Month!

Benita James, Operations Specialist

Benita began working at Mason in May of 2002, joining the ITS Data Center (now Facilities and Infrastructure Operations) team as an Operations Specialist, the position she still holds. In this role, Benita monitors and controls access to the Data Center, which houses critical IT infrastructure for the university. She is also part of the 24/7 team that monitors and coordinates support for outages that are detected by software or reported by the user community.

Colleagues have said, “Benita knows what needs to be done to get the job done correctly!” “Benita exemplifies the professionalism that represents Mason.” “Benita always shows a willingness to help customers and this often includes responding to complex issues that involve a lot of troubleshooting on her part.” “She always has a smile on her face. It is Benita’s smile and pleasant demeanor that brighten up my day!”

Congratulations to Benita for being the January 2019 ITS Employee of the Month!