Eric Tateosian, Learning Management Administrator

Eric started at George Mason University in November 2012. Eric provides consultation, training, documentation, and technical support and services for faculty and students. He serves as the point of contact for Mason’s learning management system and portal. In addition, Eric develops the user guides, online tutorials, and printed guides used to assist faculty with instructional technologies.

Nominators said, “Eric takes his job seriously, and treats each day with the same positive attitude.” He is an “amazing resource to the student body and staff here at Mason.” Eric “routinely instructs faculty and staff on key concepts of Blackboard, and always goes above and beyond to cater to specific needs.”

This is not the first win for Eric; Eric last won in May 2014. Mason is lucky to have him!

Congratulations to Eric for being the December ITS Employee of the Month!

Toni Marie Mehrman, Finance Specialist

Toni started as a wage IT Data Entry Tech in April 2011. She held this position until August 2013 when she became a classified employee as an ITS Finance Specialist. Toni provides support to all areas of ITS by preparing financial reports, letters, and financial documents. She works closely with ITS Strategic Business Operations staff to provide timely and accurate assistance, guidance, and reporting on financial and business operational issues.

Nominators said, “Toni is always willing to go the extra mile to help others” and she “has a positive way of explaining GMU fiscal policies while offering to find solutions or to teach the process to anyone who asks.” Toni “deals effectively with pressure, maintains focus and intensity and remains optimistic and persistent, even under adversity.”

Mason is lucky to have her!

Congratulations to Toni for being the November ITS Employee of the Month!

Ryon Saenz, IT Security Engineer

Ryon started as an IT Security Engineer on July 25, 2015. Ryon assists the IT Security Office by supporting applications and business processes which include Tenable vulnerability scanning, ArcSight SIEM, FireEye network threat protection, and Modulo GRC application. In addition, he participates in threat analysis and incident responses on campus.

Nominators said, “Ryon brings a great attitude, backed by his comprehensive knowledge, to the organization” and “never appears to be overwhelmed by the heavy volume of work and often takes on additional tasks and sees them through from start to finish.” Ryon is known for delivering “efficient and high-quality customer service whenever he deals with customers both on the phone and in-person.”

Mason is lucky to have him!

Congratulations to Ryon for being the October ITS Employee of the Month!

Lauren Reese, Communication and Planning Specialist

Lauren started at Mason in December 2011 as an Administrative and Office Specialist. She is responsible for developing, implementing and managing communications planning for strategic initiatives. In addition, she manages collecting data and document materials from various departments and resources for institutional reporting, coordinating marketing activities, creating the ITS newsletter, and providing the quality assurance of ITS communication before it is distributed to staff and the university.

Nominators said, “Lauren is a pleasure to work with. She always has a smile on her face and has a positive attitude towards anything that comes her way” and “her contributions and dedication are what make her a great asset to ITS.” Lauren “exemplifies what are the best qualities of a project team member and a collaborator.” She is “an excellent candidate for the employee of the month award.”

Mason is lucky to have her!

Congratulations to Lauren for being the September ITS Employee of the Month!

David LaRose, Network Engineer, Network Operations

David started as a student wage at Mason in 2013 and began working as a Network Engineer in April 2014. As a Network Engineer, he is responsible for the installation, support, and maintenance of hardware and software which includes routers, aggregators, switches, and Wi-Fi controllers. In addition, he assists with firewall and VPN creation on all campuses.

Nominators said, “David’s ability to think outside the box when faced with challenging situations has made him an extremely valuable employee” and is “always willing to stop what he is doing to explain things when others have questions.” David “attacks problems at their core to develop a deep understanding that allows him to not only resolve issues but mitigate their recurrence.”

Mason is lucky to have him!

Congratulations to David for being the August ITS Employee of the Month!

Rodrigo Alva, AV Engineer/Project Manager, Learning Space Design

Rodrigo started as a wage at Mason in 2006 and began working as a classified Classroom Support Tech in January 2013. In October 2013, he was promoted to Lead Tech and started in his current position with Learning Space Design in May 2014. As a Project Manager for Learning Space Design, he works collaboratively with the Director of Classroom and Lab Technologies and the Learning Space Design Manager. Rodrigo is responsible for coordinating and implementing classroom design projects to include new construction, renovations, and technology refreshes.

Nominators said, “Rodrigo is constantly identifying and prioritizing the key actions and behaviors necessary for success” and is “extremely knowledgeable and has a great reputation within Mason.” Rodrigo “can keep his head when others around him are under duress. He delivers a calm, authoritative response to the problems and moves to resolve them.”

Mason is lucky to have him!

Congratulations to Rodrigo for being the July ITS Employee of the Month!

Richard Jackson, Computer Systems Engineer

Richard started as a student at Mason in 1982 and began working as a wage employee in the computer labs in 1983. In 1992, he began his first classified position as a Systems Engineer and has been with that group ever since. This is not the first time Richard has received this honor as he was also awarded the Employee of the Month in February 2005 and March 2011. Way to go, Richard!

Richard is responsible for all technical aspects of assigned computer systems and projects to fulfill unit or university missions. This includes providing systems, software engineering, development, and operational support for assigned computer systems and associated services.

Nominators said, “Richard is invaluable and provides clarity to very complex issues” and he “is the consummate team player.” Richard “understands the scope of the business we are in. He works with personnel within all the groups of ITS on different issues to make sure the user community is satisfied.”

Mason is lucky to have him!

Congratulations to Richard for being the June ITS Employee of the Month!

Christina Sanders, Global TelePresence Specialist

Christina started her career at Mason in August 2008 as an Office & Event Assistant for the Office of Events Management and became the Event Manager in July 2009. She joined ITS in August 2011 as the Global Telepresence Specialist for Collaborative Video Technologies (CVT). In her role, Christina is responsible for the promotion and support of telepresence rooms on all Mason campuses. She oversees scheduling of all telepresence and videoconference meetings and classes for CVT. In addition, Christina served as the chair of the Employee of the Month committee for three years.

Nominators said Christina is “always thorough in her questions around the purpose and context of the videoconference so as to help all parties involved have the best room and best interview process.” She is “efficient, extremely helpful, and knowledgeable” and “handles all questions with grace and patience.”

Mason is lucky to have her!

Congratulations to Christina for being the May ITS Employee of the Month!

Tony Houdek, IT Security Analyst

Tony started his career at Mason on July 25, 2013. He performs threat and vulnerability analysis by identifying security gaps and recommending changes. Tony supports business processes and workflow related to analysis, reporting, and alerting. In addition, he manages the IT intern program of paid non-student wages and participates in incident response work.

Nominators said Tony goes above and beyond by not only providing “critical input but demonstrating the benefits of the tools he uses to other teams, where he sees it could be helpful.” He demonstrates “good leadership, but is also a great team player when working with his team” and his energy and optimism were marked as being “very contagious.”

Mason is lucky to have him!

Congratulations to Tony for being the April ITS Employee of the Month!

Daniel Alex Seals, Database/Applications Administrator

Alex is responsible for the support and maintenance of the incident management system used by ITS, including integration with other systems, coordination of upgrades, and ensuring proper operation of the system.

Nominators said Alex is “extremely vital around the office” and, as a quick thinker “usually has a resolution or a readied answer to help resolve an issue.” Alex “embodies initiative and every definition of the word” and is a “wonderful person to work with.”

Mason is lucky to have him!

Congratulations to Alex for being the March ITS Employee of the Month!

Tian Hui Wang, Senior Database Analyst

Tian started her career at Mason in August 2008 and was promoted to Senior Database Analyst in March 2013. This is not the first time Tian has received this honor as she was also awarded the Employee of the Month in September 2009. Way to go Tian!

Tian’s main responsibility is to assist the Database Support Manager in developing and implementing policies and procedures, governing security, and access authorization. In addition, she is tasked with monitoring database performance, tuning databases for optimum operating efficiency, and ensuring maximum online availability of the databases and ERP applications.

Nominators said, “Tian always goes beyond expectations in all projects she is involved in” and she “never disappoints you in resolving your issues.” Tian is “not afraid to take on any project thrown her way” and is the “first person that a lot of functional users depend on for assistance in troubleshooting their functional issues within their applications.”

Mason is lucky to have her!

Congratulations to Tian for being the February ITS Employee of the Month!

Habtewold Mesfen, Telecommunication Infrastructure Engineer

Habtewold started his career at Mason as a Telecom Infrastructure Specialist in December 2006 and was promoted to his current position in August 2011. Habtewold’s primary responsibility is to support a complex network, that consists of approximately 50,000 Ethernet ports and more than 2,000 wireless access points over the three main campuses and multiple remote office locations in Northern Virginia.

Nominators said, “Habtu goes out of his way to identify and correct problems with wireless APs throughout the campuses while he is on other work orders or jobs” and “customers and faculty/staff continually call Habtu for advice and direction for many issues they are facing.” He is “one-in-a-million.” If there are issues that arise, “he either solves them, finds another solution, or immediately brings it to the attention of others. That way nothing from his end stops the project from moving forward.”

Congratulations to Habtewold for being the January ITS Employee of the Month!