Nikki Dinh

Nikki joined Mason in 2015 in her current role, where she is primarily responsible for Mason’s Oracle database support related to Ellucian Banner suite applications. Nikki regularly reviews the configuration management repository to ensure Oracle databases and other applications are up to date, as well as installs and configures application servers for Banner 9 suite applications. This work includes regular coordination with other database administrators to ensure efficiency, proper maintenance, and adherence to procedures.

Colleagues have said, “Nikki brings true professional attributes to the DBA group and ITS staff, and she genuinely cares about delivering excellent quality of works as well as attention to detail.” “Nikki has outstanding competency in communicating all levels of Banner support (be it minute details, the overall picture, and anything in between). She regularly works with others across ITS (and even outside of ITS) to achieve success. She is both technically savvy and courteous at the same time.”

Congratulations to Nikki for being the December 2023 ITS Employee of the Month!

Stephen Tate

Stephen is no stranger to Higher Education, having worked for Old Dominion University (ODU) for 29 years before joining Mason in 2022 as part of the Enterprise Collaboration team. In his role as Communications & Application Service Specialist, Stephen helps to maintain Mason’s unified communications with an emphasis on telecommunications services and applications. In addition to application programming, configuration, and training, he also provides extensive customer support and coordination for projects and technical customer consultations. A major project he is currently involved with is the Vonage Implementation and related Pinnacle clean-up effort, for which he is an integral team member.

Colleagues have said, “Stephen has made a tremendous impact on the Mason community in a very short period of time. He has taken on the telecom Vonage upgrade project as a top priority while learning the Mason way at the same time. He is a quick study and treats everyone with respect. What is interesting is that he does not know who he is working with in regards to their status on campus as he treats everyone with the same professionalism and kindness.” “Every time that I need Stephen, he is always ready to help and explain what needs to be done. I greatly appreciate the time and effort that he puts into his job.”

Congratulations to Stephen for being the November 2023 ITS Employee of the Month!

Shi “Lee”

Lee joined Mason in 2006 in a part-time capacity with ITS, serving in various roles with Arlington Classroom Support, as well as a stint with the Arlington Special Events technical team. In 2022, Lee moved into his current full-time role in Arlington, where he provides technical support to faculty, staff, and students to help enable a successful teaching and learning experience across the campus’s supported classrooms and labs. Lee works closely with his leadership to oversee the maintenance and management of analog and digital systems, serves as the Incident Ticket Coordinator, and mentors wage employees on day-to-day tasks and opportunities for growth.

Colleagues have said, “Staff from other departments who have worked with Lee on various projects have repeatedly expressed their appreciation for his contributions. He goes above and beyond to ensure problems are resolved in a timely manner and customers are taken care of.” “Classroom Support in Mason Square has exceeded our expectations month after month, and this is a direct result of Lee’s leadership and knowledge. He is a person who troubleshoots and gets to the root of the problems every time. Consequently, he has become one of the most knowledgeable people in the building making him a go-to when we need help with AV problems.” “Lee provides great service to GMU and is a resource for people in the office and he really cares on a personal level, too. He always asks how you are and shows he listens by asking how events in your life went. Lee is the full package and we are lucky to have him at Mason.”

Congratulations to Lee for being the October 2023 ITS Employee of the Month!

Cassie Carter

Cassie joined Mason in 2010 as a wage employee working within ITS. Her full-time adventure with the department began a short time after in 2011, starting out in the new role as the Logistics Technician for Technology Support Services/Desktop Support Services. From there, Cassie was promoted a number of times within the Voice/Logistics team, ultimately culminating into her team lead position. Cassie’s role is critical as she serves as a central point of contact for internal ITS employees, as well as for external customers throughout Mason, and many vendor contacts. Among her myriad of responsibilities, Cassie is integral to the daily operations of the telecom technicians, dispatching work requests and coordinating overall schedules and project timelines. As part of her Logistics duties, she also acts as a software administrator, Move Committee help desk liaison, Logistics departmental inventory liaison, orders parts for Mason-owned and supported computer equipment across the entire university, and has a supporting hand in a number of high-profile IT projects.

Colleagues have said, “We are a customer service entity. Cassie is an excellent example of making sure that the customer is always aware of the next step(s) and performs numerous checks to prevent delays.” “She is a wealth of knowledge and is happy to share or assist whenever needed, all the while handling her daily duties (of which there are many). Whether it is Adobe, or another web-based application someone needs, system ordering, supplies, or even move information, Cassie is there when you need her.” “Cassie is respectful, professional, thoughtful, and patient in her communications. She’s exactly what you want out of someone who supports the Mason community. She’s a valuable ambassador for ITS.”

As further testament to Cassie’s dedication and example she sets, this is her second time winning this award, the first of which she received in 2015

Congratulations to Cassie for being the September 2023 ITS Employee of the Month!

Cindy Kim

Cindy joined Mason in 2018 as part of the former IT Process & Planning team, working closely alongside the IT Security Office on risk and compliance tasks which fittingly is the assumed name of Cindy’s current team, IT Risk and Compliance. Cindy’s current priorities consist of document management, coordinating audit and audit response activities, conducting risk assessments for Architectural Standards Review Board (ASRB) tickets, and monitoring vendor compliance with the university’s Third-Party Risk Management program.

Colleagues have said, “Cindy is everyone’s go-to person for third-party and ITS governance documents list maintenance. The processes that she supports not only help reduce risk to the organization but also serve towards defensibility during audits and assessments.” “Cindy takes complete ownership on tasks and with an eye for detail, consistently delivers quality results. Cindy is always willing to share feedback and ideas on how a process can be improved. I admire the positive and continuous improvement mindset that she brings to the team.”

Congratulations to Cindy for being the August 2023 ITS Employee of the Month!

Kate Rodrigues

Kate joined Mason in 2007 with the central Office of Fiscal Services where she worked for 12 wonderful years. Excited for a change, in 2019 Kate transitioned over to the ITS Finance Office and has been a great addition to the team since, while continuing to foster her relationships and work closely with central. In her current role, Kate is responsible for the monitoring and reconciliation of key financial activities within ITS, including labor and operational expenses, Higher Equipment Trust Fund assignments, telecommunications revenue forecasting, and expense management, etc.

Colleagues have said, “Kate has helped exchange ideas and information with all Accounts Payable members and readily assumes additional responsibilities. As a result, Accounts Payable can maintain a 99 percent on-time payment and has good standing credit with vendors.” “She is always available to go over an invoice if there are questions or concerns. She does a lot of extra steps in the background that we as the client will never see, as she makes it look so easy. She is a dream to work with, a true team player.” “She is always positive and brings joy to people who work with her.”

Congratulations to Kate for being the July 2023 ITS Employee of the Month!

Allen Santora

Allen’s career with Mason started early on in 1993 as a student wage, later becoming a full-time staff member within (what is now) the ITS Support Center. In 2000, Allen transitioned to the Application/Web team where he worked for six years before leaving the university to explore other opportunities. Luckily for Mason and ITS, Allen returned in 2015 to his current position working as a Computer Systems Engineer where he is responsible for the design, development, and operation of hardware and software components of assigned systems. This requires Allen to be familiar with university business processes and related policies/procedures, proactively monitoring and evaluating capacity and expansion plans to provide enhancements as necessary to meet changing requirements.

Colleagues have said, “Allen is aware of the direction ITS is going towards and incorporates that into his work. For example, he knows that security is important and that there is an ongoing effort to clean up the firewall rules. Allen reviews the rules on the servers to make sure that obsolete rules are cleaned up.” “Allen is extremely focused on continuously learning and developing best practices in order to manage and support routine activities. His knowledge about systems engineering and technical software related to his job is outstanding.” “Allen is very active in Teams chats providing technical suggestions. He makes days go a little faster with his jokes and interaction with the team.

Congratulations to Allen for being the June 2023 ITS Employee of the Month!

Rodrigo Alva

Rodrigo joined Mason in 2006 as a wage with Arlington Classroom Support, serving in numerous roles including technical event support. In 2013, Rodrigo transitioned to the Fairfax Classroom Support team in a full-time capacity, first as a technician and later joined the reimagined Learning Space Design team under Classroom & Lab Technologies (CaLT). As A/V Engineer and Project Manager, Rodrigo collaborates with ITS senior leaders, Mason constituents, and various vendors to coordinate and implement classroom design projects to include new construction, renovations, and technology refreshes. Rodrigo and the CaLT team work collaboratively across Mason to provide market-ready technology that supports the university’s academic mission, while also supporting administrative and specialized/non-traditional spaces. Fun Fact: Ahead of joining Mason, Rodrigo was an editor/producer on Peru’s Broadcast TV, trained as a pastry chef, and produced concerts and live events.

Colleagues have said, “Rodrigo has a vast knowledge base on how to plan, evaluate, implement and utilize audio and visual technology to enhance the learning outcomes in our classrooms.” “His creative thinking and always looking for the best solution when it comes to AV system design and project management of installations has been invaluable to the university, and has ensured faculty and students have a great experience.” “Rodrigo is never far away – he shows up well, and often, and sometimes when you least expect him. But he is always ready to help to make Mason a better place to teach and learn.”

As further testament to Rodrigo’s dedication and example he sets, this is his second time winning this award, the first of which he received in 2016.

Congratulations to Rodrigo for being the May 2023 ITS Employee of the Month!

Mai Huong Tran

Upon graduating with a BS in Computer Science from Millersville University in Pennsylvania, Mai’s computer programming career began with a PA-based printing company, printing Standard & Poor’s stock book. At that time, Mai did not know what the stock market was, much less ticker symbols and their prices that she printed every day. Mai’s family relocated to VA, landing her a job with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, converting data from an IBM system to an Oracle system in preparation for Y2K, and later as a contractor for the Department of Justice. After enduring long commutes to D.C., Mai decided to pursue a job at Mason and thus allow for more dedicated time with her family. Mai’s journey with Mason and ITS began in 1996, holding various roles from Info Tech Spec 3 to her current Senior Application Analyst position. In her current role, Mai provides primary technical support to ensure the reliability, integrity, accessibility, and usability of Mason’s Ellucian Banner Administrative Applications that support the mission-critical business functions of the university. She supports users in diagnosing and resolving production problems with software and provides custom application and integration support using advanced programming techniques and tools. Mai has been involved in numerous successful projects and initiatives during her tenure. One of her proudest moments was serving with the ITS team responsible for Y2K programming and then converting the data from IBM to Oracle Banner, accomplishing the conversion with minimal consulting help, on time, and with 99% accuracy. Mai was integral to the Banner Self-Service migration, developing and implementing customizations and modules to meet the needs of the Mason community. After 9/11, Mai helped set up the FSAAtlas (ISSM system) to track all the international students and visitors to Mason for reporting purposes, creating and maintaining all the custom codes for this system.

Colleagues have said, “Mai’s commitment to the success of her team and our department is clear in her work. She takes pride in everything she does and strives to understand the issue at hand and provide the best solutions.” “Her technical expertise, adaptability, and excellent communication skills have helped us to maintain a high level of performance and customer satisfaction.” “She consistently demonstrates a deep respect for both users and colleagues, and her willingness to work collaboratively has enabled her to provide exceptional support to our team and the users we serve.”

Mai herself shared that she feels both blessed and lucky to have been in the confluence of hard-working and wonderful people for the last 25 years, with sincere gratitude for her colleagues who have always been willing to help and share their knowledge and to the users who has been exceptional in providing detailed specifications and testing to make her job easier.

Congratulations to Mai for being the April 2023 ITS Employee of the Month and her well-deserved retirement!

Kevin Nguyen

Kevin joined Mason in 2019 as a student wage while he was working towards his bachelor’s in Computer Science from Mason. After graduating in 2021, Kevin moved into a full-time Technical Specialist role. As part of the Fairfax Desktop Support team, Kevin is responsible for the installation, troubleshooting, and repair of Mason-owned and supported computer hardware, software, smartphones, and various types of peripherals. This includes support for over 23,000 desktop and laptop computers. In addition to operational work, Kevin participates in various projects and recently has been serving as the primary technical point of contact for Merten Hall, providing executive-level support to Mason’s senior administration.

Colleagues have said, “Kevin gets along with everyone on the team, is respectful in all situations, gets his work done, and helps others if needed.” “Kevin is able to prioritize the needs of the various levels of who is needing help and technical assistance. He assists with all requests, both large and small. He is very knowledgeable in all areas and if he does not know the answer, he researches it.” “Kevin has consistently grown and improved his skill set, both technically and personally. His excellent customer service and overall efforts have led to a lot of ongoing relationships across campus with users, which is integral to the success of the department as a whole.”

Congratulations to Kevin for being the March 2023 ITS Employee of the Month!

Kate Orf

Kate joined Mason in 2007 as the Web Master and Content Management System Analyst with ITS’s then Web Services team, where she worked for eight years and earned her master’s in education before transitioning to part-time to spend more time with her two girls. Kate returned to full-time within a few years and was later promoted to her current lead role within the Web Applications & Services team. In addition to providing oversight of the team’s various projects and operational activities, Kate serves as a subject matter expert for university websites and technologies and regularly consults with university clients to provide web solutions for their business needs. Her team supports the infrastructure for web content management systems, including Drupal and WordPress, and enterprise search and analytics.

Colleagues have said, “For years Kate has provided excellent support and training to various offices around campus and supported their websites. I myself have been on the receiving end and found her to be very knowledgeable, patient, and easy to work with.” Kate always sees the good side of people and encourages other staff members to do the same and is also the person that you can always rely on for advice and help whenever you need.” “Kate is a wonderful team player, She looks to find the best outcome for all involved and truly exemplifies the core values and is dedicated to delivering on her work commitments and customer needs.

Ethan Ervin

Ethan joined Mason in 2018 as a wage with Network & Security Operations, while also attending NVCC part-time. In 2021, Ethan earned an Associate’s in IT, and moved into the full-time position of Network Engineer. Within a year, Ethan was promoted to Senior Network Engineer, and is now working towards his Bachelor’s in IT from Mason. In his current role, Ethan is responsible for ensuring the availability and security of enterprise wired and wireless networks. This includes network device configuration and monitoring, security device operation, and system troubleshooting.

Colleagues have said, “Ethan has contributed to the Mason’s diversity, inclusion, and equity goals. He brings different perspectives and ideas to the table, and through his inclusive behavior, Ethan helps create an environment that welcomes, respects, and values all individuals.” “He is always preparing practice scenarios for other wage techs and is always happy to explain things differently to help convey a difficult concept.” “Ethan has a respect and reputation of someone who takes accountability for his work. He is the person you want on your team, because the job will get done on time and in an efficient manner.”

Congratulations to Ethan for being the January 2023 ITS Employee of the Month!