Ryan LeBreton
Ryan is amazing to work with, no matter what I throw his way. He always balances what I ask with web best practices and accessibility requirements. He is organized, communicative, and prioritizes tasks. Together, we are a can-do team, which I greatly appreciate. Thank you, Ryan, for all you do!
-Christina Crockett
Ben Allen, Deb Burns (Boldyn), Casey Campbell, Nikki Dinh, Emilio Goncalves, Kristi Horning, Richard Jackson, David Lutz, Chris Nayeri, Lori Polnow, Lauren Reese, David “Drob” Robertson, Larry Song, Sandy Winter, Qian Xu
Everyone came together at the last minute to open up a day for the last Arista cutover. The cutover had to be moved because it initially fell on the first day of The Washington Youth Summit on the Environment. Additionally, the Arista team had to work around another important student event, The Washington Journalism and Media Conference. All the diverse teams got together and made it happen in short order. Times like these remind me what an agile and amazing organization we are. A big thanks to Boldyn, our partner, for helping out in a pinch. Thanks to everyone who made it happen!
-Christina Crockett
Hamza Abdi, Joseph Spezzano, Abbas Khan
Hamza, Abbas, and Joseph work together to ensure the Collaborative Learning Hub (CLUB) remains operational. While each individual has a set of tasks assigned to them (i.e. Hamza focuses on equipment, Joseph on administrative, and Abbas on scheduling), they seamlessly work together to tackle Blackboard/Canvas issues, including collaborating with the Blackboard (Bb)/Canvas Admins.
During our meetings, Hamza, Joseph, and Abbas are always prepared to bring up the working, the not-so-working, and the plain-old broken. When there is a particularly tricky problem that needs to be addressed before our meetings, they will seek solutions amongst themselves and, when necessary, with the Bb/Canvas Admins or myself via Teams. Without a dedicated full-time Admin, these part-timers have been making the most of the resources they do have. When faced with a challenge, they explore options readily available to them as well as brainstorm alternative solutions and viable workarounds.
To cite a recent occurrence, a flustered TA walked in an hour before closing. They needed help with Lockdown Browser/Honorlock for a test that was happening in two hours for a class of 150 spread across the globe. Abbas and Hamza brought calm to the chaos and worked with Rob and Joe over Teams to find a solution.
Additionally, Joseph is working with the Orientation team once again to ensure they have a space in 311B to register incoming Freshman this summer.
The reason we are able to keep the CLUB open in spite of not having a dedicated CLUB Admin for nearly two years is because of Joseph, Abbas, and Hamza’s hard work.
-Ashley Adams
Tommy Dang
Getting a new building prepped and ready with the network needs of the new residents is not an easy task. Not everyone knows their networking needs. This was the case recently with Fuse. As the ITS Move Coordinator, sometimes this means tracking down network information from any source possible, so that on move in day, residents can move in and safely begin to work. Usually configuring and porting a network out to the site does not happen overnight, but when a last minute out of process need arose for Fuse, Tommy Dang got his crew on it and got it done! As ITS, we know that opening a new building is an important event. Fuse being such a prominent new building to so many, made this network request even more important. When I reached out to Tommy, he and his team stepped in and stepped up! They were awesome! Not only did Tommy understand that this request had to be completed in a hurry, but he also worked with his team and got the network up and configured so that the Arlington team could complete the work. This is when “ONE ITS” really shines. Sometimes it is stressful, but it ALWAYS gets done, and Tommy GOT IT DONE! Thank you, Tommy, and thank you to your team. Fuse is up and running because you care, and that makes all the difference!
-Lee Faber
Jody Faber, Zein Eldin Holail, Shane Hayes, John Silvia, Evelyn Vuong
These individuals made up the Fuse Move-In Day Support Team. They represent Desktop Support, Logistics, and Telecom, and the recent move into Fuse could not have happened without them! This team was a combination of people from Fairfax and Mason Square, and it showed just how well ITS can collaborate and coordinate its resources and teams and SHINE! A very heartfelt THANK YOU to you all for making move-in day a positive experience for so many new residents in Fuse. Your thoughtfulness to detail—from ensuring all new residents onsite knew of the electrical outlet design, making sure everyone who needed a surge protector extension cord got one, to helping grad students understand their new workstations and helping them set up the basics—all was noticed by many. You worked together to put the motto “ONE ITS” into visible action and positive results. You made sure everyone was helped. You even did a last walk-through before leaving to be sure any late comers that needed assistance didn’t get missed. This team was most definitely Valued to the CORE on this move! Thank you to you all!!!
-Lee Faber
Thomas Zuo
The new Fuse building just opened in Arlington and as the ITS Move Coordinator, it is so important to have the help and cooperation of the home campus to assist in getting things prepped for move day. This move was no exception. Thomas Zuo took the initiative and reached out to me. He worked with me to ensure that the network lines were patched and ready to go in the TR (network closet), and he created a “Day of Move” spreadsheet that the move team will continue to use on future moves! He did this all with such a positive outlook! No move is without hiccups …yet…but because of Thomas’ pre-planning and day of preparation, all of the desktop and telecom technicians as well as the logistics onsite help were well informed on who was moving in, how the TR’s were set up, and everyone had the tools they needed to get the new residents of Fuse moved in, which ended with three positive install days. The new residents thanked the team for their efforts, and we all knew that we couldn’t have done it without Thomas’ “plan ahead” mindset. He even bought donuts for everyone, including the patching crew that he set up to get the grad pods ready. Additionally, he worked out a parking plan so that the crews could get their vouchers validated—FREE PARKING! If you are ever on the Mason Square campus, you will probably see Thomas as he is always checking on things and saying hello as he helps out a resident with a technical question. Everyone there knows him, and for a good reason…he loves his campus and those he serves. As the ITS Move Coordinator, I couldn’t have done it without him and his crew. Thank you, Thomas! You are absolutely Valued to the Core!
-Lee Faber
Lauren Hutt
I have multiple projects in play in multiple, overlapping areas, most with ITS involvement. Lauren has been an integral element moving things forward on all these projects, including (… just to name four efforts that leap to mind):
• Wireless print fleet connectivity beta testing
• Taking on-prem print servers to the cloud
• Onboarding George Mason’s new foodservice providers & their associated tech needs
• Auxiliary & Business Operations Tech Team Director hiring committee member
Throughout all these projects—projects of critical importance that serve every George Mason student, faculty, or staff member, as well as the general public—Lauren has been a calm, professional, and critical resource, identifying needs, overcoming obstacles, assisting with requirements, and generally going above and beyond as she supports these disparate and multifaceted projects and critical needs. Her collaboration is deeply appreciated and should serve as a model for any group effort containing IT needs.
-Buz Grover
Lisa Carr, Stephanie Klare, Brad Sullivan
These individuals were critical in aiding in the phish response workflow for a series of high volume phish needing account closures, triage, and remediation. We could not have protected the university without them. They are great to work with and always take time out of their busy day to prioritize critical work.
-Grant Stewart