What is your first U of A memory?
I had my tonsils taken out at the U of A hospital when I was just little. I remember being wheeled on a gurney down a long hallway to the operating room, passing the fluorescent lights overhead. And I remember lots of Jello and ice cream afterwards. Nice nurses.
What’s something your coworkers don’t know about you?
Quite a few of my coworkers already know that my background is in theatre and music, but they may be interested in learning that I am also pretty handy with power tools. Give me a mitre saw and a cordless drill and I can build something useful!
What's your favourite distraction?
These days, I find the New York Times word puzzles a welcome distraction.
If you were enrolling in one course, program or degree right now, what would it be?
I’d pursue my PhD in business and leading innovation — particularly co-creation strategy in the context of all things ‘smart cities’ and smart campus development.
You can invite anyone — alive or dead, real or fictional — to dinner. Who would it be?
American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. I wonder what she would say about the state of the world today, and what advice she would have for navigating the way forward.
If you could see any live performance tomorrow, what would it be?
Half Moon Run — best band to come out of Canada in recent years, and their live show is fantastic.
What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
Stay the course.
What’s one thing you can’t live without?
My mind immediately went to my family and friends. But if I had to choose one thing, it would be a brand new Pentel EnerGel pen in blue ink.
What three words describe your U of A experience?
Challenging. Thrilling. Purposeful.
Do you have any upcoming projects or initiatives you are looking forward to at work?
So many things! It’s exciting to see our Technology with Purpose strategy take shape. One of the key initiatives on our three-year roadmap is the Sensitive Data Research Environment project — just like it sounds — creating a high-performance, secure, robust, sustainable and scalable environment for U of A researchers to research sensitive data. So cool. The team plans to complete the first tranche of work in March 2025.
