New Staff Introductions

Feda Jarad

November 17, 2025 | Security and Compliance Analyst,  IT Risk and Compliance, Information Security Office

Feda joined Northwestern IT on Monday, November 17, as a security and compliance analyst on the IT Risk and Compliance team. She brings a strong background in compliance, risk management, and data governance, with experience supporting regulatory frameworks such as HIPAA, FERPA, Export Control, and NIST. Most recently, she served as a program administrator at the Kellogg School of Management, where she oversaw contract due diligence, third-party risk reviews, data access, data management, and the development of a comprehensive compliance and governance manual to support federally funded research operations. Please welcome Feda to Northwestern IT.

Matt Feely

February 3, 2025 | Project Manager,  Office of Project Management, Administrative Systems

Matt joined Northwestern IT on Monday, February 3, as a project manager on the Office of Project Management team. Matt has extensive experience in various IT roles, including IT Project Manager, Agile Scrum Master, and Application Delivery Lead. His most recent role was at Accenture, where he spent over 15 years working on large, cross-functional projects, including the global rollout of Workday. Matt has a BA in Business Administration and is a Certified SAFe Scrum Master (SSM).

Matt is a Navy veteran originally from California.  When he’s not working, he loves spending time with his twin daughters, often playing sports together.  He’s also passionate about motorcycle riding and various watersports.  Additionally, he enjoys taking his labradoodle to the Beck Lake Dog Park for some fun and fresh air. Please welcome Matt to Northwestern IT.

Carlos E. Hurtado

January 22, 2025, | Senior Systems Engineer, Distributed Application Platform Services, Platform Services, Cyberinfrastructure

Carlos joined Northwestern IT on Wednesday, January 22, as a senior systems engineer on the Distributed Applications Platform Services (DAPS) team. His previous experience at Weinberg IT brings over 20 years of invaluable experience at Northwestern University. Throughout his tenure, Carlos has excelled in various disciplines, including System Administration, Relationship Management, and Networking. His deep institutional knowledge and technical expertise will be instrumental in advancing the goals of the DAPS team and the broader Cyberinfrastructure group.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Carlos is a passionate volunteer and an avid scuba diver. He also has a keen interest in languages and is professionally fluent in English and Spanish, with intermediate fluency in French and German. This linguistic diversity reflects his commitment to lifelong learning and his ability to engage with a wide range of perspectives. Please welcome Carlos to Northwestern IT.

Larry Brown

January 6, 2025 | Developer Associate, Application Development and Operations, Administrative Systems

Larry joined Northwestern IT on Monday, January 6, as a developer associate on the Application Development and Operations team. He has experience developing and optimizing data-driven solutions and previously served as a consultant at Northwestern, specializing in system integration, data analysis, and process improvements. With a data architecture and development background, Larry has led initiatives to enhance system performance, security, and reporting. Please welcome Larry to Northwestern IT.

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Cisco Carmona

December 19, 2024 | Cloud Engineer Associate, Platform Services, Cyberinfrastructure

Cisco joined Northwestern IT on Thursday, December 19, as a cloud engineer associate on the Platform Services team. Before joining Northwestern, Cisco worked as an Azure networking support engineer at Microsoft, where he collaborated with some of the world's largest enterprises to develop solutions to their high-impact issues. Before that, he worked with the Midwest fiber internet service provider Metronet, where he helped set up and configure networking services and devices for small to medium-sized businesses. Please welcome Cisco to Northwestern IT. 

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Natalie Ewing

November 4, 2024 | Systems Analyst, Enterprise Systems, Administrative Systems

Natalie joined Northwestern IT on Monday, November 4, as a systems analyst on the Enterprise Systems team. Before joining Northwestern, Natalie worked in the Office of the University Registrar at Chapman University in Orange County, California. In that role Natalie worked with academic departments to enhance student services using PeopleSoft Campus Solutions and served as a liaison between the Registrar's Office and IT. In her free time, Natalie enjoys traveling and exploring her new surroundings in and around Chicago. Please welcome Natalie to Northwestern IT. 

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Ramesh Gouru

September 23, 2024 | Developer, Application Development and Operations, Administrative Systems

Ramesh joined Northwestern IT on Monday, September 23, as a developer on the Application Development and Operations team. He brings more than 16 years of experience in development, consulting, and server administration across HCM and financial modules. He has technical and functional knowledge and has successfully led implementations, upgrades, and production support for major clients like State Farm and Marriott. Ramesh is skilled in integration and security within PeopleSoft environments, alongside a background in AWS Cloud infrastructure. Please welcome Ramesh to Northwestern IT.

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Angela Galindo

July 1, 2024 | Senior Financial Analyst, Administration and Finance

Angela joined Northwestern IT on Monday, July 1, as senior financial analyst on the Administration and Finance team. Angela will be responsible for all daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual financial processes that support the telecommunications and networking recharge operations of Northwestern IT. She will work closely with management and staff participating in recharge operations and the other members of the Administration and Finance team.  

Angela brings more than 20 years of experience in accounting and finance, most of which has been in the not-for-profit sector. Her tenure includes time as a senior accountant for a national real estate brokerage firm and as a senior financial analyst at Central States Pensions Funds. Prior to that, she spent a decade managing budgets and finance for internal operations at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from DeVry University.  

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Kelsey Cheng-Hogarth

May 30, 2024 | Senior Research Communications Coordinator, IT Communications, IT Services and Support

Kelsey joined Northwestern IT on Thursday, May 30, as senior research communications coordinator on the IT Communications team. With her IT Communications teammates, Kelsey will play a pivotal role in partnering with Research Computing and Data Services (RCDS) colleagues to generate University-wide awareness for the group and connect researchers and primary investigators to RCDS’s various services and initiatives. She will also support general Northwestern IT change management initiatives that inform the Northwestern community of new and changing technology and raise awareness of IT services and resources that support the University’s academic, business, and research activities.

Kelsey brings to the team nearly a decade of experience in content creation, marketing, and communications for technology clients, including Splunk, Intel, and CrowdStrike. She partnered with several cross-functional teams in these roles to create content for websites, newsletters, social media, and other marketing and communication assets. She also directed storytelling, brainstorming, and media relations efforts for public companies in the AI and healthcare industries. She has a bachelor's degree in public relations from Loyola University Chicago.

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David Glass

May 28, 2024 | Research Computing Support Lead, Research Computing and Data Services, IT Services and Support

David joined Northwestern IT on Tuesday, May 28, as research computing support lead on the Research Computing and Data Services team. David will lead and supervise a team of staff and research computing student consultants in delivering user support to researchers across Northwestern through tickets, consultations, documentation, and trainings. In this role, David will be responsible for the development and implementation of service improvements for user support operations to meet the growing research needs. David and his team will continuously inform and support our core training portfolio using the insights gained from user support and interactions.

Before joining Northwestern, David occupied various positions in both higher education and the private sector. Most recently, he served as the managing director of data science within the Data Mine Program at Purdue University. Prior to his tenure at Data Mine, he progressed through roles ranging from IT analyst to data scientist to analytics team lead at John Deere & Company and Delta Faucet Company. David holds a master’s degree in predictive analytics from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in computer information technology from Purdue University.

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Jillian Whitton

April 15, 2024 | Statistician, Research Computing and Data Services, IT Services and Support

Jillian joined Northwestern IT on Monday, April 15, as a statistician on the Research Computing and Data Services team. She is the second member of the Statistics team as we continue to integrate statistical expertise into our data science support for Northwestern researchers. Jillian will work on provisioning statistical consultations, trainings, and project work for faculty.

Jillian joined us after a long career with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, where she spent many years providing statistical support for a national study of cancer survivors. Before that, she worked on analyzing and presenting socio-economic data in the United Kingdom. She has an MSc in Applied Stochastic Systems from University College London and a BSc in Physics from Durham University. Please welcome Jillian to Northwestern IT.

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Jose Loera

April 15, 2024 |  Senior Linux Systems Engineer, Research Computing Infrastructure, Cyberinfrastructure

Jose joined Northwestern IT on Monday, April 15, as a senior Linux systems engineer on the Research Computing Infrastructure team. He will enable research on Quest through advanced system administration, security best practices, operational support of InfiniBand, GPFS, and networking, and optimization of high-performance computing system processes.

Jose is an infrastructure engineer with more than 10 years of experience orchestrating complex information technology environments' design, implementation, and management. In his previous roles, Jose worked as a senior network systems administrator and a senior infrastructure engineer, optimizing system performance, enhancing security measures, and ensuring uninterrupted operations across diverse on-premises and hybrid infrastructures on Linux platforms. He configured and maintained IBM and Lenovo hardware and operating systems, developed and deployed Ansible playbooks to automate RedHat patch deployments to hundreds of servers, and championed system security. Please welcome Jose to Northwestern IT.

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David Nichols

February 19, 2024 |  Lead Statistician, Research Computing and Data Services, IT Services and Support

David joined Northwestern IT on Monday, February 19, as lead statistician on the Research Computing and Data Services team. He joins the team as they continue integrating statistical expertise into their data science support for Northwestern researchers. David will lead the provision of statistical consultations, trainings, and project work for faculty.

David joins Northwestern following a long career with SPSS Inc. and IBM, primarily leading statistical support for SPSS software. He has worked with researchers on thousands of statistical issues in a wide variety of fields. David has a PhD in research methodology and quantitative psychology and an AM in philosophy, focusing on philosophy of science, both from the University of Chicago. He also holds a BA in psychology from Michigan State University. Please welcome David to Northwestern IT.

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Julia Ann Giannini

February 2, 2024 |  Computational Specialist, Research Computing and Data Services, IT Services and Support

Julia joined Northwestern IT on Friday, February 2, as a computational specialist. In this role, Julia will provide support to Northwestern researchers on computing resources including our high performance computing cluster Quest. She will create new educational opportunities through consults, documentation, videos, and workshops for the research community. Julia will also contribute to the team with projects to develop and improve services.

Prior to joining Northwestern, Julia was working towards her PhD, and she served as a teaching assistant, peer mentor, and science communicator. Her research focused on understanding novel properties of structural glasses through computational and data-intensive approaches. Julia earned her PhD in physics from Syracuse University and her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics from Gettysburg College. Please welcome Julia to Northwestern IT. 

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Yusuf Saleh

January 29, 2024 |  Technical Support Specialist Associate, Technology Support Services, IT Services and Support

Yusuf joined Northwestern IT on Monday, January 29, as a technical support specialist associate on the Endpoint Device Management (EDM) team. He most recently worked with the EDM team as an intern from the Year Up program. During his internship, Yusuf was invaluable assisting with several projects and the team's daily support requests. Please welcome Yusuf to Northwestern IT.

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Haley Sharon Carter

January 2, 2024 |  Computational Specialist, Research Computing and Data Services, IT Services and Support

Haley joined Northwestern IT on Tuesday, January 2, as a computational specialist with a focus on the genomics research community. She will onboard and support researchers to run genomics pipelines on the Northwestern Genomics Compute Cluster and assist in managing their data. Haley will also develop documentation and technical workshops on available resources, tools, and standard methodologies in this area.

Before accepting this role, Haley worked with the RCDS data science team as a student consultant for the last three years. She taught workshops on using R for data science and consulted on projects for students, staff, and faculty. Haley holds a PhD in plant biology from Northwestern and a BS in biology from Brown University. Please welcome Haley to Northwestern IT.

Brian Williamson

November 6, 2023 |  Data Center Technician, Service Operation, Cyberinfrastructure

Brian joined Northwestern IT on Monday, November 6, as a data center technician on the Service Operation team. He joins the Service Operation Center (SOC) with over 10 years of progressive information technology experience in customer support and hardware service. Most recently, Brian was a server support technician for World Wide Tech Services, a role that brought him to the Northwestern campus many times to assist with extended hardware support services on Dell equipment. He joins the Service Operation group as a member of the 24/7/365 rotating team. He will partake in all SOC activities, including assisting with ticket monitoring, responding to SolarWinds alerts, participating in the incident management process, and providing support in all aspects of the University Data Center, including smart hands and hardware installations. Brian holds a bachelor's in business economics from Wheaton College. Please welcome Brian to Northwestern IT.

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Acacio Rodriguez

October 30, 2023 |  Executive Technical Support Lead, Technology Support Services, IT Services and Support

Acacio joined Northwestern IT on Monday, October 30, as an executive technical support lead on the Endpoint Device Management team. He joins us with more than 10 years of experience supporting Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management Executive MBA and Executive Education programs. Acacio has also supported the audio-visual needs for the University's Board of Trustees meetings held at the Allen Center in recent years. He brings strong, proven customer service skills, project management, audio-visual, and other technical competencies to this role. An interesting fact about Acacio is that he is the proud owner of a local five-acre farm he helps run in his spare time, raising horses, sheep, pigs, and chickens. Please welcome Acacio to Northwestern IT.

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Chris Diaz

October 16, 2023 |  Senior Site Reliability Engineer, Platform Services, Cyberinfrastructure

Chris joined Northwestern IT on Monday, October 16, as a senior site reliability engineer on the Research Computing Infrastructure team. In this role, he will support Quest by implementing automated self-service workflows for faculty, creating automated dashboards and metrics reporting for Quest, and serving as an on-call engineer. Before joining the team, Chris gained valuable experience at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, where he worked as a systems analyst responsible for supporting systems for Kellogg's Admissions and Financial Aid teams. Before that, Chris worked as a customer support engineer, assisting with learning management systems like Canvas. Chris also spent seven years as a librarian at Northwestern before transitioning to a career in information technology. Please welcome Chris to Northwestern IT.

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Jessica Thompson

October 16, 2023 |  Associate HPC Engineer, Platform Services, Cyberinfrastructure

Jessica joined Northwestern IT on Monday, October 16, as an associate HPC engineer on the Research Computing Infrastructure team. Her primary responsibilities revolve around supporting Quest's High-Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure. She will handle service ticket queues, manage system inventory, perform system maintenance, and provide user assistance and problem resolution. Before joining the team, Jessica completed an internship with Northwestern's Platform Services group, where she collaborated with the Cyberinfrastructure and Technology Support Services units on various projects, including laptop replacements, data cleanups, and audit resolutions. Her journey to this role began with graduation from the YearUp program, which equipped her with a strong background in customer service. Additionally, Jessica has led several presentations addressing the opportunity divide in education. Please welcome Jessica to Northwestern IT.

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Melody Delfosse

October 9, 2023 |  Systems Analyst Senior, Enterprise Systems Alumni and Financials, Administrative Systems

Melody joined Northwestern IT on Monday, October 9, as a systems analyst senior on the Enterprise Systems Alumni and Financials Grants Management team. Melody's experience encompasses financial analysis, grant administration, project leadership, and collaboration. In her most recent role at Childcare Network of Evanston, she collaborated with early childhood education centers to develop and implement financial best practices, ensuring responsible use of public funds. She excels at dissecting complex challenges, identifying innovative solutions, and cultivating a culture of continuous improvement. Beyond her professional life, Melody dedicates her time to innovating in the kitchen and listening to podcasts about tech and the economy. Please welcome Melody to Northwestern IT.

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Alex Mojica

October 4, 2023 |  Systems Analyst Associate, Enterprise Systems Alumni and Financials, Administrative Systems

Alex joined Northwestern IT on Wednesday, October 4, as a systems analyst associate on the Enterprise Systems Alumni and Financials PeopleSoft team. He most recently led a dynamic sales team at Tommy Bahama, focusing primarily on ensuring customer satisfaction and achieving team business sales goals. Alex's passion for technology has been a driving force throughout his career, and he is enthusiastic about leveraging that passion on his information technology journey at Northwestern. Please welcome Alex to Northwestern IT.

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Esma Sherwani

October 2, 2023 |  Associate Developer, Application Development and Operations, Administrative Systems

Esma joined Northwestern IT on Monday, October 2, as an associate developer on the Application Development and Operations team. Before joining Northwestern, Esma worked as a software engineer at Infosys, where she worked on client deliverables using Java web technologies such as Hibernate and Spring. She is also experienced in Ruby on Rails, Java, and JavaScript-based programming and has a healthcare industry background. Please welcome Esma to Northwestern IT.

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Kristin McLean

September 18, 2023 |  Manager of Data Management Services, Research Computing and Data Services, IT Services and Support

Kristin joined Northwestern IT on Monday, September 18, as manager of data management services on the Research Computing and Data Services team. Many individuals across our organization have worked with Kristin during her 14 years at Northwestern, and she most recently served as chief information security officer for Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering IT team. She has also worked on several other University-wide projects and system updates. Kristin brings experience working with many research teams, and in her new role, she will lead the team and services that support researchers in storing, transferring, securing, and otherwise managing their data. Please welcome Kristin to Northwestern IT.

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Sophie van Genderen

September 5, 2023 |  Computational Specialist Associate, Research Computing and Data Services, IT Services and Support

Sophie joined Northwestern IT on Tuesday, September 5, as a computational specialist associate. In this role, Sophie will facilitate computational research at Northwestern by supporting the team’s daily operations and projects. She will also provide consultations and develop documentation and training materials to expand computing skills in our research community.

Sophie got her bachelor’s degree in computer science from DePauw University. After that, she obtained her master’s degree in informatics from UC Irvine, where she focused on environmental sustainability in software engineering. She also worked as a teaching assistant and tutor for the past four years at both institutions. Please welcome Sophie to Northwestern IT. 

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Manisha Dareddy

August 25, 2023 |  Senior Technology Support Specialist, Technology Support Services, IT Services and Support

Manisha joined Northwestern IT on Friday, August 25, as a senior technology support specialist on the Endpoint Device Management team. In this role, she will focus on support for our Crown Center community and special projects. Manisha previously served in a technical support role at Northwestern University in Qatar. She has a bachelor's in information systems and a master's in data science and engineering. Please welcome Manisha to Northwestern IT.

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Yusuf Saleh

August 21, 2023 |  Year Up Intern, Technology Support Services, IT Services and Support

Yusuf joined Northwestern IT on Monday, August 21, as an Endpoint Device Management team intern. He comes to us from the Year Up program. Improving information technology technical skills and software development has been Yusuf’s primary catalyst for his career. He is pursuing CompTIA A+, CompTIA Security+, and CCNA certifications. Please welcome Yusuf to Northwestern IT.

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Andrew Block

August 14, 2023 |  Computational Specialist Associate, Research Computing and Data Services, IT Services and Support

Andrew Block joined Northwestern IT on Monday, August 14, as a computational specialist associate. In this role, Andrew will facilitate computational research at Northwestern by supporting the team’s daily operations and projects, providing consultations to researchers, improving our educational content on computing skills, and teaching workshops.
 
Before starting his current role, Andrew worked as an associate data and analytics consultant at Slalom Consulting. Later, he taught high school math as a teacher at North Shore Country Day School while pursuing his master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania. Andrew obtained his bachelor’s degree in information technology from DePaul University. Please welcome Andrew to Northwestern IT. 

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Josef Ayupan

August 7, 2023 |  HPC Systems Engineer, Research Computing Infrastructure, Cyberinfrastructure

Josef joined Northwestern IT on Monday, August 7, as an HPC systems engineer on the Research Computing Infrastructure team. In this role, Josef will support research on Quest through system administration, operational support, and optimization of high performance computing (HPC) system processes.

Josef comes to us from NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) in Moffett Field, California, where he worked as a junior Linux administrator helping monitor critical HPC systems necessary for mission and research processes and supported engineers and researchers through the help desk. Prior to his time at NASA, Josef earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from DePaul University. Please welcome Josef to Northwestern IT.

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Wenceslao Hernandez Velasquez

August 7, 2023 |  User Support Specialist Associate, Research Computing and Data Services, IT Services and Support

Wenceslao joined Northwestern IT on Monday, August 7, as a user support specialist associate. Wenceslao will provide the first line of support for researchers on the Quest high performance computing cluster. He will also support the team members in improving user experience through documentation and process/service enhancements.  

Before starting his current role, Wenceslao was a Year Up intern with RCDS team for the last six months. He graduated from the program in August. During his internship, Wenceslao helped the team with the day-to-day operations of Quest. He resolved tickets, triaged user requests, processed allocations, and supported internal projects. Please welcome Wenceslao to Northwestern IT.  

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Sai Kumar Ramadugu

August 1, 2023 |  Senior Computational Specialist, Research Computing and Data Services, IT Services and Support

Sai joined Northwestern IT on Tuesday, August 1, as a senior computational specialist. In his role, Sai will support Northwestern researchers in identifying and using computing resources that will best serve their needs. He will lead projects to improve our computing environments such as our high performance computing (HPC) cluster Quest. He will also facilitate, develop, and deliver new training programs and expand computing skills in our research community.
 
Before joining Northwestern, Sai provided computing support for University of Iowa researchers as an assistant research scientist. His work included user and application support on HPC systems, developing training programs, community building and outreach, and domain specific project assistance in computational biochemistry and bioinformatics. Sai holds a PhD degree in chemistry from University of Iowa. Please welcome Sai to Northwestern IT. 

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David Murray

August 1, 2023 |  Lead Telecommunications Technician, Telecommunications and Network Services, Cyberinfrastructure

David joined Northwestern IT on Tuesday, August 1, as lead telecommunications technician on the Telecommunications and Network Services team. He comes to us from Stream Data Centers and has overseen physical plant systems in critical environments for over 10 years. David understands air conditioning in IT spaces and is well-versed in electrical systems, including generators, transfer switches, distribution, and uninterruptible power supplies. He loves to point out to his family the different data centers he has worked in over the years as he drives down Interstate 294.

We will utilize David’s talents and experience to update the large inventory of edge telecom room UPSes that service our 250-plus buildings, address units that need repair, and refine the regular monitoring, maintenance, and battery-replacement programs necessary to protect our network infrastructure. Please welcome David to Northwestern IT.

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Connor Edling

June 25, 2023 |  Data Center Technician, Service Operation, Cyberinfrastructure

Connor joined Northwestern IT on Sunday, June 25, as a data center technician in the Service Operation Center (SOC). Most recently, Connor has been part of the team as a contractor since June 2022. During that time, Connor has been a tremendous help in the SOC, handling day-to-day operations, incident management, ticket intake, and assisting with the two-way radio program. Moving forward, they will continue supporting these functions while adding assistance in the SOC rotation and smart hands support within the Data Center.

Connor holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Montana State University and has extensive experience working in IT support. This understanding spans from familiarity with systems from the simplest assembly layers through OS and application support. We are incredibly grateful to Connor for everything they have done for Northwestern IT during the past year, and we are excited about the opportunity to have them join the team full-time. Please welcome Connor to Northwestern IT.

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Mac Mao

June 20, 2023 |  HPC Systems Engineer Lead, Platform Services, Cyberinfrastructure

Mac joined Northwestern IT on Tuesday, June 20, as high-performance computing (HPC) systems engineer lead on the Research Computing Infrastructure team in Platform Services. Mac will support the research community by helping to architect the next generation of HPC at Northwestern, developing continuous service delivery improvements on Quest, and providing ongoing HPC operational support through regular on-call rotations and tickets.

Mac comes to Northwestern from Emory University, where he oversaw information technology (IT) operations and administered multiple HPC clusters as senior IT manager. He also taught computational topics at Emory and Kansas State University, has a master’s degree in computing and information sciences, is an AWS certified solutions architect, and holds multiple certifications from Red Hat, including Red Hat engineer, system administrator, and specialist in Containers and Kubernetes. Please welcome Mac to Northwestern IT.

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L Dahline

June 15, 2023 |  Learning Engineer, Teaching and Learning Technologies, IT Services and Support

L joined Northwestern IT on Thursday, June 15, as a learning engineer on the Teaching and Learning Technologies team. L holds a bachelor's in Spanish and Latin American studies (with a math minor) and a master's in education. She spent many years teaching Spanish in K-12 environments before joining Northwestern's School of Communication in June 2022 as a learning engineer. In the school, L served as a consultant for faculty teaching in face-to-face and online environments, developed and facilitated workshops on educational technologies, and collaborated with University staff across departments through her work on various committees. She participates in the Association of Northwestern University Women (ANUW), Women in Tech, and other cross-unit organizations. L comes to the team with expert-level Canvas-administration skills, proficiency in learning experience design, and a commitment to improving equity and accessibility for Northwestern students. Please welcome L to Northwestern IT.

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Matt Selensky

June 15, 2023 |  Computational Specialist, Research Computing and Data Services, IT Services and Support

Matt joined Northwestern IT on Thursday, June 15, as a computational specialist on the Research Computing and Data Services team. In this role, Matt will provide computing support to Northwestern researchers on Quest, the University's high-performance computing cluster, and assist the team with projects to create or improve services. He will also enhance the team's educational portfolio from documentation to videos and workshops.

Before accepting the role, Matt worked with the Research Computing and Data Services team as a student consultant for two-and-a-half years. He contributed significantly to the team's day-to-day operations by processing allocations, resolving tickets, creating how-to videos, and providing consultations to researchers. Matt also helped with onboarding new students. He holds a PhD in earth and planetary sciences, focusing on the microbial environment in North American cave systems. Please welcome Matt to Northwestern IT.

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David Correa

June 12, 2023 |  IT Inventory Control Specialist, Service Operation, Cyberinfrastructure

David joined Northwestern IT on Monday, June 12, as an IT inventory control specialist on the Service Operation team. He brings 15 years of experience managing product supply in multiple storage sites and equipment distribution within the healthcare and hospital industry. His skills include developing and implementing strategies to streamline inventory processes, and we anticipate ongoing improved controls of our IT inventory levels across Cyberinfrastructure.

Specifically, David will provide onsite support at multiple Northwestern locations serving Cyberinfrastructure operations. He will divide his time between managing secure store facilities, inventory control, and logistical tasks to safeguard the chain of custody of IT assets and their movement across an enterprise campus environment. His responsibilities include inventory control and distribution of IT parts, materials, tools, equipment, and supplies; keeping secure storage and supporting spaces organized; completing procedures for IT asset disposal; and shipping and receiving duties for Cyberinfrastructure. Please welcome David to Northwestern IT.

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Matthew Gorby

June 5, 2023 |  Senior Computational Specialist, Research Computing Services, IT Services and Support

Matthew joined Northwestern IT on Monday, June 5, as a senior computational specialist on the Research Computing Services team. He will provide, develop, and lead areas of computing support to Northwestern researchers on systems such as our high-performance computing (HPC) cluster, Quest, or national ACCESS infrastructure. He will also expand training opportunities for the research community on vital and advanced computing skills and empower our student consultants with his guidance.

Before joining Northwestern, Matthew worked as a technical consultant and a software developer for many multi-institutional research projects. While at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), he led projects to improve the HPC environments of Oak Ridge and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories in collaboration with developers from these labs. Matthew holds a master’s degree in physics. Please welcome Matthew to Northwestern IT.

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Leticia (Letty) Vega

April 27, 2023 |  IT Business Manager, Research Computing Services, IT Services and Support

Letty joined Northwestern IT on Thursday, April 27, as IT business manager on the Research Computing Services team. She is stepping into this new role and will lead and run financial and business operations related to the computing and data services the group offers to University researchers. She will also oversee the group's communication portfolio.

Letty most recently worked in the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine's information technology department, where she supported and led several efforts related to REDcap, Study Tracker, and the Enterprise Data Warehouse. She brings experience working with Northwestern researchers, creating policies and procedures, research community outreach, and working across teams. Please welcome Letty to Northwestern IT.

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Evett Marban

April 26, 2023 |  Systems Analyst Senior, Enterprise Systems Human Resources and Student, Administrative Systems

Evett rejoined Northwestern IT on Wednesday, April 26, as systems analyst senior, a position she previously held on the Enterprise Systems Human Resources and Student team. She has led many of the team's annual run projects and was most recently the project lead for the online total compensation statement effort. Her positivity, initiative, and experience are assets to our team, and we are excited about her return. Please welcome Evett back to Northwestern IT.

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Heather Chester

April 17, 2023 |  Lead Project Manager, Office of Portfolio Management, Administrative Systems

Heather joined Northwestern IT on Monday, April 17, as lead project manager in the Office of Portfolio Management. She was previously at Loyola University Chicago, where she was a program manager and project manager for more than 10 years. At Loyola, she improved project management office processes and led large projects with Ellucian Advance and their customer relationship management system. Heather also brings experience working with large project teams impacting 60K-plus users. Please welcome Heather to Northwestern IT.

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Kathleen Dell

April 17, 2023 |  Senior Systems Analyst, Enterprise Systems Alumni and Financials, Administrative Systems

Kathleen joined Northwestern IT on Monday, April 17, as a senior systems analyst on the Enterprise Systems Alumni and Financials team. Though new to Northwestern IT, Kathleen has worked in Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management for more than 20 years. She has a wealth of experience in the Salesforce platform and has coordinated cross-department team projects at Kellogg for CMS upgrades, CRM enhancements, and email marketing improvements. In her Kellogg role, she encouraged the adoption of agile processes resulting in improved team performance that enables more timely and accurate implementations. In her Northwestern IT role, Kathleen will work closely with IT colleagues and our Alumni Relations and Development business partners to deliver key transformational projects. Please welcome Kathleen to Northwestern IT.

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Ritika Giri

April 17, 2023 |  Data Scientist, Research Computing Services, IT Services and Support

Ritika joined Northwestern IT on Monday, April 17, as a data scientist on the Research Computing Services team. She will consult on data-science projects with researchers across Northwestern, facilitate the team's consult service, mentor student consultants, and develop and lead trainings in programming and data-science topics. Ritika has a master's in biotechnology and bioinformatics and a PhD in interdisciplinary biological sciences. Before joining the team, she was a postdoctoral scholar with the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO), focusing on reproducible data analysis using machine learning. Ritika is passionate about reproducible and interpretable analysis methods and has completed data-science projects across multiple research domains. Please welcome Ritika to Northwestern IT.

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Zohra Popatia

April 10, 2023 |  Senior Storage Systems Engineer, Platform Services, Cyberinfrastructure

Zohra joined Northwestern IT on Monday, April 10, as senior storage systems engineer on the Platform Services team. She comes to us with a profound technical knowledge of storage and cloud infrastructure management, and we are excited to see how she will apply her skills and experience to further Northwestern's mission. Zohra most recently worked for Throughtworks, where she was an infrastructure consultant. Before that, she applied her technical knowledge at UI Health as a storage and AWS administrator. Please welcome Zohra to Northwestern IT.

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Mark Ordonez

February 13, 2023 |  Year Up Intern, Platform Services, Cyberinfrastructure

Mark joined Northwestern IT on Monday, February 13, as an intern on the Platform Services team. He comes to us from the Year Up program. Mark will spend the next six months learning about Northwestern's IT infrastructure and helping the team improve how we manage, monitor, automate, and secure environments across Platform Services. He is interested in IT security and has completed coursework in computer applications, advanced Excel, business writing, public speaking, and professional skills with specialized training in the information technology track, including computer hardware, operating systems, and cybersecurity. Please welcome Mark to Northwestern IT.

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Jessica Thompson

February 13, 2023 |  Year Up Intern, Platform Services, Cyberinfrastructure

Jessica joined Northwestern IT on Monday, February 13, as an intern on the Platform Services team. She comes to us from the Year Up program. Jessica will spend the next six months learning about Northwestern's IT infrastructure and helping the team improve how we manage, monitor, automate, and secure environments across Platform Services. Her area of study is the information technology track. She is working on getting Excel and CompTIA+ certificates, which will help her secure an entry-level IT position and gain valuable experience. She is eager to break into the IT industry because she enjoys customer support and problem-solving. She aims to achieve a leadership position by combining her passion for IT and management. When not at work, Jessica engages in numerous hobbies. Please welcome Jessica to Northwestern IT.

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Roberto Sanchez

February 13, 2023 |  Year Up Intern, Telecommunications and Network Services, Cyberinfrastructure

Roberto joined Northwestern IT on Monday, February 13, as an intern on the Telecommunications and Network Services team. He comes to us from the Year Up program. Roberto will work on several of the team's initiatives, including Wi-Fi map updates, refresh planning and inventory, and field operations tasks. His area of study is the information technology track, and he is concentrating his studies on business writing and communication and ComptiA+ to be certified in computer servicing. Roberto is also working to acquire an Excel certification. His goal is to work as an IT manager and be able to help colleagues achieve their fullest potential. When not at work, Roberto enjoys team sports like baseball, volleyball, and soccer. Please welcome Roberto to Northwestern IT.

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Orzu Tursnova

February 6, 2023 |  Developer, Media and Technology Innovation, IT Services and Support

Orzu joined Northwestern IT on Monday, February 6, as a full-stack software developer on the Media and Technology Innovation Academic Software Development team. She comes to Northwestern with a rich background, including a Bachelor of Finance from the International Business School, a Bachelor of Social Studies in Management from the Riga Technical University, and a software engineering certificate from the prestigious Full-Stack Academy Web Development Bootcamp. Orzu's work experience exposed her to various international work environments leading to collaborations with individuals from diverse backgrounds. She will immediately impact our software development efforts across the University's web, mobile, cloud, and emerging technologies needs. In her free time, Orzu enjoys spending time with her family, walking with her children, and reading. Please welcome Orzu to Northwestern IT.

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Eli Puckett

February 6, 2023 |  Associate Telecommunications Technician, Telecommunications and Network Services, Cyberinfrastructure

Eli joined Northwestern IT on Monday, February 6, as an associate telecommunications technician on the Telecommunications and Network Services team. He joins the team's other field technicians, who frequently interact with the campus community and are responsible for network equipment installation, cabling and jack repair, and onsite telecom troubleshooting and support. Eli came to Northwestern last fall as a Year Up intern and has been performing, with distinction, work on cable audit, telephone inventory, Wi-Fi refresh, and data-entry efforts. Please welcome Eli to Northwestern IT.

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Kate Leech

January 31, 2023 |  Coordinator of Special Events, IT Communications, IT Services and Support

Kate joined Northwestern IT on Tuesday, January 31, as coordinator of special events on the IT Communications team. She brings a wealth of sales, marketing, communication, and event-planning experience to the organization. She will partner with leaders and units across Northwestern IT to plan, coordinate, execute, and boost engagement for strategic trainings, workshops, and events. Kate is also tasked with formalizing event-planning processes and sharing best practices across Northwestern IT and developing and maintaining an annual calendar of events for our organization.

The first phase of Kate’s career included positions with Black+Decker, Airborne Express, and Forest Pharmaceuticals. She is rejoining the workforce after raising her children and working part-time in various leadership and board roles with community organizations like the Lake Bluff Park District, Everett School Association of Parents and Teachers, and the Committee Representing Our Young Adults (CROYA), among others. Kate earned her Bachelor of Arts in Business/Marketing from Indiana University and a master’s of gerontology from Keele University, Staffordshire, United Kingdom.

In her spare time, Kate enjoys playing just about any racket sport (especially paddle and pickleball); taking neighborhood walks with friends and her two lazy pugs; watching her kids dance, play sports, and create art; watching movies and documentaries with her husband; and beating family members at ping pong! Please welcome Kate to Northwestern IT.

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Heriberto (Eddie) Alcaide Morales

January 30, 2023 |  Associate Developer, Application Development and Operations, Administrative Systems

Eddie joined Northwestern IT on Monday, January 30, as an associate developer on the Application Development and Operations CAESAR team. He is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he earned a bachelor's degree in computer science. His coursework projects included creating web-based applications using AWS, JAVA, REST API, NoSQL, and Firebase. Eddie also worked at Advocate Condell Medical Center as a transporter lead supervising and coordinating requests for the movement of patients and medical equipment. He is enthusiastic about learning new technologies. Please welcome Eddie to Northwestern IT.

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Kevin Kowalski

January 30, 2023 |  Associate Developer, Application Development and Operations, Administrative Systems

Kevin joined Northwestern IT on Monday, January 30, as an associate developer on the Application Development and Operations PeopleSoft team. Before Northwestern, Kevin held several IT-related positions, including IT network implementation technician at Procom Enterprises, Ltd, intern research programmer at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and IT administrative assistant at Oakton Community College. He earned his bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Please welcome Kevin to Northwestern IT.

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Lisa Hinkley

January 9, 2023 |  Systems Analyst, Enterprise Systems Human Resources and Student, Administrative Systems

Lisa joined Northwestern IT on Monday, January 9, as a systems analyst on the Enterprise Systems Human Resources and Student team. While new to Northwestern, she has worked in the higher education industry for more than 20 years at both small and large institutions. Lisa has experience with software development, selection, implementation, and change management. She has worked on many projects that required collaboration across departments, including involvement with selecting and implementing a new enterprise resource planning system (Workday). Lisa is a trained speaker and coach and is eager to use her blend of skills as part of the team. Please welcome Lisa to Northwestern IT.

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Jordan Aguirre

January 9, 2023 |  Systems Analyst Associate, Enterprise Systems Human Resources and Student, Administrative Systems

Jordan joined Northwestern IT on Monday, January 9, as a systems analyst associate on the Enterprise Systems Human Resources and Student (ESHRS) team. He came to Northwestern IT last year as part of the Year Up internship program, during which he was instrumental in several ESHRS projects. Jordan served as the HR and Student analyst for PeopleSoft Test Automation Framework and as project manager and analyst for the Saba U54 Release project. He provided daily JIRA administration and production support for the Student team and aided the group’s transition to TeamDynamix by developing custom internal documentation and leading training sessions. Please welcome Jordan to Northwestern IT.

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Jennifer Mazanec

January 9, 2023 |  ITSM Developer, Technology Support Services, IT Services and Support

Jennifer joined Northwestern IT on Monday, January 9, as an IT Service Management (ITSM) developer on the Technology Support Services team. She will focus on software development and integration projects related to the ITSM platform. Before coming to Northwestern, Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame, and she is pursuing a Master's in Information Systems from Northwestern's School of Professional Studies.

She has an impressive background in modern web development technologies and service management platforms. She is also well-versed in higher education IT, having worked as a programmer at the University of Chicago's NORC for the past several years. Jennifer enjoys playing tennis, skiing, and cooking when she is not working. Please welcome Jennifer to Northwestern IT.

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Ian Farrington

January 3, 2023 |  Associate Telecommunications Technician, Telecommunications and Network Services, Cyberinfrastructure

Ian joined Northwestern IT on Tuesday, January 3, as an associate telecommunications technician on the Telecommunications and Network Services (TNS) team. He comes to Northwestern from Randstad NV, where he worked as a help desk analyst. Ian has a BS in Management Information Systems from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and also worked at Lowe’s and Jockey. He will join the TNS Field Operations team on campus and perform equipment installation, cabling work, and on-site network/telecommunications troubleshooting. Please welcome Ian to Northwestern IT.

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