Education & Learning:

• Bachelor of Computer Information Systems

• Certified in Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and IBM DB2

• Completed MBA with a concentration in Management Information Systems (MIS)

 

"My formal education in computer information systems provided the technical skills needed for this role, but I still needed to learn more about organizational contexts of database administration. The MBA provided me with great exposure to all of the organizational pieces that relate to database administration."

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Employment Experiences:

• Worked in sales for an electronics retailer part time in university

• Did a work term while in school as a database analyst in a government health services organization

• Following graduation, started as a web developer for a small digital agency

• Recruited by one of our clients—a national retailer—to become their network database administrator. In this role, I installed new software and servers, and created and was part of the team that maintained the company’s database. I performed other roles relating to security management and user experience management.

 

"Taking a position as a web developer in an agency allowed me to better manage third parties. Having junior roles (including retail sales) early on gave me the ability to understand how to work with people. As web developer for a boutique digital agency, I worked with a range of clients. Some I loved; some I didn’t, but it gave me a better sense of the type of people I worked well with and the culture I could succeed in. One day, one of my favourite clients offered me a job I couldn’t turn down. This is the reward for being technically skilled and having developed my interpersonal skills."

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Community Experiences:

• I was very active in student government and was vice president of the student union in my final year of university

• I am an active member in the local chapter of DAMA, the Data Management Association

 

"Student government allowed me to gain exposure to a variety of perspectives to interact with and learn from others about what motivates people. It also forced me to be excellent at time management. This is an essential lifelong skill. I attend one DAMA conference annually. In addition to networking, it is an important window into the future of the industry."

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Contextual Experiences:

• Have worked both for a digital agency and within corporations

 

"The best decision I ever made was to work in diverse aspects of agency computing – sales, data management, database server – giving me the ability to manage databases in various contexts. Every day was something different. Building a promo campaign website for a global brand, to a fundraising website for non-profit, all involved designing and implementing some database."

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Relationships:

• I’ve worked with diverse clients and managers from different parts of the organization, attending to their data needs, and ensuring data integrity and security.

 

"My peers aren’t all technical. I learned very early that to succeed, you need to learn how to speak their language, so I can translate my job into things they appreciate."