This month’s staff member in the spotlight is Clinton McKay, OVPUE IT’s Associate Director. We asked him a series of questions (plus a bonus question!), and here’s what he had to say:

What is your name and what do you do; how long have you worked here in OVPUE?

I’m Clinton McKay, I would like to say I come up with creative solutions to people’s problems but usually what I do is make/update websites and web applications.  I’m the associate director of IT and I lead the Applications & Web Communications team.

I’ve been at OVPUE since 2013, first as a graduate assistant for Judy Ouimet, then as an application developer for Michael Lundell and the GenEd program, and I’ve been part of OVPUE IT since 2015.

What three traits define you?

Outgoing, Creative, and Nerdy. Probably also a little overwhelming, sometimes.

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?

I love collaboration and leadership, I think an ideal career for me might be helping a big organization build collaboration and develop/take good care of their IT staff. Ideally I would love to do that at a big university, because I love working in higher ed.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

I’ve always wanted to learn how to paint. I’m very colorblind so it’ll probably never happen. I would also love to learn a few new languages.

What challenging thing has happened (to) for you, and what did you gain from it?

Last year my team was involved in a data incident that was really difficult for me personally. In retrospect, we learned a lot from the experience and the improvements we made as a result have been transformational for us. In IT, people often say that you should expect that something will always go wrong and you need to be prepared to deal with it when that happens and learn from it. There’s a lot of truth to that.

How do you define success?

I think success is about building strong relationships with people and making a difference for them.

What do you do in your spare time?

I like to listen to very nerdy podcasts and walk my dog Zoey. I try to cook a new recipe for dinner each week. I also recently started doing some volunteer web development work for a local non-profit, which has been a super rewarding experience so far.

What’s the coolest (or most important) trend you see today?

I’m just really fascinated with the permanent ways the pandemic will change so many aspects of how we work and connect with each other (technologically, personally in relation to our families, etc.). I’m also really interested to see how machine learning and artificial intelligence will free people up to be more creative or tackle their projects in new ways.

What is your favorite thing about working at OVPUE?

I’ve had a lot of freedom to find interesting new things to try and a lot of room to experiment with new approaches/technologies. I hope it’s been to the benefit of others, but it’s definitely helped keep me fascinated with my work! I’ve also come to really enjoy working with some incredibly smart and caring people across OVPUE.

Bonus: What is a question you wish more people would ask you, and what’s the answer?

Q: What is your favorite Kurt Vonnegut novel?

A: Great question! The Sirens of Titan would be my favorite because it introduced me to science fiction and is one of the weirdest, wildest rides of a book I’ve ever encountered. I would also highly recommend Breakfast of Champions, Cat’s Cradle, Timequake, Galapagos, Bluebeard, Mother Night, and Deadeye Dick. If you’ve only read Slaughterhouse Five and didn’t love it, give Breakfast of Champions a try and I bet you’ll get hooked!

This month’s staff member in the spotlight is Matthew Bumbalough, an Academic Advisor in University Division. We asked him a series of questions, and here’s what he had to say (responses may have been edited for concision and clarity):

What is your name and what do you do; how long have you worked here in OVPUE?

Mathew Bumbalough, 4 and a half years

What three traits define you?

I guess it depends who you ask, but I like to think that I am empathetic towards others, very much a task driven individual, and depend on others, reciprocating whenever I can.

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?

Honestly I’d open a pizza shop and give the food away. I love making pizza and feeding others so it works out!

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

I’d love to be a multi-instrumentalist and just be able to play any instrument I pick up.

What challenging thing has happened (to) for you, and what did you gain from it?

I think focusing on myself or others too much is the biggest challenge I still face, and learning how to balance the two is still something I’m focused on learning how to do to this day.

How do you define success?

I think the Johnny Cash song ‘Satisfied Mind’ covers it pretty nicely.

What do you do in your spare time?

Cook, play/listen to music, take long walks in the woods, read books, and enjoy every second I can with my family.

What’s the coolest (or most important) trend you see today?

A push toward a more sustainable future for our planet.

What is your favorite thing about working at OVPUE?

The people around me (even in this virtual world we find ourselves in).

This month’s staff member in the spotlight is Rachel Gerber, Assistant Director in the Career Development Center. We asked her a series of questions, and here’s what she had to say (responses may have been edited for concision and clarity):

What is your name and what do you do; how long have you worked here in OVPUE?

Hi friends! I’m Rachel Gerber, a board certified career coach who works with University Division students to help them find a best-fit major, career path, create a professional resume and best professional communication/networking practices.

I also co-host Major Choices: a podcast about designing the career you want with my amazing CDC colleague, Nathan Langfittt. In essence, I love helping students uncover who they really are and lean into how that might play out in the world.  I’ve been working for the Career Development Center for a little over 2.5 years.

What three traits define you?

• Positivity
• Achiever
• Connector

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?

The reality is, career coaching is an excellent vocational congruence for me.  I’ve been a public school teacher (5^th grade), residence director at two universities, author (Ordinary Miracles:  Awakening to the Holy Work of Parenting)/blogger/speaker, and an ordained minister in the Mennonite Church USA.  The common thread between all of these roles is an innate desire to help others and empower them to live their best lives. Setting all reality aside, I’d love to be the third co-host with Hoda & Jenna on the Today Show.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

I would love to make really good mashed potatoes.  (This feels like a personal failure for me as I hail from a well-established family of potato farmers/chip manufacturing in PA.)

What challenging thing has happened (to) for you, and what did you gain from it?

My mother-in-law was diagnosed with terminal cancer the same week that my husband and 3 month old son were in a horrible car accident in 2009. The difficult months that followed reinforced for me the power of community, the healing of love and how we truly need one another in life.

How do you define success?

Living at the intersection of my interests, talents, and the needs of the world.

What do you do in your spare time?

With three young boys, a dog, four backyard chickens and a husband who is the Director of the Spiritual Care Department at IU Health Bloomington (translate: crazy & unpredictable schedule), I don’t really have spare time. But if I did, I’d prefer to be alone. 🙂

What’s the coolest (or most important) trend you see today?

I see students who are deeply engaged and who want to contribute to making this world better, healthier, and more sustainable place. Their creativity, resilience, and flexibility continually astound and inspire me.

What is your favorite thing about working at OVPUE?

Hands down, the pay. Just kidding.  People.  Couldn’t ask for a better group to work with.

This month’s staff member in the spotlight is Jeff Heerdink-Santos, Director of International Experiences and Undergraduate Grants in the Hutton Honors College. We asked him a series of questions, and here’s what he had to say (responses may have been edited for concision and clarity):

What is your name and what do you do; how long have you worked here in OVPUE?

Jeff Heerdink-Santos, Director of International Experiences and Undergraduate Grants. I have worked for the Hutton Honors College since 2014 and with IU since 2013.

What three traits define you?

• Extroverted
• Adventurous
• Determined

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?

Marine biologist. My favorite movie for as long as I can remember has been Jaws, and my childhood desire to become Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss’s character) led me to take honors science courses and learn about the ocean as much as I could. However, I also discovered a love for learning about languages and other cultures along the way, and there came a point in high school where I had to make a difficult choice between taking more world language courses and pursuing higher-level science courses. I ultimately went all in on studying languages and international studies, and that decision set my course for working in study abroad and international higher education today.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

I want to learn to lead kayaking and white water rafting trips. My husband and I have gone kayaking a number of times in Portugal and the US, and I had plans to do a two-week intensive training last summer in Utah. However, the pandemic got in the way.

What challenging thing has happened (to) for you, and what did you gain from it?

I began a doctoral program in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, while still adjusting to working remotely and reacting to the pandemic’s effect on the field of international education. It has definitely been a lesson in dealing with uncertainty and understanding that even the best laid plans can always be interrupted by a once in a hundred years worldwide health crisis.

How do you define success?

I define success as being able to have a positive impact on others and the world around us, whether that is on a large scale or in an individual interaction.

What do you do in your spare time?

Pre-pandemic: Rock climbing, traveling

Currently: Playing board games, watching movies, hanging out with friends on Zoom

What’s the coolest (or most important) trend you see today?

Student Activism. Although student activism is far from a new trend, I am happy to see the current generation of students taking a stand and getting involved with environmental and social justice issues, among many others.

What is your favorite thing about working at OVPUE?

I enjoy that the variety of roles and functional areas within OVPUE allow us as staff to not only connect with different colleagues inside OVPUE, who work in different areas, but also colleagues in other units across campus, who work in our own functional areas. I think that this potential for connection and collaboration is helpful for breaking down professional silos at IU to better serve our students.

This month’s staff member in the spotlight is Alice Dobie, Associate Director of Advising in University Division. We asked her a series of questions, and here’s what she had to say (responses may have been edited for concision and clarity):

What is your name and what do you do; how long have you worked here in OVPUE?

Alice Dobie, Associate Director of Advising and IU Peer Coach Program Coordinator. I have worked for University Division since 2007.

What three traits define you?

• Introvert
• Observant
• Listener

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?

I would like to teach people (including myself) information literacy.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

I have a passion for Hip Hop, especially breakdance. I would love to do research to learn the names of the street dancers who started it all in NYC in the 70’s and recognize their contributions.

What challenging thing has happened (to) for you, and what did you gain from it?

I had cancer once and almost cancer a second time (cancer free since 2012). It is an exercise in learning to let go.

How do you define success?

Having time with my family.

What do you do in your spare time?

These days, in my spare time mostly I listen to the news while exercising.

What’s the coolest (or most important) trend you see today?

Black Lives Matter

What is your favorite thing about working at OVPUE?

I love working with the students!