Degrees at Work

MSIT alumni are scattered all over the Chicago metropolitan area, extending into parts of Indiana and Michigan. Like current students, they come from different backgrounds and work in many different jobs. One way to predict what life will be like post-MSIT is to find out how current alumni have put their degrees to work. In the following profiles, alumni explain how their MSIT experience helped them move forward in their careers to work more productively, with greater satisfaction. Read on for their stories.

Beth Ackley, MSIT '02, director of information services at STRATTEC SECURITY in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The MSIT literally paid for itself my first day of classes. In Dr. C. C. Lee's telecommunications class he talked about microwave transmissions and why they sometimes didn't work. He mentioned that rain could cause interference with the line of sight. My company, STRATTEC, makes vehicle access devices – keys and locks for the automotive industry – and we have an assembly and molding facility in Juarez, Mexico. I had been arguing with vendors about the problems we were having with data and voice connections transmitted by microwaves. There had been a lot of rain that summer. Now I had the proof I needed to switch to land lines, a change that saved between $15,000 and $20,000 in licensing fees and increased productivity. My bosses were very pleased, and I was promoted a few months later. The MSIT helps me make much better decisions at work. It also improved my personal portfolio and helped me step out as a leader. Since the MSIT I cofounded and was elected president of the Wisconsin eBusiness Forum at www.webf.org.

Mike Blake, MSIT ’03, vice president of finance at Kaiser Permanente Information Technology in Oakland, California

I’m responsible for financial planning, analysis, accounting, and purchasing for a $1.7 billion organization. It’s critical that I understand how our IT dollars are spent. I love the challenge of being a vice president, and I would not have this job without my MSIT degree. What I learned at the program really set me apart. I already had a strong business and finance background as well as an MBA from the University of Chicago, but the MSIT gave me a much deeper understanding of technology than the typical finance person has. That means that in my work I’m not wholly reliant on my architects; I can evaluate solutions on my own. The program’s rigorous standards, along with the strong reputations of Northwestern University and the McCormick School form a very powerful package. Not only were the tech classes great, but the marketing class was extremely well done. My study group was an instant network for me, and I stay connected with my classmates now. I’d feel comfortable hiring anyone from the program whose résumé comes across my desk.

Dave Carr, MSIT '00, director of telecommunications and network services at Northwestern University

Even though I had a technical background before the MSIT – a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and 10 years of IT work experience in higher education and health care – I discovered new uses for technology and learned about how technology is used in other market segments. That breadth was one of the big values of the program. The MSIT also gave me more of a strategic and business perspective on my job, and it certainly made it easier for my bosses to promote me. My job has two parts. I'm responsible for the day-to-day operation of voice, data, and video infrastructures and institutional connectivity to the Internet and other research and educational networks. I'm also responsible for the planning and evolution of each one of those infrastructures, and my MSIT experience has had a big impact on how I do that part of my job. Instead of just solving the problem at hand and moving on, now I think more closely about the long-term impact of that solution.

Dave Findling, MSIT '98, director and chief enterprise architect at Motorola in Schaumburg, Illinois

The MSIT helped me even before I finished my degree. Halfway through the program I was laid off when the systems outsourcing business I had helped build at Pioneer Standard Electronics was shut down. I brought my résumé to the next class and through contacts there I landed a new job as a senior technical consultant designing end-to-end wireless data solution. The MSIT is also very responsive to student feedback. After graduation I suggested they offer a class on enterprise systems integration – and they invited me back to teach it. The program really enabled me to get to where I am today. My team at Motorola has defined a leading-edge service-oriented architecture that enables the business to be very flexible and change rapidly as needed. Because of the MSIT I can quickly understand and evaluate new technology and also see the big picture, how to apply the capabilities of IT to solve business problems. At Motorola we call it having business IQ.

Ted Gaty, MSIT ’03, technology delivery group manager at Hewitt Associates in Lincolnshire, Illinois

I came to Hewitt straight out of college, where I majored in economics and minored in math. What I knew about technology I learned at work, and without an educational foundation in technology I always felt I was missing the bigger picture. I enrolled in the MSIT with three basic goals:
· to understand the underpinnings of IT
· to be able to find the business application
· to learn for the sake of learning
My classmates and I were all successful in the first two goals. But I think I felt the most satisfaction in reaching my third goal, because it led to so much that I didn’t expect. My MSIT classmates are almost like family to me. At work, my MSIT training helps me step back and see things in a different way. Hewitt is a global leader in HR outsourcing and consulting services. I manage a team of about 30 people, adapting Hewitt’s software package to suit the needs of our clients — I was promoted two months after I graduated from the MSIT.

Don Kotek, MSIT '98, director of professional services at Clear Communications in Lincolnshire, Illinois

My job is network management, and what I learned at the MSIT about the whole optical space of telecommunications helps me talk intelligently with customers about things like "the big pipes." I've been in telecommunications for 20 years, but now I have a deeper understanding of how it works. I've learned how to properly frame questions, and I've expanded my ability to find solutions. In a graduate program you want broad knowledge, because you never know what you're going to come across. Continuing your education provides benefits throughout your life. It's not only what I learned at the MSIT; it's also having Northwestern on my résumé and making great friends. When I'm hiring people in the future, I'll look to the MSIT.

Rob Mayer, MSIT '00, global product manager of ASP (application service provider) solutions at GE Medical Systems Information Technologies in Mt. Prospect, Illinois

GE Medical Systems Information Technologies provides IT solutions for hospitals to improve patient care and increase productivity. We're driving the health care industry to be completely digital, and we're seeing a dramatic improvement in keeping track of images and information. The ASP business is really almost a stand-alone business within GEMS-IT, and my role is like being a mini CEO. Last year the ASP group took in $23 million in orders. I'm also responsible for developing a product road map for the next four years. My previous role at GE Medical was managing systems integration groups. The MSIT gave me a broader knowledge base and allowed me to leverage some of my IT skills to manage a larger group and take on more responsibility. Now if I want to convince a CEO or CIO to use a system I can talk through the technology in more depth. I can anticipate customers' questions and needs better because I have a clearer understanding of the business side and the role IT plays in hospitals.

Ed Paganelli, MSIT '00, project manager with GE Medical Systems

I manage projects for hospitals that use RIS – Radiology Information System – and PACS – Picture Archive Communication System. The hospitals send images to us, and we digitalize and store them online along with the patient's medical history so that the information "follows" the patient through the hospital. I manage the installation process, integration, testing, and training for six clients that range from a small medical imaging center to multiple hospitals that are part of a health organization. We're in the early stages of this technology, and it's exciting, challenging work that lets me be creative and entrepreneurial, almost like working for an Internet start-up, which I did for two years before this. The classes I took in the MSIT on databases and project management are especially relevant to my work. And now I'm working with another MSIT graduate managing projects in the Central Atlantic region. She was in my study group for two years, and it's fun to be working with her professionally. When we do projects, we really know all the "gotchas."

Allison Park, MSIT ’03, director of information systems at Oil-Dri Corporation of America in Chicago

After college at Northwestern, where I earned a degree in philosophy, I wanted to be in marketing and sales. I found work and got promoted, but I realized that I liked computers more than sales, so I switched to programming. It was trial by fire. A background in philosophy overlaps more than you’d think — programming is a semantic, logical language — but my lack of formal training prompted me to look for a master’s program. The MSIT filled in a lot of gaps for me, especially about networks and hardware. Now I understand the engineering behind the technology, and I can translate it to my co-workers. Oil-Dri Corporation mines and manufactures clay products, like cat litter, and our department handles the company’s IT needs. Taking a business and engineering approach to the work we do is critical — processing orders efficiently boils down to dollars saved. I was promoted from programmer to director of the department one month before I graduated from the MSIT. Having a master’s degree said, “I’m ready for more responsibility” — and the MSIT prepared me for that responsibility.

Karen Perman, MSIT '98, associate at Booz Allen Hamilton in Cambridge, Massachusetts

I started in IT as a way to pay for law school, but after I earned my law degree, IT had transformed and I moved into consulting, doing systems integration for Computer Sciences Corporation. I wanted to become more involved with e-commerce, especially e-banking, but in-house training was not sufficient. MSIT's hybrid program was ideal for me, and the training and certification I received there allowed me to be much more resilient during the downturn in the economy. Booz Allen Hamilton is a management consulting firm, and my work here combines all my interests and training. I evaluate proposals and contracts from tech vendors for equipment, software, and IT maintenance for my clients, who are financial services providers like banks, brokerages, and consumer credit companies. I like the sense of expertise I'm able to provide. It's a little like being a guide through a foreign land - business people have a sense of technology's potential, but they need help navigating the shoals and getting to the solutions.

Rob Schnell, MSIT '00, director, business development at UOP in Des Plaines, Illinois

I've had several careers in the 25 years I've worked for UOP, which
is the world's leading provider of technology, services and equipment for
the oil refining and petrochemical industries. I started as a chemist – I
have a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Northwestern – and most recently was IT Director, Applications Development, responsible for UOP's enterprise application systems and IT strategic planning. I am about to embark on a new career at UOP, as Director of Business Development. Before the MSIT I had a business background, with an MEM from Northwestern and an MBA from the University of Chicago. But I didn't have the IT background that I use in my current work. What I learned at the MITP gives me a better view of the impact IT can have on business and helps me communicate with IT people. It was a little scary to be in a degree program with people with IT degrees, but we shared our perspectives and learned from one another. We purposely put together a diverse study group, and that strategy paid off in spades. We've stayed close since we finished the program.

Darren Taylor, MSIT '00, leadership development program, W. W. Grainger, in Lake Forest, Illinois

Before the MSIT I did IT project management at an insurance company. While I was in the program I started an Internet company. Being in the MITP gave me credibility with venture capitalists and the methodologies to start a business. Now I'm in Grainger's three-year leadership development program. Grainger, a Fortune 500 company, is a facilities maintenance supplier that sells more than 600,000 products and employs 15,000 people. I was one of only seven selected for the leadership development program in 2003. My position is a strategic investment for Grainger, and I wouldn't have been considered for it without the MSIT. At work I get pulled into projects with questions that require the perspective of both business and technology. I'm able to translate tech into business and business into tech. There aren't many people who can do that effectively – it's a pretty powerful combination, and it's helped me differentiate myself.

Elsa Yee, MSIT '00, senior systems analyst at John Crane, Inc., in Morton Grove, Illinois

I'm the lead developer for Web applications at John Crane, Inc., which is a worldwide engineering manufacturing conglomerate. I helped introduce my company to e-commerce – portal technology, data mining solutions, and content management – and my opinions about technology are in demand here. I was recruited for this job halfway through the MSIT, and the program was one of the reasons I was selected. A Northwestern degree carries a lot of weight – the company knew I had the discipline and in-depth knowledge of new technologies needed for this job. I had a strong IT background, with 15 years of work experience and graduate study in computer science, and the MSIT enhanced that and exposed me to the business perspective. I did two semesters of independent study, and my research project was presented by Dr. Choudhary to the graduate program at Kellogg. It was about extracting data from various platforms, integrating and warehousing the data, and generating online multi-dimensional analysis.