My first love was mathematics, thanks in large part to my wonderful high school advanced math teacher, Mr. David Calcote. In 1983, I began transitioning to computer science, finding that it was a nice way to apply all of the advanced problem solving techniques and creative thinking that goes with higher order math. I also have a strong interest in the visual arts and am sometimes a participant through painting and photography. I have degrees from Louisiana State University (B.S. in Mathematics Education), Ohio State University (M.S. degrees in Mathematics and Computer and Information Science), and the University of Mississippi (Ph.D. in Engineering Science).
I taught high school math for one year at St. Amant High School in East Ascension Parish, Louisiana.
From 1986-1988, I was a Member of Technical Staff with AT&T Bell Laboratories. I worked on a project
called NetStar for British Telecom. This was an incredible professional experience, and it
was wonderful to learn C and Unix right from the source. I will always appreciate the mentoring
that I received from Tom Gruenenfelder, Mark Shaw, and John Kleber.
My husband, Charlie, and I moved to Oxford, Mississippi in 1988 when he accepted a position on the University
of Mississippi music faculty, and I joined the
Mississippi Center for Supercomputing Research. I began serving as the
Director of Academic Computing in 1998, Assistant Vice Chancellor in 2003, and Chief Information Officer in 2006.
I love my job in the Office of Information Technology
and have thoroughly
enjoyed UM's SAP project and the rich technology environment that it
provides. A major highlight was hosting one of the 2008 presidential debates. I am proud of our advanced use of workflow, digital imaging,
and other similar technologies for
enhancing enterprise business processes.
Currently, we are focused on strategies for mobile computing.
I am active in EDUCAUSE, Internet2, and HERUG.
One of my most enjoyable, exciting life experiences was
being a member of the