UIT All-Hands Meeting and Kevin Taylor Award recap

More than 300 UIT employees attended an All-Hands Meeting on September 9, 2024, hosted online via Microsoft Teams.

The meeting, whose title reflects the British naval expression “all hands on deck,” is traditionally held shortly after the start of fall semester. It gives Chief Information Officer Steve Hess an opportunity to share important updates and inform UIT employees on organizational accomplishments and goals.

“Since we have a hybrid schedule and don’t see each other as often, strategically, we think that these presentations are even more important,” Hess said.

Hess opened the meeting by introducing the UIT Leadership (UITL) Team, which now includes newly appointed Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Jake Johansen. Outgoing CISO Corey Roach will stay on until his retirement in November to support Johansen as he transitions to his new role. Hess also gave an overview of a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis, which Hess described as “an environmental scan to find out what we’ll face in the future so we can maintain our relevancy,” as well as UIT’s fiscal year (FY) 2025-2028 strategic plan that align with the University of Utah’s strategic goals. He also recognized five recent retirees and 70 new UIT employees.

The meeting concluded with the 2024-2025 Kevin Taylor Memorial Service Award. The award, in its 10^th year, was established in 2014 to recognize superior service and ongoing contributions by UIT employees. It’s given annually to the UIT staff member who best demonstrates the collaborative spirit and  customer service orientation of the late Kevin Taylor (b. 1950, d. 2014), former director for UIT Policy and Planning.

“What made him special and a role model for many, even to this day, was his open-hearted, generous, humble, and kind approach with others, no matter their title or job role,” said Trevor Long, award committee member.

This year’s award was presented to Chris Moore, senior middleware systems administrator in the Chief Technology Officer organization. Moore received a $500 honorarium and plaque.

In her nomination letter, Website Services Program Manager Emily Jacoby wrote:

“What truly sets Chris apart is not just his technical skills but also his extraordinary patience and knack for asking the right questions that lead to effective problem-solving. ... Chris’s proactive approach to sharing knowledge, offering guidance, and fostering collaboration has significantly enhanced team dynamics and contributed to the professional growth of his colleagues.”

UIT Leadership congratulates Moore and this year’s other exceptional nominees: Dax Christensen, Barb Iannucci, Maximus Isakson, Dean Keyek-Franssen, Charles Wilcox, and Dr. Joey Yang. You can access excerpts from all the honorees’ nomination letters on this webpage.

 

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