UIT Leadership Spotlight: Bryce Walker, associate director, Learning Systems, Digital Learning Technologies

Where are you from originally?

I grew up in West Valley City, Utah. After graduating from Brigham Young University (BYU) in 2005, I moved to Boston and then Washington, D.C., for graduate studies. I’ve worked and raised my family in D.C. ever since.

What post-secondary degrees or certifications do you have, in what areas, and from which schools?

I earned a master’s degree in instructional design from Boston University in 2008 and a doctoral degree in special education and disability studies from The George Washington University in 2016. My dissertation focused on the role of the technology coordinator in schools that serve students with language-based learning differences.

What led you to the University of Utah?

University of Utah is an R1 university with national recognition for top-tier research and academics. After spending some time in other industries (federal, nonprofit, K-12), I wanted to return to higher education. A bonus is being closer to my wife’s and my families. 

Can you describe the path you took to IT leadership?

My first experience as IT personnel was while working as a K-12 teacher and being asked to fix the internet connection in the school computer lab. In future roles, I developed training in a learning management system (LMS) and, at a certain point, led the development of an LMS/content management system. In my last role, I helped lead the procurement of enterprise-level software to support human resource functions, such as performance, learning, career succession, and retirement.

How would you describe your leadership style and/or philosophy?

I learned a great deal of my leadership style from Roger Schwarz, author of “Smart Leaders, Smarter Teams.” He describes eight behaviors that an effective leader should develop. I strive to align myself with each of these behaviors, but the one that leads to the success of the others is No. 2 — “Foster Open Communication.” I also follow Stephen R. Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and find habit No. 5 especially effective — “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.”

What do you enjoy most about your role at the U?

I have stellar team members who are self-maintaining. I have an amazing and kind director who is as pragmatic a person as I have met. I also work with great collaborators (associate directors, other departments, etc.) who have helped with my onboarding process. Because of these people, we can help faculty and students resolve issues around the university’s learning ecosystems. We have a wealth of knowledge, and we want to spread that word across campus so that faculty, staff, and students know to seek us out when they have a question or concern.

What do you find most challenging about your job?

We receive a lot of new technology requests and want to say yes to all of them, but we have to be careful in our vetting process for usage concerns, budgeting, IT security threats, and our ability to provide support for each request.

What are some of your hobbies?

I love being around my wife and three kids. We camp a lot. I love running and cycling, so my family also enjoys those things. I also really like watching Olympic Games reruns (until the next Olympics).

Is there a fun fact about yourself that you’d like to share?

I ran in the Boston Marathon (before it became impossible to qualify). While running, I was offered brownies, jelly beans, cookies, beer, tequila, and kisses. I only accepted the first three but appreciated all of them. 

Is there anything else that you think our readers would like to know about you?

I lived on the fourth floor of a library for three years while writing my dissertation.

 

Node 4 Search