September 2018 Newsletter: Employee Profile—Julie Mims
Julie Mims, Administrative Assistant for Data and Technology, is one of the District’s behind-the-scenes team members who are rarely seen by our students, staff and families, but whose expertise is critical to the District’s daily operations. An eight-year veteran with Shaker Schools, Ms. Mims is among the the friendly faces of the District’s Help Desk (in August alone, the Help Desk took more than 1,000 calls). She troubleshoots ProgressBook challenges for parents and, during the summers, she’s charged with purchasing new hardware (like Chromebooks) and updating software licenses, among other duties. Above all, Julie is perfectly suited for the job: ask her a question and she’s always friendly and gracious with her response, no matter how simple the question.
You get a lot of calls during the day at the Help Desk. How do you approach talking with a group of folks who have a range of experience with technology?
For sure, everyone has a different comfort level with technology. Sometimes, instead of trading emails or calls with a person, it’s easier if I remote into their computer. That way I can see what they’re seeing on their screen, ask them to show me what they’re doing and then we can figure out a solution together.
Did you study IT or computer programming in college?
Actually, no. I went to Ohio University and studied small business and entrepreneurship. Back then, I wanted to open a record store---clearly, I’m glad that didn’t work out. After I graduated, I worked for Camelot Music in North Canton as tech support and then I got a job at FedEx doing IT. So, everything I’ve learned, it’s been on-the-job.
What do you like most about your job?
I like that every day, there’s always something different. You really never know what you’re going to get or who you’re going to help. Solving problems and taking care of issues that may seem big to the caller is pretty gratifying. Also, I’m really impressed by our Technology and Data Departments’ ability to handle everything that’s thrown at them. We’ve been able to tackle some pretty complicated issues and we always pull together as a team and figure it out.
What’s the number one reason that parents reach out to you for ProgressBook?
I’d say that sometimes people have trouble logging in because they change their email addresses. So if folks change their email addresses, just be sure to update it with our people in Registration so that your information is current and that you can access ProgressBook.
Tell us something most people don’t know about you.
When I was a kid, my mom made me take organ lessons. And yes, we actually had an organ in our house. I had this whole songbook of pop songs, so I could play Thriller on the organ. It was interesting to learn, but there aren’t a ton of opportunities for people who play the organ.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I spend time with my 120-pound lab/mastiff mix who thinks she’s a lap dog. And I like to go to concerts---mostly, I like alternative independent artists who are less known. The last concert I went to was a cellist named Zoe Keating. Her music is really interesting because she plays classical music and then loops it through a laptop that layers her music on top of itself. I also love to travel and I’m hoping to make it to Iceland soon. I’ve been to Scotland, Egypt and Australia---I just want to see something different every time.