Richard Jackson has been at 亚洲AV since 1982, working first as a computer science student employee before moving to a full-time position in 1992. As a computer systems engineer in Mason鈥檚 Information Technology Services (ITS), he has most notably been managing the academic/research system, mason.gmu.edu, for 30 years.
A two-time Mason alum, Jackson has a BS with distinction in computer science and an MS in computer science. He is known by his colleagues as a dedicated, resourceful engineer who is always willing to help others. For his team mindset, innovation, and commitment, he is recognized as the February Employee of the Month.
鈥淩ichard consistently approaches his work and work relationships with a team mentality, leading with integrity and valuing all opinions,鈥 said Whitney Sublett, strategic operations executive coordinator in ITS. 鈥淗e is innovative when troubleshooting issues, as well as when working to implement system replacements.鈥
鈥淲ithout his dedication to this service, we would have more performance issues to deal with,鈥 said Yu Kuo, the ITS cloud, computer, and storage engineering manager. 鈥淏ecause of his efforts, there have been zero system crashes or unscheduled system reboots. There are numerous examples where Richard thinks outside the box and would go look in the places that most of us don鈥檛 to figure out a solution.鈥
Many colleagues noted his breadth of knowledge and his resourcefulness when approaching issues.
鈥淚鈥檓 hard pressed to think of a time when he 鈥榙idn鈥檛 know鈥 an answer,鈥 wrote Kate Orf, web applications services team lead and wCMS analyst. 鈥淏ut he is always willing to go off and find solutions and information to support the work of ITS.鈥
Emilio Goncalves, senior computer systems engineer, compares Jackson to a 鈥渨izard鈥 when facing challenges. 鈥淩ichard is a master of resourcefulness. No matter the issue, Richard has a book on his shelf or can find a link to the information that he is looking for.鈥
Jackson鈥檚 positive and supportive attitude was also noted by his ITS colleagues.
鈥Richard maintains a positive and focused attitude that energizes others to overcome barriers to change,鈥 said Karen Gardner, director of enterprise collaboration and computing services. 鈥淗e does this by engaging others to collaborate and work together toward solutions.鈥
Lauren Hutt, IT project manager, agreed. 鈥淩ichard shows up to meetings ready to engage, which encourages others to do the same. His approach always comes across as supportive.鈥
鈥淩ichard creates enthusiasm by always showing up in a positive mood during meetings,鈥 said Ethan Ervin, senior network engineer. 鈥淩ichard is always willing to help and gives insightful information. Every time I鈥檓 in a meeting with him, I learn something new.鈥
How did you come to Mason:
My journey at Mason began in fall semester 1982 as a computer science (then part of the Math Department) undergraduate鈥擬ason processed our programs (punch cards) overnight at UVA and typewriters were still heavily used in the administrative offices. I worked as a student wage programming consultant from 1983 to 1987 in the Thompson Hall terminal room. In 1991, while working on a graduate degree my graduate coordinator asked me to integrate myself with Mason more. So, I left my TRW programmer contractor job to join Mason Central Computing as a classified computer systems engineer in March 1992.
Best day on the job:
When I successfully troubleshoot a difficult technical issue and complete a significant effort or project.
What do you like best about working at Mason:
My colleagues!
What do you like to do when you鈥檙e not working:
I hike, I've been a [Boy Scouts of America] Scouter since 2000, and I race large canoes for the Washington, D.C., DCDBC Dragonboat team.
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Meet more Employees of the Month
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- November 1, 2024
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- September 2, 2024
- August 1, 2024