Elon Technology Blog

Introducing the newest members of Elon’s technology team

In the last year, Instructional and Campus Technologies has filled positions in the department with 8 new staff members. A team is only as strong as its members and these new members make our team even stronger. Here is a little about each of them:

Josh Aylor

Current position: Systems Administrator and Programmer

Duties and responsibilities: Josh is responsible for maintenance and administration of the hardware and software, along with the services that run on top of that hardware and software, that are essential to the day-to-day business processes. His duties include managing user accounts, installing and configuring hardware and software, performance tuning and systems monitoring, learning systems, security management, capacity planning, patch management, and disaster recovery planning.

Previous experience: Josh holds bachelor’s degrees in Computer Information Systems and Sociology, both from Concord University in Athens, WV. He most recently worked at Greensboro College as the Network/Systems Administrator and Director of IT. Before moving to the Triad, he was working at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City as the Lead Network Administrator and Associate Director of Networking.

Fun fact: Josh and his wife decided to move to the Triad from New York in order to raise a family. Their wish for a family came true as now they have two sons, Josiah and Xander.

Terrance Copling

Current position: Application Developer

Duties and responsibilities: Terrance creates new programs that run within the Colleague Datatel system. This means he creates the forms that users interact with in the system, and he writes the logic behind those forms. He also finds ways to integrate the latest technologies within the system, and he complies reports on the programs for the users. Terrance gives new users access to the Colleague system when requested, and resolves any issues with the system that the departments may experience as well.

Previous experience: Terrance has received an Associate Degree from Chowan University, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Elon University, and a Master’s in Information Systems from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University.  Before coming to Elon, he worked for the SunGard Public Sector, starting as a support technician and ending a developer.

Fun fact: He played basketball against NBA player Allen Iverson in Little League and High School.

 

Jennifer Grimmett

Current position: Media Services Assistant

Duties and responsibilities: Jennifer supervises the student team within Media Services, the office that provides equipment and technology-related services to Elon staff and students, and oversees the Media Services side of web reservations for equipment. She is a liaison for faculty looking to check out equipment, especially over a long period of time. She coordinates with event staff to give them the equipment they need and lends administrative support to TLT staff.

Previous experience: Jennifer graduated from University of Massachusetts at Amhearst in 2011 with a degree in Team Training and Development. She then worked at Emmanuel College in its library as an administrative assistant, coordinating the student worker program and operations for circulating media equipment.

Fun fact: For stress release, Jennifer makes her own dance videos, singing and dancing along to popular songs. Her favorite video thus far has been to Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger.”

 

DonnaLynn Hall

Current position: Application Developer for Application Technologies

Duties and responsibilities: DonnaLynn supports the Colleague User Administration, focusing on Admissions and Financial Planning. Some of her current projects include creating a graduate online application for financial aid, updating the PTCAS/Freshman transfer uploads for admissions, and creating a new graduate screen and GRE-upload process.

Previous Experience: DonnaLynn has 21 years of IT programming experience. She received a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from Virginia Wesleyan in 1992 and a Masters in IT from American Intercontinental University in 2003. She worked in the University of Maine system as a Senior Programmer Analyst, during which she supported all of the student systems and managed application patching and upgrades.

Fun fact: DonnaLynn loves to paint ceramics and pictures.

 

Dan Harder

Current position: Director of Campus Technology Support

Duties and responsibilities: Dan has the privilege of working with the different support teams within Elon Instructional and Campus Technologies. In addition, he provides the vision for the future of IT support and their strategies to get there.

Previous experience: Dan attended Appalachian State University and received a bachelor’s degree in Music Education. He also has a Master’s in Project Management from Western Carolina University. Dan worked at Duke University for 10 years, acting in various IT roles such as Manager of User Services and User Service Specialist. His last role at Duke was Director of Student Affairs IT.

Fun fact: He is an avid exerciser. His favorite way to exercise? “Too many to decide!”

 

Robert Readling

Current position:  Network Engineer

Duties and responsibilities:  Robert works on a team that maintains the campus network of around 300 switches, 600 wireless access points, and the telephone system.  His team also maintains the physical security (i.e. the card swipe access) of buildings and IP camera surveillance systems on campus.

Previous experience:  Robert graduated from North Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in physics and a minor in math.  Since then, he has received the status of a Cisco Certified Networking Professional, a Cisco Certified Security Professional and a Cisco Certified Voice Professional.  Before Elon, Robert worked with Cisco and several of its partners in North Carolina as both a Pre-Sales and Post-Sales Engineer.

Fun fact: Robert moonlights as a TIE Fighter Pilot. Inspired by his love of Star Wars, he joined the 501st, a worldwide costuming organization with around 6000 members across the globe.  In addition to “normal geeky fun,” his group has worked with charities like Make-A-Wish and Ronald McDonald House to raise money and brighten the days of sick children.

 

Brandon Walters

Current position: Application Developer

Duties & responsibilities: Brandon creates and maintains web applications used internally by faculty, staff and students on campus (and sometimes by off-campus users as well). He primarily supports the Kernodle Center for Service Learning & Community Engagement and the Admissions office, but he also assists the Student Life staff during campus elections.

Previous experience: Brandon graduated with a degree in Computer Science from Elon in 2011. He then spent a gap year in grad school before returning to Elon to join the team.

Fun fact: He considers himself very lucky to land a great job at his alma mater.

 

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