Every month we are profiling one of the Web Services Department’s team members. This month we hear about Mary Kathryn Roberts who is Manager of Web Services.
How did you enter this career?
I moved to Ottawa to pursue a degree in theatre and switched to communications. I then did a post-grad in technical writing where I learned how to use Dreamweaver and write software documentation. After I graduated I applied to work in Web Services as a content migrator in 2009 and have worked in five different positions in that time – all web and communication related.
Where else have you worked?
I have had a lot of jobs. As a teenager I worked at a teen drop–in centre where I got to hang out with my friends, play basketball and host ping pong tournaments. I was a production manager at a small theater company, doing everything from front of house to marketing to set design. I taught English in Japan, was a Manager at Farmboy, and I worked as a server at the Clocktower in Beachwood for a few years. Prior to working at Carleton I was a Marketing Analyst for a software company.
What are the best things about your job?
The people. I genuinely enjoy the company of everyone on our team (we laugh a lot in our office) and we are all passionate about the work we do. I also get to work with some awesome people around campus (shout out to my comms people!). I love that each day is different and I get to work on creative projects that often have a big impact. The campus itself is also a great workplace – I love walking along the canal and river and being able to take advantage of the gym and healthy workplace activities.
Do you have some exciting projects you are working on right now?
We do! The biggest thing we’re working on is a unified theme – right now we manage two main themes and we’re working on a strategy to merge these into one super amazing theme. It’s a big project, one that involves an audit of everything in our current environment so that we can build the new theme from the ground up. You’ll be hearing a lot more about this in the near future!
What music are you listening at the moment?
Right now my playlist has Begonia, Maggie Rogers, Lykke Li, Flora Cash, The xx… I like beautiful sad music and music with a good beat that I can head bob to while working.
What are you reading at the moment?
I always have a fiction book on my kindle and a few non-fiction selections in Audible. I’m reading a sweet book called One Day in December by Josie Silver and I just finished Skyward by Brandon Sanderson – that one was out of my preferred genre but I liked it. Non fiction I’m listening to Raising your Spirited Child (I have one of those!), Atomic Habits, and I just finished Daring Greatly.
What do you do outside of work to amuse yourself?
I have two little kids at home – they’re two and four – so they do most of the amusing. When I’m not working or with my kids you can find me doing yoga, reading, watching Netflix, or planning out my next home renovation.
What exciting plans do you have coming up in the next year?
Work related I’m looking forward to kicking off the new Intranet project (which will include a new Research section), and the Events calendar overhaul. Outside of work, I’m excited to renovate my new home. I’m also planning to get away to a yoga retreat this year – ideally in Costa Rica where I did my yoga teacher training years ago. If not there, then perhaps a trip to Iceland. I haven’t really travelled since having kids so I’m excited to go adventuring out in the world again!