Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!


Home-Grown Spotlight: Katie Spencer

Career Guru Advice of the Day #1:
“Do something you enjoy. Feel good about it and don’t take it with you when you leave at the end of the work day.”—Katie Spencer, Training Analyst, Geisel Library

Katie Spencer is a leader in planning and implementing training and development programs in support of UC San Diego Libraries’
strategic organizational goals. She has over 6.5 years of experience in the training and development career field, and accepted her most recent position at the Libraries in May 2006.

As the Training Analyst, Katie has been designing customized staff education and professional development workshops including new employee orientations, health and safety training, supervisory training, and technical training. She is a critical part of the human resources team at
Geisel Library, anticipating training needs, creating curriculum, and providing instruction.

Taking advantage of the vast resources available at UC San Diego, Katie has also partnered with other campus departments to meet the needs of the Libraries’ large group of staff, working with Career Connection, Staff Education and Development, Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor, Police Department, and Environment, Health, and Safety among others.

The road that Katie has taken to her current position has consistently been filled with teaching, learning, and exploration. Her first job in the field was as a fourth grade teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and she went on to work in the private sector developing curriculum for a financial investment firm. Katie took a break from the hizzy tizzy working world to explore the sights and sounds across the Pacific and, luckily for us, she landed at UC San Diego.

For more information about Katie, ask her questions at the November 19th Career Information Panel.

In the meantime, here are some more fun facts:
#1 When asked how she was qualified for her first UC San Diego job, Katie replied that she got training through work experience and then applied, that she had transferable skills, and that she got lucky—and so did UC San Diego!
#2 Katie was the
2007 Winner of Staff American Idol for her performance of Aretha Franklin’s “Think”
#3 No Surprise! If Katie could experiment or moonlight in any other non UC San Diego job, she would definitely choose to be a musician.
#4 Katie is the youngest of four kids, comprised of two boys and two girls
#5 That last book Katie read:
The Girls by Lori Lansens
#6 Birthday: July 29th