Written by Elizabeth Turner

Elizabeth Turner is a technology project manager utilizing Knowledge Management (KM) capabilities at TPG Global – a private equity firm in Fort Worth, Texas. She has led software development, training, and implementation projects for teams and systems of all sizes.

Elizabeth is the Smithsonian Libraries’ appointee to the International Federation of Library Associations KM Section Standing Committee and chaired its 2017 Open Session in Wroclaw, Poland. In 2019 she will present an AI software demonstration for libraries at the IFLA KM Satellite Meeting at the Ionian University of Corfu, Greece.

Recognized in 2018 as speaker of the year by the DFW Knowledge Management Community of Practice, she has given KM-focused presentations around the US and internationally to audiences of hundreds.

She is also a classically trained ballet dancer and performed 2011-2018 in contemporary works by the Irving-based nonprofit Momentum Dance Company.

 

Where do you work and what do you do?

I currently work at TPG Global, LLC as a Strategic Initiatives Manager in Firm Services. My career path has been at the intersection of finance and technology since 2006. Currently my role has three parts:

1. 1. embedded project/process management for our global Technology, DevOps, HR, and Accounting teams,
   2. product management for 3 different software systems in use at the firm
   3. IT Liaison for the business in terms of change awareness and adoption

 

What was your major at UTA and when did you graduate?

I graduated from the Professional Program in Business (PPIB) December 2006 and received my honors baccalaureate in information systems (B.S.I.S.), and my master’s in information systems (M.I.S.), with a concentration in project management. Fun fact: Since I was the first graduate student to choose this concentration, it meant I got to take Project Management courses in the College of Business, College of Engineering, and even an Operations Management course in PM before the curriculum was figured out.

 

 

Why did you choose your major?

I changed my major a couple of times while I was an undergrad, which I think is very common! I ultimately decided on an MIS because I wanted to learn to program and understand database structure and implications, while leaving my career options open for other pursuits like project and knowledge management. I ended up going on to get a second master’s at Texas Woman’s University in 2010 in library science (M.L.S.) and this was largely due to the inspiration, mentorship, and guidance I received from former UTA Libraries Dean Gerald Saxon and UTA Libraries Director Tom Wilding. This was so meaningful to me because I had wanted to be a librarian since I was 11 years old.

 

Why did you apply to the Honors College?

When I applied to UT Arlington I was 14 years old and the Honors College had a program to help early admissions students. Since I had a semester left of high school that I completed simultaneously with my first semester on campus, it was helpful to my admissions counselor to see that I was already accepted to the Honors College and offered a scholarship – I was fully admitted to UTA after Spring 2001.

 

Do you have a favorite memory from your time in the Honors College?

Some of my favorite memories are connected to time spent with fellow students in the Carolyn Barros Reading Room. Dean Barros was a huge influence on my decision to be an Honors College student and remain actively involved in the HCC. She was so supportive of me as a whole person as well as a student, a ballet dancer, a teen, a young writer…I really cherish her and her leadership!

 

What was your Senior Project over?

I designed a relational database for media contacts in use by the Arlington Public Library System.

 

What was it like being an HCC Officer?

Student Leadership for me was a constant connection to the pulse of the campus. As an honors student, it gave me contacts and opportunities to socialize with others in my peer group without worrying about being the only ambitious, intellectually curious one in the group. I carry friendships from my time in Honors American Studies and HCC still to this day. Serving as Newsletter Editor gave me a chance to write and create and complemented my other roles nicely. Other roles in organizations I served included Student Congress Senator, UTA Ambassador, Mav Maniacs Spirit Team (Vice President), Business Constituency Council officer, Association of IT Professionals officer, and the University Library Committee (5 continuous years).

 

How did the Honors College prepare you for your professional career?

The Honors College was one piece of an elaborate puzzle that helped shape my career path today. I would say that Dean McMahon really encouraged me to persist and get my senior project done despite tremendous adversity in my life and I will be forever grateful for that. The experience of being around focused, determined peers in my honors coursework was comforting and rewarding. In contrast, being able to set myself apart to some of my professors while auditing traditional courses for honors credit was satisfactory. If I hadn’t done that for Philosophy of Law I would have never known about Lawrence Lessig and his Creative Commons work (pre-Change Congress). Later I had the opportunity to meet Lessig and escort him around campus when he came to visit UTA and guest lecture at a Technology event!

 

What advice would you give to current Honors students?

Keep your focus on your goals! Use time management and planning to make the most out of your experience at UTA. Keep in touch with your contacts after you graduate. Remember these few years are just a blip on the radar of the rest of your life – you will only have the memories and a piece of paper when it’s done. I wish you well in your journey onward!

 

Check out some of Elizabeth’s  contributions to The Shorthorn:

• “Football isn’t First” Op Ed – author’s headshot 04/02/2004 p. 3 Shorthorn
• June 15 Op-Ed “Bucks for Books” – pg3 Shorthorn
• June 22 Response by Dean of Libraries Gerald Saxon – pg 3 Shorthorn

The #HCSS spotlight this week is shining on Sarah Ruthven, a Microbiology senior from League City, TX! Ruthven is a MavElite Tour Guide, former Orientation Leader, and VP Recruitment Information in Alpha Chi Omega.

 

MR: Tell me about your experience being a Microbiology major.

SR: Originally I started off as a Nursing major, and then I found that all my friends were like, “I want to help people,” and that was not what drove me. I realize that could be bad, but I really want to help society from afar, not the individual. So I had taken Microbiology, fell in love with the course, and then decided to change my major to that. Originally, I thought I would go the healthcare route, and do more in medicine, but after taking some classes I fell in love with the environmental side. Limnology is probably one of my favorite classes; environmental microbiology was also really cool. So, bioremediation, using microbes to clean up oil spills, that kind of thing really drives me.

MR: What has your experience been like in the Honors College?

SR: The Honors College has been fantastic to me. For my first two years, I was a part of the Learning Community in Vandergriff Hall. I was [in] the guinea pig class for that, it was awesome. I always advocate for that when I’m on tours as well. I got to meet a lot of really great, substantial people, both peers and faculty. That’s just really shaped my college experience, and I couldn’t be happier with it.

MR: What are your goals after graduation?

SR: I would love to work with a nonprofit organization. Helping clean up water, test water – if ever that’s possible – clean up oil spills, that kind of thing. Dam removal projects, super passionate about those. My boyfriend, who’s an engineer, is like, “No, dams are great,” and I’m like, “No, the ecosystem!”

MR: How has the Honors College affected the way you attain those goals?

SR: The Honors College has really pushed me to strive for the very best in everything that I do. It’s also pushed me to reach out to my professors and make contact with them, as opposed to being the afraid little freshman in the front – actually going up and talking to them. I’ve made a lot of what I would think are friends that way, so definitely understanding how to put yourself out there is fantastic.

MR: Imagine it’s your first day at college as a freshman. What advice would you give yourself?

SR: To sit back and enjoy it. Don’t rush it. Enjoy your freshman moments, because as soon they’re done, you’re not getting them back.

MR: Tell me about being part of your sorority. What is that like, being the VP of Recruitment Information?

SR: I didn’t rush my freshman year. I waited a year because I never, ever, ever thought I’d be the sorority girl. My mom went to UT and back when she was there, it was a totally different environment than what it is here. After my first year, I saw my roommate go through the process and she fell in love with it. She had great, real friends. They weren’t all like, “Oh my God, glitter and nails!” …I found that they were real people, and that’s where I found that a lot of the leaders on campus were involved. So I was like, “I want to get in there,” because I was really involved in high school, so it was an easy magnet for me. It did take a couple semesters for me to become a leader in the position that I currently am. But now that I’m in it, it’s a lot more than I ever thought it was. I’m definitely in the right spot.

[In] my position, I get to do research on the potential new members – AKA, stalk them on all the social media and then make a database about it. So it’s a lot of things I never thought I would be doing, and my first year of recruitment, I was like, “Oh my God, this is so much. Gross.” But now I’m head of it, so that’s pretty cool.