What is your role on the team?
I work as a Data Coordinator. Our artificial intelligence and web-scraping system is incredible, but it can’t do it all — yet. I intervene where it’s necessary to identify which results are future projects or useful information for our clients, and make sure they get accurate, timely data. I’m involved in website administration and onboarding, as well as providing constant feedback to our development team in order to continually improve our system, software, and processes.
What is the craziest adventure you’ve ever been on?
The summer after high school graduation, two friends and I headed West on a road trip. We left with a truck full of camping gear, some graduation money, and very loose plans. For two weeks we drove all over the Western half of America hitting sites from the Grand Canyon and Arches National Park in the Southwest, to Death Valley and Yosemite in Central California, up to Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore in the North. We tent-camped or slept in the truck every night, cooked most of our meals over a campfire, and bathed in whatever body of water we could find.
What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
One of my hobbies is to drum. In junior high, my friends and I formed a cover band, Kode Red, and played a few shows at our school and on a float in our town parade. During this time, I picked up how to play a djembe, a traditional African hand drum, which I still enjoy to dabble with in freelance music circles.
At what point will a customer meet you?
The first time a customer might meet me is during the onboarding and setup process. I collaborate with clients to ensure that all members on their team that want website access have it. I also work with customers to schedule 1-on-1 website training. We understand this data is most valuable to our clients when shared, so I make sure our users understand how to effectively navigate our website and share valuable information with other members on their team. Lastly, I’m available as a customer support resource if there are any issues, questions, or suggestions for new website features.
What was your first impression of what Curate does or of the Data Coordinator position and how has that changed?
When I joined, I thought I would be doing the same task daily and that it would be very similar to other jobs I’ve had in the past, but working at Curate is nothing like my past jobs. When working on such a small team with big goals, you have to wear a bunch of different hats to get things accomplished. I had thought I would only be able to provide value to Curate and our clients via a single, defined role, but the opportunities have proven to be many and varied!
How has this job impacted your perception of local government?
This job has taught me alot about the structure and nature of local government, and how they’re the first place the general public can be filled in on upcoming attractions to their cities. I’ve learned that some are structured much, much more effectively than others, and also that citizens have more rights than I previously considered to speak candidly about their thoughts of future developments and council decisions.
What drives you to do what you do everyday?
Being a valued member on our small team of driven individuals united and working towards the same goal. We all work very hard, and like to celebrate with each other when we hit milestones. Another source of fuel is receiving client feedback letting us know that they won a project they found in one of our reports, and that we’re helping them to grow their business.