Who's Who at the Computing Center

Who's Who at the Computing Center

By Vickie Nelson (vmn@oregon.uoregon.edu)

To help you get acquainted with Computing Center staff, beginning with this issue Computing News will feature brief profiles of staff members throughout the school year. Our fall issue introduces two brand new staff members, Nanci Cook and Greg Shepherd, and two veterans, José Domínguez and Bill Wiener.

Nanci Cook
Systems Analyst, Auxiliary Services

Nanci Cook began working at the Computing Center last April and calls her job "a dream come true." Nanci has wanted to work on campus since her father took her to campus basketball games when she was young.

A systems analyst in Auxiliary Services, Nanci does COBOL programming for University Housing, maintaining the programs that keep the UO dining and residence halls running smoothly. Her programming efforts routinely grapple with such conundrums as: Who wants a roommate? Where's a name on the waiting list for Family Housing? How many meals is a student entitled to each week?

A native Eugenean, Nanci has lived here most of her life. Before coming to the Computing Center, she was a program analyst for the corporate headquarters of the Emporium and International King's Table. She loves the outdoors and enjoys bike riding, hiking, and backpacking with her husband Tom, sons Matt, 12, and Eric, 14, and golden retriever, Griffey.

Greg Shepherd
Network Engineer, Network Services

When Greg Shepherd pedals the 14 miles from his home in Crow to his job at the Computing Center, he's combining two of the great loves of his life: cycling and network engineering.

After six years as a systems engineer with the Springfield School District, Greg began work in Network Services in February. A network engineer reporting to Dale Smith, Greg also works closely with Dave Meyer of the Advanced Network Technology Center on projects such as the Oregon Internet Exchange, a partnership of Northwest IPs; OWEN, the Oregon Wide Area Network; and Internet2, a higher education partnership

Biking is another "big pursuit" of Greg's. This April, Greg's family (minus two-year-old Danica) headed for Australia and the seven-day "Aussie Big Ride." Greg and his wife Marlen rode a tandem with Davis, 7, pedaling behind on a Piccolo. Greg, Marlen, and three other partners also produce Tandem & Family Cycling, a quarterly magazine.
Greg Shepherd

José Domínguez
Senior Network Engineer, Network Services

When José Dominguez first came to the UO in 1992, Eugene's rainy weather had this Fulbright scholar from the sunny Dominican Republic thinking about leaving. But his adviser found him a position as a student network engineer at the Computing Center, and José decided to stay, eventually working his way up to the position of senior network engineer.

After finishing his master's degree, José took a leave of absence from the Computing Center and returned home to teach at the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology (INTEC). While there, he created both INTEC's first campus network and the first country-wide academic WAN (wide area network) in the Dominican Republic.

Back at the Computing Center since April, José oversees campus networking and works with exterior projects, such as the Oregon Public Education Network (OPEN), which provides network connectivity for Oregon schools, K-12. He's also investigating sending voice over data networks for the UO, a process which could replace parts of the telephone infrastructure.

When not working, José enjoys family life with wife Ellie and baby Emily.

Bill Wiener
Senior Operations Analyst/Supervisor, Computing Facilities

Bill Wiener's path to the UO Computing Center began when he signed up for LCC's Cooperative Work Experience Program. He registered for computer programming and was placed in the Computing Center's machine room as a computer operator.

Ten years and several rungs of the career ladder later, Bill is Senior Operations Analyst/Supervisor. In addition to being responsible for all system backups and restorations, he also manages the University's scanner service, which provides test scoring and course evaluation data for the university community.

Bill is also the primary contact for servicing most of the computers, printers and other hardware in the Computing Center's machine room. In addition, he deals with electrical and cooling problems as well as machine room security.

Bill calls the Center a "learning environment," and says he likes working in a dynamic setting where he has to keep up with new developments in the field. An avid cyclist who pedals to work every day, Bill also enjoys river rafting, golf and concerts.

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