Who's Who at the Computing Center

Meet Lois Johnson, the UO's "voice of Audix"

Joyce Winslow
jwins@uoregon.edu

Have you ever wondered about the voice that announces your UO voicemail and assists you through the various functions of Audix, the UO's automated phone system?

You need wonder no more. The voice belongs to Lois Johnson, the soft-spoken customer service manager at Telecommunications Services.

Lois is far more than just a soothing voice, however. She is one of the key staff people in programming, maintaining, and troubleshooting one of the most essential services on campus.

Having previously owned and operated a small answering service in Corvallis for six and a half years, Lois is no stranger to telecommunication services. But when the advent of answering machines began to put a dent in her business, and with four children to support, Lois found herself juggling as many as three part-time jobs to make ends meet. So it was a relief when a friend and former employee told her about a job opening at UO Telecom Services.

Lois' first job with Telecom Services was as a telephone operator/receptionist, but as her skills became evident to her employers she rapidly took on increasing responsibilities, culminating in the supervisory position she holds today.

Over the nearly 20 years she's worked on campus, Lois has mastered the nuts and bolts of UO telecommunications, performing all the behind-the-scenes functions that make Audix systems work seamlessly: programming phones and digital sets, setting up videoconferencing sessions and cell paging for campus users and troubleshooting the systems glitches that occasionally crop up, as well as overseeing her staff of eight customer service assistants.

Lois Johnson
Customer Service Supervisor
Telecommunications Services

Of all the jobs she's performed at Telecom, Lois considers her work as a systems analyst the most challenging--and rewarding--of her career. Without the benefit of prior programming training, Lois's initiation into the world of coding was a bracing sink-or-swim experience, and she is justifiably proud of her hard-won technical mastery.

Off the job, Lois enjoys a slower pace of life on her rural property in Sweet Home, which she shares with her husband Will and cat Hobo. An Oregon native who has spent her entire life in the Southern Willamette Valley, Lois enjoys the simple pleasures of country living--especially fishing. She and Will take off every chance they get to angle for trout, steelhead, and salmon in season.