| Title | Senior Director, Web and IT Planning, Yale College |
|---|---|
| Time in current position | Three months (promoted in January 2024) |
| Started at Yale | 2007 |
Darice Corey started her career at Yale in 2007 as a programmer analyst for the Yale Alumni Association. She was recently promoted to senior director for web and IT planning and leads, oversees, and manages key information systems for Yale College, particularly for the offices of Student Affairs and Student Engagement. She leads Yale College's IT group and oversees its annual technology budget and manages Yale College's IT portfolio of needs and services, develops plans based on priorities and budget, and monitors projects to make sure they support Yale College's goals. Corey and her Web Operations team also manage the flagship site for Yale College and approximately 60 departmental websites, including the websites for the residential colleges and cultural centers.
Have you always had an interest in the IT field?
As a child, I was interested in computers and anything technology related. When I was about 10 years old, my parents bought me my first Commodore computer. I was intrigued with how it worked and what I could make it do. Recognizing that interest, my parents sent me to computer camps.
Even today, I love getting new gadgets and learning all about them. I’ve never felt intimidated by any type of technology. It’s like a puzzle to me, and I have a bad habit of not reading the instructions—I forge ahead and tinker to see what I can figure out. I have always been my family’s tech support, and I truly enjoy it.
What is your favorite part of working at Yale?
Coming to Yale has been life changing. I love my job. I work with terrific people, have wonderful benefits, and have maintained a good work-life balance that has enabled me to be a good mom. I love being part of the university community and can’t see myself working anywhere else. I need more hours in the day to take advantage of the many different entertainment and learning options we have here on campus. This includes the museums, live performances, and other campus events.
How do you see our role connecting to Yale’s mission?
I want to be the conduit that helps staff be more productive and support students while studying or doing research. I see my primary role as making technology easier for staff so that they don’t have to worry about using it, and they can therefore concentrate their efforts on their day-to-day jobs. I think about how a project or initiative I’m working on contributes to cutting costs or making jobs more efficient so staff can focus on helping or interacting with students or faculty, or whatever is necessary to do their job effectively.
What is your proudest moment?
I have two. In 2018, I started and led a project to redesign the Yale College website. It serves as the central hub of information and resources for Yale College undergraduate students and includes academic programs, advising resources, extracurricular opportunities, student life, and support services available to them. We launched it a few months before the pandemic started. The updated site gave us the flexibility to react quickly when we needed to communicate any COVID-19 updates to students. It won a Webby People’s Voice Award presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet. Winning that award correlated with our original mission for the site redesign.
In 2022, I was nominated to participate in the Emerge at Yale course, which I completed in June 2023. It felt nice to be recognized, and through it, I gained valuable leadership takeaways that I will carry with me for the rest of my career.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to explore a career in IT?
It is impossible to work in IT and think your education stops at that certificate or degree. I would encourage individuals to keep up with what is going on around them and continue learning. In addition to the technical aspects of IT work, there is the people side of the job; you need to connect with clients and colleagues to advance your career.
I was able to further my career by getting over my shyness. As a female and person of color there aren’t many of us in the technology field. For a time, I went through “the imposter syndrome” phase. I thought it would reflect negatively on me if I didn’t have an immediate answer to a question or problem. It took me some time to work through that and feel confident. I found talking to colleagues, getting to know them better, and networking helpful. I shared this experience during the Emerge program and found many people have the same fears and anxieties.
Bonus Question: What is the Yale College Voices podcast?
I’m co-chair of the DEIB committee for the Yale College Dean’s Office. We surveyed staff just as we were coming out of the pandemic and found people felt a lack of connection with colleagues, especially our new hires. We didn’t have many opportunities to meet and get to know people post-pandemic.
As a result, the committee decided to add some video or audio content to the main Yale College website. The committee thought it would be fun to talk to staff about their jobs, and that is how the podcast got started. Somehow, I became the podcast host, and at first, it was a bit overwhelming. It began to fall into place after I met with the Yale Broadcast team. Now, we record the sessions in their studio. I highlight Yale College staff who talk about their work, and it makes them feel connected to the overall Yale College community. Our audience gets to know all the facets of Yale College through the experiences of our staff and how they do their jobs.
I create the schedules and scripts, post episodes, and I’ve hired students to help me promote it more with new graphics and promotions through social media. Season Two just launched, and we are excited about the future! I encourage our listeners to like, share, follow, and engage!
