Cacey Edmondson
Name:
Cacey Edmondson
Title:
Change Management Advisor
What was your path into this career?
My career journey started at the University of Windsor, studying Digital Journalism and Communications. In my first couple years I took an advertising course from a very passionate teacher, Kyle Asquith, which sparked my interest in advertising and public relations and ended up changing what degree I was study to a Bachelors Degree in Communications, Media & Film Studies with an Advertising and Public Relations Specialization. A lot of the knowledge I learn in that class is still influential in my jobs today.
I graduated before the COVID pandemic and landed a role in communications, at a private school. At the school, I supported a wide range of communications initiatives while also serving as designated IT support. When the pandemic hit, I had my first major IT experience of helping transition the entire school to Google Classroom. At the time, remote learning was a new experience for many people and I worked to provide technical support throughout the transition. It was a challenging experience, but one I remain incredibly proud of.
I later joined a global financial supervision organization downtown Toronto, before realizing I really missed working in education, which led me to applying to Ontario Tech. In my new position in the Office of the Registrar, I worked on an amazing team that supported recruitment and university communications initiatives. Wanting to continue growing within the university, I later joined IT Services as a Communications Coordinator and now I work as the IT Change Management Advisor.
How long have you worked in IT Services and what do you enjoy about your role?
I’ve worked in IT Services for just over two years and I am currently a Change Management Advisor, focusing on the people side of major IT changes. In this role, I focus on understanding the “why” behind changes and I support the university community by helping address concerns and manage resistance. My job involves complex problem-solving and making sure the rollout of new technologies, processes and projects consider the user experience.
Ultimately, my goal is to help others succeed, whether that’s helping the teams implementing the change or the users being impacted. As someone who enjoys change, I love that the work is always evolving, varied and gives me the opportunity to make a positive impact at Ontario Tech, while continuing to learn new things.
What are you looking forward to accomplishing in this role?
In this role, I’m excited to work on new challenges and help make complex projects more user-friendly for the campus community. In the next year, I'll be supporting major initiatives like the upcoming Banner transformation and the sign-in transition, helping bridge the gap between user experience and project goals while considering the people impacted.
Throughout my time in this role, I'll continue to work closely with IT and teams across the university to make change feel more manageable for end users, and ensure our community is well supported.
What do you like to do outside work for fun?
Outside of work, I like to spend time with family, friends and my dog Kona. I enjoy trying new things and spending time outside either at the farm, at the cottage or on the lake, swimming, canoeing or camping. In my spare time, I take art classes, travel, try new baking recipes, play video games and read books. I love trying new things.
What is a fun fact about you that may surprise people?
A fun fact about me is that I'm a Formula 1 fan. A couple years I started watching the F1 TV show on Netflix, Drive to Survive, and it became something my sister and I share as a hobby. We watch together most weekends and are always sharing memes back and forth about big changes in the sport, or funny videos about drivers. We're big James Vowles and Toto Wolf fans! Eventually we're hoping to go see one of the races.
Image: Cacey and her dog, Kona, at her parent's farm.