Category Archives: Faculty/Staff Spotlight

Program Manager Jessica Roffe Receives UMD 30 Under 30 Recognition

Posted on by

QUEST congratulates our Program Manager Jessica Roffe, who was recently selected as an honoree in the inaugural Terrapin Club 30 Under 30 Program! Established by the University of Maryland Athletics Department and the Terrapin Club, 30 Under 30 recognizes outstanding Maryland young alumni for their professional lives and embodiment of Maryland pride.

Jess was recognized along with the other honorees at the basketball game against Purdue on Tuesday, February 12. The honorees were given tickets to a suite at Xfinity Center where the awards were laid out. Then, they were honored on the court during halftime with their names on the big screen. Jess said, “Being out on the court was really cool. I actually saw QUESTees Michael (Q28) and Akshay (Q27) in the second row of the student section, and I was waving to them.”

Being honored on the basketball court for her commitment to Maryland was full-circle for Jess, who grew up going to Terps basketball games with her family. “I remember they played at Cole Field House when I was little. We would drive into campus, make a right at the M, and then go up the hill behind Stamp. That was the only area of campus I knew, and Maryland’s massive, so it’s funny how that was my vision of Maryland and I still wanted to go here so strongly,” she said. She still frequently goes to games with her dad, who is a season ticket holder.

Jess was nominated for the award by her dad and a few QUEST students. Lindsey Johnson (Q27) heard Jess mention the award in the QUEST Lab and decided to nominate her because of her commitment to the Maryland community. “I think being a UMD alum and working at UMD is a really cool full-circle experience you can have,” Lindsey said. “She’s giving back to the community on a daily basis with the fact that her job is to support students and the community. A lot about QUEST is having our corporate partners and maintaining those relationships and professionalism of the program. For Jess to be the backbone behind that really exemplifies it.”

After graduating from UMD with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Jess got her master’s in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Columbia University. She was inspired to pursue this field by a couple of her Psychology advisors from UMD. “They’re honestly mentors to me, and I wouldn’t have known about higher ed if I hadn’t gotten to know them,” she said. “I feel like I was able to discover my career because I was so involved on campus and so I think that’s why I feel so passionate about helping UMD students find their passions as well.”

Returning to work at UMD in 2014 was exciting for Jess, who had always pictured herself returning to the DC area. “I had this connection to Maryland and the Terps forever so it was always a dream to work back at Maryland,” Jess said. “When I saw the job opening with QUEST, I knew it was such a good fit because it had a little bit of everything within one job.”

Jess considers the highlight of her professional career to be the impact she can have on individual students within QUEST. “A student will come in and ask for interview help. The next week they’ll tell me, ‘Thank you so much! I got the job!’ or ‘I got the internship!’ and it’s really rewarding to see that impact,” Jess said.

The value of Jess’s guidance is greatly appreciated by all QUEST students. “We can go to her and her door is always open, which I think helps promote the community here,” Lindsey said. “She’s always there not just for the specific tasks of her job, but if I need advice on anything. I know a lot of students in the QUEST Program feel this way.”

Helping students throughout their three years in QUEST is the most rewarding aspect of Jess’s job, and her commitment to this is what made her an ideal honoree for 30 Under 30. “In QUEST, I get to see students progress throughout their three years, which is really unique when you think about it as a staff member on this campus. It’s really exciting to see what they achieve after three years and watch them present at the QUEST Conference, get amazing jobs, and be accepted into prestigious graduate schools.”

Congratulations again for being selected for this honor, Jess! Your Maryland pride and enthusiasm to help students is valued by the entire QUEST community!

To learn more about the award and the other nominees, click here.

Meet QUEST’s New Graduate Assistant, Russell Ottalini!

Posted on by

Russell Ottalini, QUEST’s New GA

The QUEST program is excited to have a new addition to the guild this academic year, Russell Ottalini! Having grown up in Silver Spring and attended Montgomery Blair High School, Russell comes to QUEST with experiences both from undergrad and his years of volunteering and working out of the classroom.

He attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he majored in Sociology and Japanese. After he graduated, Russell worked with the Princeton to Asia (PiA) program for two years, teaching English in Japan. After PiA, Russell came back to Pittsburgh to work at HCL America for a year and a half. Shortly thereafter, he came back to his roots in Maryland, where he is now a graduate student at UMD studying Urban Studies and Planning.

When asked what brought him to work with the QUEST program and why he took on the assistantship, he said that he connected well with the mission and ideals of QUEST. Having been involved with honors programs in the past, Russell is keen on the overarching theme of honors students being enthused and invested into their futures and forming relationships with alumni and staff within those programs.

With QUEST in particular, Russell expressed enthusiasm about seeing students pursuing new innovations, which parallels well with his current studies in urban planning. With the recent changes in the Quality Guild, such as the addition of our new (but not really new) Executive Director Joe Bailey, Russell mentioned he’s more than excited for the potential for impact that he could have in the QUEST program in the upcoming years, as well as growth in professional and personal development.

If you found Russell at karaoke, he says that you’d be catching him singing the 60s top 100 hit Sukiyaki, which, by contrary to the suggested name of a food, translates to “I walk as I look up.” It’s great to have you on board, Russell, and the QUEST community is looking forward to getting to know you and seeing what you have in store for the future!

Dr. Joe Bailey Returns to QUEST

Posted on by

By: Caitlin Thompson (Q28)

Dr. Bailey served as the Executive Director of QUEST from 2009-2014 and has now returned to the position. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with him to discuss how QUEST has evolved and will continue its legacy in the years to come.

So what has Dr. Bailey been up to over the past three years? In one word, Dr. Bailey has been: “busy.”

In fact, a better question might be what hasn’t he been doing. To begin, he conducted research as an Edison Scholar at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, focusing on machine learning to uncover prior art for patents. He also started mQuest, a QUEST-like MBA program through the Smith School. The program, now called DesignED due to its connection with design thinking, just graduated Cohort 3, with 18 students currently in Cohort 4.

In addition, Dr. Bailey co-taught an innovation and entrepreneurship Action Learning Project course as part of the Executive MBA program with the Dingman Center’s Executive Director, Elana Fine. The two also launched a podcast together called Bootstrapped focused on founders, investors, and entrepreneurs. One episode featured QUEST’s very own Kanchan Singh (Q17), founder of D.C.’s first cat cafe, Crumbs and Whiskers!

However, Dr. Bailey returned to something that hasn’t changed over the past three years, the QUEST students. When asked how he has seen the program evolve, he remarked that the students are still “smart, ambitious, team players, innovative, and creative,” and the community makes him excited to be back. He also discussed how the program has expanded and improved through new student run organizations such as QDeS, the alumni board, and the upcoming 25th Anniversary Gala.

What is Dr. Bailey’s favorite part of being involved in QUEST?

It’s “incredibly fun to be surrounded by really smart people who want to do cool things.” He also enjoys his friendships with QUEST alumni and is looking forward to getting to know the current and future QUEST students.

While it’s clear that the program has evolved, Dr. Bailey hopes to continue to expand the program by lowering the walls surrounding the tight-knit community to better serve people not in QUEST. This could potentially include high school students, upperclassmen, and the community as many people can benefit from some exposure to the QUEST experience. He also sees the QUEST community members further coordinating with each other to get support in their endeavors.

Dr. Bailey’s piece of advice to QUEST students past, present, and future is that “you’re all really smart, ambitious, and hardworking, and you’ll be that for the rest of your life. However, if you can pay more attention to your inner voice over what others say, you will be successful. Trust yourself.”

Thank you Dr. Bailey. We are all looking forward to QUEST’s future!

 

Dr. Suarez writes series for Washington Post

Posted on by

A featured contributor for the Washington Post, Dr. Gerald Suarez, QUEST’s 390H instructor, writes monthly articles related to questions he receives from students and trainees in the course of his academic, corporate, and government work. He discusses concerns on topics such as overcoming complacency and communicating with impact and molds an expansive message for a much larger audience. Follow QUEST’s Facebook and Twitter to keep up with his articles each month, and check out the first two articles in the series below:

October 14th: “Here’s How to Put that Worry to Positive Effect” deals with the immobilizing effect of anxiety.

November 11th: “Boomers, know thy millennial” helps boomers integrate millennials into the workplace.

suarez

Dr. Gerald Suarez

 

Jessica Macklin Presents at ASEE Conference in Seattle

Posted on by

This summer, QUEST’s Program Coordinator, Jessica Macklin, had the opportunity to spread knowledge and excitement for the QUEST program across the country while presenting at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) conference in Seattle, Washington.

ASEE is a nonprofit organization of individuals and institutions committed to furthering education in engineering and engineering technology. ASEE develops policies and programs that enhance professional opportunities for engineering faculty members, and promotes activities that support increased student enrollments in engineering at universities, as well as acts as a channel of open communication and networking among corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions.

This year’s conference, held June 14th-17th, featured over 400 technical sessions, with peer-reviewed papers spanning all disciplines of engineering education. Jessica presented on a paper detailing the evolution of the QUEST program, authored by Program Director Kylie King and herself, titled “Twenty Years of Multidisciplinary Capstone Projects: Design, Implementation and Assessment.” They were aided in their discussion of capstone projects by quotes from QUEST alumni, Debbie Feinberg (Q1) and Ori Zohar (Q12).

Much as technology and the practice of engineering has evolved over the past 20 years, QUEST capstone projects have constantly been changing to reflect these engineering evolutions and to provide students with the skills and experiences relevant to the real world environment they are about to enter. Capstone projects have shifted with the times, from conducting market analysis for a printing company, to creating a recycling solutions for a construction company, to rethinking a telecommunications company’s cybersecurity training.

With these relevant and challenging capstone projects, it’s only natural that both the students and corporate partners would continue to reap the benefits of the program over time. In a recent survey, over 80% of QUEST students evaluated themselves as “Proficient” or “Advanced” on every course learning outcome. In the past 3 years, over 50% of all projects have had a lasting impact for the sponsoring organization, and over 90% of teams have exceeded client expectations. Nearly 60% of QUEST students who work full-time after graduation have taken a job with a sponsoring organization.

Jessica used these fantastic findings to share suggestions about engineering education with the other conference goers, stressing the importance of learning outcomes, having a variety of stakeholders in the process, and utilizing multidisciplinary teams. She and Kylie hope their research and the success of the QUEST program will help to inspire other schools and colleges to develop similar programs and initiatives, and one day emulate such incredible results.

To read the full paper, click here!

Kylie & Jessica’s Quality Fashion

Posted on by

When I first went into the QUEST lab to ask Kylie King, QUEST Program Director, and Jessica Macklin, QUEST Program Coordinator, if they would like to participate in a fashion face-off article, Jessica said that she had already admitted that Kylie has a better sense of style than herself. However, I beg to differ. Both Kylie and Jessica are fashionable and are constantly fabulous. As an illustration, there are five pictures that I took of Kylie and Jessica in March. For the purposes of this article, though, I’ll be judging on Kylie and Jessica’s fashion choices based on three of Garvin’s 8 Dimensions of Quality: aesthetics, perceived quality, and durability.

Aesthetics

Based on the pictures below, you can see that Kylie definitely takes more fashion risks. When asked how she describes her sense of style, she said that “[she] prefers bright colors and ‘statement’ pieces (anything from pants to jewelry)”.  In comparison, Jessica likes “solid colors and simple patterns such as stripes and polka dots…[and] statement necklaces!” I also asked Kylie and Jessica about what is important when they are shopping for clothing, Kylie said that the most important thing she looks for when she shops is whether the clothes will complement her current wardrobe. Jessica said that she looks for clothes that are professional and usually shops in the petite section.

Perceived Quality & Durability

To assess perceived quality and durability, I asked Kylie and Jessica two questions. The first question asked how they decipher which clothes are quality. Kylie said that she applies some of Garvin’s 8, including reliability, serviceability, and durability. For example, she likes tops with zippers and prefers to buy clothes that won’t require servicing and are, thus, more durable. Jessica shops at brand name stores because she “trusts that these stores will sell quality clothing.” Also, she definitely values durability because she hopes “that the clothes will last [her] a while.” Also, I asked how much brand names matter to them. Both of them said that brand name is very important because brands have an expectation for reliability and durability. However, Jessica says that brands are not completely reliable. She said, “I have definitely found holes in the seams of brand new pieces once or twice before!”

In conclusion, I believe that Kylie and Jessica both dress very well. While Kylie’s style might be considered a bit more “fashion forward” as far as risk taking goes, Jessica has a sweet and simple way of dressing that is just as aesthetically pleasing. I believe that there isn’t a winner in this fashion face-off.

Fashion Tip: Kylie told me that a fellow QUEST student said, “Gold clothing could have greater perceived quality.” So if you want to look fancy, throw on some gold!

 

[slideshow_deploy id=’2007′]

Faculty Spotlight: Kylie King

Posted on by


Written by: Jason Ho

When the temperatures drop below 50, many people like to reminiscence of the warmer days, when the wind isn’t so sharp and the layers aren’t needed. But one very special individual revels in this time of year, and her name is Kylie King. Hailing from Plattsburgh, New York and a lover of cheese and crackers, Kylie is QUEST’s very own Program Director. An Industrial Engineering major from NC State, Kylie has experience working in a rotational engineering leadership program in Procurement, E-business, and Product Management with a manufacturing company prior to coming to the QUEST community.

However, beyond her years from NC State and being an engineer, Kylie is also an alumni of UMD’s graduate school. Since then, she has involved herself with the QUEST Program, stating that she finds it fulfilling to be working with a group of students in a program that in many ways drew parallels to a scholarship program that she herself was involved with in her time at NC State. One of the most fascinating things Kylie cites about the QUEST program is her involvement with the Scoping Class, a course revolving around company visits to acquire the infamous 490H projects. She states that it is always interesting to be learning about new companies, seeing projects evolve from their creation to finish, and really experiencing a unique perspective about a company by being there and observing first-hand the day to day operations of the facility. Just recently, she and the current Scoping students went to Domino Sugar and saw how sugars of all kinds were refined from huge mounds of dirt, debris, and raw sugar.

Aside from her involvement with the QUEST program, Kylie is also one of many exciting accolades, including once sky-diving and being a speaker of French. She also has impeccable fitness; she is a finisher of many triathlons. She will soon be training for next year’s Lake Placid Iron Man, which includes 2.4 miles of swimming, a 112 mile bike ride, and an entire marathon to finish if that wasn’t already enough. A woman of great physical abilities, one however would not expect her to have a mermaid as a petronus. But if Harry Potter were to have a nightmare and Kylie was there, Potter would see a fin smack across the face of the dementor to save the day. Keep on the lookout for Kylie, she might be one of the coolest people you’ll ever meet.

Dr. Suarez’s and The Leader of One

Posted on by

PP Cover.4445697.indd

Tuesday, 10:45 am

Van Munching Hall

Upon entering the lecture hall, Dr. Suarez immediately throws down the gauntlet. He challenges the class, “Who here will compete with me in an arm wrestling contest?” The mood is curious, and the class remains quiet at first. However, a champion soon emerges in Danny Laurence (Q19). Danny, a former shot put All-American, makes his way towards the front of the class, and the odds look stacked in his favor.

As the pair lines up wrists, Dr. Suarez shoots a mischievous grin…
Dr. Suarez: “Danny are you ready?”
Danny: “Yes Dr. Suarez, I am ready.”
Dr. Suarez: “Are you sure Danny?”
Danny: “I am sure.”
Dr. Suarez: “Ok, so who will say go? This is very important.”
Cat Ashley (Q19): “I can do it.”
Dr. Suarez: “ Ok Cat, when you are ready…”
Cat: “Go!”

Danny quickly slams down Dr. Suarez’s hand.

Dr. Suarez: “I win, but lets play again.”

Danny repeatedly slams down Dr. Suarez’s hand, and Dr. Suarez repeatedly “Wins.” However, soon the pattern changes, and the two are slamming each other’s hands like a pendulum. Point by point, they accelerate until they both reach exhaustion.

The Great Theater

Watching the arm wrestling contest that day, I sat engaged but a bit dumbfounded. Luckily, Dr. Suarez’s explanation soon alleviated my confusion. Rather than winning a point when one slammed his opponent’s hand, this competition granted a point to whomever had his hand slammed. Hence, why Dr. Suarez initially kept pulling Danny’s hand down on his. Furthermore, while we believed only Dr. Suarez or Danny could win, in fact, they could maximize their respective point totals by working together. In this instance, Dr. Suarez encouraged us students to challenge our preconceived notions of competition. Rather than let competitiveness restrict our potential, we were urged to create systems that enabled us to maximize both our success and the success of others.

While this lesson remains one of the most memorable for me personally from Systems Thinking (BMGT390), the experience is in no way an outlier for the course, as many will attest. Whether recounting tails aboard Air Force 1, discussing sessions with Fortune 500 executives, or even recollecting experiences with former QUEST students, Dr. Suarez routinely transforms his classroom into a theater for innovative ideas and personal inspirations.

 

Leader of One

Finally, prompted by students and colleagues alike to codify his teachings, Dr. Suarez has published his first book, Leader of One. Although initially composed utilizing the back of napkins and voice recordings in the car, the book provides an unparalleled, holistic vision of Dr. Suarez’s ideas and philosophies. Chronicling his work with great thinkers like Russell Ackoff and W. Edwards Deming, experiences in Clinton and Bush administrations, and time as Executive Director and professor of the QUEST Honors Program, Leader of One immediately transports the reader back into Dr. Suarez’s theater in Van Munching Hall.

I spoke to Dr. Suarez and asked, “Who is the Leader of One?”

“The title came about from a realization that we are accountable for ourselves, that, at a minimum, we need to lead our way into the future that we want. In my corporate experience, government experience, and as a coach of executives, I hear all the time the notion of “somebody should do something about it.” We begin to delegate that notion of responsibility and accountability, to take action, to people in positions of power or rank. The theme that began to emerge was that we can lead from where we are, and to mobilize others into action we must first mobilize ourselves. The book takes the approach that we begin with ourselves and then we begin to influence those around us, to steer them and to tap into their expertise to advance causes that are greater than any one individual. And the purpose of leadership is to pursue causes that are bigger than any one person—I begin with the person, then the team, then others. The leader of one is the process of first, self-awareness, self-discovery, reconnecting with our aim, our intent, our desires; and then inspiring others to join us and shape the future!”  —  Dr. Suarez

Leader of One is sure to capture the hearts of readers looking to reconnect with their core values and reflect on ways to shape their future. QUEST students should be warned, however, you may just cross a story or two from your time in the program.

Purchase Dr. Suarez’s Leader of One on Amazon or CreateSpace.

Note to Graduating Seniors

Posted on by

A Note from QUESTPress Alumni Corner Editor, Tracey Epstein (Q14)

Dear Cohort 18,

On behalf of the QUEST Alumni Board and the QUEST alumni community as a whole, I want to say “Congratulations!”  You all have accomplished so much over the last few years and we are all ecstatic that you are joining our alumni community.

This next stage in your lives will prove to be exciting and challenging in ways you probably can’t imagine yet.  To most of you this is great news – I’m sure the last 17 or so years have felt pretty predictable.  However, if any of you are like me (and most of the people I know who have graduated college and gone on to live in the “real world”), you probably feel a little bit of apprehension about the future.  Where are you going to live?  Where are you going to work?  Where are the best happy hour spots in your new city?! There’s lots to worry about!

The good news is, you’re not the first one to graduate college and feel a little lost.  The even better news is that you were in QUEST.  It looked great on your resume and helped you get that high-paying consulting gig, but that’s not all QUEST was good for.  Simply by being a part of this organization for the last three years, you have earned yourself a spot in a growing network of professionals.  Professionals that live in your neighborhood, work at your company, and go to happy hour at that rooftop bar down the street.

My advice to you is to take advantage of this community.  Reach out to fellow alumni who are living or working nearby.  Send an email to someone who moved to a country you want to visit or live in.  Attend QUEST alumni events – tailgates, happy hours, the 490 conference.  You never know who you will meet and those connections are sure to help you navigate your way through the next few years of your life (and beyond).

Once again, congratulations on all your accomplishments.  The QUEST alumni community is so proud of each and every one of you!

See you soon,

Tracey Epstein