Submitted by David Leisure
As things begin to return to normal and our faculty and staff begin to return to campus we thought it would be a great opportunity to remind everyone that works on the Danforth Campus who your onsite deskside IT support staff are here at WashU. Your support team is made up of a diverse group of intelligent, well-trained and highly technical individuals that are very dedicated to you and the mission of the university. They understand that their role is not just technical problem solving but a role that requires a high degree of customer service. If you see these folks walking around campus they are in pursuit of that mission of excellence.
The support team is comprised of two zones, East and West and each zone is comprised of eight techs and one manager. Those 16 techs support 4,105 customers and over 5,000 computers.
This is also a good opportunity to remind everyone how to contact support, if you are in need of assistance you can call 314.933.3333 or email ithelp@wustl.edu with your issue. If you have not been getting the service you deserve or have and would like to commend your support staff please feel free to share any feedback you have with the Danforth IT Service Delivery owner, David Leisure at david.leisure@wustl.edu
David Leisure
Assistant Director Technical Services – Danforth Deskside Support & IT Service Delivery Owner, Danforth Campus
David started at Washington University in 2011 as a technical support specialist on the helpdesk. Since then he has served the university in various capacities and played key roles in numerous large scale projects such as the email migration project and served as the functional lead of the Shared IT Services project for the Danforth Campus. In his current role he leads the deskside support teams that serve the majority of the Danforth Campus as well as serves as the IT service delivery owner for Danforth Campus. In his personal time David enjoys spending time with his wife and five children, likes to play golf, watching movies and playing video games. A little known fun-fact about David is that he was the voice of Donald Duck for Disney’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Seasons 1-4 in the Philippines.
Deskside Support Staff for Danforth Campus West Zone
Dave Rathert – Manager Technical Services – West Zone
Dave started at Washington University in 2000 as a Computer Support Technician at the School of Law. In 2004 he was promoted to Computer Support Manager where he led Law School staff responsible for phone, deskside and remote computing services. In 2016 Dave joined Wash U IT as Manager Technical Services – Deskside Support. His staff is responsible for providing deskside computer support for the west end of Danforth Campus, West campus and the Clayton area. Dave has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from the University of Missouri. He loves to spend his spare time in his woodworking shop, exploring the outdoors with his family and coaching his son’s little league teams.
Mike Rogoz – Technical Team Lead
Mike first came to Washington University in 1998 as a phone and Deskside computer technician for the departments of Anesthesiology and Psychiatry. He continued to work at the Medical School until 2006 when he left to provide technical and networking support for the Retina Group, Hopewell Center, and the USDA. Mike returned to Wash U as a Danforth Deskside Support contractor in 2011 and was converted to full time later that year. Mike was promoted to Team Lead/Supervisor in 2017 and has spent time leading teams on both the Danforth and Medical School campuses. In his free time Mike likes to play golf, bowl and spend quality family time with his wife and three sons.
Damien Rogers – Sr. Technical Support Specialist
Damien came to Washington University in 2016 as a contractor for Wash U IT. In late 2016 Damien transferred to the Olin School of Business to help meet the schools Deskside Computer Support needs. When the Business school entered the Shared Information Technology Services (SITS) program in 2018 Damien rejoined Wash U IT and has provided deskside support for Danforth Campus ever since. Prior to WashU Damien worked for Electrical Components International (ECI) where he was a computer and networking technician. Damien is Dell and Mac Certified. In his free time Damien runs a girls youth basketball league. Many of the players that have come through Damien’s league are playing in the NCAA and some have even made it to the WNBA.
Ronald Biddle – Technical Support Specialist
Ron started at Washington University in 2014 as a contractor with WashU IT Deskside Support. Shortly after that Ron converted to full time Technical Support Specialist. Before Wash U Ron was a phone and deskside support tech for three years at Forest Pharmaceuticals. Previously Ron was an IT contractor at Coca – Cola, Brown, Smith & Wallace Law firm, and Thomson Reuters. Along with his Associate’s Degree in Computer Programming and Network Management from Vatterott College, Ron has his A+, ITIL v 3 and Dell Certifications. In his free time Ron like to be outdoors canoeing and hiking and is an avid bowler.
Mark Massey – Technical Support Specialist
Mark Came to WashU IT in March of 2019 as a contractor and was converted to full-time Tech Support Specialist that October. Before WashU, Mark worked as a Desktop Engineer at Master Card for 2 years, a workstation Tech for Scottrade for 2 years and served as a Technical Specialist at Charter Communications for over a year. Mark has an Associate’s Degree in Computer Science and is currently working on his Bachelor’s Degree in Cyber Security at Maryville University. Mark is a Dell Certified tech and also has his MCP, CompTIA A+ CompTIA Network+, and CompTIA Security+ certifications. Mark loves to play the guitar and was once part of a band that sold close to 10,000 copies of an album.
Sean Baumer – Technical Support Specialist
Sean Started at WashU in October of 2019 as a contractor and became a full-time Tech Support Specialist in March of 2020. Prior to WashU Sean was a Deskside Support Engineer at Stifel for 4 years and worked as a contractor for Monsanto for 4 years. Sean has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University Missouri – St. Louis. Along with his Certification in Networking Technology from Rankin technical college, Sean is a Dell Certified Technician and also has his CompTIA A+ and Cisco CCNET certifications. Sean likes to go fishing and enjoy the outdoors with his family.
Robert Paterson – Technical Support Specialist
Robert started with Washington University in October of 2019 as a contractor and converted to a full-time Tech Specialist in March of 2020. Before WashU Robert was a systems administrator for TTM Technologies for a year. Prior to that he was an IT Analyst for Johnson & Johnson for 4.5 years. Robert has an Associate’s degree in Computer Network Technology. He is a certified Dell Technician and is perusing his ITIL v4 and CCNA certifications. Robert spends his free time running, biking and doing calisthenics.
Stephen Spinney – Technical Support Specialist
Stephen came to Wash U IT in March of 2020 and converted to a full-time Technical Support Specialist in September of that same year. Prior to WashU Stephen spent three years at Enterprise Holdings as a Technical Support Specialist and 5 years at Microcenter. Stephen has an Associate’s Degree in Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications. He is also a Dell Certified Service Technician. In his spare time Steve can be found riding his motorcycles, playing baseball and enjoying the outdoors.
Lynn Langley- Sr. Technical Support Specialist
Lynn started with WashU IT in March of 2015 as a contractor and converted to full-time Tech Support Specialist in November of 2015. Prior to coming to Wash U she worked as a Dell Service technician for 8 years, Nestle Purina for 3.5 years and was under contract with Master Card for a year. Lynn is Dell, CompTIA A+, and DCSE certified. In her free time, Lynn is an avid Kayaker, hiker and camper.
Deskside Support Staff for Danforth Campus East Zone
Kellie Williams – Manager Deskside Support East Zone
Kellie Williams is the Manager for WUIT Danforth Deskside Team – East Zone.
She began at Washington University in April 2020 with Wash U IT.
Kellie has over 10 years of experience in the IT field ranging from Technician to Manager.
She holds a Master’s Degree in IT Management from Webster University.
A fun fact about Kellie is that she rarely listens to music in English and is an artist in her free time.
TJ Pfleger – Sr. Technical Support Specialist
TJ Pfleger began at Washington University in the summer of 2018 with Wash U IT. He has 8 years of experience as a Specialist (P) in the US Military. During his time he was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. In his free time TJ enjoys building go-karts and muscle cars.
Aaron Ruggeri – Technical Support Specialist
Aaron Ruggeri began working for Washington University Medical Campus in 2018 and transferred to Danforth in March 2021. He has years of experience working in the IT Deskside field and holds several certifications. An interesting fact about Aaron is that he is semi-fluent in Japanese.
Cat Price – Technical Support Specialist
Cat Price began at Washington University Medical Campus in 2019 and transferred to Danforth in December of 2020. She has years of experience in IT from large to small scale companies. An interesting fact about her is that she studied Geology and monitors activity around the world.
Dan McCafferty – Technical Support Specialist
Dan McCafferty began at Washington University as an Information Technology Support Specialist with Danforth WUIT Deskside Team in April of 2021. He was previously a Senior Service Center Technician for Mercy Hospital. He moved to Enterprise Operations to monitor networking and has years of experience in the IT field. An interesting fact about Dan is that he loves birds and can identify the species of many breeds by just their call alone.
Linda Fleshman – Technical Support Specialist
Linda Fleshman began at Washington University in 2007 with the Brown School. She worked two debates hosted by the University as on-site IT support for the first responders. In 2016 she served as on-site support for the Republican Party during the Presidential Debates. An interesting fact about Linda is that she used to be a show skier. She performed shows all over including the VP Fair in downtown St. Louis. She also performed in the fountain at Union Station the year it reopened.
Tyler Uebel – Technical Support Specialist
Tyler Uebel began at Washington University in 2019 at North Campus. He previously attended Ranken Technical College and obtained his Associates Degree in Computer Science. He has prior experience as an IT Professional at a server renting company. He appreciated the variety of equipment ages because it always gave him interesting challenges to overcome. An interesting fact about Tyler is that he has been to Chernobyl during his travels through Ukraine and Russia.
Wade Alberty – Technical Support Specialist
Wade Alberty began at Washington University in 2008 with the Law School. In 2016 Wade moved into WashU IT and has been a member of the deskside support team ever since. Wade has almost 15 years of experience in the IT field. A fun fact about Wade is that he is an owner of a brewery. He also plays baseball and cork ball.
