Teams from WashU will again come to the table with ideas to tackle challenges during an annual Thinksgiving event hosted by Filament. The event allows partnering organizations such as WashU to assist area nonprofits as they seek solutions for complex problems.
Filament is a company that designs and organizes meetings, including workshops, creative training sessions, special curated events, and other types of forums for area corporations and organizations.
WashU IT has created four teams with representatives from across WUIT and Workday Support. The work started in September, with teams being partnered with nonprofits. Teams have examined issues identified by the area nonprofit and have been designing ways to address them.
A formal in-person meeting will take place Thursday, Nov. 2 during which time solutions will be formally introduced.
“On Thinksgiving Day, brainstorming work sessions are held followed by a Science Fair where approaches to alleviate challenges are shared,” said Jennie Franke, Senior Director of Enterprise Applications. “We are using our brain power to address community challenges.”
Franke is working closely with Scott Wright, Project Coordinator for Workday Operational Change Management, to organize the WashU effort. Thinksgiving is a St. Louis-based, day-long facilitated brainstorming session that takes place at The Cortex Innovation District, 4220 Duncan Ave. in St. Louis. Franke said the group needs volunteers to assist throughout the day. Those interested in volunteering for the effort are encouraged to sign up using the link provided.
“The goal is helping the community and making those connections with others in WashU that you might not work with on a regular basis,” Franke said. “Making those connections is so important.”
WashU IT teams, and the nonprofit partners and the challenges they are facing follow:
| Team: Ideation for ImpacT Hean Goh ‘Adrian’ IT – EA Pete Nowikow IT – InfoSec Amisha Bhatt IT – SMO Shannan Knudsen WST – HRIS Scott Wright WST – OCM | Cornerstone Challenge: How might we build a dashboard system that aligns with our values, vision, and practices while quantitatively and qualitatively capturing our successes, stories, and metrics? |
| WashU Team 1 Carrie Maynard IT – EA Charles Montgomery IT – EA Angi Ruble IT – PPMO Suzanne Pea -IT Administration Kate Liefeld WST – HRIS | Child Care Aware of Missouri Challenge: “How might we effectively communicate our new offerings to build partnerships within the business and economic development community to engage them in taking action to support working parents and create positive outcomes for children?” |
| Team: Grin and Bear IT Dan Skillington IT – EA Tiffany Ruble IT – EUS Greg Barton IT – Shared Infrastructure Cynthia turner WST – OCM Stacy Belton WST – FIS | PCs for People Challenge: ‘How might we increase connections with STL businesses in order to source more PC’s for us to refurbish and distribute to underserved families?’ |
| Team: Brain Trust Zachary White IT – Data Mgmt Jill Fechtman IT – EA David Parsons IT – Shared Infrastructure Mecca Baker -Student Sunrise Jenna Rikard WST – FIS | KidSmart Challenge: How might we scale our services to reach every qualifying school in Missouri and ensure their students are provided the necessary resources to learn? |