The year was 1985. Brand new Madonna tunes sizzled on the radio. Back to the Future played in theaters. New Coke was all the rage. And Tammy Caradonna started working as a secretary in the Becker Library at WashU.
Many things have changed in the 40 years since she started at WashU. But some things remain the same. Caradonna is still committed to providing excellent customer service and helping her coworkers. She was recognized by two of her peers as a 2024 Person of ImpacT in WashU IT.
“There was no IT group yet when I got here,” she said, recalling her start in October 40 years ago. Caradonna remembers moving from the library to a receptionist role within the Department of Surgery. She became proficient in Word Perfect, which was a new application at the time. She learned and grew in her role, building on her computer knowledge and becoming one of WashU IT’s first employees.
In 2016, she moved from the Department of Surgery to Shared Services and today she served within WashU IT as a project manager III. When asked what has surprised her most across the span of her storied career at WashU she said, “How much the people I’ve worked with have become my work family.”
She noted her interactions with patients have been a very rewarding part of what she does, especially through the new construction of WashU and BJC clinics, such as the Children’s Specialty Clinic in South County and the Siteman Cancer Center.
Caradonna oversees the logistical planning for infrastructure, computer equipment, printer mapping and more. She takes great pride in the many projects she’s been involved in across the university and in neighboring communities.
According to nominators from her team, that feeling is mutual.
“Tammy’s attention to detail, focus on results, ability to improvise, support for her team, and continual drive to evaluate outcomes so she can improve processes are the pillars are her success,” said Travis Williams, Deskside Team Lead.
Speaking of her tremendous work on the new Siteman facility, Manager of Technical Services Doug Tihen said, “Not a day went by without someone saying, ‘Oh, reach out to Tammy; she has that,’ ‘Tammy is taking care of it,’ or ‘So happy we have Tammy on the team.’” He added, “Having Tammy on the team gives everyone a sense of success as we navigate such a large task. We always know it will get done, and everything will be accounted for.”
Tihen also praised Caradonna for always giving credit back to her team for the support they provide.
“The project team I work with makes me shine,” Caradonna said. “They take good care of me.”
Caradonna said she is honored to be selected by multiple colleagues as a Person of ImpacT for 2024, and she looks forward to the next challenges that lie ahead for her in her career.
More than 90 people were recognized by their peers as 2024 ImpacT award recipients, with 12, including Caradonna, receiving more than one nomination. Nominations for 2025 were collected through the end of October. The 2025 ImpacT awards nominees will be announced during WashU IT’s January All Hands meeting.