As the Assistant Director for Enabling Applications, Melanie Stegeman spends her days leading a team of subject matter experts who provide tools for the WashU community. Applications within her portfolio include Emma, Qualtrics, KnowledgeLake and DocuSign, along with others that equip people to do their jobs better.
Stegeman is honored and humbled to receive recognition as a 2024 Person of ImpacT. She thanks her former coworkers in the team known as Workday Student (formerly known as Enabling Systems and Solutions (ESS) Student) for the nomination.
“I was surprised to receive the award. I am honored to have had the privilege of working with such a dedicated of team of professionals. They executed hard with the Workday Student project and worked tirelessly with total dedication throughout the entire endeavor,” says Stegeman.
One nominator said Stegeman “epitomizes a servant leader,” with another adding, “she always eagerly pitches in anywhere needed, has an incredible level of patience and decorum no matter the situation, actively looks for the most effective way to accomplish goals, and is consistently upbeat.”
Stegeman continues to have great opportunities with wonderful teams. Today she finds managing her current team in Enabling Apps incredibly rewarding as well. She points out that her team is intrinsically motivated, extremely proactive, and overall, high achievers.
Stegeman leads with the perspective of practicing positive reinforcement for jobs well done. “A little recognition goes a long way when folks are caught doing the right thing,” says Stegeman. Stegeman points out that even though IT can seem like a profession without much variation, she sees how giving people the ability to flex their creativity directly correlates to greater job satisfaction. She says, “it helps reignite how people feel about their daily duties.”
As a person of ImpacT, she believes that prioritizing our investment in our employees is extremely important. Stegeman makes two suggestions to accomplish this; find new training opportunities for team members and help connect employees to mentors that will enrich their professional development. Stegeman also believes we can help our teams feel engaged and valued by supporting their involvement in different councils and governing bodies throughout the university.
The Person of ImpacT recognition felt very special to Stegeman. She believes a person of Impact can be defined as a good colleague, someone who is helpful even when that person may not know the right answer, someone who keeps a level head and digs into their work. She has only been in her current position since July but already recognizes these attributes in her own team.
Stegeman Graduated from Missouri State in Springfield with a master’s degree in Conflict and Dispute Resolution and Administration. She began her career in the mental health industry but quickly realized she preferred being a part of the higher education community. Her former career institutions included Northeast Oklahoma and St. Louis Community College before joining the WashU team.
For now, Stegeman says her future aspirations include focusing on cultivating skills and seeing her employees grow.
In her spare time, Stegman enjoys being a mom to her two children (8 and 11), watching them play sports, dreaming up the next big house project, and spending time with her family, both immediate and extended which all live in St. Louis.