Our March NUSAC Member Spotlight is Yael Mayer, Business Administrator for the McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science and Office for Research
Name: Yael Mayer
Title: Business Administrator
Unit and School/College: McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science and Office for Research
Years at Northwestern University: 10 years
Years on NUSAC Council: 5 years
Why did you join NUSAC? I joined NUSAC because I felt like I had a voice and perspective to share and in so doing, hopefully help improve the Northwestern experience for my colleagues. I was looking for opportunities to connect with colleagues across campus and learn from their experience. I had a vision of working with my fellow council members to make improvements or highlight what we as a Northwestern community are doing well to support our staff. I joined at a pivotal time for staff at the university, right around the launch of the 2017 staff engagement survey. Being on the council during that time was incredibly impactful. As it did in those early days of my tenure, NUSAC continues to push me to think outside of my own experience, connect with my colleagues and amplify not just my voice, but all staff voices.
What is the most important thing your NU staff colleagues should know about NUSAC? It’s been said previously by my fellow council members, but I’ll amplify the message: the most important thing about NUSAC is that we want to hear from you. While our 25 member council includes staff members from across the university, we all recognize that our responsibility is to help amplify your voice. Big or small NUSAC members work together in partnership with senior leaders to make recommendations that have a direct impact on staff. Some of these changes are highly visible and some less so, but I invite anyone reading to visit the Impact tab on NUSAC’s website to get a sense of how we effect change. And of course, apply to join us – we need you!
What issues are you most passionate about related to improving the NU experience for staff? I am passionate about manager training and support. We saw from the 2017 staff engagement survey that staff engagement was closely linked to their experience with their manager. Managers are tasked with a lot of responsibility. It’s easy to see how in the face of deadlines and increased workloads the relationship of a manager to direct report can start to resemble a one-way street, but it’s bi-directional. Open feedback loops, direct and honest conversations go a long way to ensure staff feel valued, safe and empowered. Manager training and support for professional development opportunities remain critical to retaining our talented staff. NUSAC works to support that effort.
What do you most enjoy about your work at Northwestern? I most enjoy supporting Northwestern’s research enterprise. I am a certified research administrator so most of what I do day-in and day-out involves research administration. I work closely with research administrators, faculty and students daily. On any given day I am managing grant funding, reporting out to sponsors, assisting with proposal development and anything in between. More recently, I transitioned into a role in the Office for Research. In the face of a pandemic and increased workloads my colleagues have been incredibly kind and generous with their time and expertise – what’s not to love about that?
What is a little-known fun fact about you? A little-known fact about me is that I am adopted. Fun fact about that is that it’s not a little-known fact – I tell everyone! I love talking about adoption and the impact it’s had on my life. I am an Associates Board member of The Cradle, which operates here in Evanston, very close to campus. Fun fact about them is that they are the only adoption agency in the country to have an on-site nursery. I’m an incredibly proud adoption advocate.