IT Fist Bump: Rena Zrakovi
Part of W&M Information Technology’s mission is to develop and nurture meaningful relationships and collaborations on campus and beyond. Our work would not be possible without the partnerships we have across campus, and so many of our colleagues deserve a thank you and a (virtual) fist bump!
Rena Zrakovi is the assistant to the chief facilities officer. This past year, W&M IT transitioned the entire campus phone system from Mitel to Microsoft Teams Calls, and the facilities department was one of the largest and most complex offices to migrate. Rena was vital to the success of the migration and went above and beyond to ensure a smooth transition for her entire team. 
Hear what members of the Teams Calls project team had to say about working with Rena:
"Rena was an integral and invaluable partner in coordinating the Teams Calls rollout to facilities management. They are a large department with a lot of atypical use cases. Rena knew exactly what her team needed to make the transition successful, and she was keen at communicating those needs to IT. She was heavily involved in every aspect of the migration, from phone equipment ordering to training to departmental readiness, and she was a key resource on migration day. We are so thankful for her dedication and involvement!” - Melissa Palacios, technology project manager
“Rena, with amazing energy, created a model for technology project partnership, tailored to the needs of her entire department and IT, out of whole cloth, and with no previous experience with Teams Calls. I can't begin to tell you how impressive that is. In all my years working on complicated projects with people I've just recently met, she is a true standout.” - John Drummond, senior strategist for academic technology
“Rena was involved in every stage of the planning, execution and support for the facilities department. She contacted IT very early on and expressed her concerns, challenges and ideas. Rena took it upon herself to communicate every aspect of the phone conversion to her team and IT and arrange all the logistical components. She was the greatest caretaker of her department providing answers, handholding and assurance to facilities staff. We’ve all seen her in action dealing with a huge variety of personnel with different technical skills. She did it all with a listening ear, kindness and a smile. Rena gets my vote for the most valuable facilities management employee this year." - Jack Farraj, teaching and learning applications specialist
“Rena put in many hours anticipating and communicating the needs of her department and coordinated with us to design and offer special Teams Calls trainings to make sure that adoption was as complete and smooth as possible. It wouldn't have worked well without her extra thought, planning and effort. I really appreciate everything she has put into the project.” - Mary Bull, senior network engineer
Thank you for everything you do, Rena!
