Sam is a dedicated Support Specialist with six years of experience at the IT Support Center. His passion for knowledge management and community-building defines his role. Sam curates and ensures the accessibility of knowledge resources for the entire team.

Beyond his technical expertise, Sam is a staunch advocate for fostering engagement and cultivating a tight-knit community within the IT Support Center and Technology Services as a whole, notably through his work with the ITCC. Sam also enjoys organizing entertaining game nights, creating opportunities for team bonding and relaxation.

Shane is the Assistant Director of Information Security where he leads the Identity & Access Management and Endpoint Computing teams. Though he started as a student worker with the School of Medicine, he's held various roles throughout his 15 year tenure with VCU and has contributed to numerous major IT projects during that time. Specializing in automation and systems administration, Shane uses that experience to improve user access and account provisioning processes as well as build endpoint deployment and management solutions that IT personnel throughout the university can leverage to provide better support for their customers. By embracing innovation and staying attuned to industry trends, he helps the organization navigate the ever-changing landscape of technology and security.

Tomekia James is a Contract Manager at Virginia Commonwealth University Technology Services department. Tomekia has been with TS for 15 years. She handles all of the hardware and software contracts for TS. Specializing in Contract Management, Tomekia uses her experience to find ways to streamline processes to make her work more efficient.

Just a simple guy (in a red hat:) who loves to meet and serve people. Looking at any problem thinking "I wonder if there is a different way to do this" and letting curiosity do the rest. The "Make it Amazing" initiative opened up pathways that allowed me to further improve customer service experience. Love to be part of VCU and higher education in general, it is fascinating to watch a person going through this enormous transformation. The fact that I may have made a small contribution to making each student's journey a little easier is very rewarding. Thank you for the opportunity and I am looking forward to continuing to serve and improve the experience for our Students, Faculty, and Staff.

Grace is a Senior Business Intelligence Analyst in Administrative Systems, with over seven years of experience supporting dashboarding and reporting off of the Ellucian Banner ODS (Operational Data Store). Her focus has been in the development and support of dashboards used throughout the university, including the Research and Finance Dashboards, as well as maintaining the VCU Reporting Center.

Prior to working in Administrative Systems, Grace served as an IT Analyst in the Office of Financial Aid.

Amber Shaffer is an accomplished Public Safety Technical Team Lead with over 15 years of dedicated experience in supporting technical needs within the higher education environment. Serving as an integral member of the Desktop Support Services team at VCU, Amber has been embedded at the VCU Police Department for more than 7 years. This department, one of the largest academic police agencies in the country, relies on her expertise and leadership to ensure the seamless operation of critical law enforcement technology.

Amber's niche within the Desktop Support Services team revolves around providing specialized technical support to the sworn VCU population, encompassing approximately 80 officers. Her role extends to system administration and the coordination of large-scale projects that involve collaboration with numerous vendors across multiple academic campuses. Amber's ability to effectively manage complex technical projects has been pivotal in enhancing the university's operational efficiency.

Amber Shaffer earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Information Technology from George Mason University in 2005. Her academic foundation has been instrumental in her successful career in IT services, the majority of which has been dedicated to VCU. Over the years, Amber has been recognized with prestigious awards from VCU Administration for her outstanding contributions to Customer Service and Collaboration. Her commitment to excellence and dedication to teamwork have consistently set her apart.