Jeanne Smythe, Director of Computing Policy, Retires
January 31, 2006| In News, Newsflash
When Jeanne Smythe, Director of Computing Policy, retires from UNCChapel Hill on Jan. 31, she'll have spent over 30 years working in technology for the University. That's an interesting career for someone who came to the University to get a doctorate in philosophy.
Paul Jones, Jeanne Smythe and Adrian Shelton at Smythe's Jan. 31 retirement partySmythe came south after getting a degree in math from the University of Michigan. In 1975, after finishing the coursework for her degree in philosophy, Smythe started work for the UNC Computing Center (UNCCC) as a technical writer. There followed a series of jobs that included everything from working with a mechanical scanner to supporting and maintaining the academic mainframe computer. In those days the customer base was much smaller and she was familiar with everyone. Smythe notes, "I knew all the customers--they had to submit jobs in person."She worked with Paul Jones, now the director of ibiblio.org, to create an e-mail system designed to serve about 20 users in the University's administration. By the time the system was phased out, there were 6,000 users. Jones remembers that Smythe was the first woman he knew to work in systems and proved her worth with ease. Smythe helped with the transition from the Triangle Universities Computer Center (TUCC) and also the academic mainframe. Jones discovered, completely by accident, that Smythe was a fast typist. She had hidden this skill because, Jones says, "She'd been told to never let anyone know you could type fast or that's all you'd get to do." Smythe's most important work for the University started in 1998 with her work on the Y2K project. The next year Smythe headed the newly created Security Office and also acted as the University's copyright agent. In 2002 she added the role of security officer for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). "Jeanne's work has been vital," says Research Compliance Officer Adrian Shelton about working with Jeanne on HIPAA. "She has knowledge and skill and the ability to use her knowledge of operations for implementation. She's generous with her time and her talent. We will miss her so much." The new duties associated with HIPAA illustrated the change in emphasis for computer security. Smythe says, "When I started working with security, our main problem was hackers. Now the job is driven by regulation."Although 24x7 uptime for systems was always important for the people Smythe worked with, she notes that it is now critical. In some ways its easier to provide that service with resilient and redundant systems. Smythe says, "We dont have to come in and work for hours to bring systems back up after every storm." John Oberlin, associate vice chancellor for IT and long-time co-worker, said, "Jeanne has been an integral link between ITS and a wide range of governing, administrative, policy, legal and law enforcement agencies. Her work spans from the very technical details of electronic security to systems auditing, to management, to IT policy development. She has a very unique and broad set of personal and professional skills. Her expertise includes management skills, deep technical knowledge, and detailed policy analysis, as well as the finer points of diplomacy and discretion."Jeanne was a valued member of the ITS/ATN senior management team," Oberlin continued. She is well respected across a broad range of campus faculty, staff, senior administrators, policy makers, and colleagues. It has been a real pleasure to get to know Jeanne over the years. She has a tremendous strength of character and unquestionable professional ethics. She is not only an outstanding contributor and worker for the University, but she is a wonderful and inspirational person."With all the changes and challenges, Smythe still enjoys her work. She thinks it's the perfect job for anyone who's easily bored (as she is, she says) since every day brings something new. But she's interested in spending more time with her family and traveling, so the timing for retirement seemed right. While she'll miss the work, Smythe is ready for a break and then possibly some completely new and different challenges.Robyn East, associate vice chancellor for IT and deputy CIO, announced that Doug Brown will assist in the leadership of the security team during the search for a new security officer. East said, "Jeanne has been a valued member of the University's IT community, and she will certainly be missed. We wish her the very best as she enters a new phase of her life."