Tech Support Specialist Leslie Kreizman, one of three ITS team members who support University administrators at more than 15 campus locations, is retiring at the end of this month. She has worked for ITS for more than two decades.
Early in her career, Kreizman got into IT by working for a training company just as computer training was taking off.
When Carolina hired her in 1999, her job was to train and “provide comfort to the staff we supported as we transitioned to newer computer software and technology,” she said. “My previous 14 years of experience in computer training allowed me to provide one-on-one help and class training in various office applications.”
Over the years, Kreizman said she strived to provide “the best customer service possible, whether in person, on the phone or by video conference.”
Long-time team
For years as a team, Kreizman, co-worker Jim Moravansky and manager Mark Wampole have provided executive IT support for senior University administrators, the Board of Trustees and associated support staff. Kreizman and Wampole have worked together for more than 22 years, first with Penny Ward and then with Moravansky when he joined the team eight years ago.
“Leslie looks out for everyone, like a good mother would look out for her children,” Wampole said.
“We joked many times since I started working with them in 2014 that she was our mom,” Moravansky said. “That’s because she was always concerned about how you were doing.”
Personal touch
Kreizman demonstrates that level of care to all customers. “She would be ultimately patient and kind and understanding with all of our clients, no matter the time of day or if it was on the weekend,” Moravansky said.
Trevaughn Eubanks, Executive Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations, has worked with Kreizman for 14 years. “Leslie has responded to my calls and emails while on vacation, but she never made me feel like I was bothering her,” Eubanks said.
Eubanks described Kreizman as an “IT guru” and said it’s “rare to stump her with a computer issue.” But what Eubanks admires most about Kreizman is “her good nature and kindness toward others.”
Likewise, Nikkia Sheppard Lynch has long valued Kreizman’s support and personal touch. She is a business officer in Academic Finance within the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost.
The entire IT team in the South Building, Lynch said, “is great and we all acknowledge how much we value their service and willingness to help with anything big or small.”
Digs deep for solutions
Kreizman, specifically, “has always been willing to dig a bit deeper to figure out a solution to fix a pesky glitch or to find a more efficient or effective way to use technology,” Lynch said.
“I’ll miss Leslie’s help with those things, but I’ll miss Leslie’s check-ins even more,” she said. “Although Leslie would stop by the office to check in and offer tech assistance, she would also check in on me as an individual. Her words of encouragement and support over the years has helped me navigate the worlds of childcare and education for my family and many others,” Lynch said.
Kreizman “often advocated for working parents and shared her experience and lessons learned with the goal of making someone else’s experience better,” Lynch added. “Leslie was also often the source of sharing information and resources, offering opportunities to connect and, bringing others together.”
Will miss customer interactions
Not surprisingly, given the care she has shown customers and co-workers, Kreizman said her fondest memory and what she’ll miss the most are the same — the people.
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with and support such an amazing group of people,” she said. “Although I won’t miss crawling around on the floor plugging in computers, I will miss the interactions with our customers, some of whom have been here as long as I have.”
Desire to do the job right
Kreizman’s team will miss her dedication and her experience training users and working with Microsoft Office products.
“Her desire to get the job done right, and quickly,” Wampole said.
Wampole and Moravansky also will miss her baking talents, specifically her pumpkin bread and Matzo Crack.
Exemplary customer service anywhere
When Kreizman thinks about her greatest achievements at ITS, she has one answer for her early Carolina career and another for the end. At the beginning, “it was providing training and getting people who were uncomfortable with the idea of computers to embrace them and realize how much they can do and aid a person in a job,” she said. “Over the last 22 months, it’s been the ability to continue to provide exemplary customer service and ongoing communication to our customers while in a hybrid environment.”
On campus since a kid
While Kreizman was hired at UNC-Chapel Hill 22 ½ years ago, her deep connection to the University began much, much earlier.
“I grew up on this campus,” she said.
Kreizman’s dad came to Carolina in 1967 to teach studio art. Then Kreizman went to school here. As a student, she worked at the Morehead Planetarium selling tickets and souvenirs. She earned her degree in interdisciplinary studies, a combination of political science, journalism and radio/television.
Traveling, volunteering, gardening
In retirement, Kreizman looks forward to traveling, resuming volunteer work, cleaning out closets, daytime gym workouts and gardening. She’s also excited to have the flexibility to go places for weeks at a time “while my husband is still working and can work from anywhere.”