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Strategy

Jan 30, 2018

The Roster: Vol. 4

Ally White

Ally White

The Roster: Vol. 4

At Credera, we believe we’re truly better together. The Roster is a monthly series that allows you to get to know leaders at all levels across the firm.

John Jacobs

PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT, TECHNICAL ARCHITECTURE AND STRATEGY

Dallas, TX

  Life Hack: Use Doritos as kindling to start a campfire, it works particularly well in wet environments.

Favorite Tech Toolvi is the clear winner here, honorable mention goes to Visual Studio Code.

“Now Playing”Vikings

Passions Outside of Work: My kids are 9 and 13, so much of our weekend time is spent going to soccer games, basketball games and golf tournaments. My daughter plays golf, which is kind of like winning the dad lottery. We try to play together when we get the chance, which means I get to spend 4 or 5 hours of uninterrupted time with my teenage daughter. Amazing! My wife and I share a love of the outdoors and we like to backpack. Our most recent treks include exploring the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park.

Office Music Playlist: U2, Wilco, The Black Keys, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Johnny Cash.

Favorite Credera Memory: Our first company trip to Lake Tahoe, I had gone skiing for the day. My wife, who was 7 months pregnant stayed at the hotel. This was her first trip, so she didn’t know many people. She was walking outside the hotel when David Dobat and his wife met her. They invited her to lunch and saw that she made it safely back to the hotel, across the icy sidewalks. It was such a simple thing, but their kindness meant a lot to my wife. I love working with people who go out of their way to help others.

Client Experience Highlight: Several years ago, Jonathan Ball and I started working for a client in Fort Worth and on our first day onsite, the building caught on fire. We thought for sure our project would be canceled, but incredibly they decided to continue on. We ended up working with a team of Crederians and client developers in portable buildings at the back of their property, right beside the railroad tracks in downtown Fort Worth. Those are some busy railroad tracks – coffee cups would shake off the table when trains went by, and the building leaked like a sieve when it rained. It was an amazing team. We had a lot of fun together and we built v1 of the product that transformed a 100-year old company into a digital business. The product took off and the owner sold the company last year.

Best Advice You’ve Ever Been Given: Have great mentors. I’ve always been a pretty independent person, perhaps it’s because I was raised as an only child. My first boss recognized this and encouraged me to seek out mentors who I trusted and respected to invest in my career and professional growth. I probably wouldn’t have done this without her “nudge,” and I certainly wouldn’t be the person I am today without their advice and encouragement. A great mentor is helpful during the good times and absolutely invaluable during the bad times. Seek them out, talk to them often and learn from those who have gone before you.

Amanda Dearman

MANAGER, ANALYTICS AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

Denver, CO

  Life Hack: Open bananas from the bottom!

Favorite Podcast: How I Built This with Guy Raz

Favorite Book: Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman

Passion Outside of Work: Crossfit & Traveling

Office Music Playlist: Ben Howard, Mumford & Sons, and Matt Kearney

Personal Values: Always be honest, humble, kind, and strong.

Favorite Credera Memory: Marching through the streets of New Orleans as an entire Credera family on one of our company trips will always be one of my favorite Credera memories. Everyone was dressed to the nines, roads were shut down, and the band was fantastic. It was a pretty special moment.

Project Accomplishment You Are Most Proud Of:  Over the last two years Credera has helped an organization work through a roadmap of inventorying and standardizing their Microsoft Access databases, integrating a web back-end with the familiar Access front-end, and finally moving fully to a web-based tool. The commitment to the plan by both teams has allowed us to not only build an awesome application but also bring their people along with us. I only contributed to a segment of this project’s success, but I often remind myself that sometimes Microsoft Access is the right answer. 🙂  Finding a solution that best fits our client’s technology and people’s need is most important.

Tell Us Where You Have Experienced Growth Since Joining Credera: I have grown the most in my ability to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Throughout my education and earlier in my career, I was very nervous about situations being unorganized or being put in a position where I didn’t know the exact protocol to follow. My time at Credera has taught me that it’s okay if the ducks aren’t always in a row (because they usually aren’t) and this has allowed me to develop tools to effectively manage and even utilize the uncertainty. Being on the edge of my comfort zone is where I’ve learned and grown the most over the last few years.

Best Advice You’ve Ever Been Given: Recognize that your career is just one item on the list of life’s priorities and that the priorities will shift in importance throughout your life. Don’t be afraid of this. Continuously re-evaluate which priorities are most fulfilling for you and your family and be brave enough to change accordingly.

Gabe Macias

CREATIVE DIRECTOR, EXPERIENCE DESIGN

Dallas, TX

  Favorite App: Snap Kitchen is one of my favorite apps because it is beautifully designed and so easy to use. Also, Uber… who doesn’t love Uber, they changed the game!

Life Hack: Always go shopping on Father’s Day weekend because the sales are insane, even if you are not a father!

Favorite Tech Tool: The Sketch App. It has really changed the way we work as a team and has improved overall efficiency.

“Now Playing”: I am really into Vikings on the History Channel right now. I love Game of Thrones, but am waiting for the final season.

Favorite Sports Team: I am a Buffalo Bills fan. I’m not from Buffalo, but when I was a kid I liked their logo so I picked them as my team, bought some gear and a new fan was born.

Personal Goals: To be a great leader and inspire others. I am grateful for God’s many blessings in my own life, and just try to live a thankful life and serve people well.

Project Accomplishment You Are Most Proud Of: I am really proud of the success we are having with design sprints and being one of the original sprinters to help shape what it looks like moving forward. There is a lot to come in 2018!

Tell Us How You Have Contributed Your Unique Skills to Your Team: I like to think that I have an eye for talent, and I’m super grateful that I have had a hand in hiring almost every person in my practice. I hope to continue to help them grow in their careers as designers and consultants.

Mentorship Experience:  I love mentoring people and I feel this is what I am made to do beyond my God-given talents. My experience as a mentor has been fruitful because it allows me to put others before myself, which is what life is all about in my opinion.

How You’ve Seen the Core Values Lived Out at Credera: Everyone at Credera carries their own weight, you can always count on your team to do their job at a very high level. The people are the secret sauce that makes Credera so special. The people are always willing to help, serve, and often exceed your expectations.

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