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‘Behind the Screens: The People of OIT’ is a series that features the people working hard behind the scenes to make OIT run.
Position: Senior IT Analyst
Time spent with OIT: Nine months
Although newer to OIT, David Evans has been around Duke for a while. For years, David has served Duke through his role with Alumni Development Services and now with OIT, all in the effort to give back to the university that has offered so much to his family.
What he does for OIT:
David works in OIT with a dotted line to Alumni Development Services, which focuses on alumni engagement and fundraising. In his role, one of his primary responsibilities is to provide reports for the annual fund, which raises unrestricted dollars for scholarships and financial aid.
He also provides solicitation email lists for contacting Duke alumni for various events or things on campus and collects data for Alumni Development Services’ customer relationship management system. This system is called the “Duke Alumni Development Database”, often shortened to “DADD”. David helps to manage the data flow into the DADD; uploads opt codes to say whether a person can be contacted; uploads event attendance lists; tracks items Alumni Development sends as thank you gifts to donors; uploads address changes, email addresses, and phone numbers; uploads comments from gift officers on donors; and much more.
The impact he hopes to have at Duke:
David and his wife Joanna were living in Philadelphia while Joanna was finishing up post-bachelor work when she was accepted into the Duke University School of Medicine. As Charlotte natives with family in Raleigh, they knew they wanted to move back to the state. The decision was made even easier for the high school sweethearts as Duke offered Joanna almost as much financial aid as all the other medical schools combined.
“When I got my first job at Duke in Development, helping to fundraise, I always told people it was my way of giving back to Duke for everything they gave her in scholarship and financial aid,” David said. “That is why I love that I still get to work with those folks in Development and help people get a higher education.”
What he enjoys about working at Duke:
As the husband of a doctor at Duke and the father of two kids, David has come to appreciate Duke’s flexible work environment the most.
“Joanna takes 24-hour calls and obviously has to be in the office to do her job,” David said. “The flexibility to work from home and be the parent that stays home with a sick kid, goes on field trips, or goes to see the class play has always been the thing that I love the most about working at Duke.”
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Advice for those new to OIT:
David is still relatively new to OIT, having been reorganized from Alumni Development nine months ago.
“Being new to OIT was kind of a jarring experience,” David said. “I came in only knowing the small group of people I had worked with in Development who were reorganized to OIT a couple of years ago.”
David advises those new to OIT to attend the All OIT Update meetings in person, citing that they are the best way to meet people. Along with the camaraderie, he’s also a big fan of the free lunches! David also stays up-to-date and learns about all that’s going on in OIT by being a part of various listservs and Teams channels.
His favorite spot in Durham:
While work and dad life keep David busy, he knows his favorite spot for an enjoyable and relaxing date night with Joanna—the Durham Performing Arts Center. The couple have been season ticket holders at the DPAC for a couple of years because they enjoy watching the live performances together. David’s favorite shows he has attended at the DPAC include Les Misérables and Come From Away—each so good that he’s seen them twice.
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After catching a performance at the DPAC, David and Joanna enjoy experiencing Durham’s impressive food scene. A couple of their favorite restaurants are Bull City Burger and Cucciolo.
What he’s doing when he’s not at work:
Aside from watching performances and trying out restaurants, David spends most of his time outside of work doing what he does best: being a dad. He enjoys spending time with Amelia, his eight-year-old daughter, and Owen, his five-year-old son.
One of his hobbies is tinkering with his 3D printer to create various objects. Often, he makes figurines requested by his kids and even Kit Cards, which are interactive prints that can be assembled into different 3D models after popping out parts from the cards. Recently, David created Kit Cards to go in goody bags for Owen’s birthday party.
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Outside of spending time with his family, David enjoys connecting with his friends. When he can, he appreciates getting to meet up with friends at local breweries. When he needs to stay home, he appreciates spending time with friends by playing online video games together. His favorite game is The Last of Us, but he’s also a big fan of Apex Legends, Call of Duty, and the Spider-Man games.
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Know someone in OIT with a story worth sharing? Nominate them (or yourself!) by emailing kaylee.wilkinson@duke.edu.