The Department of Anthropology has recently welcomed a wonderful new staff member to our growing community: Administrator Haley Lee. Haley has worked in various other departments at UW before making her way here to us. Welcome!
We asked Haley to tell us about her journey here and her work. Here she is, in her own words:
Haley Lee
How would you describe your journey to UW and this position?
I came to the UW as an undergrad and managed to pick up a student assistant position with the Department of Pediatrics. I worked in their administrative offices, helping with various tasks having no idea that I was laying the foundation for my career. Pediatrics went on to hire me as an office assistant after my student status ended. The rest is history, as they say. I expanded my administrative and fiscal knowledge by working with different units around campus, such as UWIT, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the College of Arts and Sciences Administrative Support Team, the School of Art + Art History + Design, and now here with the Department of Anthropology.
What is your job title? Describe your position and what it entails? What are your favorite parts of it?
The title of Administrator is broad, and the work follows suit. On paper, my responsibilities include general administration, business planning, financial management, personnel, facilities support, research project support, development, and other functions as necessary. For me, all that means that I am a collaborator. I work with staff, faculty, and students to support all the fun and exciting things that go on within each of the three subdisciplines and the department as a whole. Outside of the work itself, the people are my favorite part. I’ve had the pleasure of talking to staff, faculty, and many students. Hearing about what people are researching, how things are going as we navigate a pandemic, or even what movies or songs hold a pivotal role in their lives - all are discussions I’ve welcomed and thoroughly enjoyed.
What about your job do you find the most interesting/exciting/rewarding/educational? What energizes you at work?
I’m still learning the ins and outs of the job, so most of my work is interesting and exciting right now. The most rewarding part is seeing how the day-to-day work feeds into the bigger picture. Something like creating a room reservation and coordinating payment to an individual will ultimately facilitate a guest lecture on the relationship between language and race and likely lead to a robust discussion amongst the Anthropology community. That is only one example, but all of the administrative work supports the common goal of understanding the interconnectedness of humans, and I find it energizing to play any part in that.
What are some of your other interests? What do you like to do for fun?
I want to say that I’m an avid reader, but the reality is that I’m an avid book buyer who indulges in too many television shows instead. I also dabble in the culinary arts, which means I’ll attempt any recipe but always have to present the results with a caveat of caution. As for fun, most recently, I’ve become a relatively fast hockey fan and have attended several Seattle Kraken games, which I find delightful. In addition, I enjoy road trips and traveling, going to concerts and other live shows/events, and any sort of casual adventure with people, cats, and dogs I care about.