Career Highlight: Rita Motor Witnessed — and Powered — CMU’s Digital Transformation
By Rob Biertempfel
When Rita Motor joined the staff at Carnegie Mellon University in 1993, she never imagined she'd spend the next three decades here.
"Prior to coming here, the longest I'd been in any one position or location was about two and a half years," Motor said. "When I hit the two-year mark here, it was like, 'Oh, wow!' By the time I reached four years, I started thinking maybe I'd be here for a bit longer."
That "bit longer" turned into 33 years. On Sept. 1, Motor retired from her role as a technology operations support analyst for the Office of Human Resources.
"Rita has been a trusted colleague and advisor to countless individuals and departments across campus," said Andy Pujol, assistant vice president of total rewards and family care operations. "Her deep institutional knowledge, commitment to excellence and unwavering dedication have shaped many of the programs, processes and relationships that define our work. Rita's contributions leave a lasting impact on both Human Resources and the broader CMU community."
Motor's career mirrored the evolution of technology and the CMU campus. A computer science graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, she joined CMU before online job applications became commonplace. Her first role was as a programmer analyst in the Telecommunications Department.
"It was completely different stuff from what I eventually ended up doing, but you know how things go," she said.
Over the next three decades, Motor became a steady presence through major technological transitions. She worked in administrative computing, supporting legacy systems for benefits, payroll, parking and property accounting.
In 2014, as CMU prepared to launch Workday, Motor joined the integration team and immersed herself in cloud-based technologies. By the end of her career, she was working within the HR Service Center, overseeing position management, supervisory organizations and legacy data integrations.
A Squirrel Hill native, Motor has witnessed dramatic changes across CMU's Oakland campus. She recalled when Spring Carnival was held in the Morewood parking lot where the Tepper building now sits. She watched as Skibo Hall was replaced by the Cohon University Center and Skibo Gymnasium gave way to the Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics.
"My first few years here, I worked in the University Computing Center, which is now known as Cyert Hall," Motor said. "I had an office overlooking Forbes Avenue and I'd watch them setting up Carnival — tractor-trailers driving in, workers assembling the rides, students building their booths. That was always cool."
Her contributions extended beyond technology. Motor served on Staff Council for six years in the mid-1990s, volunteered during the manual-registration era of what was then called "Take Our Daughters to Work Day" and supported the Carnegie Mellon Women's Association.
Asked what has remained constant at CMU despite decades of change, Motor pointed to the university's culture of innovation.
"CMU is always trying to stay ahead of the pack," she said. "A lot of it is technology-driven, like the big pushes in AI and robotics."
After more than three decades of navigating system integrations and technological change, Motor is looking forward to a slower pace. The first item on her retirement agenda is simple.
"Sleep in, I hope," she said with a laugh. "I once started to make a retirement to-do list, but I didn't get very far. I'll take it easy and start figuring out what I want my days to look like going forward."