Erin Davis Unifies Processes for Departmental Success
Erin Davis is at the juncture of the Department of Mathematical Sciences processes and is responsible for maintaining and improving standards.
Her hands-on approach, dedication and integrated stance has made a significant impact.
She said she loves the people in the math department.
"We have wonderful leadership that has fostered a very egalitarian culture. The staff and faculty are a pleasure to work with and make coming to work every day a real joy."
In 2024, Davis received the MCS Outstanding Achievement award for outstanding accomplishments and dedicated service. Her nominator said that Davis consistently goes beyond her job description to help members of the Department of Mathematical Sciences.
One example of this would be the 21st International Conference on Random Structures & Algorithms, which was held at Carnegie Mellon in 2023. The conference drew researchers from around the world, and major advancements in Ramsey Theory were discussed.
"It was a huge undertaking and required lots of coordination and teamwork between faculty, students and myself," Davis said. "I enjoyed witnessing the buzz and excitement it generated among colleagues and friends."
One part of the conference that was a highlight was The Random Run. The length of the race was the sum of two dice rolls, times 400 meters, or one time around Gesling Stadium's track. One die was rolled right before the race began, and another when the lead runner just about finished the first set of laps.
"It was great to get everyone together on one track in the name of math," Davis said. "I keep my bib number (85!) hanging in my office as a keepsake."
Davis joined Carnegie Mellon in 2017, as part of Majd Sakr's Sail() Team, a platform that offers job-focused technology courses, where she served as the liaison between the technical team of engineers and the community college faculty who used the learning management system and CMU-developed curricula.
"I spent a lot of time on calls gathering feedback and insight from the external faculty and relaying that to the CMU team to help improve the user experience. A lot of what I did involved active listening, relationship building and helping to facilitate process improvement," Davis said. "I've taken all of those skills with me to Math where I've worked primarily with faculty, postdocs and staff to help improve processes and operations; facilitate communication with leadership; and help foster a positive, transparent and engaging culture within the department."
Since joining the Department of Mathematical Sciences in 2022, Davis' has been recognized for her delegation and leadership skills and has overseen a new project coordinator and an existing administrative assistant.
"Department Head Prasad Tetali and Business Manager Jeff Moreci have been incredibly supportive in helping me find different avenues where I can grow professionally," Davis said.