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Sue Haslett

December 04, 2018

For Haslett, All Roads Lead to CMU

Sue Haslett built her 30-year career as an administrative professional with determination and purpose. However, a twist of fate may have helped her find her way to Carnegie Mellon University — twice.

Haslett, the executive assistant to College of Engineering Dean and newly appointed Provost James H. Garrett Jr., first started at Carnegie Mellon in 1987 as assistant to then Biological Sciences Department Head Susan Henry. Haslett stumbled across the position in a newspaper advertisement and applied, looking for growth from her jack-of-all-trades administrative and office management role at a small engineering company.

“Susan was a new department head when I was hired. She was a powerhouse and eventually became the dean of the Mellon College of Science. As she moved up in the ranks, she took me with her,” Haslett said.

Haslett and Henry worked together at Carnegie Mellon for 13 years until Henry accepted a position at Cornell University as dean of its College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Up for the new opportunity, Haslett made the move to Ithaca, New York, to continue as Henry’s executive assistant.

“I was at Cornell for 10 years. When Susan stepped down from administrative work in 2010, I decided to come back home to Pittsburgh,” Haslett said. “I was looking for a job — not necessarily at Carnegie Mellon. Then all of a sudden, the posting went up for executive assistant to the dean of the College of Engineering. I applied for it and was hired in 2010.”

As executive assistant to the dean, she does everything from juggling the dean’s calendar to overseeing projects such as the installation and updating of Scaife Hall’s video monitor systems. Even after several decades in the field, Haslett notes every day is different in a position like hers.

Haslett also supervises the team of three administrative staff in the College of Engineering’s Dean’s Office in Scaife Hall.

“We have a great team of administrative professionals in the College of Engineering,” Haslett said. “They are an accomplished group who are integral to the mission of the college.”

Haslett’s favorite part of working in the College of Engineering is the opportunity to be exposed to cutting-edge research. Biomedical research interests her the most, and she is quick to rattle off a list of CMU engineering research she enjoys following, including bioengineered organs, edible electronics and precision medicine for drug delivery.

“I am fascinated by medically related research because it’s not what you would call ‘classical engineering,’” she said. “Most people think of engineering as building bridges and roads."

Although the campus looks very different than when Haslett started at Carnegie Mellon, she smiles when she explains that it still feels very much the same today. “A lot of the people I knew before are still here.”

After a day in the office, Haslett enjoys spending her time like many native Pittsburghers, cheering on her hometown sports teams, especially the Pittsburgh Penguins. When hockey season finally ends, she trades in hockey for her other favorite escape — watching horror films. 

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