Marks Can Train You Through Transition
By Kelly Saavedra
As training manager in Human Resources, Marks helps implement change campus-wide, from new software to New Hire Orientation. While many may cringe at the thought of speaking in front of a large group of people, Marks feels at home in front of the room, pointing and clicking through slide presentations and making people smile and laugh along the way.
“For whatever reason I am a pretty calm and laid-back person, and it has really served me well,” Marks said. “I have a particular personality that has helped me a lot in doing what I’m doing. I like everybody.”
Prior to joining Carnegie Mellon, Marks worked at UPMC for about 13 years where he trained employees to use software like the kind used in a doctor’s office. His expertise grew along with the need for web-based training and finding new and novel ways to reach a broader audience.
“You can only bring so many people into a classroom. UPMC had a particular situation where there were 13 different hospitals. If you want to reach all the nurses, you had to come up with some sort of web-based way to get them all on the same page,” he read.
Marks has been at Carnegie Mellon for five years. This is his first time working in Human Resources.
“I like to meet as many people as I possibly can,” he said. “I love the New Hire Orientation. I like being one of the first people they know here at Carnegie Mellon and telling them new things. All those relationships I’ve built and all those connections I’ve made have served me well. There are a lot of really great people here.”
Marks saw a lot of those people at the Community Picnic on May 22, which he co-chaired with Kim Sestili.
“It’s a labor of love. It’s a huge event — about 4,000 people come — and there is a lot of coordination, a lot of getting committees together,” Marks said. “It’s a really good way to wind down the semester and gear up for the summer, a way to get people together and celebrate all their hard work that goes into making CMU what it is.”
When he’s not working, Marks enjoys being outdoors. He has two little boys, an 8 and 11 years old. The older one loves to play soccer. The younger one enjoys going on hikes.
“They’ve both gotten me into appreciating again how wonderful it is to just be outside, rain or shine,” he said.