What exactly does a database administrator do?
At the Academy, I’m responsible for all the database servers, whether or not I am actively working on them. My primary responsibilities are ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all of the Academy data. Database administration is a very diverse field with multiple disciplines. I specialize in the production and development of online transaction processing (OLTP) systems, which is raw transactional data.
What is a typical week like?
I don’t really have a typical week as it depends on the business needs. Every morning, even when on vacation, I review my morning status reports for all the automated jobs I have running on the servers. I work primarily with our point-of-sales database servers with BizApps, Finance, Accounting, Development, Sales, Membership, Education, and GE. I do all of my work on the back-end like creating custom reports, mass data updates, custom data pulls, etc. along with database server maintenance to make sure the servers are happy.
My work makes up for a lot of the vendor software limitations and reduces or eliminates manual labor that my co-workers would have to do otherwise. Co-workers come to me with data issues or requests and it’s important for me to figure out what the root problem is that they are trying to solve. Luckily I’m usually really good at figuring out the right solution! I know I’ve done my job if they get accurate data in the exact format they need. I’m technically always on call too which is why I usually have my laptop while on vacation for emergencies. If we lose one of our database servers, I’m really the only one who can get it back up and running quickly.
How did you get into this line of work?
I did web development in a prior life and database-driven applications were becoming popular. I started learning about databases on my own and fell in love with database design and figuring out algorithms and data patterns.I appreciate the first couple of employers hiring me as a DBA based on my aptitude and drive. It’s been 20 years of continuous learning and I absolutely love it! I can’t imagine doing anything else for a day job.
What was your most memorable day at the Academy?
Every year I surprise Jaime Lemus with a birthday cake, but never on his birthday. I need the other IT guys' help in setting him up sometimes! I just love how ecstatic he gets when he sees the cake! He has a sweet tooth and he’s like a big kid in the best kind of way. Also one day just weeks before we went live with our current point-of-sale (POS) system I had to tell Jaime that I broke my hand in a cycling accident. Luckily it was a clean break!
How do you see your role contributing to the organization’s mission?
I provide back-end support that enables everyone else to do their jobs furthering the Academy’s mission to regenerate the natural world. People just need one bad encounter to forget all the good we do, so it’s imperative that we keep everything running smoothly, including ticket purchases, email campaigns, membership renewals, donations, events, tours, etc.
What are you most excited about at the Academy?
Getting to say I work here! The Academy was the first place I ever wanted to work when I was a little kid—I didn’t know what I would do, but I wanted to go there every day as a job. We had a family membership and I LOVED coming here. It’s been a dream come true to work here as I have the best boss and team and the work is constantly engaging. IT has been lucky that we’ve just always gotten along, which is vital since we work together days, nights, weekdays, weekends, and holidays.
What is your favorite thing about the company culture?
Before COVID, I loved how the Academy was kind of like high school. We had these different clubs like SAC, Culture Club, Veggie Club, Academy Women in Excellence (AWE), etc., that were great ways to meet other people that I don’t work with directly. I thought AWE was so important because it was participant-driven and you found out that you weren’t alone on various topics we discussed and presented.
What is one thing you wish more people knew about the Academy?
We do a TON of research! A lot of people think that we’re just a museum and don’t know about the extensive amount of research IBSS does and the massive collections we have, some of which we only have today because botanist Alice Eastwood risked her life to save what she could of our collections after the 1906 earthquake.
What’s one thing you’re excited about in the coming year at work?
Replenishing our IT team as we lost some great teammates in 2024. And of course finalizing our first employee union contract.
What’s your favorite lunch spot or snack?
I’ll never turn down going to Arizmendi Bakery, or anywhere the IT team lunches as I genuinely love hanging out with them.
What do you do outside of work?
I spend a lot of time ocean/bay swimming (sans wetsuit), road cycling, randonneuring (ultra distance, non-competitive, self-supported road rides between 200k and 1200k distances with time limits), mountain biking, gravel riding, trail running, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, and caving. I had major hip surgeries in 2011 and 2012 so being physically active is important to me as I don’t want to take my body for granted ever again. I also donate platelets at Stanford Blood Center almost every week as getting to directly help cancer patients is the best 2 hours of my week. I’d like them to take my platelets every day if they’d allow it.
