The power of mentorship and continuous learning in a 26-year career at UF

Director of UF Information Technology Alicia Turner shares how a commitment to lifelong learning has shaped her 26-year journey at the University of Florida, crediting a solid network of dependable mentors and coworkers as the foundation of her success.

Read on to learn more about the impact the UF Academy had on Turner’s professional journey.

Tell us about your professional journey and how you came to be in your current position at UF.

My story is typical, as many others who come to Gainesville for their undergraduate degree and choose to stay and devote their professional life to one of the greatest higher ed institutions in the world. I have served in many different roles across the university over my 26 years as a UF staff member. Each role provided unique opportunities to learn new things and develop both my hard and soft skills. As my skill set and experience grew, so did my network.

I am equipped to serve UF in my role as UFIT director in large part because of supervisors such as Christopher McCarty, Scott Richards, Mike Conlon, David Nelson, Nigel Chong-You, Dave Gruber, and especially Elias Eldayrie, who believed in me along the way and challenged me to learn and grow.

What motivated you to participate in the UF Academy?

While “on-the-job training” is one of the most valuable lifelong learning methods there is, it is often not enough. I did not continue my formal education after receiving my bachelor’s degree in advertising from UF. Instead, throughout my career at UF, I pursued every training opportunity I could get my hands on from UF Training & Organizational Development (T&OD). I like to think of the T&OD programs as my form of higher education.

It’s amazing how your understanding of leadership principles evolves as you progress through your career. I am a strong advocate for repeating training programs, as the content not only changes and develops over time, but you develop and change as well.

I’d also like to extend my gratitude to Tricia Bachus, Irma Alvarez, Jodi Gentry and Bob Parks, who were my primary facilitators and coaches during my T&OD program cohorts. They were beacons of light who guided me through my professional journey.

What impact has the UF Academy had on you professionally and, if applicable, personally?

I am where I am today thanks to the people who took the time to mentor and teach me along the way, which includes my closest trusted colleagues, supervisors, and the wonderful facilitators and coaches from the T&OD leadership programs. I have learned a great deal from the supervisors I’ve had the privilege to work for and the projects I was assigned.

Throughout my career at UF, I took advantage of and participated in the different T&OD leadership programs — Supervisory Challenge, UF Academy and ALAP. This, coupled with feedback from program facilitators, rounded out my training and education and helped me grow into more senior and advanced managerial roles. It is this collective experience and extensive support network that nurtured my professional journey at UF.

Are there specific resources or connections you made during the program that you found most valuable and why?

My participation in the UF Academy was an eye-opening experience. I was able to observe firsthand how the senior leadership level operates across the university. I will never forget the book we read, titled Own the Room, and the strength it gave me to find my leadership voice. We met with various deans and vice presidents each month in an intimate setting, and discussed the most pressing challenges facing the university at the time and their strategies and approaches for managing them.

How have you applied what you learned in this program in your role as a leader?

I didn’t know it at the time, but the opportunities I had during the UF Academy and ALAP were some of the most important of my career. These programs exposed me to a broad set of university functions, where we learned how policies and organizational structures impact operations. My deeper understanding of university operations, coupled with the people I met through these programs and the relationships we built, were front and center as we developed and rolled out UF Health Screen, Test & Protect to operate the university during a state of emergency from the COVID-19 pandemic.

What would you tell a colleague who is considering applying to this program?

My professional journey at UF has been guided by the training opportunities offered by the Training and Organizational Development team. I am T&OD’s biggest fan and strongly encourage those who are looking to advance their skills and build their network to consider applying for one of the next cohorts.

I also encourage you to build and maintain a network of colleagues whom you deeply trust and can call upon to give you hard feedback and support during times of need. I am so grateful to my colleagues who give their time and wisdom, they are like a second family to me. It’s the support we provide for each other that pushes us through the hard times, so we come out on the other side stronger and better for it.

Applications for the UF Academy program are open now through May 2. Visit the UF Academy website to submit your application today.