Mohamad Sadeddin
Please share one of your career goals and why it’s important to you.
It’s very important to me to have the knowledge and to be successful at what I do, with that in mind I will keep learning and improving my skills with all of the changes in technology that can help me in my field of Software Development In Testing.What have you learned/improved recently?
I learned how to code in Cypress automation code and now I am converting all of my Protractor Automations into Cypress Automation code.What is a fun fact about yourself that you would like people to know?
I was a semiprofessional Football (Soccer) player plus I speak 3 languages and have visited 43 different countries.
Faith Borst
What have you learned/improved recently?
Right now, I am working on my second master's degree. For this go-round, I landed on Education Technology and Instructional Design.What is something you’ve done at DRC that you are most proud of?
I’m proud of being part of the team that relocated the technical contact center to Minneapolis. It was a ton of work, but I learned a lot and got to work with an outstanding team.What is a fun fact you would like people to know about yourself?
I am a part of the Customer Experience Professionals Association and have a published monograph on customer experience (CX) in information technology that I worked on with the vice president of CX for a big-box home improvement retail chain and a freelance CX professional from England. I am also on the Minnesota State University Customer Experience Certification board of directors.
Eric Ekstrand
How long have you been with DRC?
I started as a contract employee eight years ago but was hired on full time after about a year. It seems like only yesterday.Please share one of your career goals and why it’s important to you.
Not so much a career goal, but more of a “main focus” is to constantly be trying to evolve our brand identity. I want to make sure anything we have facing our customers is professional looking and on brand. This includes everything from helping with the websites, to PowerPoint decks, to collateral, to the swag we give out at conferences.What have you learned/improved recently?
Currently I’m learning how to make our materials 508 compliant so the materials can be accessible by more people. I’m trying to make all our collateral compliant, but still look good, which is a fine line to walk.What is a fun fact about yourself that you would like people to know?
When I’m not playing the role of a graphic designer, I’m an avid cyclist and mountain biker. I even lead a group of volunteers at the local mountain bike trail (Lone Lake Park) near my home, to maintain the trails and make sure everything is rolling smoothly.
Neo Mpunga
Please share one of your career goals and why it’s important to you.
I am grateful to have my current position and be working with people who are passionate about the products we sell. My current position has helped me learn some of the basics about being in the work force, the assessment industry, and the organization. My goals are to learn new skills and make a sizable impact, ideally in a leadership role.What is something you’ve done at DRC that you are most proud of?
Through work on Florida and WIDA projects, to working on Illinois and now Alabama, I have learned a lot about testing programs. Not only did these opportunities provide me successful project management tools, they have also helped me build great relationships with the people I work with.What is a fun fact about yourself that you would like people to know?
I speak 4 different languages fluently. IsiXhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans (Dutch), and English. I grew up code switching between both IsiXhosa and Zulu at home and learned English and Afrikaans at school.
Jessica Anderson
Please share one of your career goals and why it’s important to you.
One of my primary goals is to build genuine relationships with clients so that I can better understand and meet their needs. Every credentialing program is unique, but our common goal is to develop assessments that generate the most valid, reliable, and fair results.What is something you’ve done at DRC that you are most proud of?
I enjoy teaching about test development, particularly facilitating item writing training sessions. Recently, I have expanded these sessions to focus on preventing bias in test content, and I look forward to bringing this information to new audiences.What is a fun fact about yourself that you would like people to know?
I am passionate about spending time outdoors, and one of my favorite activities is camping. I am currently exploring the amazing Minnesota state parks with my 4 kids, but look forward to spending more time backpacking as they get older.
Deke Finley
Please share one of your career goals and why it’s important to you.
Contributing to the overall success of DRC has always been my goal. I’ve been a part of DRC since I was 19 years old, over the past 22 years DRC has become a second family of mine. So its important to me to do whatever I can to help make DRC a successful company.What is something you’ve done at DRC that you are most proud of?
Helping out coworkers in times of need and uniting coworkers to establish a feel good, happy culture.What is a fun fact about yourself that you would like people to know?
I set the mile record in track at my High School: 4:36. Or I completed a 20 mile hike up a mountain and back in AZ while it was 112 degrees out. I was also a Redbull crashed ice participant for 3 years.
Brittany Noel
Please share one of your career goals and why it’s important to you.
One of my eventual career goals is to lead a team. This is important to me because I have been mentored and coached throughout my time at DRC by amazing leaders from whom I have learned so much. I would love to be able to provide that same experience for others.What is something you’ve done at DRC that you are most proud of?
In 2020 I was asked to be part of the core team for migrating all of DRC’s project schedules to a new platform. I was tasked with creating and distributing training materials, as well as assisting project managers with the successful migration of their schedules.What is a fun fact about yourself that you would like people to know?
I am part of a big, awesome blended family! We have 5 kids ranging from 10-20 years old. Being a mom and stepmom is the most rewarding job I’ve ever had, and we never have a dull moment in our house!
James Lee
Please share one of your career goals and why it’s important to you.
My passion is to leverage the data by re-engineering, modernization, and lessons learned from my past experiences, to help enrich and expand DRC’s core product and technology offerings, and to enable the company accelerate its scale for growth.What is something you’ve done at DRC that you are most proud of?
I’m delighted to have had the opportunity at DRC to lead teams successfully through a number of recent key milestones including: expanding DRC’s critical infrastructure for Interactive Reporting; delivering DRC's enriched client reporting portfolio providing new capabilities and value.What is a fun fact about yourself that you would like people to know?
I grew up in an expat environment with an international education and a multi-lingual, multi-cultural background; I speak English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, and some French; I have global work experiences having built international teams for worldwide enterprises supporting businesses across 13 countries and 3 continents.