UITS - A Look from Above

Session Description

This session will provide an overview of the University Information Technology Services (UITS) team and the many ways the department successfully supports numerous University partners. In addition, the session will include some exciting developments happening in the Automation Space as they look to increase the automation capabilities and chart the future of AI at the President’s Office.

Session Documentation 

• UITS - A Look From Above Deck

Speaker Bios

Vanita Chawla

Vanita Chawla serves as the Manager Automation for UITS at the UMass President’s Office.  She has worked for the University since 2008. Her prior positions include:

• Technical lead and architect at Staples Inc.
• Developer, mentor, and technical lead at various companies in the US, India, and Japan.

Vanita holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce (Honors) from Delhi University. She holds a post graduate certification in Systems Management.

She is a certified UiPath RPA developer, and Boomi professional developer along with other technical certificates from Harvard extension school and other institutions. 

Allison Bamforth

Allison Bamforth serves as the Project Portfolio and PMO Manager for University Information Technology Services at the UMass President’s Office. She joined UMass in November 2011. Her prior positions include:

• Senior Project Manager & Portfolio Manager in the Project Management Office at the UMass President’s Office
• HR & Finance Application Development Manager at the UMass President’s Office

Allison holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Fitchburg State College. She holds several certifications such as Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, ITIL 4 Foundations, and Scrum Master.

Shawn Skelly

Shawn Skelly is the Associate CIO for Enterprise Applications and Digital Transformation in the UMass President’s Office. He joined UMass in February of 2020. His prior positions include:

• Manager of Retail Application at Staples where he managed a team of developers and quality assurance analysts.
• Several positions in Point-of-Sale development at Staples

Shawn studied Pre-Med at American International College and holds several certifications such as SQL Administration and Development, Agile and Scaled Agile Development and Payment Card Industry Professional.