To hear anyone tell the story, Leah Harris has always been in IT Services at Miami.

Leah is the manager of advanced computing and systems operations, overseeing some of the folks who administrate the technological infrastructure at Miami, but she has had many roles and has worn many hats, leaving her mark with each. She’s easy to talk to, and always has a story to tell about her time at Miami.

After 31 years of hard work and dedication to Miami and to IT Services, Leah will be retiring at the end of March 2025. To hear her talk about it, this day has been a long time coming.

“When I was about seven years old,” she said, “I got all dolled up and went with my parents to my grandfather’s for a party. I asked my dad what a retirement party was, and he said: ‘When you get older, you get a job, and then when you quit working for good, you get to retire.’ And so, that was it. At age seven: life figured out. I’ve wanted to have a retirement party ever since.”

And so, the time has come.

Leah throughout the years around Miami

Leah has been part of a lot of important projects over the years, including the Google Workspace implementation (and the retirement of Exchange), campus network shenanigans, and several high-profile tech “events” like Y2K and the Blaster computer worm that swept through Windows computers in 2003.

She considers herself a “geek,” which apparently just means “a nerd with social skills” – and those social skills have been a huge boon not only to the department, but to Miami itself. Leah has built relationships with many people around campus, which has led to a wealth of institutional knowledge and personal connections.

“When I first came to Miami 20 years ago, it was Leah who hired me,” said Mike Ritcher, manager of network infrastructure services. “I recall her patience and setting aside time to orient me with the systems and services that were new to me. Leah was very thorough and knowledgeable, often adding a little history or what it was like previously. If Leah didn’t know the answer to a question, she always knew who would.”

“Leah has a way of bringing all the people together that needed to be together to fix an issue or figure out a problem,” said Liz Hooven, who worked with Leah on multiple projects during her time here.

More than just technology…

Leah Harris is one of the kindest and most empathetic people you’ll meet at Miami. Whether she’s leading a project, finding solutions for printing troubles, or organizing the annual Chili Challenge, it’s a relief knowing Leah is on the team – because things will get done.

“Over my years at Miami, Leah was someone you could count on, always willing to get to the bottom of a problem, question, or idea,” Ritcher said. “She has been that person whom you knew would lend a hand no matter what the circumstance.”

Leah's favorite part of the job, she said, has been the people she's worked with during her time here. "I don't know how all of us in IT Services has maintained a level of comradery over the years," she said "but I think we genuinely care for each other and have found so much common ground between us, that it makes us all get along."

“She has been a huge piece of cultural glue that has helped knit IT Services together over the years,” said Jeff Toaddy, manager of project and portfolio management. “Between the delightful and scandalous stories to institutional memory about the people, and hijinks like the voice-activated printer, I will certainly miss the life and fun that she has brought.”

Indeed, she has brought a lot of fun to the metaphorical and literal halls of the IT building! “She always left space for a little fun during even the busiest times,” said Bryan Powell, who worked for Leah for several years. “This is a morale booster and helped foster a sense of team camaraderie with everyone. If you have not seen her cube decoration activities, you are missing out.”

“It was our shared love of gardening and crafts that led to a wonderful friendship,” said Roxanne Storer, who retired from Miami several years ago and worked in IT Services as the university data modeler. “Whether it is shoveling dump truck loads of dirt or building raised beds or planting rose gardens, I can always count on Leah to offer her expertise and muscle. This now extends to a love of travel as we are celebrating her retirement with an Alaskan cruise with many other adventures on the horizon.”

Troy Travis, her assistant vice president for enterprise operations and Leah’s direct supervisor, was grateful for her experience not only with helping groups of IT Services folks succeed in their careers, but also for her customer service skills – the ability to translate tech talk to user talk is not an automatic one (I would know!), and she makes it look easy.

“While Leah likes to dig deeply into technology issues, her greatest attribute has been her concern for the users and her customer service skills,” Troy said. “Miami has benefited greatly from Leah's unique combination of technical skills and customer service over many years of outstanding service. Both her people and technical skills will be greatly missed.”