Nebraska Women in STEM talked to Christina Provost about the importance of relationships and innovation in her STEM career.
Omaha native Christina Provost was originally drawn towards engineering by her love of math and science. She also identified with the big picture approach that engineers use when evaluating everyday processes for everyday people. Her career path is marked by a strong resolve to improve the world around her using a pragmatic, yet people-centered approach.
After graduating from University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in industrial engineering, Christina decided that she wanted to put her skills to work in the health care field by creating more efficient systems for hospitals. Although she was offered jobs elsewhere, she wanted to stay in Nebraska to be close to family, so she took a position at Methodist Health System in Omaha.
Christina enjoyed working with metrics and process efficiencies at the hospital, but she felt that she could make more of an impact with the financial services sector. “A lot of the recommendations were not being implemented because of a lack of readiness for the technology changes available.”
Her next position was at First Data where she pivoted into the IT world. Here, Christina focused on quality improvement and product management. Being at a busy, state-of-the-art Fortune 100 company was more up to her speed.
“If you saw something that needed to be improved, you assembled a team to study it, came up with your solutions, implemented them, and off you went. It was the kind of environment where you could roll up your sleeves and make things better.”
Now, Christina continues to innovate at the University of Nebraska Foundation as Director of the Advancement System and the Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) database. She was hired to lead the conversion of their database system to the CRM, which was successfully completed in May of 2017. “After the eighteen-month project, we converted the system on time, under budget, and conversion weekend was quiet with no issues.”
At the Foundation, Christina is focused on making processes–like making donations–easier for people. “So much of what we do is results-driven. I get to apply my love of data and processes, while also leading my team to implement plans that help the end users.”
Her role as Director relies on her interpersonal and leadership skills, as much as her excellence in engineering and technology. Christina says that reminding the team of their shared goals is crucial. “This work is all about growing resources and relationships that support the university and that’s what we’re here for. When there’s disagreement, I bring us back to that mission.”
She asserts that successful women in STEM need to be able to work with people. “Even if you’re in STEM and your work involves complex things and ideas, don’t ignore your relationships and your soft skills. What good is your research going to be if you’re not getting it in front of the right people? You can’t do that without relationships.”
Christina believes that her skill as a project manager may have helped her to balance her time outside of work. She also says that having a great partnership with her husband has given her more freedom to be where she wants to be. “I never had a hard time balancing work and family. To me, family is always first.”
To other women in STEM, Christina says that good management of your professional and personal life can be like “a well-oiled machine.” For her, work-life balance ultimately relies on ownership.
“Own your own engagement, career path, well-being, and time. Be in charge of making those decisions on how to spend your time and prioritizing what matters to you. And when you wake up in the morning and you’re just not ‘feeling it,’ ask yourself what you need to do to get excited about what is important to you again.”