Rebecca Spanos joined the UNC Travel Team in November 2019 in this new position, which will help improve travel services at the University and make them more user-friendly for our staff, students, faculty and associates. She formerly served as a travel and payment card specialist at the University of Massachusetts.
What is a typical day like in your job?
At the moment, every day has been completely different which is something I love! We have a number of significant projects going on that are requiring a lot of meetings, research, and testing. It’s been exciting so far to navigate the business processes already in place and to learn how these projects can build and improve upon them. At the same time, I’ve been learning internally from our team here in Procurement Services about all the different facets of our operations. I hope that my days continue to be as varied and unique as they currently are, as it keeps life very interesting!
How does your job support Carolina’s mission?
While travel is a necessary job function for many university employees, it is not their primary job. With the projects currently underway, our goal is to alleviate many of the burdens of travel so employees can focus their time on more meaningful and value-added work. In addition, our new Travel Services platform will allow us to gather data to negotiate more and better travel services contracts in the future. Not only do we want to make travel easier, we wanted to make it less expensive, too!
What do you like most about your work?
I love being able to help others solve problems. Many times we are presented with scenarios that are unique and unusual and require creative thinking to come up with the best solution. I love being able to use my analytical skills coupled with my creativity to find these answers. If you present me with a puzzle, I won’t be satisfied until it’s been solved.
What do you think is most exciting about (aspect of the job)?
My position is brand new at the University and brings a number of brand new projects along with it. It’s exciting to be able to carve my path here at the University and have a direct hand in effecting change. I also enjoy how much interaction I will be having with the campus community. The new Travel Services platform will be widely used across all departments on campus. I look forward to meeting as many employees as possible and learning more about how our new initiatives will impact their work.
What is something people probably wouldn’t know about you, or another fun item you’d like to share?
I am a diehard sports fan: whether it’s supporting my alma mater, the University of Louisville, or my beloved Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots, you’ll often find me tuned into a game. I have also been to the Kentucky Derby 16 times and have quite the hat collection!