Have you met Bradley, Associate Director of Advancement in the Faculty of Engineering? Spend the next few minutes getting to know him a little better.
Where is your favourite place on campus?
The Fred Pheasey Commons in the Donadeo Innovation Centre for Engineering. Having a panoramic view of the city gives you a sense of the bigger picture we’re a part of here.
Tablet or paper?
Paper. I have a notebook I carry with me and a special pen I use to write with every day. I just love the feeling — there’s a connection there for me when I touch pen to paper that’ s just not there when I type on a keyboard.
Name one thing you’ve brought to work from home.
Pictures of my family. I’ve got a wife and fourteen-month-old daughter, and I keep pictures of some of the adventures that we’ve had together. That way they’re there with me throughout the day.
What is the one thing you can’t live without?
Coffee. I love waking up, grinding the beans, putting it into a to-go mug, and drinking it on the train to work while I’m listening to a podcast.
If you won airfare to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Next for my family and me would be going to Africa. My wife spent a year in Ghana on an international water sanitation and hygiene project, and she told me about how incredible it was traveling around that area. I’d love to see Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa — getting a chance to take in all of the various experiences and cultures across the continent.
You can invite anyone — alive or dead, real or fictional — to dinner. Who would it be?
Michelle Obama. I listened to her speak while she was on her Canadian tour, and I left that talk just wanting to learn more about Michelle. She talked a lot about her experience as part of the Obama family and being the First Lady, but as an individual she’s so impressive. She went to Harvard herself, the first generation of her family to do so, and I want to hear more about her aspirations and thoughts.
If you could switch jobs with someone else on campus for a week, what would you do?
I’d like to experience being in one of the top level positions in the university, just to understand the demands of those jobs.
What does “uplifting the whole people” mean to you?
I think uplifting the whole people is an inspirational message for us to come to work every day for the greater good, and to do our part to build a brighter future for everyone. It reminds us that this is about so much more than just us as individuals — this is about us as a community.
If you could solve any problem in the world, what would it be?
I think the topic that we should all be worried about is our environment that we live in. This little ball of life that we live on is tied to every single person and being on this planet. We need to be able to think beyond just the time that we’re here, and think of the time that the next generation or ten generations from now will be living in.
What 3 words best describe your U of A experience?
Community — we as the U of A are responsible to the entire community for what we do when we come into the office every day.
Impact — it’s one thing to be working, but are we working on the things that matter?
Innovation — innovation doesn’t come by doing the same thing over and over again. It’s thinking about what we’re doing right, and what we could be doing to leverage that just a little bit more — not just to be a world leader, but to help the community grow.
Since joining the University of Alberta in 2014, Bradley has worked with our passionate alumni, generous donors, engaging corporate partners, and dedicated community leaders who aspire to create a better world through investing in students, researchers, and emerging programs. As a professional development officer, he is committed to working in a collaborative fashion with the Faculty of Engineering senior leadership team including our Dean of Engineering, Departmental Chairs, and Researchers to build a vision for the future, identify and establish key priorities, and align ourselves with partners who can help us to turn our dreams into reality.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.