Personal Banking with U.S. Bank’s Jose Romo

IT Download is pleased to introduce Jose Romo, Manager of the U.S. Bank branch located in Titan Shops. Jose brings eighteen years experience in banking to his new post, five years of those eighteen with U.S. Bank. Married 14 years, Jose and his wife Janet have two children, ages 7 and 9.

This is the sixth branch Jose has managed and it’s exactly what he was looking for when he was appointed to the position last June. He was drawn to the campus branch because it presented new challenges, not being a traditional bricks and mortar institution with established customers. Jose was eager to work with “customers from scratch” who would be opening their first bank accounts. He also was eager to work again with the district manager for the campus branch. He enjoys the educational aspect of this environment, with his team presenting daily one-on-one seminars on personal finance and credit. He views his branch as providing another opportunity for learning for students, allowing them to master financial basics before they make costly mistakes.

Jose has a record of high achievement with U.S. Bank, earning Pinnacle Performer recognition for 12 of the 19 quarters he has completed with the institution. That means that he and his teams have hit their goals in five areas of service in each of those 12 quarters. Jose credits his staff and notes that he’s been told that he is “good at hiring the right people.” His commitment to customer service can be summed up in his top priority for the new branch: “personal touch.” He remembers when he walked into the family bank with his dad when he was a kid and observed the personal attention given by the branch manager. In his branches, he has wanted all the customers to know the manager, to have a personal relationship with the bankers that ultimately enable more successful personal finance management.

Jose reports that U.S. Bank customers can expect to have opportunities to provide feedback about their customer service experience. Each month the bank, using a third party, conducts a phone survey of customers. The campus branch personnel also follow-up via phone with new customers soon after they open accounts.

Jose enjoys the opportunity to serve students, faculty and staff and looks forward to becoming an active member of the Cal State Fullerton community. He’s eager to meet with student clubs and organizations and classes to discuss a wide range of personal finance topics. He welcomes calls at 714-446-1900.

Jeni Cansler (l), Bob Zepeda (r)

IT Bids Farewell and Good Luck

Two-time Titan Excellence Award winner Bob Zepeda will be missed when he retires at the end of this year. Bob, who currently supervises telecom wiring installations and projects, has been working in Information Technologyfor 15 years. To read more about Bob's contribution to CSUF and IT, check out this IT Download interview from earlier this year: http://www.fullerton.edu/it/news/Publications/
itdownload/archive/feb07/people.htm

Jeni Cansler Leaves Legacy of Action and Relationships

By Dick Bednar

As IT’s Telecommunications Lead prepares to retire in December, Dick Bednar reflects on her contributions to the campus and the industry.

In the mid 1980’s, every campus in the California State University system was starting up projects to leave Centrex and install their own telephone switch. Since the Telephone Services unit was part of the business office in Administrative Affairs, former Associate Vice President Bill Glover was given this task. He immediately recruited for someone with extensive telephone experience to head up his project. Jeni Cansler was selected and embarked on a roller coaster ride that has continued to this day.

Jeni had quite a resume including working as aswitchboard operator, managing several PBXs, and networking with industry trade groups. No matter where we went, to a trade show, a convention, a see-a-vendor, or to professional meetings, everybody said, “Hi Jeni.” Her first task was to move Telephone Services from the business office to someplace more knowledgeable of technology. Jeni found a soul-mate in IT Director Gene Dipple, who was eager to “unite” computing and telecommunications under one roof. When Jeni moved to IT, she was paired up with Dick Bednar to work on a traditional state RFP. Working with Sacramento and the Chancellor’s Office is a special treat and Jeni delighted in the travel and exposure to new ideas. At the top of the AT&T building in San Francisco, Jeni learned why you never let Dick touch anything at a demonstration. He pressed one button, and it took four technicians half an hour to put the demo back together again!

The CSU had done 12 procurements, and Fullerton was to be the 13th. This was bad karma, because “the money ran out” and the CSU shelved the concept. This was intensely annoying because Jeni and Dick were working with a consultant to wrap-up the final draft of the RFP when the Governor announced his budget plan and Fullerton’s PBX was NOT in it. Fortunately, Gene Dipple was not easily deterred. Working with Jay Bond, the campus was the first to pay for a cable plant using capital funds. This reduced the cost of the PBX project enough that the campus could afford to purchase the new telephone switch without state funding. The campus ran our own RFP locally. It went much faster. And, Intecom from Dallas, Texas was selected to install a complete telecom system, including switch, phones, voice mail, call accounting, E911, and “the kitchen sink.”

Jeni is easily the most active person in Telephone Services. In addition to “knowing everybody”, Jeni became a leader in the Intecom User Group, rising from attending, to program chairman, and eventually to president! She was instrumental in getting the CSU campuses to hold annual “CSU Telecom” meetings, where people could share information and network. Jeni’s forte is “vendor relations.” i.e. getting people who work for someone else to put OUR needs before their company’s desires. This is amazing to watch. Fullerton sailed through a Pac Bell strike because Jeni got their (union) technicians to perform work orders while they were on strike.

Jeni is an active traveler, going to Europe (France), Idaho (why?), Florida, and it seems almost everywhere else.

Twenty years have gone by in a flash. PERS retirement may not look like much to someone in their 20’s, but at “a certain age”, the lifetime health benefits and guaranteed annual cost of living increase begin to call. Jeni is ready to start traveling whenever she wants.

IT Welcomes New Staff

In October, Timothy Benbow, formerly of ETD, joined Desktop Services as DeskTop Technology Trainer. Chukwemeka Obi joined Titan Lab in May. The HelpDesk welcomed Thao Nguyen July. Vaughn Masterson is the newest CMS Documentation & Training Specialist, starting in September. Miguel Silvestre started in Titan Lab in October. In May, Sandra Sobel added Executive Assistant to CITO (interim) to her duties as Assistant Director, CMS Project.

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