The Team Behind the Mysask411 Scenes

February 28, 2019

Each month, new blogs are written, posted to mysask411.com, shared on our social media pages and the process is complete. But, how did it start? What makes the blog page possible? Not just the blog page, but the entire Mysask411 website, mobile responsive website and the Mysask411 app, are made possible by a great team behind the scenes. Given it’s February, it felt more than appropriate to show them a little love. Let me introduce you to the Mysask411 Team:

L to R: Xiaofei, Nova, Pam, Jill and Jordan

Pam Marriott is Marketing Manager of Mysask411. Along with participating in and supporting the day to day activities of the team, Pam is responsible for setting the direction and vision of the platform.  Originally from Yorkton, Pam attended the University of Saskatchewan and has been on the Directwest Marketing team since 2014. Away from the office, Pam enjoys playing soccer, running, reading, travelling, trying out new recipes and chasing after her 2 kiddos.

“I love the people I get to work with on a daily basis, the freedom to explore new features and functionality, the creative challenges we are faced with daily, and so much opportunity to learn! I also love being a part of something that emphasizes the uniqueness of Saskatchewan, in a way that cannot be easily replicated. I’m proud to be a part of Directwest and the Mysask411 team.” – Pam Marriott

Jordan Glas, a native of Odessa, is the Technical Lead and API Engineer on the Mysask411 team. Outside the office, Jordan enjoys listening to music, playing instruments and video games and spending time with friends. Jordan has been Directwest’s go-to API guy for Mysask411 for 4 years.

Jordan’s favourite part about working on the Mysask411 team is “Working with a fun group of people and some of the latest and greatest technology.” – Jordan Glas

Jill Hill (fun, right?) is the Mysask411 team’s Business Analyst, responsible for writing project and feature requirements as well as leading all QA testing. Another U of S graduate born and raised in Yorkton, Jill has been at Directwest for 5 years and is the mom of 2 very busy 6-year-old boys who loves to golf and play volleyball. In the summer, if she’s not at home in Regina or visiting family in Yorkton, you can find Jill loving life out at the lake!

“The fun we have as a team, we work hard but we are always having fun getting the job done. Oh and I get to play with all the new devices that come out .” – Jill Hill

Xiaofei Deng has been the Business Support Manager on the Mysask411 team since September 2017. Growing up in Nantong, China, Xiaofei has a bachelors degree in Computer Science, a masters degree in Software Engineering and a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence (how cool is that?!). Away from the office, Xiaofei’s hobbies include swimming, discussing and co-authoring research papers with his wife in their spare time and trying delicious new foods with his daughter.

“It is pleasant to work at Directwest’s multi-cultural environment under the management of awesome people. However, the most enjoyable part to me is turning search engine algorithms with creative ideas and solving a challenging problem that potentially leads to new publications in academics.” – Xiaofei Deng

Nova Alberts is the Mysask411 Project Manager. Nova grew up in Coronach, spent her teen years in both Moose Jaw and Regina and has been a member of the Directwest team for 3 years. When she’s not at the office, Nova stays busy following the extra-curricular activities of her 3 kids. When she does find a spare minute, she loves to take in local art, music and film.

“Interactive media presents so many possibilities to engage meaningfully with audiences. I find the ability for continuous improvements and two-way conversation offered in the digital space so refreshing, and the people I work with are great! It’s inspiring to work with the team each day to evolve and design solutions for new challenges. It’s never boring!” – Nova Alberts

In an increasingly digital environment, it’s easy to forget that the screen you’re looking at or the device you’re on are more than just tech, they’re the work of real people making your digital experiences come to life.

Thank you, Pam, Jordan, Jill, Xiaofei, and Nova for all your hard work and for continually learning, adapting and improving, making Mysask411 a platform to be proud of!