September 24, 2019

APSAC chair Q&A: Danny Vukobratovich

Danny Vukobratovich on campus Danny Vukobratovich, APSAC chair for 2019-20. (Purdue University photo/John Underwood) Download image

Danny Vukobratovich took office June 1 as the 2019-20 chair of the Administrative and Professional Staff Advisory Committee. He is instruction and research services administrator for Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies. He joined APSAC as an at-large representative. Here, he answers questions from Purdue Today about his perspectives and plans in leading APSAC.

How long, and in what positions, have you worked at Purdue?

I started working at Purdue in 2007 with Purdue Athletics doing IT. In this position, I provided desktop support services to all of the staff in that area. I was in that position for two years and then moved to the Engineering Computer Network as a systems engineer. In this position, I provided desktop and project support for the faculty and staff. In 2011, I left the University for a position in the K-12 education arena with Tri-County School Corporation as a network administrator and a computer science teacher. In this role, I redesigned the network for the school corporation, implemented a 1:1 laptop program and taught two years of CompTIA A+ for approximately 15 students (several of which are now attending Purdue University).

In 2014, I came back home to Purdue in the role of application administrator for ITaP. I worked on several large projects, which include Papercut and RightFax. In 2017, I moved to a position in Internal Audit as an IT auditor. This position gave me some great insight into IT security and how the process of an audit works. I also learned a lot about the University policies in this role, which is completely priceless in my current position as the instruction and research services administrator for Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies, which I started in June 2018. In my current role, I am providing IT systems design and support for the server infrastructure of Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies. I am also working as the IT security officer in this role, providing oversight and recommendations of the IT security for them based on industry best practices and University policy.

Why did you decide to become involved in APSAC? In what capacity/on which committees have you served?

I decided to become involved in APSAC when a former manager of mine talked to me about what APSAC was about, which is serving as a liaison between the management/professional staff and the executive administration. As this voice, it allows you to work and collaborate for the betterment of the University as a whole. He encouraged me to become involved to develop my leadership and communications skills. He also told me it was a great way to network across the University, and he was absolutely right. I have worked in several committees in my term on APSAC: Professional Development subcommittee for APSAC, University Senate Committee, Executive Committee for APSAC, Healthy Boiler Committee, and as the APSAC representative in the Medical Benefits RFP Committee for this past year.

What did you learn as vice chair or as a committee member that will assist you as chair this year?

Working with Brittany Vale last year, I learned a lot about how much APSAC has the opportunity as a voice for the staff. We worked with HR on the job family structure information. I also learned quite a bit about strategic planning and am hoping to utilize these skills that I learned from Brittany in this past year.

What will APSAC be working on during the upcoming academic year?

APSAC’s main goal this year is to work on improving communications between the staff and the executive staff. We plan on accomplishing this by working to be a stronger conduit of information flow between everyone. Staff have voiced that their largest concern is the way that communication is handled. This is something that APSAC can definitely help with as we are to be that voice. We are also working to coordinate closely with CSSAC on several staff committees.

What are your own goals as the chair of APSAC? What do you hope to have contributed as chair to APSAC and the University once your term ends?

My goals as chair of APSAC are to:

  1. Help improve communications and the relationship between staff and executive management.
  2. Give the opportunity of leadership to those who may not have had that opportunity before (as this was given to me).

I hope to have contributed to the next round of leaders at the University that make a positive impact on the culture of this campus.

What would you like faculty and staff to know about APSAC?

We are here to listen and be your voice. If you have any questions or issues, please feel free to reach out to your APSAC representative, and if you don’t know who that is, feel free to reach out to me (dmvukobr@purdue.edu). There are several benefits that APSAC brings to the staff, which include a resource fair, professional development opportunities through grants, benefits guidance and more.

How can faculty/staff get involved with APSAC?

Check out our website at https://www.purdue.edu/apsac/. You will find copies of the monthly Sentinel, any upcoming events, awards and grant information, membership applications and a complete list of all the APSAC members both on the West Lafayette campus and at the regional campuses.

We hold our membership drives every spring. If you’re interested in being a member of APSAC, check out our website to learn more about the responsibilities and when you can submit your application.

Finally, please reach out to an APSAC member and talk with us about your perspectives and your ideas for improving the University community. You can locate an APSAC member for your work area from our website, or contact me directly (dmvukobr@purdue.edu or 765-494-1787).


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