Jovita Williams is an Administrative Support Specialist and Building Coordinator who has worked at IUPUI for 16 years. She spent over 15 years at SPEA supporting several faculty members. She moved to her current position at the Kelley School of Business at IUPUI in December 2018. In her current position, she supports Dean Ken Carow, as well as faculty and staff in the school.
She typically starts her day by checking to see if there are any urgent tasks or building emergencies that need immediate attention. The rest of her day consists of managing in-person requests, sending emails, and a variety of projects. Recently, she’s been working on getting the Kelley Space in Hine Hall back up and running following the air handler renovation during the summer.
In her role, Jovita really enjoys getting to know the different faculty members and figuring out how to work together as a team to move the school forward and benefit the students. The most rewarding part of her job is knowing that she’s making Dean Carow’s life a bit easier by taking things off of his plate and helping him stay organized.
Outside of Kelley, Jovita enjoys gardening, sewing and she loves spending time with her 10 year old grandson, Gavin. She also enjoys spending time with her two children, baking for the holidays, and cooking vegetable soup using the vegetables from her garden. Her favorite place to travel is Mackinac Island, because she feels like it’s a “step back in time.” She’s visited twice and hopes to return sometime soon.
If Jovita could describe herself in three words, they would be caring, helpful, and dependable. She loves meeting new people and is always open to helping others. She tries to make the world a better place by looking for ways in which she can improve things for everyone around her. The best advice that she’s received is, “do the best that you can with every day that you have, and to treat others the way you want to be treated.”
Jovita’s name has an interesting story. Before she was born, her mother and Jovita’s aunt were both expecting girls around the same time. Jovita’s parents were planning on naming her Kathryn, but Jovita’s cousin was born first and was named Kathryn. Jovita’s parents had a week to decide on a new name, and her mother discovered the name Jovita on a calendar. Growing up, Jovita didn’t like her unique name, but she has now found appreciation for her name
“When people call to me, I know who they are talking to,” she says.
Posted by Caitlin Karas, cunnical@iupui.edu