{"691060":{"#nid":"691060","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Staffer Prioritizes Building School Culture","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAround a table at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/studentcenter.gatech.edu\/paper-clay\u0022\u003EPaper and Clay\u003C\/a\u003E, Georgia Tech\u2019s on-campus pottery studio, the staff of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scp.cc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Cybersecurity and Privacy\u003C\/a\u003E (SCP) gathered for one of its regular team-building exercises.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe outing, organized by Director of Research Operations \u003Cstrong\u003EMary Helen Hayes\u003C\/strong\u003E, is one of a series of activities designed to bring the school\u2019s staff together to foster close relationships between peers. Developing staff culture has been a priority for Hayes since she started at SCP in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scp.cc.gatech.edu\/external-news\/not-built-day-cybersecurity-and-privacy-school-increases-staff-five-fold\u0022\u003EJanuary 2024\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese types of events build trust and remove perceptions,\u201d she said. \u201cIt brings together leadership and employees to show that we are all rowing the boat together.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESoon after she was hired, Hayes attended a meeting to help shape SCP\u0027s culture. The fledgling school and its new staff had yet to develop a culture of their own, and Hayes saw an opportunity to draw on her experience planning staff outings to bring people together early on.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt started with a staff retreat over lunch in 2024. Hayes built a playlist based on the staff\u2019s favorite songs, and the group played icebreakers. From that point forward, SCP staff outings included ceramic pumpkin painting contests, holiday ornament decoration, and more.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe school also sponsors a welcome breakfast each fall for SCP students and, more recently, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/scp-food-drive\u0022\u003Ehosted a food drive\u003C\/a\u003E. Both organized by Hayes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMary Helen has the rare talent to bring process improvements to life while bringing people together, creating lasting improvements that benefit SCP, the College of Computing, and the Institute,\u201d said School Administrative Officer \u003Cstrong\u003EJan Morian\u003C\/strong\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile staff culture has become one of Hayes\u0027 most visible contributions, it is only part of her impact on SCP. In her two and a half years at the school, she has launched training on research proposals, travel, and expenses. She has also established regular meetings among faculty, administrative, and finance staff and created methods to expedite undergraduate hiring and research proposal intake.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI have been at Georgia Tech for about 15 years now, and I looked back on my experience when coming up with new processes for the school,\u201d she said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore joining SCP, Hayes was a financial manager and administrator at several Georgia Tech departments. In 2024 she was hired by SCP as the assistant director for financial operations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow as director of research operations, Hayes supports 26 school faculty and oversees a team of four research administrators. She oversees all financial operations for the school including proposal development, sponsor compliance, post-award administration, financial reporting, and award closeout activities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHayes runs a tight ship, a fact she will freely admit to. Her department is organized down to the filing system to keep everyone on the same page. Her team of four staff each bring their own strengths to the school\u2019s finances, and Hayes has made sure they are cross trained so there is coverage if someone is out.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI want to make sure my team can rely on each other,\u201d she said. \u201cI want them to be able to ask questions and admit if they don\u2019t know something.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJust as dedicated to the culture of her own team as she is with the overall, Hayes encourages her colleagues to engage in career development conferences and courses. She also was vocal\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003Ein the job families effort to ensure her staff receive job titles that reflect their day-to-day responsibilities.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo develop her own career further, Hayes is currently enrolled in the MBA program at Georgia Southern University through the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/benefits.usg.edu\/work-life\/tuition-assistance-program\u0022\u003ETuition Assistance Program\u003C\/a\u003E (TAP) offered to full-time employees by the University System of Georgia. She also received the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/cybersecurity-school-takes-home-multiple-awards\u0022\u003EOutstanding Staff Leadership Award\u003C\/a\u003E from the College of Computing.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERather than waiting for challenges to arise, Hayes looks for opportunities to improve workflows before they become obstacles. She regularly gathers feedback from colleagues, refines procedures, and documents best practices to ensure knowledge is shared across the school instead of remaining with a single person.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESince joining the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy in 2024, Mary Helen Hayes has helped shape the school\u0027s culture while strengthening its research operations. She has organized regular team-building events, student welcome activities, and service projects to foster collaboration and trust among staff. Beyond building community, Hayes has streamlined administrative processes by launching training programs, improving proposal and hiring workflows, and establishing regular coordination between faculty and staff. As director of research operations, she oversees the school\u0027s financial and research administration, leads a cross-trained team, and emphasizes continuous improvement, professional development, and knowledge sharing to support SCP\u0027s long-term success.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"One staff member at the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy works overtime to ensure the culture at the school remains strong."}],"uid":"36253","created_gmt":"2026-07-07 17:25:55","changed_gmt":"2026-07-07 17:31:37","author":"John Popham","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-07-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-07-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680571":{"id":"680571","type":"image","title":"Mary-Helen-Hayes-2-web-copy.jpg","body":null,"created":"1783445192","gmt_created":"2026-07-07 17:26:32","changed":"1783445192","gmt_changed":"2026-07-07 17:26:32","alt":"A woman standing against a table with her arms folded on the table top. ","file":{"fid":"264849","name":"Mary-Helen-Hayes-2-web-copy.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/07\/07\/Mary-Helen-Hayes-2-web-copy.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/07\/07\/Mary-Helen-Hayes-2-web-copy.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1709579,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/07\/07\/Mary-Helen-Hayes-2-web-copy.jpg?itok=M6dwBn4y"}},"680570":{"id":"680570","type":"image","title":"CoC-Awards-Spring-2026_86A0049.jpg","body":null,"created":"1783445192","gmt_created":"2026-07-07 17:26:32","changed":"1783445192","gmt_changed":"2026-07-07 17:26:32","alt":"A man shakes hands with a woman who is holding a certificate","file":{"fid":"264848","name":"CoC-Awards-Spring-2026_86A0049.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/07\/07\/CoC-Awards-Spring-2026_86A0049.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/07\/07\/CoC-Awards-Spring-2026_86A0049.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":19616005,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/07\/07\/CoC-Awards-Spring-2026_86A0049.jpg?itok=P_gtmU2i"}}},"media_ids":["680571","680570"],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"660406","name":"School of Cybersecurity \u0026 Privacy"},{"id":"660367","name":"School of Cybersecurity and Privacy"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"145171","name":"Cybersecurity"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Popham\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Officer II at the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jpopham3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}