Women in Technology Spotlight: Allison Roba

By: Claire Sauer

Technology keeps us connected and our businesses running every single day. The Service Desk Team serves all Keeley’ns across the companies and ensures that all devices are functioning properly. Allison Roba, Software Administrator, is one of the many Keeley’ns who works tirelessly to help everyone do their jobs more effectively and we truly would not be the company we are today without the dedicated help of our Service Desk.

Allison began her journey with Keeley in May of 2019. She had previously been a career counselor for 15 years when she realized she was looking for a career change and was drawn to the technology industry. She had her interview with ZeroDay and was hired to assist Keeley’ns with Salesforce and our internal portal, Sage People. She started with the User Experience Team to better understand how Keeley Companies utilizes Salesforce and Sage People. She transitioned to the Service Desk Team after six months and has been there ever since.

When weighing her options for her career change, Allison decided she was interested in technology due to the fact that she could help people do their jobs better by leveraging technology. This career change was also a transition from a female-dominated industry to a male-dominated industry. For her, it was mostly transitioning into the Keeley culture, but it took some getting used to at the beginning. Her team welcomed her with open arms and helped her through the transition seamlessly. If she could give one piece of advice to women starting out in the industry, it would be:

“You don’t need to know everything at first. Trust the process and you will learn. Seek out women mentors who have been working in the industry for a long time who can help you as you start out and support you as you grow.”

Ever since walking through the doors on her first day, Allison has felt empowered to work hard and take on new responsibilities that challenge her and lead to growth. The Service Desk is fast-paced and constantly changing, so she has learned new skills while bringing her non-technical skills – communication, training, and organization – to the team. However, through her years as a career counselor and her career at Keeley, the most valuable lesson Allison has learned is:

“To slow down and double check my work. Troubleshooting technology problems is a lot like solving puzzles and looking for patterns. If you focus too much on getting to the right answer quickly, you can miss the clues that explain why the problem may be happening.”

When Allison thinks about her vision for the future at Keeley, she is most excited to continue learning as much as she can about technology and expand her current skillset. She considers herself a lifelong learner and loves that Keeley encourages continuous education and professional development through KeeleyU.

Allison, thank you for your passion for our Keeley’ns and for your hard work. Our Service Desk would not be complete without you and we can’t wait to see the amazing things you continue to accomplish!