COE Staff Spotlight: Deanna Beirne
Meet Deanna Beirne, Executive Director of Technical Program Development and Strategy, SENTRY
Deanna has spent the past 25 years at COE, experiencing firsthand how much the university, its research, and its technology have changed — and how her own role has grown and evolved along with them. Today, Deanna serves as Executive Director of Technical Program Development and Strategy for SENTRY, ALERT, and the Bernard M. Gordon Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems (Gordon-CenSSIS), a graduated National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. As Lead of the SENTRY Transition Team, she facilitates the evolution and delivery of tools, technologies, and knowledge products to market through program and portfolio management. She also continues in her role as Director of Information Systems for SENTRY, ALERT, and Gordon-CenSSIS, leading the computer services team and overseeing the technology and computational needs of the Centers’ research and administrative environments.
A Career That’s Evolved With Technology
Deanna’s Northeastern career began in IT. She was hired to support CenSSIS during its first year as a multi-university NSF Engineering Research Center, serving as a Computer Systems Coordinator. At the time, she managed two file servers, a web server, a mail server, and desktop machines, while providing IT support to faculty, staff, and students. The technology of those early days looked very different from what we know today. “The servers were just in my office, and I had physical tapes to back them up and floppy disks to install software and operating systems,” Deanna recalls. “Our collaborative research meetings were everyone huddled around a conference phone on a desk with a 12-digit code to get everyone connected.” Her role has expanded and changed considerably over the years. Deanna credits Professor Michael Silevitch, who has allowed her to challenge herself and develop professionally in areas that interest her. The variety of research that comes with working in a multiinstitutional, multidisciplinary center has also given her the opportunity to continually expand her knowledge — and stay excited about her work.
25 Years in COE
Deanna has spent all 25 of her years at Northeastern within the College of Engineering. Looking back, one of the changes she has found most exciting is seeing Northeastern establish itself as an R1 research institution, along with the growth of the campus and student body. But even as COE has grown, something important has remained constant: “What has not changed is the great sense of community and pride in what we do,” she says.
Learning From the Work Around Her
What does Deanna enjoy most about her work today? The opportunity to work with scientists and learn from the research they’re doing. “I always tell people I love working with scientists and getting to learn and support the work that they do,” she says. “Being on the cutting edge of what is possible and solving problems that help society is really exciting to me.”
That interest in learning has extended beyond her day-to-day responsibilities as well. Over the years, Deanna has taken advantage of a variety of Northeastern offerings, earning certifications in program management, software, and technical systems support and participating in manager-focused courses to strengthen her leadership skills. She has also explored her creative interests through photography and design courses. And there’s another Northeastern benefit she particularly appreciates: being able to walk over to the Museum of Fine Arts and explore the galleries for free.
Her Advice: Build Your Community
After 25 years at Northeastern, Deanna’s advice to those just starting their journey is to make the most of the community and opportunities around them. “Build your community, find mentors, and take advantage of all of the perks of being part of a university like Northeastern,” she says. And for anyone joining the College of Engineering, she has one final piece of advice: “Be proud to be a part of COE!
*This story was originally published by Northeastern University’s College of Engineering Staff Newsletter. Questions? Email COEStaffEngagement@northeastern.edu
