If you’ve ever needed help in our library or sought info from ITS on how to use our services, chances are you’ve run into Sherisse Brown. After working at WCM for over 30 years, Sherisse’s friendly assistance and contagious energy are well known. Learn how Sherisse has added her touch to many campus traditions and her journey to educate others as a Learning Specialist.
What’s your current role at WCM?
I'm a Learning Specialist in ITS with the Training & Knowledge team. I transferred here almost four years ago.
What kinds of things do you teach?
I teach a lot of different topics. What comes to mind first is the Time Management course, which is not what people think in terms of managing your time! It’s a system that is used in the Weill Business Gateway so that time keepers and approvers can officially register or manage people's timesheets. The flip side of that is eTime. Weill Cornell has switched gears to a new application for recording time [electronically], so I provide assistance with coaching labs, and building training content.
I’ve also done Tech Tuesdays sessions on Zoom, Teams, OneDrive… just a whole bunch of things! There’s also Tech Connect, and that's just another way for our end users to receive help with their software or application questions. The list continues! So, as a Learning Specialist, I wear many hats.
Since the early years of Tech Tuesday, Sherisse (at podium) has been a regular facilitator, educating attendees on various Library and ITS services. Aside from her friendly instruction, she was also known for always being prepared… with snacks.
You mentioned you transferred to the Training team. Could you tell me about what you were doing before that?
Believe it or not, for 27 years, way back, I worked in the Samuel J. Wood Library. I officially started in the Library back in 1992 and I was hired by Loretta Merlo, who is still working in the library as a manager at the Circulation department. Back then, I was hired as a Circulation Assistant, so I had the responsibility of welcoming new users, registering them to the library, putting their information in the system so that they would have library privileges. I would do quick searches; a lot of students would come in looking for textbooks such as Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. Back then, education was different in terms of how students accessed their course items. To support medical students’ education, I used to help put journal articles and textbooks on reserve.
Basically, I worked in just about every single department in the library. After the Circulation department, I worked for Interlibrary Loan doing a lot of photocopying and faxing services for articles. Then I moved on to the Reference department, taking on the role of doing mediated searches and, eventually, I would do orientations like the Treasure Hunt.
Sherisse (center) helps first-year medical students looking for answers to clues during the Library’s 2008 Treasure Hunt. The Treasure Hunt became a fun way to teach incoming students about Library services and become familiar with the space by searching for clues.
I was also a member of the Resource Management department before joining the Education & Outreach department. I still had the opportunity to connect with medical, graduate, physician assistant, and Travelers students. My supervisor at the time, Helen Ann Brown-Epstein, called me “The Ambassador.” I was the go-to person if there was a VIP or someone who would need a tour of the library. I also became the assistant for the art show and would move on to running and curating them, which gave the medical students and staff the opportunity to express themselves creatively.
I was always doing fun, educational things like Unpower Hour, when we would encourage staff to power down [their electronic devices], come into the library, and learn about sustainability. And for many, many years, I participated in Reverse Trick-or-Treating where [Library staff] would dress up and would go to the children's ward, the Komansky Center. We would visit the kids and initially we started off with candy, but then revamped over the years and provided little trinkets, books and puzzles, so that the kids could use their minds.
Sherisse (far left, dressed as a Ninja Turtle) and other Library and ITS staff gathered up some goodies for patients in the Komansky Children’s Hospital for Reverse Trick-or-Treating in 2018.
What made you switch to a position that seems more focused on education?
I'm a people person and I always loved the interactions that I had. It started in the library where patrons would come to the desk and need help with instruction on how to perform a search, or when I was in the Reference department. I always enjoyed connecting with staff to walk them through steps, whether I was teaching them how to use a bibliographic management tool like RefWorks, or just give an orientation.
A number of years ago I decided to reinvest in myself, so I went back to school. Because I worked in the library where technology played such a significant factor, I decided to go to Touro University Graduate School of Technology and receive my first master’s degree in Instructional Technology. I definitely wanted to get the right training that is needed to be an instructional designer or adult educator, so it's just in my blood!
I had that one degree under my belt and I said, “You know what? Let me just go ahead and get my degree as a Medical Librarian.” So, that was my second master’s degree and I graduated last May from St. John's University.
Oh, congratulations! So much of your career seems to have been at WCM in an assistance or educational capacity. Have you always worked at Cornell, or did you do something different before working here?
Oh yes! In the late 80s, [New York Hospital, now NYP] was looking for college students in the summers to help the Escort Services department. So, I had the opportunity to take patients from Admitting to their room, or if a patient had to go for specific test, I would take them to the location. If there were stats specimens, I would collect them and take them to the lab. I did it for one summer, then I was invited back and ultimately worked full-time as a Pavilion Clerk. I was a floater, and was young so I worked every weekend and holiday wherever I was assigned: greeting patients coming to the ward, keeping track of patient’s vitals, transcribing doctor’s notes into the medical record. Back then, it wasn't the record system we have now; you would be writing all of this down. I have seen so many changes at NYP and Weill Cornell…
What do you like to do for fun outside of work?
I'm into walking, but I also like to do Zumba or aerobics. I also like to attend plays; the last one – and it's been a long time since the pandemic – was Wicked and I enjoyed that so much! Outside of work, I do a lot of volunteer work; I always like to give back in some capacity and focus on education. I do spend my time mentoring women from the ages from 18-65 with a program called the Grace Institute, where we have women who are trying to get their careers back on track or haven't had the opportunities that some of us have had. Throughout the year, I also mentor at Touro University to encourage new students who are in the instructional design area.
Touro University released a special collage of Sherisse’s visit as a guest speaker for its Effective Oral and Written Communication for Managers course.
Aside from that, I volunteer for special food security events at church and the African Poetry Theater.
Who are some women you admire and why?
Number one is my mother. She instilled in me the importance of treating others fairly and she was big on education. I’ll always continue to look up to my mother who instilled in me the importance of being strong, being empathetic and listening and treating people fairly.
Other than that, I would just say women who are strong and want to move forward and try to uplift other women – try to push forward for equal rights, like Maxine Waters and Shirley Chisholm.