Employees of the Month Millie Burke

 

 

Steven Sutherland

Information Technology Services

Steven Sutherland has worked as an IT associate at Kingsborough for nine years. His job, which he modestly describes as “doing a little bit of everything,” covers a wide range of tasks, from managing the College's wired and wireless networks to running and connecting cables.  

He also provides tech support and works with his team and the College's chief information officer on new technology projects. 

“Recently, I've been assisting with a number of projects, including cabling for new smart classroom initiatives and one of our largest initiatives currently, upgrading our wireless infrastructure,” he shared. 

Before joining the College, he worked at his local pharmacy but didn’t enjoy working in retail. He jokes that he came to Kingsborough for the health insurance, “but I stayed for the great teams I've had the opportunity to work with over the years," he said. 

A mostly self-taught technician, computers have been part of Steven’s life for a long time. He started out upgrading components in pre-built computers before building his first gaming PC in his 20s. He has since built additional PCs for himself, family and friends, and the KCC Game Room. “Having been everyone’s unofficial tech support for as long as I can remember, it’s nice to actually be getting paid to do the thing I’m good at," he said. 

Steven said he never had a specific dream job in mind growing up. Instead, he found something better at Kingsborough. "Working in a place like Kingsborough where I feel respected and appreciated, and working alongside great teams, I can't imagine a better place to be," he said. "My colleagues and I can bounce ideas off of each other, regardless of the situation, to get whatever task we're working on completed quickly and cleanly." 

He is motivated by the variety of tasks he encounters day to day. "Every day seems to come with a new mystery or new surprise, so coming up with solutions to my new daily surprises keeps me on my toes," he said.  

It was Steven’s professionalism and dedication that led his supervisor, Assistant Vice President and Chief Information Officer Asif Hussain, to nominate him as Employee of the Month. Asif praised his work at the award ceremony, saying that Steven “represents the very best of what we value in our organization."  

He said that, beyond his day-to-day responsibilities, Steven is someone who takes initiative. “He does not wait to be asked—he steps forward, identifies opportunities to improve, and contributes in meaningful ways. Even more importantly, he embraces new challenges with a positive attitude, demonstrating a willingness to learn, grow, and support the evolving needs of our organization.” 

Asif named Steven’s attention to detail and organization, as well as his communication and customer service skills, as standout qualities, noting that his approach to customer service is always “respectful, responsive and solution-oriented." 

For Steven, good communication is at the heart of both strong customer service and effective teamwork. “Without communication, nothing gets done, and the things that do get done usually need to be redone,” he said. “A little communication and a little collaboration go a very long way.”