NCSSM’s webmaster is also a musician and a club sponsor.

Position: Webmaster

Years at NCSSM: 8 years (and 1 month)

Home: Durham; originally from Fayetteville, NC

What he does outside of work: Lots! Mack is an active club sponsor of NCSSM Colours Gospel Choir, Young Life, and Fellowship of Christian Students, a role he has played for 6 of his 8 years working at NCSSM. Mack, a self-described “closet musician,” is also in a worship team at his church.

In addition to music, Mack’s interests are wide ranging. He loves playing board games, video games, and other types of games, including Frisbee and Bocce. He loves being at the beach, and is getting into traveling. After he graduated college, he took a trip across the United States to places like Mt. Rushmore, Las Vegas, and Idaho. This year he travelled to the Caribbean, where he was able to give back and care for people, including building a well to provide access to clean water. “I realized I live a life of abundance,” he says of the experience. “We gave out shoes to kids who didn’t have shoes.”

Mack is also a “foodie” and loves cooking, trying out new restaurants, and learning about foods from various cultures. He likes healthy eating (and spent some time eating vegan), and even has a video series about exercise and healthy eating. This fall, he helped lead a fitness boot camp within his community.

What coworkers may not know: Most people don’t know that he is a singer, and likes to write music and play the piano and guitar. “It’s rare that people hear me perform,” he says.

Best part of his job: Flexibility — he decides when he comes in or whether he can work at the school, at home, or in the library or at Panera — and the resources he has access to that allow him to do so.

Favorite perk of working at NCSSM: “Prior to NCSSM, I was an introvert,” Mack says. But here he was able to find a tight community. “NCSSM is a place where you get out what you put into it,” he explains. “If you get involved, you find a great community, and coworkers can become friends.” Now, he now loves interacting with people, planning events, and throwing parties for people.

One thing about working here that he would do differently: “I would have it so that there is more employee recognition. It is nice that we have awards for people to win but they are rare and difficult to obtain. If we had some smaller and more frequent forms of recognition, I think that more employees would be able to be recognized and feel more valued,” he says. “Of course, going to someone to say ‘Thank you’ in person or sending kind words about someone to his or her boss goes a long way.”— Interview by Llana Abella ‘16