Scott Conrad: 38

Assistant Director of Information Technology, Center for Human Development

Scott Conrad joined the IT department at the Center for Human Development eight years ago and quickly started taking on more responsibility. It wasn’t too hard to find some.
“We’re actually a rather small department for an agency of our size and geographic location,” he explained. “We’re spread out wide, with a lot of locations, and to have an IT department as small as we are, we have to wear a lot of hats.”
Those hats include overseeing the support and administration of all data and network systems for more than 90 sites where CHD offers services, as well as strategic planning for the agency’s technology future.
“We’re kind of the architects of what our computer infrastructure is going to look like, and we also do a lot of troubleshooting,” said Conrad, who takes pride in providing that support for an organization known for meeting difficult needs.
“We help people when they’re at their worst or have got nowhere else to go. We run the gamut with all kinds of social services, making sure people are able to function as a society,” he said.
“We all have a responsibility to others who do not have the luxuries of good health or other things that many of us take for granted, to help them out,” he added. “I came from private industry, where everything was about dollars and the bottom line. Now I’m in a place where the money aspect is important, to be sure, but only to make sure it stretches as far as it can go to serve the client. And that’s a refreshing thing.”
As refreshing as a scuba dive, one of many outdoor activities Conrad enjoys. He is an accomplished Eagle Scout who has helped other Scouts with their community projects and personal development, both on a personal level and through service on the Eagle Boards.
“My experience with Boy Scouts and the lessons I learned there have truly shaped me into the person I am,” he said. “They gave me the confidence to handle any situation that comes up, and gave me the leadership ability to deal with people.”
— Joseph Bednar