Brenda Talbot
Brenda is the CFA's Senior Web Developer.
My role in the CFA
I design and manage the websites of the Center for Faculty Advancement (CFA), including our own departmental site (the one you’re on now!) and the sites for the NYU College & Career Lab, the NYU Alliance for Public Interest Technology, NYU’s Pathways initiatives, and the Faculty Resource Network. I also design and help produce new content such as our recent Faculty and Staff Spotlights. The CFA comprises many different programs and initiatives; our web presence helps faculty, the NYU community and beyond stay informed about recent developments and upcoming events.
Most enjoyable thing about my work
I like working with all the subject matter experts—the program directors and other CFA colleagues—who provide the raw inputs to the various websites, mingling our different (but mostly complementary!) viewpoints to shape the material in a way that best gets our message across. Also, I really enjoy using programming tricks to create processes and workflows that make web publishing easy, efficient and quick. When done well, it’s feels like magic.
If I could choose a different career, I might be … a Disney Imagineer?
Brenda riding Disney World’s PeopleMover in 2023
What I’d do if I could go back in time and choose a different career
Do I get to re-do my education, too? If so, I’d look into a STEM path. I got my BA (at NYU!) with a liberal arts major (journalism), but I double-minored in physics and astronomy. In my fantasy re-do, I’d focus more on the science sphere, and aim for a career in the physical sciences, or perhaps neuropsychology. Or maybe I’d zero in on the “E” in STEM, and be a Disney Imagineer?
Proudest recent accomplishment at work
By the end of summer 2024, I finally got all five of the CFA’s current websites into the same WordPress framework, while keeping their distinct public-facing appearances and personalities. Several good things flow from this, including easier maintenance and documentation, quicker content updates, and less need for premium software. And when someone needs to back me up when I’m off-duty, there’s a common set of procedures to follow across all the websites, so that benefits the whole team.
Proudest recent accomplishment outside work
I’ve tried to recover some of my degraded attention span by reading more books—and have succeeded to some extent. One of my favorites from the past few months was a long novel—I Know This Much Is True, by Wally Lamb. It’s around 900 pages, but it’s an easy read so it goes fast!
Dave Lasala
Director, Immersive Technology Lab
I had the good fortune of working with Brenda on my interactive development team for several years. Her reliability, professionalism, and positive demeanor were invaluable, especially amid challenging conditions. Brenda demonstrated the value of asking clarifying questions and requesting additional information from stakeholders, which consistently led to stronger project outcomes. Her influence has positively shaped how I approach communication and project management.
Sharon Kay
Communications Manager
Brenda’s talents are evident in the work she produces as CFA’s Web Developer. Her creativity and careful attention to design and readability are an essential part of CFA’s web identity. Brenda’s creative skills are matched by her organizational and project management expertise. Each project she approaches benefits not only from her broad experience, but also from her desire to take on new challenges to evolve and communicate CFA’s mission.