>>/69183/
Edwin Barkley Smith, cont.
LINKED IN
US Global Services Director at Smartmatic
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-smith-785a791
Describes a specific project in which he has been involved:
Los Angeles Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) project
About:
I've never shied away from a challenge. In mid-2018 I left a good job where I stood atop the intersection of the development community and the sales/service/finance community (a place at a start up that I truly enjoyed, learned a lot, and was well respected) to join the most innovative, challenging, and largest elections project in the history of the United States: the Los Angeles Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) project. At a baseline value of $212 million with additions of over $80 million, VSAP exceeds anything done before at the County level of US elections by 10X. You should read about it at https://vsap.lavote.net/. I took over as Service Delivery Manager on the project. Although this meant that I was assigned management of the Help Desk, aspects of the Implementation and other areas of accountability, what it really meant is that I got to dive into a number of project areas, roll up my sleeves and spend the days leading up to the election working as anything from an electronic pollbook programmer, a parking lot attendant for 300 vans and trucks, and a roving voting machine technician. The hours were long, 4:30 AM to 11:30 PM was the norm for weeks, but I was exactly where I was meant to be. …and I was able to juggle my Service Delivery “assigned duties” while dealing with those election preparation emergencies.
People tell me that my restless desire to “get dirty”, to walk the shop floor daily and get to know the people and process, along with an innate ability to exude calmness in the face of ugly situations are some of my strengths. My ability to explain to laypersons deep technical and business concepts is also a strength. Getting the job done with no excuses while encouraging others to thrive, make mistakes, and always maintain their dignity and spirit is important to me. The type of persons I find most valuable: someone who focuses on accountability, communicates 360, is trainable, and does not engage in political, diffusive, or divisive efforts. Every company and its people have a finite amount of energy. Focusing that energy is key to success. Mentoring others is also important; and I am proud of how many people I have worked with over the years who continue to stay in touch.
Most of my experience has been at smaller companies or new divisions of larger companies. I have helped all to find a place in the market, knock out incumbents, differentiate their offerings and exceed in getting more than their fair share of those markets.