Talking Information Technology

Coming out of her undergraduate studies with a mechanical engineering degree, Stella Warfel (MSIT '14) knew she could do the job when it came to technical work.  

But she wanted more.  

Warfel turned to Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) program to boost her career trajectory by improving her communication skills and becoming a better business leader.  

“The technical part of the MSIT program was doable for me just because I had that engineering degree,” she said. “But for the business part of things, especially the capstone class where you have a big project and have to create presentations every week, you really have to think of the big picture of what needs to happen now and how to future-proof your decisions.”  

As the director of information technology (IT) for Elevate, Warfel does just that. Her job is to create a big-picture IT strategy to ensure the environmental services company stays ahead of the rapidly changing technology curve.  

Warfel heavily relies on the MSIT lessons she learned a decade ago. Many of the most valuable skills she developed were not technical, she said.  

“Being an IT director, you have to have soft skills,” she said. “There are also a lot of project management skills, and it also involves a lot of financial skills. It's good to understand that big picture of what everyone else is doing.”   

Elevate is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago that strives to ensure the public has clean and affordable heating, cooling, power, and water while reducing energy costs and improving quality of life.  

Warfel leads a team of nine and oversees the organization’s entire IT landscape, including the strategic planning for future innovation. It is a rapidly growing group that has to stay current on the latest technology.  

“You have to always be planning and thinking,” she said. “My goal is to have the right technology for Elevate to be able to grow and not be left behind in the digital age.”    

To have the right technology at the right time, Warfel develops presentations that pitch projects and staffing needs to different stakeholders – everyone from financial colleagues to human resource professionals.  

She said the MSIT program prepared her to effectively present on technical issues to people who might not share her same background.  

“MSIT taught me to be brief,” she said. “When you're explaining things to the executives of the C-suite, you don't need to explain all the details. You need to be able to get your point across with brevity but also have the data to back it up.”  

Beyond the technical reinforcement and the new soft skills, the MSIT program helped Warfel build a network she leans on as her career evolves.  

That network — and "the power of the Northwestern name" — are keys to success for MSIT graduates, she said.   

“The MSIT program is going to further your career,” she said. “You're going to have a huge network of people who are going to be able to help you, and also you can help them in the future. It really opens up a lot of doors.”