Spotlight on Staff: Devon Reed

One of the School of Population and Public Health (SPPH)’s greatest assets is the people that support important research and facilitate the education of health leaders. In this new series, we will be featuring some of our incredible staff so you can get to know them better and learn about their impressive backgrounds.

Devon Reed, SPPH’s Finance Assistant, has a diverse and well-rounded background both personally and professionally. We talked to him about his university experience, hobbies, and his fascinating path to join the School.

Devon Reed

What attracted you to SPPH?
After a long departure from a career in academia and government, I was searching for an opportunity to once again, contribute to an organization that worked to benefit society and also to gain practical experience as I to work to pursued formal education in Accounting and Finance. SPPH provided me with that opportunity.

How would you describe your role? What is your favourite part? What is the most challenging part or something new you have had to learn?
My role is to support SPPH faculty, staff and students with financial processing and understanding/navigating UBC Finance policies and procedures.  My favorite part of the job is the autonomy to do my job, the relationships and trust of the faculty and staff and that there is so much to learn… the learning never ends…it is so kinetic with new issues and problems to solve almost daily.

What was your own university experience like? Where did you go?
I had a very positive university experience and was involved in student committee, student government, a member of the track & field and cross country teams and I was employed in the Center for Educational Opportunity as peer tutor. I attended university in the United States, at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania and Binghamton University in New York. I also represented my university in a state wide internship my junior year working for the Governor of Pennsylvania’s Task Force as a research assistant while taking courses at the Dixon University Academic and Governance Center.

Do you have any advice for incoming students?
My advice for incoming students would be to get involved in your campus community, take ownership of your education and seize the moment.  Take care of business and you will actually have more fun! Get out of your comfort zone and get to know your fellow students and embrace the diversity of the UBC student body and campus community.

Who or what inspires you?
“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”

― Nelson Mandela.

I have never and I never will let anything… any convention, any fear, any obstacle, anybody, any systemic bias about my race or intellect stop me from trying.

What’s one thing on your bucket list?
To travel to see my fiancée’s home in Asahikawa, Hokkaido Japan and explore Japan from North to South.

What do you like to do for fun?
Sports. I am a huge sports fan! Growing up in foster care and as an only child, in all seriousness, for me, it was my first community. Not only did I belong, I excelled!  I have read hundreds of books about sports.  I have learned so many lesson from sports, like teamwork, physical and mental strength, commitment, pain and perseverance, loyalty and uninhibited happiness. It is the environment in which I am most happy and I regularly attend live events in the states in my free time.