The mix of communications and leadership classes has helped me as I interact with business, managers, and my peers to be able to communicate on different levels.
Kevin Hendress
Computer and Information Technology '02
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Kevin Hendress

Computer and Information Technology '02
Infrastructure Analyst for John Deere

Kevin Hendress earned his bachelor’s degree in computer and information technology in 2002, winning the Technology Student Leadership Award that same year. In his role as an infrastructure analyst, he’s known as the subject matter expert on the Atom v8 Upgrade Project, where he keeps John Deere’s business and brand “running as usual” to ensure compliance with IT audits.

Since 2009, Kevin has also served as the University Team Lead for the Purdue/John Deere relationship. His job is to organize job fair visits, interviews and other activities, but also facilitate funding requests, coordinate monthly quarterly meetings and ensure the communication flow between the team and Purdue. He still remains active with the CIT Department in his role with the Computer Roundtable.

Hendress credits his Technology degree for helping hone his troubleshooting skills. Being known as the “go-to-guy” at work, he can’t just call someone for the answer. He’s the one who has to research and react, while being able to communicate that vision with business managers and his peers.

Hendress received the 2014 Early Career Award from the College of Technology. Award winners were asked how their degree benefited their career. He answered:

  • Because of the broad range of classes, I had a lot of education in a number of areas. I am not an expert in everything, but I can hold my own while having discussions over different technical arenas. This has especially been beneficial when dealing with vendors.
  • I got to hone my troubleshooting skills. In my professional career I am frequently the subject matter expert, so if I do not know the answer, I have to research to find it out. I can’t just call someone for the answer.
  • The mix of communications and leadership classes has helped me as I interact with business, managers, and my peers to be able to communicate on different levels.