BARBARA NANZIG:
 




 
 
 
 
 
Chief of Staff, Internet2, in Ann Arbor. Nanzig also serves as secretary to the company’s board of trustees. In 2001, she helped to develop the Michigan Information Technology Center (MITC) and is secretary to the board of directors for the MITC Foundation. Prior to joining Internet2 in 1997, Nanzig worked at the University of Michigan in academic outreach and served as the executive assistant to the vice provost for information technology. Her background includes work in information technology, facilities, development, and student affairs. She is a member of the Ann Arbor IT Zone executive board and a board member of the Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum.


WHERE BORN: "Bay City, Michigan."

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS: "My dad and my husband. My dad was an old-fashioned newspaper editor for the Bay City Times. He cared totally and passionately for his community. He showed me that you have to have a sense of honesty and loyalty for the people you serve. My husband, he’s an historian, a passionate American Civil War historian. He reminds me that we remember those who went before us-- - what they learned, what they sacrificed. In advanced technology, we have to remember what other people learned. Those two have had the greatest influence on me."

LAST BOOK READ: "The Curious Life of Robert Hooke: The Man Who Measured London, by Lisa Jardine."

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME: "I’m an enthusiast; fair, loyal, above all, happy."

WHERE MY FIELD/INDUSTRY IS HEADED: "We’re really at a marvelous point of opportunity where I’m in a not-for-profit membership organization working in industry, public, and private partnerships to build the next advanced network. And technology has come to a point where we can use the digital packet switching network, along with innovation with the new optic circuit, to develop a hybrid that will allow a whole new level of innovation in industry and certainly in research in medicine and higher education. It’s exciting to think we can start melding some of this technology. It’s reinvigorating public partnerships with industry and working together. I think it’s really important for the U.S. to be competitive. We talk about the global market but it’s not just about trade but rather, thinking, creating, and innovations. We can take technology to the next level. Some of the testing we’ve done with the hybrid we’re able to roll into production in the next 9-12 months. We can take some things that were experimental and now they’re production-quality. The U.S. led in this area but that’s not the case right now. But some of this effort will help us lead again."

FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL GADGET: "My life is my laptop or my laptop is my life. You tell yourself that you’re not going to get attached to a gadget, but I love my iPod. I’m always updating it and listening to songs I haven’t heard in years. For gadgets, it’s my iPod, but my laptop goes with me everywhere."

FAVORITE PLACE: "Anywhere with my husband and dear friends. Great Britain is my favorite place. I went there as an undergraduate in international exchange. We try to get back every few years."

FAVORITE HOBBIES: "To relax, I like to garden. I love to read and be with friends."

FAVORITE FOOD: "Fresh caught fish; couple that with fresh veggies or fruit from a farmer’s market or a road-side stand. Summer is my favorite time in Michigan."

MY HIDDEN TALENT: "My friends say I have an uncanny ability to reach in my purse and give them whatever they need, whether it’s duct tape or Magic Markers. I’ve been known to materialize a Border’s gift card when we needed a gift on the way somewhere. I’m the Girl Scout who took the ‘always be prepared’ thing to the limit."

HOW I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED: "I want to be thought of as kind, a partner who was there when needed, and I guess I have to say fun. Loyal, kind, and fun."

Grant Thornton Website At the annual awards reception in April 2014, one Leader & Innovator from the previous 12 months will be selected as the Grant Thornton Leader & Innovator of the Year.