#CaltechTogether: Leslie Maxfield

Leslie in office 210111_FINAL.jpg

“What I've seen during this pandemic is that we've all come together to support our community with the skills and talents that everyone has, and that's so heartwarming. For me, it's an honor to help us all feel connected. Since the spring, I've hosted quite a few webinars—with topics ranging from a spacecraft collecting a sample from an asteroid to conversations about COVID-19, and including HSS’s new Critical Intersections seminars, community town halls, and LIGO’s first all-site holiday party—and with every one I'm learning something new. I love learning about what's happening at Caltech, how we're moving forward, and all the great things that we're doing even during this difficult time. That absolutely feeds me. I come to campus to support these events because I don't want them to fail due to power going off at my house. I aim to ensure that Caltech is showcased in the best light. In all, we’ve reached over 21,000 viewers. That's like packing Beckman Auditorium 21 times. People have told us, ‘There's no way that I could have attended this event even if campus were open. I'm on the East Coast, and now Caltech has made it so easy for me to feel connected and learn about an area of science.’ For every webinar, I take a photo of my backend set up, and I’ve started to create a little gallery because each one is unique. Each one is special.”

Leslie Maxfield (BS ’95) is director of Academic Media Technologies and Communications at Caltech. Since March of 2020, she and her team have pivoted to many new initiatives to support the campus community, including creating online graduate recruitment experiences, providing faculty and TAs with the technology, tools, and training to successfully navigate remote teaching, launching an iPad loaner program for students, and hosting more than 60 Zoom webinars.

#CaltechTogether is a special series of #SoCaltech spotlighting the many ways members of our community are joining together to support one another and to take responsibility for our collective health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.