Marianella Moreno
“If you’re at peace, you’re able to communicate that and portray that to them…you can bring them to feel at peace.”
Marianella Moreno worked together with Ashima as client and Sherpa a few short years ago. More recently, the roles have been reversed. According to Ashima, “It's really exciting to see something go full circle. It also shows that a Sherpa should follow at times.”
Marianella brings technical aptitude and skills as a keen project and process manager to her work as Director of IT for the Percussive Arts Society, the largest drumming and percussion organization in the world. She also supports the nonprofit’s public face, the Rhythm! Discovery Center, a hands-on interactive museum in the heart of Indianapolis. In her spare time, she helps other nonprofits with technology, and balances herself by pursuing interests as a yoga instructor and master chocolatier.
Marianella became acquainted with Database Sherpa in 2018/2019 when the Percussive Arts Society switched from iMIS 20 to Salesforce. Marianella had never worked with Salesforce before, but quickly came up to speed, and has had the opportunity to solve many problems since then. She is surprised at how far her Salesforce knowledge has come since she first started working with Ashima. “The seed that she planted continues to grow.”
A little over a year after finishing their Salesforce implementation, Marianella got involved with Database Sherpa again – this time in the role of Sherpa. Institute of Contemporary Art Miami (ICA Miami) had a pandemic need for a touchless solution to scan tickets for admission in a timed fashion (timed ticketing). That immediate need for timed ticketing was successfully addressed, speeding up both entry and reporting as the museum quickly adjusted their operation during the pandemic. Even more importantly, staff has been able to take ownership of the ticketing process and has been empowered to handle issues that come up.
Marianella is now involved in another project to help ICA Miami continue to make more optimal use of their Salesforce database. The Sherpa model works well for Marianella because as a Sherpa, “I don’t feel like you have to own everything – on the contrary, you have to empower the staff so that they can execute everything they have conceived.”
Marianella sees great benefit in combining training along the way with implementing. She believes that people working with technology in nonprofits need confidence that they can achieve what they want with the resources they have. That confidence allows them freedom to express themselves in their jobs, and to have new ideas.
During the last year, when every day suddenly filled with zoom calls, Marianella had to work hard to maintain a balance. Becoming an accomplished chocolatier helped. So did becoming a certified yoga instructor.
The meditation practice that goes along with yoga helps with stress, which extends to her work as well. “You want these clients, this staff that works with you, to feel at ease and to have confidence that what you are doing is going to work...If you’re at peace, you’re able to communicate that and portray that to them…you can bring them to feel at peace.”
Coming full circle, the student has become the teacher. Marianella brings her own insights and skills to helping others find peace with their data.