Project Manager of the Quarter – July 2017

For four years now, Katie Carson has been an invaluable member of the ModSquad team. She started in 2013 as a moderation lead, moving up to assistant project manager in April 2014, and then to project manager in 2016. Today, we are thrilled to introduce Katie as our Project Manager of the Quarter.

Katie is extremely passionate about community management and moderation, and her dedication to healthy digital spaces has made her particularly effective in her current role. Katie’s management of one of our gaming-client projects helps ensure our Mods keep their diverse global audience of passionate players safe when engaging on social media. The project involves customer service, chat moderation, and forum moderation for a brand that’s been around for over two decades.

It’s a lot of knowledge to manage, but I love the challenge. Organization is really my forte, so I can roll with whatever curveballs are thrown my way.

It’s no surprise Katie is such an asset to the gaming client she manages, as she has her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Video Game Art & Design. Prior to joining ModSquad, Katie worked for Sleepy Giant, a development, moderation, and support source for the entertainment industry. There she climbed the ranks from enthusiastic forum moderator and support agent to team lead, and then supervisor. It was through her work at Sleepy Giant, Katie says, that she discovered her love for community moderation.

As a project manager, Katie is responsible for an array of essential tasks, but she finds her most important contribution to be the cohesion of her team. By taking the time to personally interact with each of the Mods on her team, she ensures everyone is happy and unified, and that issues are identified and solved quickly.

Her biggest piece of advice for aspiring project managers? Bring solutions.

Problems will always come up, but the client should see you as the problem solver, rather than the problem bringer. It develops a healthy business relationship and has the added bonus of streamlining resolutions without too much back and forth.

When Katie isn’t uniting her team or solving problems, she keeps busy with a variety of hobbies. In addition to being an avid gamer, Katie loves to cook and bake, especially new and exotic foods. She also participates in Belegarth, a full-contact, medieval combat sport (don’t worry, the weapons are made of foam).

When Katie’s client found out she was selected as Project Manager of the Quarter, they even sent along their own congratulations:

“One word comes to mind when thinking about Katie and her contribution to our project: Awesome! Katie is always on point and we feel very well supported from her and her team’s efforts. Katie is a great communicator and collaborator, which is essential when working with remote teams and online communities. She also has a fun personality that shines through to keep things moving forward in positivity, even when there is oh so much to do. This recognition is well deserved. Huzza!”
—Alex, Senior Producer, Client

Here are just some of the wonderful things Katie’s colleagues have to say about what it’s been like to work with her over the past four years:

“I’ve worked with Katie for four years and have learned so much from her in that time. Her passion for our client’s brand and product is so inspiring, and she has a way of uplifting her teams and bringing fun into every task. Fun as her projects may be, she also runs a tight ship and is uber-supportive in making sure every team member is able to work up to their full potential. I know her support is much appreciated by Mods and clients alike.”
—Geneva Hopwood, Project Manager

“Katie is a fantastic blend of being proactive, attentive to detail, and knowledgeable about both her client’s needs and ModSquad’s processes. She’s a great example of why ModSquad project managers are the backbone of the company.”
—Rich Weil, SVP, Global Operations

“Katie is a champ. She manages one of our largest and most engaged (and awesome) clients. From the moment she joined us, she has been loyal, hardworking, thoughtful, and supportive. Katie has a great relationship with the client and loves the project. She has built a strong team, and always goes above and beyond the call of duty. I cannot express how proud I am of her, and honored to have her as a coworker. Congrats, Katie! You are a fantastic leader!”
—Izzy Neis, Sr. Director of Digital Strategy