The thriving Illinois community is made up of members of all kinds—students, faculty, staff, volunteers, affiliates, alumni—and many Tech Services staff have long been part of many of these groups. While working full-time for Tech Services, many staff have also served as adjunct faculty and instructors on campus.
Specifically, four of our staff have talked about how working full-time at Tech Services while teaching has helped shape their sense of the Illinois community and have benefitted both roles. Read about Michael Curtin. Read about Ashley Hetrick.
Today, we share about Geet Verma, senior cloud infrastructure engineer with the Cloud Enablement team and fitness instructor at the Activities and Recreation Center.
Geet Verma has been sharing her love for fitness as an instructor in private gyms ever since she moved to Champaign. So when she was asked to join the Activities and Recreation Center as an instructor a few years ago, she was ready to take it to the next level.
“I have been teaching at the ARC for the last five years and love the participants’ energy and passion. When I am tired after a long day of work and walk in a room of 30-35 participants, it brings out my energy,” Verma said.
Verma says teaching these classes enables her to keep her body active given she works full-time at her desk. Verma works at Tech Services as a senior cloud infrastructure engineer with the Cloud Enablement team. In her role, she plays a vital part in shaping the technological foundation that supports research, innovation and collaboration at Illinois, and is one of the key architects behind the university’s cloud strategy.
Her work is both complex and consequential. From provisioning secure cloud environments to managing accounts and consulting with researchers, Verma ensures that the university’s data infrastructure is not only functional but forward-thinking.
“We’re helping researchers and departments make smart, scalable decisions about where and how to store their data,” Verma explains. “It’s about more than just technology—it’s about enabling discovery.”
As the campus service manager for Google Cloud, she also serves as a trusted advisor to faculty and staff, guiding them through the nuances of cloud platforms and helping them align their digital needs with institutional goals.
Working on the cloud services at her desk allows her to connect with one aspect of the university, and teaching fitness classes gives her a whole different way to connect. For the past five years, she has led classes in Barre, Les Mills Shapes and Zumba, bringing energy, inclusivity and joy to students, faculty and staff alike.
“Overall, teaching is a vital part that helps me feel connected and valued in the Illinois campus community. It helps me form meaningful relationships with participants, who range from students to colleagues to faculty. It’s a way to connect with people across campus in a completely different, more personal way,” Verma says.
Verma talked about how her role as a fitness instructor and as a cloud infrastructure engineer relate to one another.
“Both roles are about building something—whether it’s a cloud infrastructure that supports research or a community that supports wellness,” Verma reflects. “They complement each other in ways I never expected.”
When not working as a cloud infrastructure engineer or group fitness instructor, Verma also engages with campus through Women in Technology through mentor-mentee relationships and visits area high schools for career counseling. She also stays connected to campus as an alumni of Emerging Women Leaders.