Travis Elkins
Get to know Travis Elkins! This Buckeye for Life started out as a student employee and later landed a full-time gig within OTDI. Travis provides top-tier service to the students, faculty and staff at Ohio State’s Marion Campus as a Desktop and Educational Support Specialist. Travis’ skills don’t stop there – he is currently working to frame/wire/drywall the basement of his family’s new-build home. Outside of work, you can catch Travis enjoying the great outdoors with his wife, two kiddos and dog.
Q: What is your role at the university? My role is Desktop and Educational Support Specialist, providing local support to students, faculty and staff on the Marion Campus. I also help manage classrooms, conference rooms and other projects on campus.
Q: How long have you worked at Ohio State? I have worked at OSU for 13 years, and have been a part of OTDI for 10.
Q: Have you worked on any large projects since you’ve been here? For me, the most notable projects I have been involved with would be the transition of regional campuses to MITS services. These were “all hands on deck” type projects, and required time and coordination from many (if not all) teams within OTDI. I was always on-site, working directly with customers and our teams to try and ensure as smooth a transition as possible. I helped with the roll-ons for Mansfield, Lima and Marion.
Q: What do you like best about your job? I like the people I work with and the flexibility. I also like some of the projects I get to work on and the sense of accomplishment that comes with that.
Q. How did your career path bring you to work for us? I started out as a student worker for the IT Department here at OSU Marion, which then turned into a temporary position after I graduated. I was then hired by OTDI and worked in Mansfield, Lima and ended up back in Marion.
Q: What was your very first job? My first job was bailing hay and helping as a farm hand.
Q: Where did you go to college? The Ohio State University
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? I would probably go to Italy or Greece. I took some architecture and classics courses in college, and I would love to see some of that history in person.
Q: Can you tell us about your family? My wife Jade is a police officer (here at OSU Marion). We have two boys, Dawson (6) and Canyon (4), and a dog, Lincoln. Dawson is in kindergarten and is playing t-ball this spring. Canyon is a huge fan of Batman and will start preschool in the fall.
Q. What do you do for fun outside of work? Do you have any hobbies? I enjoy spending time with Jade and the kids or working on projects around the house. We love the outdoors and like to play in the yard or take walks in the woods.
We built a house a few years ago, and there is no shortage of stuff to do. Currently, I’m in the middle of finishing part of my basement. Framing is pretty much done, and I will be running electric and hanging drywall next.
I also enjoy playing soccer. Doesn’t happen very often, but I have a lot of fun playing pick-up games with friends at one of the local high schools.
Q: Favorite place to eat in Columbus? I don’t eat in Columbus all that often, but my favorite place to eat in Marion would probably be El Campesino.
Q: Best concert you’ve ever been to? Can’t really say that there is one that sticks out to me. Chris Stapleton was fantastic live. I have also seen Blink 182 probably 4-5 times…one of my personal favorites.
Q: It’s 9 p.m. on a Saturday. What are you doing? Making sure there aren’t Oreos still stuck on my kids’ teeth before they go to bed. Haha.
Playing board games, watching a movie, having a bonfire or playing video games with my brother.