When Shay Powers clocked out around midnight after an IT network switch update, he expected the security cameras that had gone offline to come back on their own. By 2 a.m., one hadn’t and it happened to be a sitter camera in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
Powers came back in to fix it. It was a Friday night, which meant the alternative was leaving it down through the weekend.
That instinct — fix it now, before it becomes someone else’s emergency — is a throughline in why Powers, a security systems supervisor in Public Safety Support Services, is October’s Gold ‘U’ Award recipient. His work also will be recognized with a KUDOS Award from the University of Nebraska Board of Regents for “strengthening security and public safety across our educational and clinical spaces.”
Powers oversees physical security camera systems across UNMC — a footprint that includes the two main Omaha campuses, roughly 15 clinics, Bellevue Medical Center, the Village Pointe complex, Kearney Cancer Center and a growing list of sites beyond Omaha. He started at UNMC in September 2020 as a technician and moved into his current supervisory role about a year ago.
Fixing things is a habit that goes back further than his job title. Powers has always been the kind of kid who took things apart just to see how they worked and he still is. When a lightning-struck camera comes down off a roof beyond repair, he said he can’t quite bring himself to toss it straight in the bin. He’ll pull it apart first, just in case there’s something worth saving, then recycle what’s left.
The project he’s proudest of, he said, is one most people outside the department have never heard of: a campuswide push, several years ago, to replace every outdated or malfunctioning camera across the system. “It covered all of campus, Village Pointe, Bellevue, all the clinics,” he said.
What made that possible, he said, is that it’s no longer dozens of separate systems. “Previously, every clinic had its own camera system. You had to drive to the clinic to pull video,” he said. Now, dispatch can pull up any location from one screen — a shift he says he enjoys watching unfold. “Fixing problems for people, by far,” is what he likes best about the job overall.
Colleagues compliment Shay’s listening skills and focus to ensure that everyone’s security system needs are met. “He respectfully assesses the needs of end users and offers solutions that fit their requirements,” his nominator said. “He an integral part of the Public Safety structure.”
What keeps the work from feeling like routine maintenance, for Powers, is the bigger picture his team makes possible: a single, integrated system covering hundreds of cameras across every entity Public Safety serves, rather than a patchwork of standalone setups.
That combination of technical depth and people-first instinct is exactly what colleagues point to when describing him. “Shay brings together something that is not always easy to find: both a tremendous technical knowledge and a genuine commitment to service,” said Chief Charlotte Evans. “He understands that the technology his team manages is ultimately about people and their safety. He listens, he solves problems and he takes ownership of making our systems better.”
Max Rue, a security video specialist on Powers’ team, sees the same qualities. “I have been impressed by his kindness, knowledge and professionalism,” Rue said. “He consistently demonstrates a willingness to go out of his way to help others.”
As for the recognition itself, Powers said he was caught off guard. “Surprised,” he said. “Honored, but surprised.”
Powers will be recognized at the Board of Regents meeting on Oct. 9.