To some people, the connection between Tiana Wales’ early career working in hospitality in Colorado mountain towns and her current job working in Thompson School District’s Innovative Technology Services (ITS) may not seem obvious.
But for Tiana, who has served as a Student Information Systems Specialist in TSD for the past year (after starting on the state reporting team), working with student data has been a return to her customer service roots. Tiana is one member of the four-person team that works directly with Infinite Campus (IC), the software system that TSD uses to store and manage data for its over 14,000 students.
“I get to talk with every single facet of our district and community,” Tiana says. “I talk to parents who can’t get into their accounts, counselors who need scheduling help, bus drivers who need a written report, other IT people who need to connect with IC for the data. I love helping people, so feeling of use helps to bring pride into my work.”
Tiana Wales started work with TSD in 2023 after her family relocated to Loveland from Summit County in 2022. She grew up in Breckenridge, CO, and was raised around the property management and hospitality field, which was where she started her career.
However, after moving out of the mountains, Tiana realized that hospitality in Loveland was not the same as in the more tourist-centered mountain towns. She began looking for a job in the school district so she could connect with the schools where her children would go to school in the future. Combining her love of customer service with her passion for numbers and math, she quickly found a home in the technology department.
“While I don’t directly educate the children, I am the connection point for parents and teachers,” she says. “I feel like I am supporting the people who are actually doing the educating. We help the students’ journeys every step of the way. Proper data helps prove what they’ve done.”
Tiana Wales Brings a Human Touch to Technology
Tiana spends the majority of her workday at the Administration Building, providing virtual support to staff in school buildings and doing maintenance and routine tasks in the data system. She says the team is already working on building out the 2026-27 school year.
“It can be challenging to be thinking that far ahead,” Tiana says. “Sometimes we are working in three different school years: doing reporting for last year, active in the current year, and setting up next year. It’s very interesting; I thrive on variety like that.”
Tiana also enjoys bringing some human connection into the technology department — something that TSD’s Chief Technology Officer, Kelly Sain, says is one of Tiana’s greatest strengths.
“Tiana’s commitment to clarity and care transforms routine support into exceptional experiences — one conversation at a time,” Kelly says. “Where others see challenges, she sees opportunities to connect. Her kindness, innovation, and empathy shine through in every solution she creates.”
Marv Carmack, Director of Infrastructure for ITS, agrees, and says that Tiana is a positive influence for the data team.
“Tiana leads with creativity, skill, and heart, inspiring others through her kindness, innovation, and genuine care,” Marv says.
And for Tiana, that might be the most important part.
“I love that I’m still a human in a technology department,” she says. “It is a resource that’s not embraced as much as I feel like it should be. To still be a human in the tech world, I take great pride in that because of my customer service background. As my children start their own educational journeys, I am more passionate about that than ever.”
