The Workday Support Team Welcomes Donna Cruzado

Donna at one of her favorite places:
the beach.

When it comes to Workday, Donna Cruzado knows her stuff. For the last six years, she has worked for the Nevada System of Higher Education, supporting all Nevada colleges and universities in Workday (that’s nine different institutions!). As a newly minted Workday Architect on the UVAFinance Workday Support Team, she brings those years of experience plus her many Workday credentials to UVA.

Cruzado double-majored in Applied Mathematics and Secondary Education, then went on to earn a Masters in Higher Education Administration. The road that ultimately took her to a career specialization in Workday started with her position as a buyer in the University of Nevada’s procurement department. When the Nevada System of Higher Education switched to Workday, she was assigned to the project to represent procurement . . . and the rest is history!

Cruzado was drawn to UVA because the role seemed to be just what she needed in her career: a change of pace, still in the higher ed realm, within her field of expertise, but in a completely different setting.

“When I interviewed for this position, one of the things that reinforced my desire to come here was that Sue Clements, who leads the team, has over 30 years with UVA and she has the same sort of background as me, having worked my way up from an entry-level buyer in procurement to a financial analyst,” Cruzado says.

“It was difficult to decide to leave the team in Nevada because I was happy with them, but seeing the good team here at UVA convinced me to make the change.”

Donna and family 

 As she settles into her new role, Cruzado says she’s enjoying meeting her UVAFinance colleagues and delving into how Workday is set up at UVA so she can contribute as much as she can as soon as she can. She says that due to Workday’s unified approach, it’s fairly easy for professionals like her to go between systems without the configuration differences getting too confusing.

Cruzado will work remotely, and she looks forward to visiting Grounds this spring, especially since she has family in Virginia Beach. When she’s not working, family activities take up most of her time, as she and her husband have three children between the ages of six and 25. They especially enjoy trips to the beaches in California.