“I do it just to help give back to the sport and give back to the profession.”
Staff Highlight: Carl W. Rand
As a life-long scuba diver, the underwater world of the sea is kind of a second home for Carl Rand, MBA, who works as our business analyst and staff project manager at Extension, as well as an instructor in the Project and Program Management program.
Above sea level he is wrangling data, supporting the instructor community, and helping us make sense of new ways to collaborate and reach our greater goals, but he is never too far from sea.
A marine biology major in college, much of Carl’s spare time is spent volunteering at the Pacific Grove Hyperbaric Chamber and the Monterey Bay Aquarium—two nonprofit organizations that serve the people and wildlife of the Monterey Bay sanctuary.
“I do it just to help give back to the sport and give back to the profession,” says Carl who has been on call to help local divers in emergency situations for about seven years.
Tending the Recompression Chamber
As a volunteer crew member at the Pacific Grove Hyperbaric Chamber, Carl is trained to treat diving accidents and some medical cases, such as carbon monoxide poisoning. He may work as an operator to handle the control panel, a recorder to preserve the event, or a tender who enters inside the chamber to assist a patient through long hours of recompression treatment.
Sharing the Monterey Bay
His second volunteer job is to serve as a weekend guide to some of the two million visitors that pass through the Monterey Bay Aquarium each year. A former marine biology teacher, Carl gets to share his love of the ocean. He narrates the kelp forest feeding, conducts behind-the-scenes tours, mentors new volunteer guides, and helps people understand and appreciate the beauty and complexity of marine life in Monterey Bay.
Navigating the Ship
The sea even comes up in his teaching. At the beginning of every course he asks students how they see the job of a project manager. What is a good metaphor for it? Students often mention the orchestra conductor, the sports team coach, or being a parent.
“For me, being a project manager is like being the navigator on a ship,” he says. “You are there to help provide direction. You know the starting point and the ultimate destination and you are serving the captain, the crew and the passengers on the vessel.”
Caption: The above photo features Carl W. Rand sneaking up on a lingcod near Point Lobos.