The most rewarding part of transitioning from a career in higher education to one in Software Asset Management is where those areas overlap. Using decades of studying language and text to interpret EULAs, Terms of Service, and contracts, coupled with strong Google Fu and other research skills honed over those same years to determine Effective License Position (ELP) is exactly the kind of problem-solving where I thrive. I developed those skills in roles including: -ITAM Process Owner I/II/III at University of Kansas Health System: As SAM team lead, supported over 1,000 software titles from desktop to datacenter. Realized over $2 million in cost avoidance in Microsoft licensing and support during annual true up and EA/SCE renewal. Positive outcomes from multiple vendor license audits. -Assistant/Associate/Full Professor, DeVry University: Developed and delivered over 270 sections of courses ranging from Adult Basic Education to Undergraduate Capstone Humanities, in classroom, blended, and online learning environments. Managed Writing Assessment Program, including policies, processes, and procedures; assessment records; and training for assessment portals. -Business English Trainer, goFLUENT: 1:1 business English lessons for non-native speakers around the world, by phone and Skype. Client employers included Coca-Cola, IKEA, BNP Paribas Fortisbank, and Capgemini. Client locations included France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland.-Graduate Teaching Assistant, Auburn University: Delivered courses in first-year composition while also tutoring students in the university’s Writing Center. SAM SUCCESS AND MATURITYI believe there are 3 key elements of a strong SAM program, and each represents progressing levels of SAM maturity: compliance/risk management, efficiency/cost savings, and strategic partnership. While there is no such thing as 100% license compliance across the board, working together with governance and IT Security helps mitigate regulatory noncompliance and other risks. Optimizing entitlements through reclaiming unused licenses, a understanding of actual use, and negotiating from a position of strength for new and renewal agreements controls cost.Strategic partnerships develop when strong executive sponsorship meets success in risk management, compliance, and cost optimization, putting SAM and other key areas of IT in larger organizational discussions from the start. If your organization has reached this level of maturity, I’d love to see how that works.