Though it’s not a team of superheroes, the name “Salesforce” sure could sound like one. The Office of Information Technology's Center of Excellence assembled the team to keep the customer relationship management (CRM) services operating smoothly across the UNLV campus.

The leader of this team? Laurie Cantwell, director of the Center of Excellence. In fact, her CRM powers have earned her the 2025 Academic Faculty Award for Leadership Excellence.

“I am inspired to find creative ways to use technology to improve student experience, customer service, and staff productivity and efficiency,” says Cantwell. “Salesforce provides an excellent platform to stretch that creativity and deliver interesting and effective solutions. In addition, the people I work with are incredibly smart, creative, and professional.”

Salesforce is a cloud-based software company that provides CRM services and business applications that assist staff with managing customer interactions, streamlining sales processes, and improving business operations. UNLV’s current user base includes more than 1,000 faculty and staff members, 60 partner users, 200,000 community users, and multiple marketing departments.

That’s a big task for a small team!

Cantwell has held various positions over the past two decades, including assistant director of admissions and director of customer support and information services. Salesforce — for Cantwell — will always remain a serious business and an integral part of her achievements at UNLV.

“I brainstorm with colleagues about the strategic use of Salesforce to improve and enhance business processes. I also spend time thinking about what I can do with the platform to ensure folks are empowered to achieve their goals more effectively while using it,” says Cantwell, who jokes that her family thinks she only resets passwords and sends emails all day.

What’s a contribution you’ve made to the UNLV campus that you find most meaningful?

What stands out more than any achievement is the approach I bring to my work. I lead with thoughtful intention, focusing on understanding problems thoroughly, respectfully identifying inefficiencies, and implementing practical, sustainable solutions. In addition, I encourage my team members to adopt a similar approach and am proud to say we are known for being dependable, solutions-oriented, and student-focused.

Whether it’s enhancing the Rebel Success Hub, streamlining PDF forms into a digital workflow, or building communication journeys, our consistent, thoughtful approach to understanding the problem and delivering a solution has made a lasting impact on campus.

What's your definition of being a Rebel?

I have been a Rebel for nearly 19 years! For me, being a Rebel means I am a part of an amazing, diverse community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni who are committed to excellence, inclusion, innovation, and scholarship. 

How does it feel to earn an award for Administrative Faculty of the Year? 

I am so honored and humbled by the award. Having been at UNLV for nearly all my career, it is nice to be recognized for my contributions to the university. But more importantly, I am deeply honored to be nominated by so many of my team members and colleagues.

One of the things that I value most professionally are the people I work with, so to be recognized by them for exemplary leadership is such an honor. There are few words that can really describe how this particular award feels!

What's something that people don't know about you? 

Oh, I am a pretty open book!

When I attend meetings, people can see my background full of all my geeky obsessions. I like to talk to colleagues about weekend adventures and vacations. I guess one thing some people may not know is that I am allergic to tomatoes, which is very sad because I love Mediterranean food!

A memorable moment from your time here?

It's the connections and friendships I have developed with my colleagues over the years. I have countless fond memories of the time spent together, whether it’s working on a tough project and just being there for each other during “crunch time” or taking the opportunity to grab a meal together and learning more about them as people. 

Best advice you've received?

My dad lives by a few mantras — one is to prioritize experiences over things and the other is to try new things especially when you think you will be bad at it.

I think both statements provide a great framework for how I approach projects at work. We, as a team, work to develop solutions that improve the experience for both the students and the staff who support those students. So prioritization of experience really guides designing solutions and developing processes that are efficient and student-centered. 

Personally, I challenge myself to step outside my comfort zone and take on tasks that feel difficult or unfamiliar. Change is hard, no matter what, so when I am “in it” I have to remind myself to keep going even when I get worried the outcome might be bad or I won’t be successful. More often than not, persistence leads to success. And even when it doesn’t, there’s always a valuable lesson to take away.

Turns out, my dad was onto something with those two mantras.

What are some of your favorite hobbies?

I love riding and racing my mountain bike, building Lego, drawing and painting watercolor, and most of all spending time adventuring outdoors with my husband, son, and our dog, Porg.

How do you stay motivated? 

Challenging questions, tough problems, inefficient processes that need some help improving, and working with great people. It is these things combined that keep me so excited to come to work every week. I love when I can work with the team to solve a tough problem and deliver a solution that improves efficiency for a business unit and in turn helps improve service to students. When that happens, it is a good week!

What are some favorite things about Las Vegas?

I LOVE the access to the outdoors and the small communities of people who love getting out, whether it was to ride bikes or go rock climbing. Las Vegas has so much to offer, not just the things that people expect like great food and entertainment, but the vast diversity of natural adventures you can have in Vegas are incredible.

Can we hear some of your future plans or goals?

I see myself being a Rebel for the long run. With that said, I would love to see Salesforce become the enterprise CRM that supports all folks providing service to students across campus. I have seen the benefits Salesforce can provide to students and staff support those students. 

When a staff member can pull up a full view of a student's engagement, whether they are visiting Cashiering & Student Accounts or meeting with their academic advisor, ultimately leads to better service and less run around. I am excited to see that full view expand to more and more units.

The less effort a student needs to put in — to chase down help or retell their story to give context to their question every office they visit — the more energy and focus they can dedicate to their studies and achieving academic success.