Ask an Expert – Sulo Turner

Interviewer: What is your name?  

Marble: Sulo Turner 

Interviewer: What is your position at Six Red Marbles? 

Marble: I am a Lead Project Manager. 

Interviewer: What does that position entail? 

Marble: I oversee the smooth running of many types of projects. This means scoping them, helping to keep them on budget and stay within their agreed-upon timelines, and applying tools and techniques to track them and see them through to their successful completion. I also build strong relationships with clients, acting as their main point of contact. And as a lead project manager, I mentor other project managers at SRM.   

Interviewer: How did you become a part of Six Red Marbles? 

Marble: I reached out to SRM in a cold email a few years back and was amazed to get a response within a matter of hours. My previous position in the education space was a hybrid of the instructional design and project manager roles. Wearing both hats was understandably overwhelming. Once hired at SRM, I was excited to place all my focus on the project management role, which I’ve found extremely rewarding. And I’ve also found my ID background comes in handy when collaborating with SRM’s amazing LXD( learning experience design) team on projects.   

Interviewer: What is the best part of your job? 

Marble: I am a connector, so I greatly value working with my SRM colleagues. I’m continually impressed by their talent, innovation, and hard work. SRM’s “one team” culture encourages us to value each other’s skills and to regularly learn from each other in positive ways. Plus, I love working with such amazing clients. 

Interviewer: What do you wish people knew about your work at Six Red Marbles? 

Marble: It surprises some people when I say that project management is a creative field, but it is. I am not just crunching numbers, monitoring project workflows/timelines, and scheduling meetings. Sure, I rely on lots of tools and techniques to see projects through, but plenty of soft skills come in handy too. I’m setting the tone for successful collaborations with clients, ensuring they feel well-supported and heard. And I’m creating an informative and supportive environment for SRM project teams, taking the time to truly know my colleagues. 

Interviewer: What is a trend you see happening in the education space that you’re excited about?  

Marble: Everyone is talking about AI, and I’ve watched a shift in the last two years from cautious interest to curiosity and outright adoption. At SRM, we’ve fully embraced AI, deploying it to assist in many project deliverables for clients who are open to AI. I’m also seeing my peers at SRM using AI for all sorts of internal purposes: setting employee SMART goals, evaluating accessibility of websites, creating trainings, and drafting engaging social media content, to name a few. 

Interviewer: What is one interesting fact about yourself that you’d like to share? 

Marble: I am a rainbird. My family and I live in the Pacific NW in the spring and summer, then we migrate south to Tucson, AZ for fall and winter. It’s our third year, and we’re getting in the groove. I’ve always wanted to enjoy the best of both climates, effectively chasing the sun. My fully remote role as a lead project manager at SRM makes this dream achievable.