Figuring out what makes things tick is a passion for John Poindexter.

“I’m good at problem-solving when faced with a dilemma. Once you know how something works, it is easy to figure out how to make it better,” says Mr. Poindexter, who works as a Software Systems Supervisor in the Charles and Jane Pak Center for Mineral Metabolism and Clinical Research.

Anyone who has ever experienced software issues would be happy to have him on their team – not just for his skills, but also for his positive attitude and willingness to help.

“The leaders of the Center energize me. I have always worked for someone who is not only the smartest person in the room, but also the hardest worker. Consequently, it inspired me to do the same,” Mr. Poindexter says.

He shared a fun memory from the early years of his career at UT Southwestern: “The people I worked with in the laboratory at the time would go to happy hour on Fridays. One Friday, we were holding the elevator, waiting for our supervisor,” he recalls. “When I looked down one of those long hallways, I saw her leaving the lab. Jokingly, I told her to RUN! Unfortunately, I did not realize there was another woman halfway down the hall, who began jogging toward the elevator. I was so embarrassed that I immediately hid behind my friends in the back of the elevator.”

While Mr. Poindexter considers his work colleagues as family, he also built his own family with his wife, Dana. “I don’t know what Dana and I did, but whatever it was, we did it right because we have two great kids,” he says proudly.

Now that retirement is nearing, his priorities are family, friends, golf, and fishing. “If I can become somewhat of an expert at fishing, I know what I’ll be doing in retirement,” he says.