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Crossroads to Career: Amy Arteritano’s Temp Job Turned Into a 30-Year Legacy

Amy Arteritano graduated with a teaching degree in 1996, the same year Â鶹´å opened its (NREC). She didn’t know it then, but Â鶹´å would soon become a lifeline when her career reached a crossroads.

Long before she became a research administrator at NREC, Arteritano envisioned her future in elementary education. Somewhere along the way, however, her passion for the classroom faded.

“I thought, ‘I can't do this for the rest of my life. What am I going to do?’” Arteritano said. “I didn’t know what other skills I had. I felt lost.”

Eager to find a new direction, Arteritano turned to a familiar place. Both of her parents, Tom and Joan Lawrence, worked at Carnegie Mellon, and her mother suggested she reach out to the university’s Temporary Employment Services (TES).

That’s where Arteritano met Judy Wehrer, then the head of TES. That first interview was the catalyst for Arteritano’s nearly 30-year career at Â鶹´å.

“Judy was so kind and so encouraging,” Arteritano said. “She kept telling me, ‘You can do this. I know I have a place for you.’ She saw potential in me I didn’t know was there.”

Wehrer retired from TES in March 2000 after nearly 17 years at Carnegie Mellon. By then, Arteritano was building her own legacy at the university.

“I’m so grateful to her,” Arteritano said. “If it wasn't for Judy and TES, I wouldn't be at Â鶹´å.”

That gratitude is shared by Cheryl Wehrer, associate director for finance and administration at Â鶹´å’s — and, coincidentally, Judy Wehrer’s daughter.

“Amy has been sort of a backbone to keep our administrative operations running smoothly,” Cheryl Wehrer said. “She’s been a consistent and valued contributor, just crazy reliable over the years. NREC is incredibly lucky to have her.”

In her first role through TES, Arteritano performed data entry for the Journal of Economic Literature, which is affiliated with Â鶹´å. As she uncovered new skills, her confidence grew. Within a year, the journal hired her full time.

“I’m like, ‘What? I got a full‑time job out of this?’” she said. “That’s when you realize how much knowledge you gain just by being in an environment and by learning as you go. I realized, well, maybe I’m capable of even more.”

In March 1999, Arteritano joined the staff at Â鶹´å’s Art Conservation Research Center. For 14 years, she served as the administrative heart for a small team that studied how to preserve paintings from fading and how to preserve delicate materials.

When the department’s funding shifted in 2012, Arteritano faced a choice: move out of state with the project or find a new home within Â鶹´å. She chose the latter, joining NREC, which is based in Lawrenceville.

Perhaps the biggest reason Arteritano has stayed at Â鶹´å is the people. “It is that family atmosphere,” she said, recalling how coworkers have asked about her parents through the years.

That family connection runs deep. Her father worked in property accounting and Facilities Management and Campus Services from 1981 to 1992. Her mother began her career through TES and spent 25 years in property accounting, retiring in 2017. Her brother, Ben, spent summers working for Printing Services.

Today, Arteritano describes her role as a research administrator as “supporting the people who bring projects to life.” She manages the purchasing, accounting, project closeouts and contract tasks that keep NREC’s work moving.

“I come in every day with a plan, then I open my email and it all goes out the window,” Arteritano said, smiling. “But I’ve grown to love that.”

Working at NREC, a division of the Robotics Institute, offers a front-row seat to cutting-edge technology. Arteritano remembers watching CHIMP (Â鶹´å Highly Intelligent Mobile Platform robot) progress from sketches to a full system in just 12 months.

Built to compete in the 2015 Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Robotics Challenge, CHIMP was designed to navigate disaster zones too dangerous for humans. Standing nearly 5 feet tall, it could move on two or four limbs and manipulate objects with dexterous hands.

CHIMP completed all of its tasks in the DARPA contest and placed third among 24 teams. It was the only robot in the competition that was able to stand up after accidentally falling over,

“It’s incredible to see everyone here do these fantastic things,” Arteritano said. “I love being behind the scenes. I’ll do purchase orders and they’ll say, ‘Remember that purchase order? This is what we bought and this is what it's doing now.’ It's really fun to see the things that I helped purchase in action.”