Alen Plicanic

Systems Administration Manager

Alen Plicanic is MentorNet's systems administration manager. He's responsible for the organization's information technology infrastructure—keeping the servers and personal computers and the software that runs them operating smoothly, and ever-improving their efficiency. Alen also provides technical support for MentorNet staff.

Born in Bosnia, Alen and his family moved to Croatia in the early 1990s to escape wartime ethnic cleansing. In Croatia, he finished high school and began college. In 1995, the family moved to the U.S., and since then Alen has worked full-time to help support them while continuing his education. He earned an associate's degree in computer science from DeAnza College in 2000 and a bachelor's degree from San Jose State University in computer science in 2006. Alen's professional experience includes systems administration work for Scintag, Inc. and T1IO Network, both in Cupertino, California, and Casto Travel, in Santa Clara, California. Alen joined MentorNet in February 2002.

"I was raised in a traditional culture by a single mother, so I understand some of the gender biases that women experience. And my studies and jobs in computer science have shown me some of the issues that women in this particular field face," Alen says. "When I learned that MentorNet was looking for a systems administrator, I thought, 'Here's a chance to work for an organization whose mission I support and am interested in.' It's proved to be a good fit."

Contact Alen by email at: alenp@mentornet.net