7 a.m.

A typical day starts with a stack of paperwork -- purchase requests, project documentation, expense reports and the like. And with an IT staff of 145 and 28 divisions across the country to support, there's plenty of it.

Today, however, the paperwork will have to wait. Butcher is informed that there's a virus outbreak to contend with. "The first thing we do is pull everyone together," she says. The IT staff goes over the damage and possible corrective measures. Generally, there's at least one fire to put out every week, Butcher notes.

9 a.m.

The rest of the morning is devoted to meetings. Butcher says that about 50 percent of the meetings she attends are related to day-to-day operations and project management issues. "Looking at the bigger picture is the hardest thing," she says.