Mary Cates, Jim Cates, BA ’67, and William Robinson, BSEd ’61, Hon. D. ’05, H of F ’05, at a San Francisco Area Alumni Event.
“Every quarter I got better and better. I eventually graduated cum laude.”
Welcome to the tech world After graduating from Ohio Northern, Cates earned a master’s degree in computer and information science from Ohio State University before beginning a long career with IBM. “I managed worldwide languages, databases, artificial intelligence, etc. I did a lot of research and development and worked my way up to corporate director at IBM,” he says. Cates left IBM after 21 years, taking executive leadership, WW IT deployment and corporate VP management positions with a number of companies in California’s Silicon Valley, including Altera, Brocade, Information Technology Solutions (now Keane Consulting), Synopsys and Silicon Graphics. “I became a specialist at working at a company for three to four years, taking on the task of transforming the entire company – people, business processes and technology. I rolled out worldwide business integration systems, what you call ERPS (enterprise resource planning systems).”
CIO Scholarship Foundation Along the way, Cates co-authored two books, CIO Wisdom and Climbing the Ladder of Business Intelligence. He convinced his fellow authors to devote the books’ royalties to a scholarship fund, and, just like that, the CIO Scholarship Foundation was born. He’s been president of the group since 2003. To continue funding this foundation, Cates developed his “rent-a-CIO” model, in which companies donate $5,000 to the scholarship fund in exchange for two hours of consultation with three volunteer CIOs. During these two-hour sessions, the CIOs evaluate new opportunities and technologies for the donating companies. To date, the CIO Scholarship Foundation has distributed more than $160,000 in scholarships. The Foundation is involved with four universities and a community college district (San Jose State
University, Clarion University, Ohio State University, UC Berkeley and Foothill-De Anza Community College District) and another charitable organization: the Glow Foundation.
Glow Foundation In 2006, two Stanford University graduate students approached Cates, seeking his involvement with the Glow Foundation, a nonprofit organization that addresses the financial barriers facing high-potential, lowincome students as they attempt to enroll in college. The Glow Foundation does more than give out scholarships to deserving students. It educates and explains basic financial principles. Participating students work with mentors to learn about budgets, how set up bank accounts and where to apply for scholarships. The students must then put together a college budget that details what schools they would like to attend, how much it costs and how they plan to pay for it. Glow mentors and board members then examine the students’ progress, analyze the submitted budgets and distribute scholarships that fill in the gaps. Glow partners with Wells Fargo and Silicon Valley Bank and their volunteering employees to effectively deliver this student mentoring and financial training. Cates played a large part in funding Glow during its first year. He serves as a chairman of its board, and several other board member mentors have come from his network of colleagues. “2010 will be a difficult year for Glow funding due to the economic challenges all organizations are facing,” he says. To date, Glow Foundation has provided financial education to approximately 580 students and college scholarships to 79 students. “Just like me, it’s the first time they’ve had anyone actually tell them about a world outside of where they live,” says Cates. “They’re in really dangerous areas, and it’s a tough life for them. Just like mine was for me.”
“I’ve helped kids all my life since I left ONU,” he continues. “It’s just a passion inside of me, because I know what would have happened had someone not helped me.”
The importance of giving back While Cates readily acknowledges the impact his Northern education and experiences have had on his life, to this day he still has no idea about the identity of those four mysterious businessmen. “The deal was I never try to find out. I honored that. So no, I don’t know who they were,” he says. He can, on the other hand, cite a handful of people who made his educational journey possible: his mother and father, Harold Eibling, Bill Robinson, Frank Bringle McIntosh (president of the University from 1949-66). “There were a lot of people who helped me as I tried to move into a world that I had never seen before,” he says. “These people helped me get the courage to make the jump to a higher standard of living, and I have traveled the world. But more than that, this adventure helped me define a magnificent purpose for my life: mentoring and helping youth, the guardians of the nation’s future.” Because of his life experiences, Cates understands how important it is to repay the kindness afforded to him by others. He urges other graduates to do the same. “Once you get your degree, don’t forget to give back. Especially if you’re like me, where somebody helps you turn your life around. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a requirement for you to give back and help at least one more person.” And that’s just what Jim Cates has done, several times over. To learn more about the Glow Foundation, visit www.glowfoundation.org
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