2017 Women of Color | SPRING - VOL. 16 NO. 1

HONORING TRAILBLAZING WOMEN IN LABOR AND BUSINESS

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FOR TODAY’S CAREER WOMEN IN BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY VOLUME 16 NUMBER 1 SPRING 2017

CONTENTS FEATURES

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COVER STORY

DEPARTMENTS 06| People and Events Women on the Move

One on One with

Tandreia Bellamy Vice President Industrial Engineering at UPS Global Logistics & Distribution

10| One on One UPS Executive Learned Early to Make the Most of Every Opportunity

12| Education Students Doing Great Things in STEM

14| First Steps How to Land Your Dream Internship (and Job)

16| Corporate Life Life in the Zone: Women, Work, Life, and Flow

18| Career Voices Successful women share their early career mistakes and lessons learned

20| #STEMISAGIRLTHING Bring your passion to work in STEM.

26| PLAYING AGAINST A STACKED DECK Meet women who are competing and showing the world how to fight for the winner’s circle.

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31| Career Outlook ¾ Survey Results!

Most Admired Employers Organizations that Get It

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EDITORIAL PAGE National Women’s History Month 2017 Theme:

“Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business” t was a pleasure to see Nina Vaca among this year’s group of honorees for National Women’s History Month. The 2017 theme for Women’s History Month honors women who have challenged the role of women in business and the labor force. A decade ago, when she was featured in Women of Color magazine’s premier spring issue, Vaca spoke about how she managed risk as Pinnacle Group founder, chair, and CEO. “Risk is ever present and occurs in all aspects of the business,” she said. “The real risk would be not managing it.”

She also said taking responsibility for managing risk requires cooperation. “Someone has to take ownership and accountability of the risk issues,” she noted, but the execution always requires full team participation, combined with an appreciation of why it’s important.

In 2001 Vaca took full control of Pinnacle and re-engineered its offerings in response to the changing landscape post-9/11 and then again in 2007 when she saw an opportunity to enter the managed services sector with a $100 million program. In 2009 Vaca diversified Pinnacle’s

business in response by offering more services.

Two years later, Pinnacle acquired Provade, Inc., which offers vendor management software (VMS) that enables clients to manage their contingent workforce spend. Later Pinnacle added payrolling to its portfolio. In the 10th annual spring edition of Women of Color magazine, you will meet other trailblazing women in service businesses, merchandising, and manufacturing. Some are making bold decisions in corporations, lead fast-growing companies, serve as board directors, empower women to follow in their footsteps, advocate to advance girls and women in STEM fields, and pave the way for generations of women business leaders to follow. According to the Census Bureau, women comprise 48 percent of the U.S. workforce but just 24 percent of STEM workers. About 29 percent of America’s business owners are women—that’s up from 26 percent in 1997.

Nina Vaca Founder, Chair, and CEO Pinnacle Group

Tyrone D. Taborn Publisher and Editorial Director

Career Communications Group’s

For Today’s Career Women in Business and Technology EXECUTIVE OFFICE Tyrone D. Taborn, CEO and Chief Content Officer Jean Hamilton, President and CFO

EDITORIAL Rayondon Kennedy, Managing Editor Lango Deen, Technology Editor Michael Fletcher, Contributing Editor Gale Horton Gay, Contributing Editor Garland L. Thompson, Contributing Editor Roger Witherspoon, Contributing Editor

Monica E. Emerson, Women of Color STEM Conference National Chair Matt Bowman, Veterans Affairs Angela Wheeler, Manager, Foundation for Educational Development, Inc. Courtney Taborn, Talent Management Specialist Ty Taborn, Corporate Development Hayward Henderson, Executive Advisor to the CEO

SALES AND MARKETING

Sherley Taliaferro, Art Director Bryan Davis, Marketing and Content Manager Joe Weaver, Global Design Interactive

Alex Venetta, Associate Publisher, Manager of Partner Services Gwendolyn Bethea, Vice President, Corporate Development Devin Oten, Senior Account Manager Sheri Hewson, Account Executive

CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT

ADMINISTRATION

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Eric Price, Vice President, Recruitment and Training Kerry Buffington, Detroit Business Development Manager Rod Carter, Recruitment Specialist, College Relations Ashley Turner, Recruitment Specialist Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd, CCG Alumni Committee Chair and President Dr. Eugene DeLoatch, Chairman, BEYA Alumni Group Vice Admiral Walter J. Davis, USN (Ret) National Chair, BEYA Military Alumni Oliver “Bo” Leslie, Retired Program Manager, Historically Black Colleges and Universities/ Minority Institutions, Boeing

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Women of Color (ISSN 1937-0555) is a publication for today’s career women in business and technology.

Women of Color magazine invites letters to the editor about any topics important to our readership. Article queries and letters should be sent to: CCG – Women of Color magazine, Editorial Department, 729 E. Pratt St., Suite 504, Baltimore, MD 21202. No manuscript will be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Women of Color magazine cannot be responsible for unsolicited art or editorial material. Subscriptions are $13/year. Please write to: CCG – Women of Color magazine, Subscriptions, 729 E. Pratt St., Suite 504, Baltimore, MD 21202. Copyright © 2017 by Career Communications Group Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

Hawi Sorsu, Administrative Support

CONFERENCE AND EVENTS Ana Bertrand, Conference Coordinator Sheila Richburg, College Coordinator Toni Robinson, 360 MMG Rutherford & Associate

ADVERTISING SALES OFFICE Career Communications Group, Inc. 729 E. Pratt Street, Suite 504 Baltimore, MD 21202 Phone: (410) 244-7101 / Fax: (410) 752-1834

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PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Women on the Move ALICIA BOLER-DAVIS General Motors executive Alicia Boler-Davis, vice president of global manufacturing, has joined the board of directors at General Mills. Davis will be responsible for advising the food giant on its global operations, said General Mills CEO Ken Powell.

“Alicia brings a strong technical background in manufacturing, engineering, and quality,” Powell said. Davis is currently responsible for 180,000 employees in 30 countries for General Motors and serves on the GM Executive Leadership Team and GM Korea’s board of directors. Davis is the 2014 Women of Color Technologist of the Year.

SUSAN S. LAWRENCE Booz Allen senior vice president Susan S. Lawrence received the prestigious Digital Trailblazer award at the 18th Annual Women of Excellence Awards in December 2016. The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) hosts the yearly awards breakfast to honor “the achievements of outstanding women committed to ensuring the success of women and girls in their workplaces, communities, and/ or around the globe.” Lawrence was recognized for “her exceptional support of veterans’ and women’s agendas, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) outreach to students and young professionals.” Before joining Booz Allen, Lawrence was a senior military officer in the U.S. Army who became the first female chief information officer and the fourth woman lieutenant general in the branch’s history. She appeared on the cover of Women of Color magazine in Spring 2013.

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RENU THOMAS Renu Thomas was promoted to executive VP of media operations, engineering and IT at the Disney|ABC Television Group. In the new role, Thomas is one of the most prominent female technologists among TV programmers and broadcasters.

In the spring of 2015, she made the cover of Women of Color magazine in her role as senior VP, technology and operations. Her new duties include working closely with members of the programmer’s senior leadership team to “ensure strategic alignment of the Group’s investments, initiatives, and business growth objectives, including global expansion, organic growth into new markets, and new product/ service development/deployment,” the company noted.

Retirements DR. CHINATSU AONE SRA Vice President and Director, Text and Entity Analytics, Dr. Chinatsu Aone has retired. The 2001 Women of Color magazine Technologist of the Year led award-winning projects at SRA International, Inc., a leading provider of technology and strategic consulting services and solutions to government organizations and commercial clients. One of them was Net Owl, a family of text and entity analytics products offered by SRA and widely used by both government and the private sector. Net Owl’s multicultural name matching is critical to both government and commercial clients that address important issues such as counter-terrorism, regulatory compliance, and risk management as well as anti-fraud, waste, and abuse.

NORMA CLAYTON Norma Clayton retired this spring as vice president after 22 years of service—but her career is far from over. As vice president for learning, training, and development at the Boeing Company, Norma served as the company’s chief learning officer, partnering with the businesses and functions to design and implement training and development programs focused on ensuring that the company’s 147,000 employees have the skills needed to perform their jobs. She’s made it her mission to keep Boeing’s employees engaged in learning—so they have the skills and tools to solve challenges and the capabilities needed to dream,

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design, and build the next generation of aerospace products and services.

Prior to this role, Norma led assignments in manufacturing and fabrication, supplier management and procurement, maintenance, and modification centers. Before joining McDonnell Douglas in 1995, she held leadership roles in plant operations and supply chain and program management, at Fortune 500 companies, including Lockheed Martin, GE, and GM. Throughout her career, Norma has participated in community, church, and civic activities. She serves as First Vice Chair of Tuskegee University’s Board of Trustees and sits on the boards of the St. Louis Academy of Science, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals. She is also a Boeing executive focal for Michigan State University and a member of Leadership America and the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources.

In 2000 she won a BEYA for Professional Achievement in Industry, recognizing her achievements as one of the country’s most successful African-American technology leaders. Nine years later, she was selected as Technologist of the Year by Women of Color magazine. After she retires, Norma plans to complete her doctorate in operations research at Webster.

“Because I’ve lived through long product cycles, I understand obsolescence and innovation,” Norma said, “and I absolutely believe in the idea, the necessity of lifelong learning.”

By Lango Deen ldeen@ccgmag.com

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“Don’t turn down any assignment.

You never know what it’s going to lead to. You don’t know who the leaders of the project are.”

“It’s been a very exciting transition,” said Bellamy, who earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering at Stanford University and a master’s degree in industrial engineering/engineering management from the University of Central Florida.

In her current position, Bellamy directs all engineering activities related to the company’s key product offerings—distribution, service parts logistics, and mail innovations—which contain more than 35 million square feet of distribution and warehousing facilities located at approximately 1,000 sites in more than 120 countries and 20 sorting facilities across the United States.

However, that transition has taken Bellamy and her children—two teens, 15 and 17—from Chicago, where they’ve lived since the children were small, to Atlanta.

Bellamy has served on the Board of Trustees of ChildServ, an organization dedicated to helping Chicago’s at-risk children and their families build and sustain better lives. However, while her children are settling into a new environment, she’s focused on giving them more of her time and attention. Once they’re comfortable with their new home, she plans to get reconnected to community work, she said.

When asked about juggling career, family, and charitable work, Bellamy said the key is having a “making it work” attitude and understanding how to prioritize what’s most important at the moment.

Expecting to perfectly balance all aspects of one’s life is unrealistic, she added. She recalled that during a time when she was traveling frequently for work, she did “a lot of long-distance parenting.”

Choosing a company that has a culture that supports community involvement is also important to making the different segments of one’s life work, Bellamy said.

“UPS is very community oriented,” she said, adding that because her responsibilities require a 24/7 commitment, it isn’t an issue when her community activities require her to be involved during company hours.

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“Being community focused is a large part of the organization,” she said. “That goes back to really understanding the corporate culture before you get deeply embedded [in the company].”

And Bellamy hopes that students and young professionals grasp the lesson from her early days unloading trailers at UPS—that every job is worth doing well and could be the pathway to an unimaginable career.

“Don’t turn down any assignment,” said Bellamy. “You never know what it’s going to lead to. You don’t know who the leaders of the project are.”

She also stresses the importance of internships.

“Getting an internship early on—while a freshman in college—gives the opportunity to really see what the corporate culture is about before embarking on a career.”

She also advises high school and college students seeking a pathway to success to: • “Absolutely give every bit of their energy to getting the best grades possible.”

• Build relationships with professors. “You never know when you’re going to need a letter of recommendation.”

• Get involved in organizations to push oneself forward, such as the National Society of Black Engineers.

When asked about her most personally rewarding accomplishment, Bellamy was quick to say mentoring others and helping to develop the next generation of leaders.

“It’s personally fulfilling to see people I’ve worked with, helped develop, and mentored succeed and move forward in the organization,” she said.

By Gale Horton Gay ggay@ccgmag.com

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Ogechi Irondi, a chemistry and chemical engineering student at Clark Atlanta University, has been extremely pivotal in environmental protection efforts in the Atlanta area, specifically with green infrastructure and water and ecosystem preservation. Her latest efforts involve studying the extraction of malachite green (MG) from municipal water systems using room temperature pHEMA hydrogel.

Though careful monitoring and various materials have been used to help contain MG levels, Irondi’s work is important and highly attractive to groups, such as the U.S. Air Force, that are interested in knowing the limits of hydrogel uptake since it can help remove contaminants that flow into civilian water supplies after detonating weapons that can create residual environmental hazards, specifically in the water.

Biologists have been researching the role of DJ1C extensively in an attempt to understand the function and location of the protein in chloroplast. Determining DJ1C’s exact location has been a challenging feat, but Alexandria Lauray, a student at Clark Atlanta University, has sparked new insight with her innovative approach to the study of the DJ1C protein. Through a series of experiments performed at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lauray and her team have figured out how to isolate BRDJ1C, making it possible to identify its specific location. Lauray’s process goes on to use a selected and amplified specific gene, imported DJ1C, along with fluorescently-labeled protein in order to further understand the essential role of the protein in chloroplast development. This knowledge could potentially aid in cures for Parkinson’s disease or various forms of cancer.

“I enjoy studying water quality and ways to improve it,” Irondi said. “I feel it enables me to help improve others’ lives indirectly. I do a justice for the people and the environment by studying chemical processes and water quality.”

“My work may cure neurological diseases otherwise deemed incurable,” Lauray explained, “and may provide the knowledge we need to prevent such diseases from happening at all. This is groundbreaking work in the field of Redox Biology.”

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Saydee McQuay, a biology and neuroscience major at Syracuse University, is making significant strides in medical and healthcare fields with her work on understanding the interplay between glutamate excitotoxicity and oxidative stress in mouse models of Huntington’s disease. Inspired by a love of science and her father, who died from leukemia, McQuay is using her research to better understand neurological diseases on a molecular level in hopes of extending the life expectancy of individuals suffering from these illnesses.

“The only way we can better treat or cure the disease is to understand the disease pathology,” McQuay said, “and my research contributes a piece of knowledge to the growing pool of research on this disease.

I hope to contribute my piece to the larger understanding of Huntington’s disease and other neurological disorders that involve oxidative stress.”

By Terrence Dove editors@ccgmag.com

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By Lango Deen ldeen@ccgmag.com

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FRIED CATFISH, COLLARD GREENS, MAC ‘N CHEESE, AND CORN BREAD The Aerospace Corporation provides information on launch vehicles, satellite systems, ground control systems, and space technology to military, civil, and commercial customers.

Each year, Aerospace recognizes individuals and teams that have demonstrated excellence exceeding expectations in science, technology, engineering, analysis, systems engineering, program and business management, and administration.

When Sonia Henry won the corporation’s 2013 Excellence in Diversity Award, she was asked to provide a few family recipes and work with the chef to create a special meal.

Sonia chose her family favorites—fried catfish, mac ‘n cheese, healthy greens, and cornbread—to feature in the cafeteria.

“Aerospace is a great place to work and grow,” says Sonia, who is the associate director of the Agile Systems Engineering Planning and Analysis Department of the Systems Engineering Division.

“The company provides the flexibility to balance career, family, and leisure while encouraging giving back through community outreach and STEM activities. I love the fact that after all Aerospace has afforded me, I have the opportunity to pay it forward to interns and early career professionals.”

Every summer, interns arrive from universities from across the country to develop their skills and make contributions to the work of the Aerospace Corporation. Sonia, who started at Aerospace as a summer intern, has been working with the intern program since 2002.

“I have worked with/mentored over 50 interns and have been involved with hundreds of interns as a result of corporate intern activities,” she said.

One of those activities is an annual trip for the interns, coordinated by Sonia, touring launch facilities to better understand Aerospace’s contributions to ensuring mission success. Sonia works with the host organization to provide an American BBQ for the interns, catered by a local vendor.

“During lunch, the interns also get to network with tour guides and are often treated to a bottle rocket launch demonstration by a launch subject matter expert,” she said.

Another goal of the trip is to encourage networking. The students get to meet at least three new people, identify one thing they have in common, and then brief on the bus ride back.

In addition, Sonia is an active participant in Aerospace’s STEM programs, including the annual Robert H. Herndon Science Competition. She has also coordinated STEM events in partnership with teachers at the Peter Burnett Elementary School in Hawthorne, CA. “Had it not been for an African-American female engineer at Aerospace who introduced me to the multitude of options for women in engineering when I was in 11th grade, I may not be where I am today—STEM is a girl thing,” Sonia said.

Experienced, new graduate, and internship opportunities available. To apply, visit careers.aerospace.org.

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HAVE SCUBA, WILL TRAVEL Puerto Rico is known as a scuba diving destination. No surprises then that Tamaris Hidalgo, a native of the Caribbean island, loves to scuba. She has gone diving in many places in Puerto Rico and St. Maarten.

Why scuba?

“It isolates me from the rush that we live in every day. The views are amazing too,” said LTJG Hidalgo, an electronics maintenance officer and electronics systems coordinator in the command, control, computer, communications, and information technology (C4IT) department of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Base New Orleans.

Hidalgo also loves to travel. A Certified Linguist in five languages, including Spanish and English, she has been to Barbados, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Mexico, Canada, and 10 states across the United States. Her www.womenofcolor.net

ultimate goal is to dive in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

How does she balance work, scuba diving, traveling, and family?

“I go everywhere with them,” she said. “We do zip line with my 7-year old, go to the beach often. My husband and my kids are my biggest supporters in everything I do! They make me laugh so much. I enjoy every second we spend together as a family.”

Three things that scuba diving has taught her: 1. Discipline As an entrepreneur, Tamaris opened a real estate business in 2005 and graduated from the University of Puerto Rico in Bayamon with a bachelor’s degree in computer science degree four years later.

“When I went to college, I realized that I was the only female in most of my classes. I hesitated many times about my career path, but I stayed in computer science because I really enjoyed problem-solving, programming, and the creative part of it. I also love math,” she said.

2. Leadership In 2013 Hidalgo decided to start a career in the U.S. Coast Guard. Two years later she completed the Coast Guard’s direct commissioning program for engineers. Newly commissioned, she reported to the Base New Orleans C4IT as an ensign in May 2015. Now Hidalgo is responsible for over 200 electronic technicians and IT specialists across detachments in the Coast Guard Eighth District. The district consists of 26 states surrounding the Gulf region.

“When I joined the Coast Guard, I realized that the field was more diversified. It is our duty to help others succeed in the STEM field because if they succeed, we all do. I currently mentor more than 20 Coast Guard members across the country, and four of them have been already selected for the Direct Commission Engineer Program.”

3. Teamwork As a member of the Leadership Diversity Advisory Council, she continues to grow and strive within the Coast Guard. The council creates and maintains a positive workplace environment where everyone is encouraged to use their talents and skill sets to achieve their full potential and maximize their contribution to the Coast Guard.

Over her three-year career, Hidalgo has taken on the U.S. Coast Guard’s mission and grown within it. She works to protect the public, the environment, and U.S. economic interests in ports and waterways along the coast, on international waters, or in any maritime region as required, supporting national security.

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PACE, PURPOSE, AND PASSION Tamara Green brings her A game to work with all the skills of a good on-field athlete: dedication and communication. She also enjoys sports outside of work.

“It’s a release from the stresses that can occur from working in a fast-paced environment,” Tamara said.

“Most days in the fall I leave the office then it’s straight to the football field to watch my son’s football practice. His football games are the highlight of every Saturday morning,” she said.

One study, “Recovery during the weekend and fluctuations in weekly job performance,” shows that for most employees, the weekend offers the opportunity to recover and unwind from demands faced during the working week. The results of that study stress the importance of recovery during the weekend for both the individual and for organizations.

“I have also found that even at work you can break the ice with someone by just mentioning sports activities from the weekend before,” Tamara said.

As tool engineering manager, Tamara works with engineers and assembly workers to build airplanes, improve processes, and tackle issues.

“She has strong business planning, finance, and forecasting experience as well as proven success in dealing directly with our airline customers,” said Carolyn Nichols, United Kingdom CH-47 Chinook Helicopter Programs.

“Tamara plays well with others to develop and implement improvements and change,” said Carmen Angel, a manager for crew furnishings and shipside in Boeing Interiors Manufacturing Engineering.

When Tamara’s home team won the Super Bowl in 2010, she reminded her teammates all year long who the winner was.

An avid New Orleans Saints fan, Tamara has decorated her desk with Saints and Mardi Gras paraphernalia, to the chagrin of her Seahawks teammates.

“There are three words that I believe will describe Tamara,” wrote a regional asset protection manager. “She leverages pace in her life, executives daily with a purpose, and shows a passion in everything that she does.”

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By Lango Deen ldeen@ccgmag.com

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