SPECIAL ISSUE
Years of Excellence in STEM
$6.95
2015
Technologist of the Year Delia Grenville Corporate Strategy, Innovation & Platform Engineering, User Experience Architect Intel Corporation
TOP
WOMEN
IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, and MATH
100+ Secrets
How Walmart’s Suja is Scoring
Big Data
to STEM Success
FALL 2015 | www.womenofcolor.net
Suja Chandrasekaran SVP and Chief Technology Officer Walmart Stores Inc.
FOR TODAY’S CAREER WOMEN IN BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY
CONTENTS VOLUME 14 NUMBER 2 FALL 2015
DEPARTMENTS
FEATURES
26 COVER STORY
6 Women In The News
TECHNOLOGIST OF THE YEAR
New horizons for Padmasree Warrior, and new jobs for Walmart’s Gisel Ruiz, MIT’s Paula Hammond, and Facebook’s Nunu Ntshingila-Njeke
8 Tools, Apps & Gadgets Cell Phones, Smartphones, Android phones, Tablets, iPhones, iPads... The tools, apps, and gadgets in the busy lives of today’s career woman
10 Career Advice Six questions with former Lockheed Martin EVP Linda Gooden
Delia Grenville, corporate strategy, innovation and platform engineering, user experience architect, Intel Corporation
What it took for 2015 Technologist of the Year Delia Grenville to get to this point in her career.
31 2015 WOMEN OF COLOR STEM AWARD WINNERS
30 trailblazing, accomplished women with extraordinary achievements
54 2015 SPECIAL RECOGNITION HONOREES Distinguished achievers are honored for their career successes and promising futures
62 2015 WOMEN OF COLOR TECHNOLOGY ALL-STARS & RISING STARS
Upward bound! Leading the future of American technology and American business
14 Career Voices Woman To Woman – Up Close And Personal: What’s discussed at this WOC STEM Conference staple? Why does the town hall meeting draw hundreds of women each year?
16 Corporate Life Find out how some women are breaking the old boy’s network and advancing on a level playing field
20 WOC Conference Photos People and scenes from past WOC STEM conferences.
77 Career Outlook • Job Horizon: What fields are women gravitating to? Where do they work? What fields are today’s women pursuing? • Women of Color Technologists of the Year (1996–2014) reflect on the last 19 Years • Companies at WOC
2 ‹
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
www.womenofcolor.net
EDITORIAL PAGE
Women of Color STEM Conference: A Look Back
T
he Women of Color (WOC) in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Conference has come a long way since 1996. Almost 20 years of employee recognition opportunities have established WOC STEM as a showcase for talented women in STEM. Over this time span, Career Communications Group (CCG), the company behind Women of Color magazine and the Women of Color STEM Conference, has partnered with organizations that have moved beyond simply acquiring a diverse workforce and calling it good enough. In one of our landmark CCG surveys, employee responses showed that many employers are successfully managing, embracing, and cultivating a diverse and inclusive work environment. Programs for minority and women recruitment, employee networks, or affinity groups were in place at 66.8 percent of the respondents’ companies. Some 85.3 percent of the respondents worked for employers with a clearly stated diversity policy, and 68.7 percent reported cultural awareness training at their companies. The survey results indicated that many of the nation’s employers are moving in the right direction on diversity. Yet respondents felt that there was still much more to be done. For example, nearly 57 percent felt that minorities were not adequately represented in engineering and scientific positions at their workplaces. Only 73.9 percent of the engineers indicated that a formal mentoring program existed at their companies. Twenty-six percent of the engineers said that their organizations did not have formal recruitment programs to reach women and minorities. Although women of color make up 30 percent of the middle managers and about 63 percent of the workforce, they hold only 5 percent of the top management positions. White men held nearly 95 percent of those jobs in 2000. The CCG survey concluded the results suggested organizations must increase their efforts in leadership development for women and people of color. That survey was done in 2006. Recent diversity stats from technology companies show just how much more needs to be done.
Tyrone D. Taborn Publisher and Editorial Director Career Communications Group’s
For Today’s Career Women in Business and Technology EXECUTIVE OFFICE
SALES AND MARKETING
Tyrone D. Taborn, Publisher and Editorial Director Jean Hamilton, President and CFO
Alex Venetta, Associate Publisher, Manager of Partner Services Gwendolyn Bethea, Vice President, Corporate Development Devin Oten, Senior Account Manager
EDITORIAL Rayondon Kennedy, Assistant Editor Lango Deen, Technology Editor Michael Fletcher, Contributing Editor Gale Horton Gay, Contributing Editor M.V. Greene, Contributing Editor Frank McCoy, Contributing Editor Garland L. Thompson, Contributing Editor Roger Witherspoon, Contributing Editor
GRAPHIC DESIGN Sherley Taliaferro, Art Director Joe Weaver, Global Design Interactive Bryan Clapper, Contributing Graphic Designer
CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT Eric Price, Vice President, Recruitment and Training Rod Carter, Recruitment Specialist, College Relations Matt Bowman, Veterans Affairs Angela Wheeler, Manager, Foundation for Educational Development Genevieve Kester, Recruitment Specialist Ty Taborn, Corporate Development Imani Carter, Corporate Communications Specialist
www.womenofcolor.net
ADMINISTRATION Aisha Eversley, Admin Support
CONFERENCE AND EVENTS Ana Bertrand, Conference Coordinator Monica Emerson, Women of Color STEM Conference National Chair Sheila Richburg, College Coordinator Toni Robinson, 360 MMG Rutherford & Associate 17304 Preston Road, Suite 1020 Dallas, Texas 75252
ADVERTISING SALES OFFICE Career Communications Group, Inc. 729 E. Pratt Street, Suite 504 Baltimore, MD 21202 Phone: (410) 244-7101 / Fax: (410) 752-1834
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 © 2015 by Career Communications Group Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WOCITC
Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/woctechnology
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
› 3
WOMEN IN THE NEWS
Pros on the Move New horizons for Padmasree Warrior and new jobs for Walmart’s Gisel Ruiz, MIT’s Paula Hammond, and Facebook’s Nunu Ntshingila-Njeke
P
Padmasree Warrior stepped down from her post of chief technology and strategy officer at Cisco in June 2015. Warrior, 54, joined Cisco in 2008 and served as chief technology officer and senior vice president of engineering during her seven years at the company. Warrior received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 1982. Two years later, she joined Motorola. Over the course of 23 years at the company, she served as corporate vice president and general manager of Motorola’s Energy Systems Group, and corporate vice president and chief technology officer in its Semiconductor Products sector. Warrior left Motorola to become CTO at Cisco Systems. Previously, Warrior served on the Advisory Committee for the Computing and Information Science and Engineering of the National Science Foundation. She sits on the boards of the Museum of Science and Industry, the Chicago Mayor’s Technology Council, Cornell University Engineering Council, and the advisory council of Indian Institute of Technology. She is also serving as a mentor in the State Department’s International
6 ‹
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
Women Leaders Mentoring Partnership. In October 2013 Padmasree Warrior joined the Gap Inc. board of directors. She holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University. Wal-Mart veteran Gisel Ruiz, recently chief operating officer for Walmart U.S., Wal-Mart Stores’ $279-billiona-year domestic division, joined Walmart International as the executive vice president of the International People Division in December 2014. In this role, Ruiz supports more than a million associates in 26 countries outside the United States. She is responsible for
www.womenofcolor.net
driving the human resources strategy and priorities for one of the fastest-growing divisions of the company. Prior to this role, she was executive vice president and chief operating officer for Walmart U.S. and was responsible for the company’s U.S. operations, which includes more than 4,100 discount stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Walmart Express formats. Additional responsibilities included oversight of the U.S. Asset Protection, Real Estate and Store Innovations organizations. Gisel was promoted to the role in February 2012, and in her time as COO, drove a decrease in operating expenses, the opening of more than 400 new stores, and an increase in women and people of color in operations leadership roles. She began her career at Walmart as a store management trainee in 1992. She has held a variety of leadership positions in store operations, labor relations, and human resources. In 2006 she became vice president and regional general manager in the field operations division and was responsible for 150 Walmart stores in western Texas and New Mexico. From 2008 to 2010 Gisel served as senior vice president of Walmart People, leading the human resources organization for more than 3,700 stores across the United States. A passionate professional mentor, Ruiz leads a yearlong leadership development program created for high-potential Hispanic women at Wal-Mart. Currently, Hispanics make up 13 percent of Walmart’s workforce. Latina Style honored Ms. Ruiz as its 2010 Latina Executive of the Year. Most recently, she received the 2013 “Woman of the Year” Distinguished Service Award from the USO of Metropolitan New York. An MIT faculty member since 1995, Paula Hammond, the David H. Koch Professor in Engineering, is the new head of the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChemE). She is the first woman and first person of color appointed to the post. Hammond previously served as executive officer of the department in 2008 through 2011. Hammond is a core faculty member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and was a founding member of the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies. Her group focuses on biomaterials and drug delivery. She and her former students and postdocs have started a range of biotech companies. She received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engi-
www.womenofcolor.net
neering from MIT in 1984, a Master of Science from Georgia Tech in 1988, and her Ph.D. from MIT in 1993. Hammond’s honors include the 2014 Alpha Chi Sigma Award for Chemical Engineering Research, the 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Charles M. A. Stine Award in Materials Engineering and Science, and the 2013 Ovarian Cancer Research Program Teal Innovator Award. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a director of the Board of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and a fellow of the American Physical Society and American Institute of Biomedical and Biological Engineering, among other honors. Nunu Ntshingila-Njeke is the new head of Facebook Africa. Based in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, Facebook’s first office in Africa will initially focus on growing its business in anchor countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Other territories include Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Mozambique, and Ethiopia. Ntshingila, 51, was born in Soweto Township, South Africa. After earning a Bachelor of Arts at University of Swaziland, she landed her first job as an account executive at Ogilvy & Mather. Early in her career, she was selected to join the M.B.A. program at Maryland’s Morgan State University School of Business and Management. She returned to South Africa as communications director for Nike South Africa. Four years on, she moved up to deputy managing director at Ogilvy & Mather and was asked to lead Ogilvy & Mather’s largest account, SA Tourism. Prior to being promoted chief executive, a position she held for seven years, Ntshingila managed the Johannesburg subsidiary of Ogilvy. Managing twelve business units that make up Ogilvy & Mather in South Africa, her role extended to 40 affiliate offices across Africa. In 2011 she was appointed to the 30-member board of Ogilvy & Mather, overseeing 450 Ogilvy offices in 120 countries. In her many years at Ogilvy, she oversaw South Africa’s most well-recognized brands, including DSTV, SABMiller, KFC, Cadbury, BP, Volkswagen, and Coca-Cola. Ntshingila was awarded the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award by Financial Mail for her work in leading and transforming the advertising business in South Africa. editors@ccgmag.com
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
› 7
TOOLS, APPS, & GADGETS
Tips for Next Generation STEM Podcasts, Tools, and More How do technology leaders stay sharp and involved? They keep learning. Women of Color 2015 award winners shared their favorite items with us. We supplemented them with our own picks. Many selections are women-created.
Vloggers (Video bloggers)
Tools & gifts LaTasha C. Dandy, a Lockheed Martin Corp. Systems Engineer Sr. likes MakeyMakey.com, an invention kit site, which shows children how to turn everyday objects into Internet-linked touchpads. Nanuk.com makes protective lightweight, waterproof, dustproof cases in various sizes, configurations, and color for “professionals, technicians, and sportspeople operating in harsh environments.” Chicbuds.com makes tech accessories created specifically for women, including tangle-free, flat-cord ear buds with mics for small ears. Goldbely.com will ship gourmet food to you or your friends: https://www.goldbely.com/
TEDx: Brilliant women in science, technology, engineering, and math-related fields take the stage: https://www.ted.com/play lists/253/11_ted_talks_by_brilliant_wome Tech-Girls: Using humor to take on and take down some of the ridonkulus stereotypes and attitudes about women in STEM: http:// www.tech-girls.org/women-in-stem.html The faves of Wanda Staton-Riggins, an Aircraft and Armament Handling Branch Head at NAVAIR, include Travelocity, Weather.com, and the Joint Engineering Data Management Information and Control System site. 8 ‹
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
www.womenofcolor.net
sts a c d Po & tips
Benita Byrd, Director, Global Operations EHS & Security at Abbott Vascular visits the Huffington Post, Amazon, and various news websites.
Women in Science: All types of radio stories and interviews about programs, practices, and individual biographies of STEM women: http://www. womeninscience.org/. One collection spotlights achievements of women in STEM with disabilities: http://www. womeninscience.org/series.php?seriesID=1 STEM XX: Audio files by women in engineering disciplines describing their adventures and career insight: http://stemxx.thefutureengineer.com/ People Behind the Science: More than 200 scientists share their stories: http://www.peoplebehindthescience. com/ Women in STEM: Women talk about how they are depicted in pop culture: https://soundcloud.com/afternoon shiftwbez/your-favorite-depictions-of-women-in-stem-inpop-culture
Angela D. Ivery, Project Management &
STE Sher M oes
Planning Ops Rep, Lockheed Martin, visits the Bloomberg Businessweek, Information Week, and Wired.com sites. 5 Badass Female TV Characters in STEM (and an Instance They Have MacGyvered): http://www. indiewire.com/article/5-badass-female-tv-char acters-in-stem-and-an-instance-they-have-mac gyvered-20150724 #GirlsWithToys: Women scientists and engineers have posted nearly 18,000 images of themselves at work surrounded by the “toys” they use every day, which include space shuttles, spectrometers, robots, weaponry, and microscopes: https:// twitter.com/hashtag/ girlswithtoys?lang=en
Story Collider: Scientists share real, personal, and sometimes emotional tales about what they do and how they do it and try to bring balance into their lives: http://storycollider.org/.
A final comment:
Xiomara Calderón-Colón, a Senior Materials Scientist at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, likes to check out scientific journals regularly.
5 To-Dos for Women Graduating in STEM (more details are on the link)
Jessica Lee, a Senior Manager at Boston Scientific, recommends Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls website: http://amysmartgirls.com/.
Ap ps etc .
Ideas for when you feel creatively drained: http://women2.com/2015/08/05/inspirationmission/?hvid=4KyGhO The skinny on the secret weapon for tech women: mentoring. http:// women2.com/2015/08/05/inspiration-mission/?hvid=4KyGhO How you can become a better leader: http://women2.com/2015/01/07/be-a-better-leader/?hvid=3vAUVj
1. Make fast friends with your favorite female professor. 2. Drop in on an art or writing class. 3. G o for a midnight run around campus. 4. Host a STEM women’s dinner party. 5. Spend one hour writing your life vision. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ elizabeth-golluscio/5-to-dos-for-women graduating-in-stem_b_5155065.html
Tripit, a travel itinerary and planner: https://www.tripit.com/ www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
› 9
CAREER ADVICE
6 L
Questions with a Former Lockheed EVP Linda R. Gooden is a retired technology business executive specializing in aerospace and defense, operations, strategy, and planning. Here she offers advice to readers that want to know how to take a unit to the next level, develop a leadership mindset, reframe a service business, and break the mold.
Q: I have the functional skills and experience and know business. But I know it from the retail side and not the service side. I’d like to take my unit to the next level based on future opportunities, but it’s far from a slam dunk. What if I crash and burn? A good leader has attributes and behaviors that can be used across many domains. When I think of leadership, I think of four primary attributes that are useful for development or service.
1. S etting the vision and building the strategy needed to execute it, and the leader can do this because he or she knows the environment, knows the business, and knows the capabilities of the organization he or she is leading. 2. C aring about all of the stakeholders — employees, customers, and communities; has empathy; listens; motivates; and rewards his or her teams. 3. B lending confidence and humility; is always prepared; communicates effectively; and understands the audience needs 4. Being accountable and delivering results. Leaders don’t worry about crashing and burning; they focus on accomplishing the mission. Colin Powell notes, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. A good leader understands that everything won’t go well. The key to long-term success is to accept that you will have failures and to use those failures as learning experiences. Some of my greatest learnings were the result of a failure.”
Q: I can manage really well, but I’m not sure I can lead and win hearts as well as minds and talents. I know I have leadership skills, but how do I develop a leadership mindset? You must think of leadership as a behavior instead of a title or position. Leaders are those individuals that are willing to take responsibility for making decisions and bringing change. Leaders empower people to discover and use their greatest potential. Leaders demonstrate their ability through their behavior, attitude, and actions. Leaders are selfless.
Retired Aerospace and Defense executive Linda Gooden
10 ‹
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
Q: If I get my new position, they expect success. But it’ll take a learning curve, and I’m on my own for the results. The accountability is all mine. Should I put the end at risk?
www.womenofcolor.net
“There is risk in everything you do. The mark of a good leader is always work on being prepared for both the current role and the next one up. Assuming you are selected for promotion, it will greatly shorten the learning curve.”
To quote Marc Zuckerberg, “The biggest risk is not taking any risk …. In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” There is risk in everything you do. The mark of a good leader is always working on being prepared for both the current role and the next one up. Assuming you are selected for promotion, it will greatly shorten the learning curve.
Q: I have been executing in my functional area really well at the tactical level, but operating within the context of the larger group needs more to make us seriously profitable. What do I need to tell my team, who feel they’re working for two different companies? A team comprised of both functional and operational members is needed to operate a business. Everyone has a role, and each role is important. It is important that both functional members and operational members of the team understand the business strategy as well as their roles and responsibilities and how they fit into the overall business strategy.
Q: How do I reframe a service business from a strict selling business to something that can lead to the creation of services? For example, ensuring the nation’s elderly receive their benefits, digitizing the FBI’s fingerprint database so millions of prints can be searched in minutes, automating the Navy’s payroll so all personnel get paid wherever they are in the world, or developing the communications infrastructure for 25,000 employees at the Pentagon. As a leader, you define the business and strategy for the business. For example, if you are working in the IT services business, you likely employ people
www.womenofcolor.net
with strong IT skills to provide the IT service to the customer. Assuming you have the talented people, technology, and capital to invest, you can pursue any strategy you define, including moving from servicing the customer to developing the systems the customer will use to accomplish their missions.
Q: I want to be the first woman of color to run my corporation. How do I break the mold? You break through the proverbial glass ceiling one step at a time. The key to a successful future is to achieve success in your current role and stay open to new opportunities. I am very fond of a Michelangelo quote: “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it … but that it is too low and we reach it.”
MORE ABOUT LINDA R. GOODEN § Elected to General Motors Board of Directors - Feb. 2015 § Retired from Lockheed Martin as EVP of Information Systems & Global Solutions in April 2013 § Other positions she held over 34 years include president of Lockheed Martin Information Technology, VP of Lockheed Martin’s Software Support Services unit and EVP of Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems and Solutions Inc. § Began her career at the Packard Electric Division of General Motors § Bachelor’s in Computer Technology from Youngstown State University. Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland, University College. § Director at Washington Gas Light Co., WGL Holdings Inc., Automatic Data Processing, Inc., and the Professional Services Council.
editors@ccgmag.com
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
› 11
CAREER VOICES
Women to Women Seminars Are Highly Sought After by Design
I
It started with a simple premise a decade ago — bring women from all levels of the corporate world together to share their experiences, learn how to successfully climb the corporate ladder, and strategize about surviving and thriving. Interest in the Women to Women: Up Close and Personal seminars at the annual Women of Color Conference has grown dramatically, making it one of the most highly anticipated and widely attended conference events. Ana Bertrand, conference coordinator with Career Communications Group, Inc., which puts on the conference, said she’s been pleased with the audience growth, which she credits to the speakers involved and the high interest by attendees. “The women really look for it to the point we actually had to add a Saturday session,” said Bertrand. At the 2014 conference held in Detroit in October, 140 women participated in the Friday session, and approximately 70 attended the Saturday session. The seminars have a unique setup with 10 attendees seated at each table with a table host, an executive woman leading each group in discussion. Each table host decides ahead of time the topics she will focus on, and attendees at each table jointly prepare a brief report of their discussion that’s read before the entire assemblage. The format, according to Bertrand, provides an intimate setting in which women feel comfortable asking questions, seeking advice, and connecting with others. “Primarily, it gives the women, whether they are entry level or middle management…the opportunity to speak to women at the executive level,” said Bertrand, adding that “nothing is off limits.” Veronica Nelson is extremely familiar with WOC. She has been involved with the seminars for the past seven years.
14 ‹
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
“I won the Women of Color – Educational Leadership – Corporate Promotion of Education Award in 2007 and have attended the conference every year since I won,” said Nelson, university relations manager with Northrop Grumman Corp. “I have participated as an attendee, moderator, panelist, and speaker. I have had the opportunity to present to students, new professionals, experienced professionals, and executives.” Nelson describes the sessions as opportunities for “interactive, candid discussion with executives, managers, and professionals about topics that are quietly discussed by women behind closed doors.” She said the benefits of the seminar are numerous and that many professional women don’t have other vehicles like this to have such interaction.
Ana Bertrand, conference coordinator with Career Communications Group, Inc.
“The attendees are able to have candid conversations with other female professionals about the challenges they face in business or academia,” she said. “They also discuss tips, techniques, and best practices. Many attendees have created women’s groups after the session.”
www.womenofcolor.net
Nelson also added that the workshop is a “safe place to discuss the ways many women overcome unique challenges, the balancing act, accepting the choices we make, resilience, and the awareness/understanding of workplace realities.” Nelson’s company is a big supporter of WOC’s annual events as well as other conferences and organizations that promote diversity and inclusion, she said. “My company, Northrop Grumman, supports employee attendance at the WOC Conference and similar conferences because they support diversity and inclusion in the workplace. “This annual conference allows me to meet and network with amazing women from across the country and many industries,” Nelson pointed out.
Bertrand adds that Nelson and all the other executives who have participated have always been “very approachable,” which is another reason for the event’s success. Bertrand, who has worked at Career Communications Group for 15 years, said the feedback she receives from seminar participants clearly indicates why the sessions are so popular. “They say it’s extremely well done, too much fun, they love the opportunity to meet and connect with these women and share ideas, and they love the structure,” she said. By Gale Horton Gay ghorton@ccgmag.com
Veronica Nelson, university relations manager with Northrop Grumman Corp.
www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
› 15
CORPORATE LIFE
Nothing Easy About Achieving Success, Walmart Exec Advises
S
Suja Chandrasekaran is digital and technology leader and has risen through the ranks in technology and corporate businesses around the world. At Walmart Stores Inc., she’s senior vice president and chief technology officer, leading technology, data, analytics– strategy, and delivery responsibilities. “In my role, I lead a large organization, work with Walmart executives and stakeholders, in defining technology strategies and innovations that enable us to get the right products at the right price to the right place for our customers and members,” said Chandrasekaran via email.
Suja Chandrasekaran, senior vice president and chief technology officer, Walmart Stores Inc.
Hard work, taking chances, and sometimes making mistakes are only part of what has helped elevate Chandrasekaran. “Mine is a career of preparing myself, building subject matter expertise, taking chances, influencing people, tenacity/work ethics, mentors guiding me, making mistakes, falling down, and pulling myself up,” she said. Chandrasekaran is a graduate of the University of Madras in southern India, where she earned a bachelor degree in engineering before achieving an M.B.A. in business systems from Monash University in Australia. She described herself as having a “somewhat linear career path with individual contributor role leading up to managerial roles leading to director/vice president and C level [chief information officer, chief technology officer, chief data officer] roles.” But Chandrasekaran doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges
16 ‹
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
she’s faced in climbing the corporate ladder. “Smooth sailing is in fairy tales,” she said. “In reality, everybody goes through bumps. I have made faux-pas around various adjustments. I have struggled. But for those moments of discomfort, disappointments, I wouldn’t have developed.” However, she also explains that in retrospect, it is her own paradigms, at times, that have gotten in her way. “My own paradigms were my limiting factor — not really the lack of opportunities,” said Chandrasekaran. “When I was an individual contributor, all I thought of was my code, the servers I built, the databases I enabled, my internal customers, my peers, and my sphere of influence. Thinking broader and thinking of broader strategies, enterprise impact, people development, cross functional engagement, horizontal influence, took me to middle-management. Thinking
www.womenofcolor.net
“Smooth sailing is in fairy tales,” she said. “In reality, everybody goes through bumps. I have made faux-pas around various adjustments. I have struggled. But for those moments of discomfort, disappointments, I wouldn’t have developed.” whenever there is such a choice, take action. Surround yourself with mentors.” Chandrasekaran also said technology is a “desert for women” and that on occasions, aside from the woman serving a group coffee or tea, she is the only other woman in the room. “This is one of the reasons I have doubled down on my investment and commitment to women in technology initiatives. I willingly share, coach, guide, mentor, and sponsor other women.” However, she cautions against “creating shackles in your minds about glass ceilings” and admonishes, “Don’t create arbitrary justifications for leaving.” Chandrasekaran offers the following advice to young women in pursuit of success that are just beginning their careers: of my enterprise, our business models, end-to-end business processes, company’s eco-system, community impact enabled me to reach C level. Working for Walmart gives me the courage to think about ‘making a dent in the universe.’ It is empowering to amplify one’s thinking.”
• Build undisputable competency and brilliance in a subject matter, whatever your passion may be; make learning, unlearning, and relearning part of your professional and personal ethos. • Have a game plan, and continuously and consistently review your game plan, preferably a Bold, Hairy, Audacious game plan — nothing small.
She said it’s important to address one’s paradigms to have a non-linear career path and that individuals are never too young to play the biggest roles.
• Always lean towards action and outcome. Big energy and big action result in big impact.
“And no matter what role you play, you are the CEO of that job,” advises Chandrasekaran.
• Take risks, and take chances. Be bold; go for it. Ships pegged in safe harbors don’t make much of a sail.
On the subject of a “glass ceiling” that prevents some women from reaching their full potential, Chandrasekaran said what’s important is “what we do about it — we have a choice, real or perceived around the ‘glass ceiling.’ How we react to it is our choice. We could sit in a corner and mope or we could take action. And
• Always give back by developing others. When you are ready to hang your hat, who you helped is what will stay in your heart. Leave a legacy. You are never too small to develop others; everyone needs a hand.
www.womenofcolor.net
By Gale Horton Gay ghorton@ccgmag.com
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
› 17
2014 Women of Color STEM Conference in Detroit, MI. A place where ay st n e m o w ted c e n n o c
Bonding at th
Award Night! Saturday’s gala at the 2014 Women of Color STEM Conference.
20
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
d Le e Leaders an Breakfast.
gends
Have you got game? A student plays for high stakes in a networking game night.
www.womenofcolor.net
WOC 2014 ineering are on the Women in automotive eng ent poses in a stud A ess. fast track to succ the 2014 Women BMW vehicle displayed at of Color STEM Conference.
STEM studen
ts from all Women of Co across America network at the annual lor STEM Co nference Ca reer Fair.
of Industrial (left), associate professor Dr. Pamela McCauley-Bell Universit y of the at ems Syst t men age Engineering and Man kfast with Leaders event. Central Florida, hosts the Brea
Corporate se
lfies is how m emories are Women of Co made at the lor STEM Co nference.
The Stars co
me out at Fr iday’s Techno Women of Co logy Lunche lor STEM Co on nference.
www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
21
WOC 2014
Monica Emerson, national chair of the Women of Color STEM Conference, poses with certificate winners at the Women of Color STEM Conference.
Share your moment of recognition among your peers
Bingham Army Maj. Gen. Gwendolyn of Color accepts the 2014 Women in Professional Achievement Technologist 2012 from rd Awa ent ernm Gov an. of the Year Sonya F. Sepahb
Have you got the Women of Color STEM App?
22
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
s hiring managers and recruiter General Motors executives, of proudly at the 2014 Women rs colo y pan com their r wea nce Career Fair. Color STEM Confere www.womenofcolor.net
WOC 2014
A panelist makes a point on executive leadership at the Women of Color Stem Conference Breakfast with Leaders event.
It’s a big night for the Women of AT&T. L-R: Sapna Jain, director, AT&T, won in the Outstanding Technical Contributi on category, and Jancie Soudi, asst. VP, tech ops, planning and solutions, won a WOC STEM award for New Media/IT Leadershi p. Marachel Knight, VP for program management, AT&T (third from left) won in the Professional Achievement in Indus try category.
General Motors Company’s Alicia Boler Davis is presented with the 2014 Technologist of the Year Award by John Quattrone, SVP, GM Global Human Resources.
rvice mmunity Se inners for Co EM Award w (right) of ST an r lo lm Co Ho a of d Tatony L-R: Women . ndran (left) an and (NAVAIR) Mini Balacha stems Comm Sy r Ai l va Na
www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
23
Women of Color Award Winners
www.womenofcolor.net
2015
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
25
2015
Women of Color Award Winners
2015 TECHNOLOGIST OF THE YEAR
Delia Grenville Corporate Strategy, Innovation & Platform Engineering, User Experience Architect, Intel Corporation
26
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
www.womenofcolor.net
Women of Color Award Winners
2015
By Garland L. Thompson gthompson@ccgmag.com
Intel’s Challenger of
DELIA GRENVILLE
Markets and Organizations
L
ooking over highlights from the career of Delia Grenville evokes images first limned by the great science fiction writers of the post-World War II era, who envisioned a high-
technology future no one but themselves and their futurist colleagues could believe might ever exist. And today, Delia Grenville and her colleagues at Intel, Oracle, and other pioneering modern-day technology innovators are
making advances that beggar even the fanciest fancies of those intrepid writers of fiction that today looks more like prescient foreshadowing of the technology-using society now shaping so many new kinds of careers.
www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
27
I
2015
Women of Color Award Winners
t is worth remembering that Telstar only flew into orbit after novelist Arthur C. Clarke had invented communications satellites in a fictional story. As consumers, led by Millennials and Gen Y members, rush to embrace the methodologies pioneered by Grenville and her Intel co-workers to blend Internet presentations seamlessly into the viewer experience of television, it is well worth remembering that television itself, introduced at a 1939 New York World’s Fair cut short by war but brought to practical reality by advances in military radar, was still working through growing pains more than a decade after the war’s end. The Computers Were Women “Computers” in that long gestation period were live human mathematicians — typically women — working out artillery trajectories, doing the math-supporting R&D projects like the early U.S. space agency’s development of the “High-Bypass Turbofan” engine or calculating orbits for the “Aerobee High” rockets built on the German V-2 model to explore near-space altitudes. Electronic calculating machines such as ENIAC I at the University of Pennsylvania or the monster Alan Turing and his British colleagues devised at Bletchley Park to break Axis military codes took up so much space they needed their own buildings, each requiring output from its own electricpower substation to make its vacuum-tube circuits glow and perform. The Internet was not yet even a research scientist’s dream project. Fresh Eyes, Fresh Perspective Grenville, working in the human–machine interface, has helped drive a revolution in a space many others had failed to understand. Looking at it with an industrial engineer’s eye, closely examining how people actually use and interact with devices, Grenville thought up ways to harness two disparate streams of technology development — high-power, isochronous-signal transmission of pictures and sound in consumer entertainment systems and low-power, asynchronous-transfer-mode, packet-switched data transmission over the Internet — to make it possible to use the ubiquitous TV remote to manage Web page presentations while viewers simultaneously watch television shows. Her success is a testament to how far we’ve advanced toward making real the capabilities first dreamed up by the generation that produced Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and their fellow co-imaginers of the not-so-far-off-as-they-thought future of high technology. Dreams Preceded the Technical Leaps The telecommunications of their day — telegraph, teletype, and telephone calls — required the complete wiring of the world by copper cable or used big, humming vacuum-tube radio sets to send signals leaping across the oceans. Cellular telephony was conceived before World War II by researchers planning to one day replace the limited capabilities of the bulky “mobile telephone” gear filling the trunks of VIP limousines, but the solid-state electronics that made it practical
28
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
Delia Grenville, corporate strategy, innovation and platform engineering, user experience architect, Intel Corporation
were decades away from invention, and very few Americans had even heard of it. Yet the Ph.D. scientist Asimov and his fiction-writing friends dreamed up fables about science and technology advances with which today’s insightful engineers can find eerie parallels to the work of Grenville and her very practical, productdeveloping Intel colleagues. “Hard Science” to Produce Social Results Hari Seldon, the fictional mathematician at the center of Dr. Asimov’s best-selling “Foundation and Empire” series, dreamed up a way to use math tools to analyze socioeconomic factors to understand how societies grow and fail. That is, he came up with hard-science ways to harness the “soft-science” disciplines of psychology, sociology, economics, history, and political science to bring to fruition new understandings of social behavior. Today, Delia Grenville uses the applied-science tools of industrial engineering to harness those soft-science understandings to invent technology products that persuade as well as permit consumers — indeed, entire markets, industrial as well as consumer — to use the media of communications in ways only science-fiction writers like Asimov could imagine. As Athena Murphy, Intel’s Director of Strategy and General Manager of Technology Access Products, put it in a letter to the Selection Panel, “Delia is a change agent, always willing to ask the tough questions all while maintaining this infecwww.womenofcolor.net
Women of Color Award Winners
2015
While at Oracle, “She created a 3G natural language test bed merging technologies in an innovative way that identified a major business opportunity and led to the recommendation of a market differentiating technology.”
tious positive and creative view of the exciting possibilities.” Starting with the Mechanics of It All How she got there is an interesting story in itself. She first studied mechanical engineering at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario but, after graduation, became fascinated with human factors issues, gravitating to industrial engineering before she knew quite what it was. She figured it out, though, and pursued courses in human factors engineering and management systems engineering at Virginia Tech, completing Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in industrial and systems engineering. Recruited first by Oracle, Grenville served as Senior Research Scientist for Advanced User Interfaces. A standout among her extensive studies was a $200,000 project to develop a prototype for multimodal access to cell phones, working with a research team at Carnegie Mellon University. Next came a $1 million project to build a multimodal, pen-voice Personal Digital Assistant test bed environment for enterprise applications. While at Oracle, “she created a 3G natural language test bed merging technologies in an innovative way that identified a major business opportunity and led to the recommendation of a market differentiating technology.” Myopia Was Not for Her At Intel, Grenville won selection for a strategic position as User Experience Program Manager in the Corporate Platform Office in the Intel Architecture Group. There, she led develop-
www.womenofcolor.net
ment of a corporate strategy and action plan for connecting the process for design and end-user research to usage and system requirements for Intel product and platform organizations. That is, like Asimov’s Hari Seldon character, she always worked from a holistic perspective. Microcosmic myopia was not for her. Applying her management systems engineering skills to improve how her employer’s enterprise could work more interactively, Grenville thus developed what Intel calls “a cross-company User Experience community of practice” that grew to 1,200 people in less than a year. In a previous role as a Senior Research Scientist and Human Factors Engineer, first with Intel’s Digital Home Group (DHG), she led pioneering initiatives in large-scale business and technology change. For the DHG, Intel says, Grenville managed usage and experience definition and set direction for consumer electronics products, including the company’s consumer electronics framework and the Widget Channel, launched jointly with Yahoo! in 2008 to bring the Internet to television. Yahoo! The Widget Engine Takes Off As a news release put it, the Widget Channel is an application framework optimized for TV and related consumer electronics devices that use the Intel architecture. It permits consumers to “enjoy rich Internet applications designed for the TV while watching their favorite programs. The Widget
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
29
2015
Women of Color Award Winners
Channel is powered by the Yahoo! Widget Engine, a fifthgeneration applications platform that enables TV watchers to interact with and enjoy a rich set of ‘TV Widgets’ — small Internet applications — designed to complement and enhance the traditional TV watching experience and bring content, information, and community features available on the Internet within easy reach of the remote control.” It allows developers to use JAVASCRIPT, XML, HTML, and Adobe Flash technology to write TV applications, extending the power and compatibility of PC application-developer programs to TV and related consumer electronics devices.” Everybody got that, especially all of you non-consumer electronics engineers? Technology Innovator Breaks It Down For those of us who probably have seen it but not known the background, the Widget Channel apps permit presentation of Web page information on a portion of the flat-screen TV picture, letting consumers see a full-screen presentation of their favorite shows with extra, ancillary information of their choice laid out along the margin. All is controlled with the familiar TV remote. Didn’t we say Grenville was a change agent? As Grenville herself puts it, her current role leverages her experience as a technology innovator, program management leader, and recognized user experience expert with a mandate that permits her to impact Intel’s business by doing three things: • Accelerate innovation • Enable opportunities • Disrupt the market Getting to the Bottom Line She manages the data analytics for more than $9 billion worth of products “in a 500-product portfolio that cuts across all of Intel. This is a first in our company. The portfolio approach was established in 2014,” and her role was to develop a consistent approach to an innovation framework, data analysis ad modeling that could be repeated and scaled to create synergies across the company. “The initial kickoff effort was more than six months with a team of thought leaders to collect the data, lead a discussion between our general managers and Intel President Renee James,” Grenville reports. In 2015 her job is focused on repeating the process spearheaded in 2014 and making recommendations to create new product opportunities that will drive new markets and customers for Intel. Her scope also includes informing innovation in Intel’s strategic long-range planning. Today, working on a Corporate Innovation Initiative, Grenville is part of an eight-person team that began its work with direct access to Intel’s president and now has as its sponsor the corporation’s Chief Strategy Officer, Ken Berryman. 30
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
Reaching Beyond Intel’s Offices Grenville, a published author, has served as a guest lecturer for Stanford Business School’s M.B.A. program, the Strategic Innovation Lab at Ontario College of Art, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has published more than a dozen articles on project management, research practices, and the user experience. Grenville also is the inventor of six digital content technologies with patents pending. So now you know how it is that consumers can filter content streamed to their TVs from the World Wide Web. Ahem! And that also includes building the ecosystem, Intel says, to “advertise and enhance the content-viewing experience.”
To summarize, among many accomplishments, Grenville: • Pioneered Intel’s first-ever Consumer Experience Enabling Program, using a collaborative research model that on first effort generated more than 1 million units sold and $20 million in revenue. • Galvanized Intel’s — really, the industry’s — agging initiative to bring the Internet to TV, moving Intel’s project from one quarter behind to one month ahead of schedule and ultimately yielding a product that won rave reviews in an area where many others’ attempts had crashed and burned. • Researched and recommended strategic merger and acquisition targets for her previous employer, Oracle, to help that company create a robust research environment and enhance its competitive position, as mentioned above. • Used her management systems engineering skills to “modify a methodology developed for the usercentered design of a physical community to design an employee community. We were interested in how the service perspective would impact 1) the design recommendation for an employee community and 2) the adoption of the community by employees.” As the abstract for Grenville’s paper about this effort says, “Like in a physical community, the right amenities and services make a community a good fit for those who are a part of it. We designed services based on the feedback from our participants and then observed their adoption to understand whether those services were a good fit. As in Professional Development projects, there are challenges cause by the inherent disruption of the power structure as the community gained momentum.” We could go on, but you get the idea. Hari Seldon would be proud of this engineering and managerial “change agent.” So would the good Dr. Asimov.
www.womenofcolor.net
Women of Color
STEM Awards 2015
C
elebrating women. Celebrating their dedication to impacting people through innovations central to their lives in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Celebrating research, education, and collaboration to change the face of STEM. Celebrating recognition of women and endeavors in business, industry, government, and nonprofits that are helping women and girls reach their full potential to shape the agenda of the future. Women of Color magazine commends recipients of the 2015 Women of Color Awards for their success in STEM. TECHNOLOGIST OF THE YEAR
VISIONARY AWARD
Corporate Strategy, Innovation & Platform Engineering, User Experience Architect Intel Corporation
Aerospace Eng. Instructor, Aerospace Eng. Dept. U.S. Naval Academy
Delia Grenville
Capt. Kathryn Hire
NEW MEDIA/IT LEADERSHIP
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Senior Manager and Chief of Staff, Information Technology The Boeing Company
Project Management and Planning Operations Rep Lockheed Martin Corporation
Shaunnika (Niki) Allen
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Rear Adm. Annie Andrews
Commander, Navy Recruiting Command U.S. Navy
MANAGERIAL LEADERSHIP IN GOVERNMENT
Junilla Applin
Associate Director for Flight Systems NASA Langley Research Center
MANAGERIAL LEADERSHIP IN INDUSTRY
Benita Byrd
Director, Global Operations, Environmental, Health, Safety and Security Abbott Vascular
OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION IN INDUSTRY
Xiomara Calderon-Colon Senior Materials Scientist Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
PIONEER AWARD
Suja Chandrasekaran
Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Walmart Stores Inc.
MANAGERIAL LEADERSHIP IN INDUSTRY
LaKindra Francis-Jones
Program Manager Raytheon Company, Missiles Systems
TECHNICAL INNOVATION IN INDUSTRY
Kaiann Fu, Ph.D.
Systems Engineer IV Airborne and Terrestrial Signals Intelligence Division Northrop Grumman Corporation
PRESIDENT’S AWARD
LaDoris (Dot) Harris Director, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity Department of Energy
Angela Ivery
TECHNICAL INNOVATION IN INDUSTRY
COMMUNITY SERVICE IN INDUSTRY
Lead InfoSec Engineer The MITRE Corporation
Test Program Manager IBM Corporation
Lisa Mitchell
COMMUNITY SERVICE IN INDUSTRY
Teena Piccione
Assistant Vice President – Big Data AT&T
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN INDUSTRY
PRESIDENT’S AWARD
Material Technical Specialist FCA US LLC
Vice President, Supplier Mgmt., Shared Services Group The Boeing Company
COMMUNITY SERVICE IN GOVERNMENT
MANAGERIAL LEADERSHIP IN GOVERNMENT
Major Area Integra. Team Lead, Hull & Mechanical Systems Department of the Navy
Associate Director Johnson Space Center Office of Procurement NASA Johnson Space Center
Dr. Sharon (Xiaorong) Jin
Ayesha Johnson
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN GOVERNMENT
Carletta Long
Deputy Director, Fleet Logistics Naval Sea Systems Command
Joan Robinson-Berry
Delene Sedillo
OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION IN INDUSTRY
Wageesha Senaratne Research Associate Corning Incorporated
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Ronnie Lowenstein, Ph.D. President Lowenstein & Associates
ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP
Sharon Madison
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Madison Madison International
TECHNICAL INNOVATION IN INDUSTRY
Gina Marshall-Johnson Electrical Engineer Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT IN GOVERNMENT
Debbie Martinez
Subproject Manager NASA Langley Research Center
CORPORATE PROMOTION OF EDUCATION
Kathleen Marwitz
Senior Manager, Engineering Excellence Abbott
OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION
Shonalesia Wilkins-Ellis Karen Barnes
Principal, Southwest Academy Magnet School of Science and Engineering Baltimore County Public Schools
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Soo Mae Chu
Director, Strategic Program Project Management AT&T
Leah Colvin
Engineering Project Manager Huntington Ingalls Industries
LaTasha C. Dandy
Engineering Leadership Dev. Program Rep Lockheed Martin Corporation
Sonia Henry
Associate Director, Acquisition Support and Information The Aerospace Corporation
Anita Hogans Simpson
Lead Member of the Technical Staff Wireless Network Architecture and Design AT&T Labs
Emilie J. Siochi, Ph.D.
Deborah A. Kennedy
Senior Materials Scientist NASA Langley Research Center
Chief, IT Capital Planning Div., Corporate Info. Directorate U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT IN GOVERNMENT
Jessica Lee
Aircraft and Armament Handling Branch Head Support Equipment Engineering Division Naval Air Systems Command
Sonia Suber
Wanda Staton-Riggins
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT IN INDUSTRY
Dr. Cynthia Taylor Small Department Head, Data Analytics The MITRE Corporation
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT IN INDUSTRY
Monica Wilkins
Divisional Vice President, Quality Systems and Business Strategic Support Abbott
Senior Manager, Design Assurance Boston Scientific
Vice President, Relationship Management Information Systems and Technology, Sodexo
Linda Taliaferro
Vice President, Global Quality Meritor
Padmapriya Vijayasarathi Delivery Manager Northrop Grumman Corporation
Jia Wang
Lead Inventive Scientist AT&T
Elaine Ward
Technical Director, Enterprise Strategy and Transformation The MITRE Corporation
2015
Women of Color Award Winners New Media/IT Leadership
Shaunnika (Niki) Allen Senior Manager and Chief of Staff, Information Technology The Boeing Company
“Forever New Frontiers” Shaunnika Allen has been chief of staff in Boeing’s Chief Information Office since December 2014. She helps lead a $2.6 billion business unit that serves 7,000 information technology employees in Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Boeing Defense. Allen says what she likes best about her job is being able to partner across Boeing units. “I joined the aerospace and defense industry as a Boeing intern during my freshman year. I instantly developed a passion for the work we do, the products and services we provide, and the customers that we serve,” Allen said. Some of her biggest influences have been her teachers and managers. “I have learned both what to do and what not to do and applied these lessons to my professional development,” she says. Allen’s professional advice is to “take the time to establish a strong technical foundation.” And in parallel, continue to learn, she adds. “Technology changes every day, and it is important to stay abreast.” What’s next in her career? Allen plans to assume an executive leadership role that aligns IT with the business. Her favorite websites include McKinsey Insights, CNET, and Innovation Week. Her favorite tools are mobile apps, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Lifetime Achievement
Rear Adm. (Retired) Annie Andrews Commander, Navy Recruiting Command U.S. Navy
Rear Adm. Annie Andrews retired as commander of the Navy Recruiting Command on September 4, 2015, two years after taking responsibility for recruiting the best men and women for America’s Navy. As a Navy Human Resources officer, her assignments have been in the areas of manpower, personnel, training, and education. She served as executive assistant and naval aide to the assistant secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserves Affairs in Washington, D.C., and was a senior fellow on the chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group at the Naval War College. Andrews most recently served as director of Total Force Requirements Division. She was commanding officer of Boston Military Entrance Processing Station Navy Recruiting District San Francisco, and Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes. During her tour, she led the training efforts of over 100,000 sailors for duty in the fleet and was instrumental in the commissioning of the Navy’s only immersive simulator trainer, the USS Trayer, also known as Battle Stations 21. Andrews earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Savannah State University and a Master of Science in Management from Troy State University. Her military education includes a master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the College of Naval Command and Staff, Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island. 34
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
www.womenofcolor.net
Women of Color Award Winners
2015
Managerial Leadership in Industry
Benita Byrd
Director, Global Operations, Environmental, Health, Safety and Security, Abbott Vascular
Improving Lives Around the World Among her many accomplishments in environmental health, safety, and security, Benita Byrd has a disaster preparedness program. The program affected manufacturing sites and affiliates in 120 countries and more than 70,000 employees. Byrd has also devised a risk reduction plan. It resulted in a $50 million savings in insurance deductibles and a $90 million wind-storm risk reduction.
Managerial Leadership in Government
Junilla Applin
Associate Director for Flight Systems NASA Langley Research Center
Exceptional Figure at NASA Langley Junilla Applin provides direction in the development and execution of the Engineering Directorate’s Flight Systems portfolio. Since joining NASA in 1989, Applin has taken part in a number of aerospace projects. The first African-American space flight project manager at Langley, she served as the project manager for the Gas Permeable Polymer Materials Project. Other notable assignments include the Evaluation of Space Environment and Effects on Materials experiment and the Materials International Space Station experiment. Applin was the head of the Systems Engineering and Engineering Methods Branch (SEEMB), providing technical management, systems engineering, and statistical engineering for SEEMB in support of NASA programs and projects. She played a role in developing engineering and program management policy while as a Special Assistant to NASA’s Office of the Chief Engineer. Applin’s career has included design and development, systems engineering, technical management, and project management. She has received several awards, including the Simmons Fellowship, the Federal Executive Institute Fellows, and the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal. Applin is a graduate of Old Dominion University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
www.womenofcolor.net
She also began “Moving to Zero,” a program promoting zero safety incidents. From 2011 to 2014 Byrd’s efforts resulted in 42 percent fewer injuries, 72 percent fewer lost workday cases, and an 83 percent drop in notices of environmental violations. A reduction in workers’ compensation claims resulted in a savings from $2.7 million in 2011 to $1.2 million in 2014 for Abbott. “I am not personally responsible for making the products we produce. I am making sure employees who are making those products work in a safe way so that we can continue to change lives,” Byrd said. “Every year, we have a patient appreciation day, when patients come in to share stories. To hear people talk about how their lives changed because of our products is what motivates me,” she added. Byrd earned a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety and Health from North Carolina A&T State University. During her years at A&T, one professor stood out. “Dr. Dilip Shah provided us opportunities for internships and scholarships. He took students to professional development meetings and conferences so that we could have exposure to our field,” said Byrd. Byrd got a start in Abbott’s Professional Development Program, where she created programs pertaining to pollution prevention, industrial hygiene, and personal protection. “Early in my career, I was given different responsibilities. Those opportunities prepared me for my job today. Do not be afraid to step out, don’t be afraid to take a chance, don’t be afraid to say yes to a job you may not think you are ready for,” Byrd advises. One of Byrd’s earliest influences was her older brother, who was in graduate school studying industrial hygiene when she was a senior in high school. During the summer, she visited her brother and had the opportunity to sit in on a few of his classes. “I really enjoyed the science, the link to people and the environment,” she said.
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
35
2015
Women of Color Award Winners
Outstanding Technical Contribution in Industry
Xiomara Calderon-Colon Senior Materials Scientist Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Critical Contributions to Critical Challenges Xiomara Calderon-Colon is a leader on the Army-funded Eye Protection and Treatment for Combat Healing project that is focused on developing biomaterials for ocular repair. The current state-of-the-art for repair of serious ocular injuries resulting in tissue loss is implantation of amniotic membrane, a donor tissue. Since donor tissue can cause rejection in addition to being extremely expensive and having limited availability, a novel materials solution is desirable. Most recently, Dr. Calderon-Colon has demonstrated synthesis of collagen gels as thick as the cornea while being transparent and “suturable.” She is the technical lead for the synthesis and characterization of collagen gels, which she is developing for repair of penetrating corneal injuries. Her innovations have led to 20 invention disclosures, four pending provisional patents, and one issued patent in her nearly five years at APL. “I am very proud of the many things that I have been able to accomplish,” Colon said. “I am able to develop technology that has the potential to help others in so many ways!” Her advice for students is to learn as much as possible even when they think it is not important or not needed. “In college,” she recalled, the department of chemistry was looking for students interested in undergraduate research. “At that time, the pay was extremely good, a job on campus, and only required 12 hours of my time every week. I really enjoyed doing research, and due to the program, I had the opportunity to come to the USA for two months for a summer internship. “At the beginning, I did not want to come here because I was not able to communicate in English. With the limited English that I had, I was able to survive. More importantly, I fell in love with the work that I was doing. So I decided to go to graduate school and get a Ph.D. in materials science,” she said. 36
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
Managerial Leadership in Industry
LaKindra Francis-Jones Program Manager, Raytheon Company, Missiles Systems
Success Is the Mission LaKindra Francis-Jones earned 11 individual and team awards from 2003 and 2013. She leads a team of more than 20 individuals and has garnered the respect and confidence of military customers through the successful execution and completion of more than 50 engineering services technical directives and delivery orders. Francis-Jones partners with the military to provide a weapon system used as a tank killer, as a precision assault weapon, and as the infantry taskforce’s long-range surveillance asset. Her work to secure $92 million for 2,300 Improved Target Acquisition System Image Enhancement kits revitalized a 10-year-old legacy franchise. As program manager for the tube-launched, opticallytracked, wireless-guided (TOW®) missile’s Improved Target Acquisition System (ITAS) at Raytheon Missile Systems, she is responsible for more than $100 million in bookings and manages TOW ITAS Image Enhancement Production and Engineering Services programs that provide image processing and detection, sensor improvements, and growth capabilities to support long-range heavy anti-tank and precision assault fires capabilities for the Army and Marine Corps. “I am proudest of this achievement as it invigorates me and encourages me to reach back, encourage, and support programs to support women into the STEM talent pipeline,” she said. Starting in systems engineering, she served in various positions during her career at Hughes and Raytheon within multiple businesses. “I was intrigued by the Department of Defense customer engagement and expectations as well as contractual processes and the battle rhythm of the program and teams, so I sought opportunities in engineering team management, business development, and project management,” Francis-Jones said.
www.womenofcolor.net
Women of Color Award Winners
2015
Technical Innovation in Industry
Kaiann Fu, Ph.D.
Systems Engineer IV, Airborne and Terrestrial Signals Intelligence Division Northrop Grumman Corporation
Defining the Future Kaiann Fu has built a reputation as an effective systems engineer. She belongs to a signals analysis group whose members solve complex intelligence industry problems. Dr. Fu has earned recognition for her accomplishments in Terrestrial Business. She makes innovative contributions to Northrop Grumman. In addition, she is known for her ability to collaborate well with people. Dr. Fu joined Northrop Grumman in 2009 as a member of the Airborne Systems Business Unit. She quickly became a value-added part of the unit because of her expertise in signal processing analysis skills, software implementation, system test strategies, and algorithm development. Dr. Fu worked in the unit for two years and then joined the Terrestrial Signals Business Unit. Dr. Fu has leadership positions in her local Toastmasters club and the Northrop Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board. She received her Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan.
President’s Award
LaDoris (Dot) Harris Director, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity Department of Energy
The Presidential Appointee Nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in March 2012, the Honorable LaDoris “Dot” Harris serves as director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the Department of Energy (DOE). She leads the agency’s offices of Minority Economic Impact, Minority Education and Community Development, Minority Business and Economic Development, Diversity and Inclusion, and Civil Rights. Harris also spearheads the DOE’s Minorities in Energy Initiative, serves on the White House Council on Women and Girls, oversees funding strategy for minority institutions, develops minority business contracting opportunities, and protects the civil rights of employees. Director Harris and her staff have participated in over 300 events across the country focused on promoting public engagement in energy economic development, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, and research and development programs. Through publications and outreach, she has reached over 80 million people on the topics of diversity, economic development, and sustainability in the STEM workforce. Prior to her appointment, she was co-founder, president, and CEO of Jabo Industries, LLC, a minority woman-owned engineering management consulting firm concentrated in the energy, information technology, logistics, and healthcare industries. Harris held leadership positions in GE’s Energy and Industrial Systems businesses. Before joining GE, she was the first African-American female officer, vice president of operations & production at ABB, Inc. She also spent 12 years as a field services engineer and services manager with Westinghouse Electric. Harris holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Carolina and an M.S. in Technology Management from Southern Polytechnic State University.
www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
37
2015
Women of Color Award Winners Corporate Responsibility
Angela Ivery
Visionary Award
Capt. Kathryn Hire Aerospace Eng. Instructor, Aerospace Eng. Dept. U.S. Naval Academy
Project Management and Planning Operations Rep Lockheed Martin Corporation
Running a Smooth Supply Chain Angela Ivery is a Lean/Six Sigma Black Belt in supply chain management at Lockheed Martin. Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality output of process by identifying and removing the causes of defects (errors) and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes. Black Belts, Green Belts, and Yellow Belts are all experts in these methods. “In supply chain management, I am able to facilitate process improvement projects with internal and external customers,” Ivery adds. “I lead cross functional teams to streamline operations internally and externally; assess problems and obstacles to scheduling/ planning, quality, inventory management, and manufacturing operations; and facilitate process improvement activities.”
Gravity Can’t Hold Her Down Capt. Kathryn Hire has more than 3,400 flight hours and over 711 hours in space. As a civilian, Hire was an astronaut at NASA. She is currently an aerospace engineering instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy. She began teaching aerospace engineering at the Academy in 2014. She is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and received her Naval Flight Officer wings in 1982. During her first operational assignment with Oceanographic Development Squadron Eight, Capt. Hire flew P-3 Orion aircraft and conducted oceanographic research missions to 25 countries. She later became an instructor with the Naval Air Training Unit at Mather Air Force Base and trained more than 600 student naval flight officers. In 1989 she affiliated with the Navy Reserve. Capt. Hire is the first woman in the U.S. military to be assigned to a combat aircrew. She also has participated in Atlantic and Caribbean operations flying aboard the P-3 maritime patrol aircraft. After recall to active duty, she supported Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom as a member of the U.S. Naval Central Command staff. Hire then proceeded to earn a Master of Science in Space Systems Technology from the Florida Institute of Technology. 40
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
What advice would she give to a student interested in supply chain management? “Start early, and apply for internships,” she replies. “I learned skills during one internship that ultimately set me on the path to where I am now, and I didn’t even know it at the time. In addition, don’t overlook the soft skills — public speaking, writing, presenting, and even dinner etiquette. “Every day in my line of work is different, and I love that,” Ivery went on. “This year I have focused on mentoring and learning skills that I can transfer into management. My next career move would be leadership.” Ivery holds a master’s degree in project management and management information systems.
www.womenofcolor.net
Women of Color Award Winners
2015
Professional Achievement in Industry
Dr. Sharon (Xiaorong) Jin Material Technical Specialist, FCA US LLC
America’s Import Dr. Sharon (Xiaorong) Jin arrived at Chrysler as a proven expert in polymer and composite applications that span vehicle technologies, including adhesive, interior, and plastics. She has been an integral part of the Organic Materials Engineering Team at Fiat Chrysler Automobile US (formerly Chrysler Group). Armed with a doctorate in chemical engineering, Dr. Jin leads the development and application of elastomers and sealing technology for all powertrain applications. Key responsibilities include providing technical leadership. FCA is a leader in powertrain technology and has been recognized for its engines that meet both consumer demand and fuel economy requirements. With even stricter future mandates, FCA will be continually developing new engines to meet this challenge. Dr. Jin’s experience, attention to detail, extensive polymer expertise, and participation all lead to successful implementations of new materials technologies to meet the demanding environments of these powertrains. Dr. Jin has coupled her years of experience in various areas of vehicle applications with her straightforward approach and leadership ability to guide various teams through challenging and, ultimately, successful programs. She is a key member on FCA Center of Excellence teams, including engine sealing, water pump cooling system, lubrication system, PCV, intake manifold, valve train system, and air induction.
Community Service in Government
Ayesha Johnson
Major Area Integra. Team Lead, Hull & Mechanical Systems Department of the Navy
Top Priority Programs Ayesha Johnson is the lead for the Hull & Mechanical Systems Major Area Integrated Team within the Ohio Replacement Program Office. The program is one of the largest in the U.S. Navy. It is responsible for designing and building a new class of 12 ballistic missile submarines to replace the Navy’s current 14 boats. This program is critical to national defense, and Johnson plays a pivotal role. As team lead, Johnson is responsible for structures, materials, weights, naval architecture, mechanical, and weapon systems. Government stakeholders and commercial shipbuilders also rely on her to resolve technical issues. Her job responsibilities are demanding, but Johnson finds time for community service. Johnson is a math and science tutor for students at T.C. Williams High School. Each year, she tutors two students, and she participates in the Tutorial Ministry Program at Alfred Street Baptist Church. The students see her as a role model, and she encourages them to develop an interest in STEM subjects. In addition, Johnson plans information sessions, serves as a judge for regional middle-school mathematics competitions and brings in motivational speakers. In 2005 Johnson received a Bachelor of Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
41
2015
Women of Color Award Winners Professional Achievement in Government
Carletta Long
Deputy Director, Fleet Logistics, Naval Sea Systems Command
It’s All About the Ships! Carletta Long is currently the deputy director of the Fleet Logistics Division within the Surface Warfare Directorate (SEA 21) of Naval Sea Systems command. As the director, she is responsible for managing logistics support for non-nuclear surface and mine warfare, amphibious, auxiliary, and command ships. She is also responsible for the Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages program, which works to improve Fleet readiness and sustainment. In 2011 Long was Branch Head for two Surface Warfare Directorate of Naval Sea Systems branches. During that time, she served as Contracting Officer’s Representative on the AEGIS Lifetime Support contract. Long began her impressive career in Navy support as a CACI International Inc. employee. In that position, she provided technical program support to the Configuration Management and Readiness division director. She then moved on to support PEO Ships Logistics Directorate Program Manager as the lead support contractor. Long earned her Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Maryland University College. She is also a candidate for a Master of Business Administration from UMUC.
Lifetime Achievement
Entrepreneurial Leadership
Ronnie Lowenstein, Ph.D.
Sharon Madison
President, Lowenstein & Associates
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Madison Madison International
Dr. Ronnie Lowenstein facilitated the opening of 11 Community Technology Centers in three boroughs in New York City. She then helped them secure over 6 million dollars of partnership programs and services. From 1997-2006, she collaborated with the Congressional Black Caucus Education Brain trust to produce an annual conference that provided Congressional Technology to Empower Community Awards to exemplary private-public technology partnerships. In 1999, she launched Net Generation of Youth (NGY) as a digital initiative addressing media literacy, and civic engagement. Since then, she has promoted the NGY model with organizations committed to harnessing technology and partnerships to promote education and economic empowerment and to cultivate youth as leaders in a global and digital age.
42
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
Sharon Madison is the third generation builder to run a design, construction and architecture business founded by her grandfather, Robert James Madison, Jr. She credits her father, Julian, as the primary role model for her professional achievements. From engineering, architecture, construction and design, art, dance, and fashion, Madison creates a multi-dimensional vision for enhanced community development. In preparation for the 2006 Super Bowl, she designed a facade improvement plan for parking lots and all of downtown Detroit, which included energy efficiency. Madison also developed the management team responsible for developing the new Cleveland Browns Stadium, and served as prime consultant for the Wyandotte Waste Water Treatment Plant, resulting in over $150 million worth of improvements.
www.womenofcolor.net
Women of Color Award Winners
2015
Technical Innovation – Industry
Gina Marshall-Johnson Electrical Engineer and Program Manager, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Gina Marshall-Johnson has a prestigious career with Johns Hopkins University. She is an electrical engineer and program manager at the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). One of her many responsibilities includes managing APL’s Homeland Security-focused cybersecurity programs. These programs support the Department of Homeland Security’s National Protection and Programs Directorate. Her focus is on cybersecurity research and development, systems engineering, architecture, and testing and evaluation of products. Marshall-Johnson has headed projects established under the National Security Presidential Directive. She is tasked with helping secure the United States in cyberspace. She plays an important role in testing and evaluating the intrusion protection system designed to protect federal departments and agencies. Because of her expertise, Marshall-Johnson manages all APL Department of Homeland Security cyber projects. She has used her leadership to establish new cyber defense science and technology efforts. She has also expanded existing engineering support in analytics and workflow development. Marshall-Johnson has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in solid-state semiconductor engineering from Howard University. She has a Master of Science in communications from Johns Hopkins University.
Career Achievement in Government
Debbie Martinez
Subproject Manager, NASA Langley Research Center
In the Hall of Honor Debbie Martinez has a career spanning more than 20 years in the field of aeronautics and space. She joined NASA Langley Research Center in 1990 in the Analysis & Computational Division/Analysis and Simulation Branch. Martinez remained there for 15 years as a simulation systems engineer. Her responsibilities included flight simulation research studies for transport aircrafts. Martinez later transitioned to general aviation aircraft studies, where she helped develop flight simulation cab requirements and conceptual designs. She soon accepted a one-year assignment as deputy manager for the Space Operations Program Office. This position required her to support tasks for the Space Shuttle Program Office, Orbiter Project Office, External Tank Project Office, and the Systems Engineering and Integration Office. Martinez is currently a sub-project manager supporting the Airspace Operations and Safety Program and the Transformative Aero Concepts Program. Both are new NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate programs. In addition, Martinez takes part in NASA Langley’s Speakers Bureau. She is co-founder of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Southeast Virginia chapter. Martinez has also participated in NASA employee programs, including the Federal Women’s Program and the Hispanic Employee Program.
www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
43
2015
Women of Color Award Winners Corporate Promotion of Education
Kathleen Marwitz
Senior Manager, Engineering Excellence, Abbott
An Abbott Ambassador for STEM Excellence Kathleen Marwitz was appointed a senior manager in Abbott’s Global Engineering Services in 2013. She is responsible for Business Excellence, Engineering Service Offerings, Engineering Standards, CAD Standards, and Global Engineering Communications. Her career took an unexpected turn as Marwitz became an Abbott Ambassador. This work is outside her job description, but she is dedicated to corporate promotion of STEM education. Marwitz promotes initiatives supporting Abbott’s mission to advance STEM programs. Her STEM education efforts include a high school internship program she established in 2012. Since its inception, 100 percent of participating students have pursued college-level STEM education. The program has 28 students. Females comprise 51 percent of participants, and 42 percent of participants are minorities. Students in this program receive mentoring and hands-on experience at five Abbott locations and businesses in the U.S. Eighty-two percent of students who complete the college intern program join Abbott. Marwitz is the driving force behind STEM education programs, including the FIRST Robotics team, Illinois Project Lead the Way, and the High School Aspire to Inspire Consortium. She earned a Bachelor in Business Administration from Northern Illinois University and Governors State University.
Technical Innovation in Industry
Lisa Mitchell
Lead InfoSec Engineer, The MITRE Corporation
Innovative, Practical Solutions Fresh from MIT, Lisa Mitchell launched her career at the MITRE Corporation in 1987. Over the past twenty-eight years, she has supported the Department of Defense and MITRE’s internal Information Technology and Security units. One of her accomplishments with national impact was providing technical support in privacyenhancing technologies. Mitchell made significant contributions to the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, including creating a privacy-enhancing technologies’ categorization scheme and technology survey and developing a privacy risk model. Another major accomplishment for Mitchell was the establishment of MITRE’s first public key infrastructure (PKI), which enabled employees to securely exchange information with each other and sponsors using email. It became the preferred method for managers to exchange sensitive information rather than using old CDs or floppy disks, common in the 1980s through the 2000s. The impact of Mitchell’s work extended beyond MITRE and was used to provide input to the Department of Defense PKI. More recently, she took the lead in documenting and streamlining risk assessment processes for cyber security policy waiver approvals, resulting in significant time savings and shorter learning curves for InfoSec’s Policy and Compliance Group. 44
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
www.womenofcolor.net
Women of Color Award Winners
2015
Community Service in Industry
Teena Piccione
Assistant Vice President – Big Data, AT&T
Harnessing People and Data Teena Piccione, an assistant vice president in Big Data at AT&T, dedicated more than five hundred hours in 2014 to mentoring girls and young women in STEM. As a leader of Big Data solutions architecture with 10 employees, she works with organizations inside AT&T and outside the company to harness the power of data analytics to find solutions that address business needs: saving money, developing new products, improving productivity, and improving customer service. Here’s how Piccione used 500 hours, or 30,000 minutes, in a year: She worked with middle school girls. One project involved a panel that considered business plans created by students. She also mentored one on one through the AT&T Aspire program in local schools. She volunteered with AT&T’s Asian Indian employee resource group in partnership with Dallas STEAM Explorers, Women of AT&T, and also with Hacemos, AT&T’s Hispanic employee resource group. Piccione is a leader of a Women of AT&T mentoring circle and a member of the MS in Business Analytics executive council for the University of Texas at Austin and University of Texas at Dallas.
President’s Award
Joan Robinson-Berry Vice President, Supplier Mgmt., Shared Services Group The Boeing Company
Straight out of LA Joan Robinson-Berry’s professional achievements are “a study in making a difference.” That’s how the dean of the College of Engineering at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, describes a phenomenally successful woman in STEM. Robinson-Berry is a member of the Dean’s Leadership Board, and she has been a positive force for the college and its students. The College of Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona, with more than 5,500 students, has become one of the largest, best, and most diverse undergraduate public engineering schools in the country. Recently, Robinson-Berry was inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame for leadership and significant contributions to engineering and to the broader community. One of the first African-American women to graduate with an engineering degree in her community, she’s also one of a handful of minority women in the nation to hold an associate fellowship with the Aerospace Industries of America (AIA). Not long after graduating from Cal Poly Pomona, she cofounded a small engineering company in inner-city Los Angeles. The experience nurtured her program management skills, and soon her engineering career evolved into management. At Boeing, she has built a successful career with the diverse business opportunities that the global aerospace company offers: from senior engineer, to manager of the MD 80/90 commercial airplane program, to directorships of engineering processes and technical workforce excellence, and finally to leadership positions in Boeing’s multibillion dollar supply chain.
www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
45
2015
Women of Color Award Winners Managerial Leadership in Government
Delene Sedillo
Associate Director, Johnson Space Center Office of Procurement, NASA Johnson Space Center
Asset at Johnson Space Center Delene Sedillo is the associate director in the Office of Procurement for the Johnson Space Center. She assists with management of personnel and the procurement program. Sedillo is responsible for various Acquisition Senior Advisory Boards (SEBs) for multi-billion dollar acquisitions. With a career spanning 28 years, Sedillo has developed expertise in conducting SEBs. She is a skilled leader with strong managerial skills. In 2009 she headed a team to develop streamlined procurement processes at JSC. This team consisted of procurement, legal, and technical personnel. Sedillo has completed a six-month assignment as acting deputy director at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center. She was responsible for assisting with planning, development, implementation, and administration of a procurement management program. Sedillo also revised internal procurement processes to improve personnel collaboration and cooperation. Sedillo is recognized as an asset and sustains a high level of performance. NASA benefits from her experience, technical expertise, professionalism, and leadership. She received a Bachelor of Business Administration from New Mexico State University.
Outstanding Technical Contribution in Industry
Wageesha Senaratne
Research Associate, Corning Incorporated
Stellar Leadership and Business Contributions Wageesha Senaratne has excelled in high-tech at Corning, including Displays, Life Sciences, and Nanotechnology. She is a key co-inventor of Corning’s Antimicrobial Gorilla® Glass based on using an ion-exchange process with silver. This tough cover glass is being commercialized for touch-screen applications. Her contribution has received media attention and won her and her co-authors the Outstanding Internal Publication Award. One of her projects focuses on OLED lighting. A key technical challenge in this area is to enhance light extraction efficiency because light produced in the OLED layer cannot escape completely for illumination purposes. Combing her expertise in nanomaterials and optics, her research is aimed at making OLED lighting more energy efficient and cost effective. Success in this project will have a major impact on energy, the environment, and the user experience. Since joining Corning 10 years ago, she has advanced Surface Science and Nanomaterials Research, creating inventions that led to 49 invention disclosures, 27 patent applications, and five issued patents. She is a prolific writer, having authored or co-authored 44 internal reports and 18 publications. Dr. Senaratne has earned a stellar reputation for scientific leadership, collaboration, and business contributions.
48
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
www.womenofcolor.net
Women of Color Award Winners
2015
Outstanding Technical Contribution
Emilie J. Siochi, Ph.D. Senior Materials Scientist, NASA Langley Research Center
Revolutionizing Aerospace Apps Emilie Siochi is revolutionizing materials used for aerospace applications. She focuses her research and contributions on structural nanomaterials, bio-inspired materials, self-healing materials, anti-fouling engineered surfaces, and energy harvesting. For the past 15 years, she has been heavily involved in nanomaterials research and energy harvesting. She now has six patents and 31 patent applications in this field. She began her career as a contractor providing materials characterization support for polymer chemists. Next was an assignment as head of a Biomimetic Planning Team, tasked with determining if NASA should invest in bioinspired technologies. She now leads a team of researchers that includes chemists, mechanical engineers, and materials scientists. One of the team’s goals is to develop the next generation of 3D printers using carbon nanotube (CNT) composites. Within two years, this team has developed processes and hardware for the printing of CNT-reinforced engineering polymers. The development will result in the capability to support future NASA missions. Siochi has a Bachelor in Chemistry from the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. She earned both her master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Materials Engineering Science from Virginia Tech.
Career Achievement in Government
Wanda Staton-Riggins
Aircraft and Armament Handling Branch Head, Support Equipment Engineering Division, Naval Air Systems Command
For the Men and Women Who Serve Wanda Staton-Riggins is responsible for communicating the status of aircraft and armament support and equipment to the fleet, leads, and program office. Currently, she is overseeing design of the Support Equipment Engineering Lab. The lab will improve the way engineers provide rapid response. “The best part of my job is providing support to the men and women who serve our country,” she says. “Working for NAVAIR for the past 31 years as a civilian has allowed me to interact with the fleet on a daily basis. Whether it is performing engineering investigations, assisting the fleet with alternate workarounds, developing and fielding support equipment, or functioning as a technical liaison between contractor and the government, I enjoy each day.” Staton-Riggins is also a key member of the division’s Workforce Development Team. Her recruiting efforts have helped ensure NAVAIR Lakehurst is developing a talented, diverse workforce. She also mentors young people interested in STEM careers. “I am the first of my generation to graduate college,” she said. “After high school, I was afforded the opportunity to work at the Naval Air Propulsion Center as an engineering student trainee in the Jr. Fellowship Program. This program was for students who graduated in the top ten percent of their class. “As a student trainee, I worked every summer and every winter break,” Riggins said. That experience gave her a chance to work with engineers, and during the first summer at the Propulsion Center, she realized that engineering would be her career choice. www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
49
2015
Women of Color Award Winners Career Achievement in Industry
Dr. Cynthia Taylor Small Department Head, Data Analytics The MITRE Corporation
Excelling at Management Leadership Cynthia Taylor Small’s current position as head of Data Analytics is the sum of a 30-year career in information technology. She joined MITRE in 1997 as a principal engineer. She became active in the MITRE Technology Research Program, where she researched knowledge management frameworks. Small’s career began at the Kennedy Space Center. She was responsible for design and completion of software that monitored battery life on the space shuttle Columbia. IT companies, software and hardware firms, and government agencies have benefited from Dr. Small’s expertise. Her work with SEMA Inc. helped the company grow from a $3 million enterprise to one valued at more than $30 million. This resulted in receiving the President’s Senior Management Leadership Award for technical excellence. Dr. Small received a Bachelor in Government with a concentration in math from The College of William and Mary. She received a Master in Technology of Management from American University and a PH.D. in Information Technology from George Mason University.
Career Achievement in Industry
Monica Wilkins
Shonalesia Wilkins-Ellis
Divisional Vice President, Quality Systems and Business Strategic Support, Abbott
Test Program Manager, IBM Corporation
A Breadth of Experience Monica Wilkins’ breadth of experience — hospital years, government, and large healthcare company — is what makes her a nationally-recognized technical expert and respected leader. She came to Abbott in 2007 as one of the first national device experts to join the company. Today, the divisional VP of Quality Assurance/Regulatory Affairs leads a high-profile team that works directly with every Abbott business. To solve quality/regulatory issues within a business, she uses data from multiple sources, “conducting a symphony of info- and intel-gathering and networking with Abbott Compliance, other internal groups, and external agencies.” She ensures that the company’s products reach the people who need them — worldwide. Wilkins shares information and knowledge and supports those around her. For example, she serves as instructor for a quality certification program sponsored by Xavier University in Cincinnati. She has also institutionalized a training program for R&D and Quality professionals that focuses on one of many FDA regulations for the industry — one centered on design control for medical devices. She customizes this training program for various businesses using real examples to drive awareness and understanding. 50
Community Service in Industry
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
Testing, Testing…All Systems Go! At IBM, Shonalesia Wilkins-Ellis manages testing projects for internal and external clients. Outside of work, her passion for technology extends into her community as she helps students develop appreciation for a future in STEM. How does she dedicate herself to this vision? In 2014 Wilkins-Ellis was selected as National e-Week Coordinator for the Tampa Bay area. IBM is a Corporate Affiliate of the National Engineers Week Foundation, and e-Week is designed for K–12 students that have an interest in STEM. The curriculum is developed and taught by volunteers. Wilkins-Ellis was responsible for coordinating volunteers to visit area schools so that over two months, she recruited 22 IBM volunteers — active and retired employees — to visit eight schools. She was lead presenter of engineer career presentations to 360 plus students and used her own funds for IBM-logoed items for students. Wilkins-Ellis was rewarded by significant positive feedback from teachers. Wilkins-Ellis has also participated in the Great American Teach-In held around the country, where she spoke passionately about STEM and software testing.
www.womenofcolor.net
Women of Color Award Winners
2015
K–12 Promotion of Education
Karen Barnes
Principal, Southwest Academy Magnet School of Science and Engineering Baltimore County Public Schools
A Distinguished School Principal Karen Barnes works for the Baltimore County Public Schools, where she is the principal of the Southwest Academy Magnet School of Science and Engineering. In 2014 Barnes received recognition as the Maryland National Distinguished Principal of the Year. Her leadership abilities and compassion help her meet the needs of students, teachers, and parents. Barnes displays superior analytical capabilities and is a classified expert in using data analysis to improve student achievement. She has served on several state and national boards and is an American Achieves National Principal Fellow. She is passionate about encouraging girls of color to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math. Barnes started “WINGS,” a program designed to provide students with information about STEM careers while also providing role models. She has a focus on student achievement and STEM. As a result of her efforts, dozens of school leaders have gone on to serve in a variety of leadership positions throughout Maryland. Barnes completed post-graduate work at Harvard University. She studied Turnaround School Leadership and received Advanced Principal Mentor certification from Columbia University. Before returning to the Baltimore public school system, she worked for New Leaders for New Schools as a Baltimore coach and National Director of Leadership Coach.
www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
51
2015
Women of Color Award Winners
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Soo Mae Chu Director, Strategic Program Project Management AT&T
Soo Mae Chu is considered a pioneer at AT&T. Since joining AT&T, she has taken on a position where she has achieved sales quota in a newly combined sales/tech support team. She was the only individual on that first sales/engineering team to meet target Chu has also rolled out a “Knowledge Community” group at AT&T. This was a new concept to combine technical and sales expertise in a single group as part of a “Sales Transformation” effort. The effort to create customer network solutions was expanded to other parts of the organization. Her other accomplishments include bringing together the AT&T Professional Services team and external vendors, to find products to complement existing solutions; and working through the analysis required to prepare for the merger between DTV and AT&T. This effort is currently underway.
Leah Colvin
LaTasha C. Dandy
Engineering Project Manager Huntington Ingalls Industries
Engineering Leadership Dev. Program Rep Lockheed Martin Corporation
Leah Colvin manages a department of about 50 people, with responsibility for some 25 engineering projects. Colvin pursues business — in software development, cyber security and modeling and simulation — at the Engineering Services Program Office at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries.
LaTasha Dandy is a control account manager in Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. Her current job is her last rotation in a three-year workforce development program for engineering leadership at Lockheed Martin. “I manage over $15 million in control accounts servicing over 30 team members,” Dandy says. “I have daily coordination meetings to manage the schedule and cost commitments we have made to our customer.” In middle school, Dandy wrote in her journal that she wanted to be an engineer. “Although I have touched on quite a few things along the way, I still ended up completing that goal,” she said. “My next step is to go into program management,” she said. “My current role is a stepping stone to making that happen so I look forward to the day when I can say “I set out to be a Program Manager, and that’s just what I did!”
Prior to her current role, Colvin served as engineering manager for the Automation and Networks Department, where she grew the department from about 20 engineers and designers to 100. The department built, integrated and tested complex, first-of-a-kind networked systems, which are now installed on board the latest aircraft carrier, the CVN 78 USS Gerald R. Ford. Colvin has coauthored three papers presented to the American Society of Naval Engineers Shipbuilding Submarine Symposiums.
54
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
Last year, Dandy provided mentorship and support to more than 50 girls in a weekend STEM community project. During National Engineers Week, Dandy led the Engineers in the Classroom effort by organizing 60-plus Lockheed Martin volunteers to reach 4,705 students in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In Washington D.C., Dandy served as the aeronautics media spokesperson and Engineers in the Classroom subject matter expert for the Lockheed Martin Science and Engineering Festival. She served on a women’s panel for the University of Texas Arlington National Society of Black Engineers. www.womenofcolor.net
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Women of Color Award Winners
2015
Anita Hogans Simpson Lead Member of the Technical Staff, Wireless Network Architecture and Design, AT&T Labs
Sonia Henry Associate Director, Acquisition Support and Information The Aerospace Corporation
When Sonia Henry was in the 11th grade, her mother got her to speak with a Black female engineer who had just won an award as one of The Aerospace Corporation’s Women of the Year. Inspired by the conversation, Henry decided to consider engineering over medicine, which she’d found wasn’t for her after volunteering in a hospital. A few summers later, Henry returned to The Aerospace Corporation as an intern. She did so well, the company offered her a job the following summer. Twenty-five years later, she’s still in the aerospace and defense industry. Last fall, she received an award for “Individual Achievement” from Aerospace Corporation’s Systems Engineering Division in recognition of her outstanding efforts in “informing, inspiring, and attracting summer interns for 12 years.” A year earlier, she was winner of the 2013 Excellence in Diversity Award for “leadership and promotion of diversity, inclusion, and excellence at Aerospace and in the community.” In 2012, she received the Robert Herndon Black Image Award for “exceptional educational, individual and professional achievement for the Corporation and for the Community,” and she earned 2008 Aerospace Women’s Committee Woman of the Year Award for embodying the concept of “Paying it Forward: Inspiring and Motivating the Next Generation.” “I am most proud of the growth that I have seen in prior and current interns (over 50) that I have mentored over the last 12 years,” Henry says. “To have them come back and thank me for the skills they were taught that have helped them in life and their career (whether they stayed in the field of engineering or not) is uplifting.” www.womenofcolor.net
Anita Hogans Simpson is recognized as a technical leader, and is praised for her contributions. She is technical solution owner of content discovery across the U-verse TV platform. Simpson has improved AT&T’s U-verse for millions of subscribers. In 2014, she changed the way customers purchase Video on Demand. The result was a $120 million increase in incremental annualized revenue. This demonstrates how her contributions translate into success for AT&T and helps its customers. As a lead member in Wireless Network Architecture and Design, her current focus is on advancing AT&T’s video delivery capabilities. After more than 25 years with AT&T, Simpson has earned several awards in recognition of her technical expertise. Among her awards are the Ops Svc Dev Enterprise VoIP Award, General Innovation Award BIPMAN, and VoIP Project S&T Department Head Award. She has also filed 49 patents for her innovations. Simpson earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Central Florida. Her Master of Science in Computer Studies was earned from the North Carolina State University College of Engineering.
Celebrating women. Celebrating their dedication to impacting people through innovations central to their lives in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Celebrating research, education, and collaboration to change the face of STEM. Women of Color magazine commends recipients of the 2015 Women of Color Awards for their success in STEM.
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
55
2015
Women of Color Award Winners
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Deborah A. Kennedy Chief, IT Capital Planning Div., Corporate Info. Directorate U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Deborah Kennedy has many notable achievements, from her beginnings as an active duty Air Force member to her current position as an Army civil servant. The Office of Management and Budget, Department of Defense, and Department of Army have all recognized Kennedy for her outstanding managerial leadership. As chief, IT Capital Planning Division, her leadership impacts more than 30,000 employees who execute $40 billion annually in civil and military missions. Kennedy directs an eight-person staff responsible for financial oversight of the Army Corps’ $530 million IT portfolio.Kennedy was recently a contributor to the federal Office of Management and Budget-mandated Portfolio Stat, in which 26 government agencies reassessed their IT requirements. The participating agencies discovered more than $2.5 billion in spending reductions to achieve over a two year period. Kennedy also exhibits leadership through staff mentoring and community events. She promotes federal career opportunities to college students and disabled veterans and is a mentor during Disability Mentoring Day. Kennedy is a graduate of the National Defense University, Army War College, and the Federal Executive Institute.
Jessica Lee Senior. Manager, Design Assurance Boston Scientific
Jessica Lee likes being a manager because having executive or supervisory authority is an opportunity to influence change. Currently, she manages nine Quality engineers who perform (cadaver) usability testing and risk management for medical devices used to treat chronic pain and Parkinson’s disease. “It was a hard transition to let go of technical work and focus on developing and growing people, but the rewards have been worth it,” she said. “My management style is to live my life as a role model for the culture I want to impart.” While in college, she tore an ACL playing rugby. Amazed at how surgery to replace a knee ligament made her feel like a “bionic woman” she switched her major to biomedical engineering and continued on to get a Ph.D., doing research in orthopedic implants. To a student entering her field, she says “be realistic about how decisions you make today will impact your chances of getting a job. On top of that, everyone has at least a bachelor’s degree these days, so make yourself stand out with co-ops/internships or an advanced degree,” she adds. Her mechanical engineering background has helped in some of the rescue systems she takes part in as a volunteer. There are “ropes, pulleys, and mechanical advantage. We also use GPS to help in our searches, but it is important to know the basics such as old-style maps and compasses,” she says.
56
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
www.womenofcolor.net
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Women of Color Award Winners
2015
Sonia Suber Vice President, Relationship Management Information Systems and Technology, Sodexo
Sonia Suber has pioneered several proprietary solutions that have been incorporated as part of Sodexo’s product offerings. She oversaw the development of the “At Your Request Room Service Dining (AYR) application, which allows hospital patients to order what they want when they want, an innovation that garnered popularity soon after its introduction, and is a key component of a larger solution. Suber’s team introduced the first Operational Dashboard, a solution that provided real-time operational metrics starting in the Laundry market segment and has expanded to incorporate Sodexo’s Heath Care and Corporate markets.She leverages her fluency in IT to harness the next generation’s capabilities in STEM in ways that improve the corporate bottom line at Sodexo as well as motivate the company’s future leaders. “As Sodexo North America’s first female, African-American VP of IT, Sonia Suber leads the way in breaking down barriers with adroit navigation of both socio-political and corporate misperceptions of individual abilities to contribute value to the company organization and society,” reports Gerri Mason Hall, chief human resources officer of Sodexo’s North American operations, adding a personal comment: “I can say with absolute certainty that I would have benefited greatly from a mentor like Sonia.”
Linda Taliaferro Vice President, Global Quality Meritor
America’s top women in technology are pursuing excellence. Women of Color magazine celebrates 19 years of weaving the stories of multicultural women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and sharing their secrets to career success.
www.womenofcolor.net
Over a 30-year career, Linda Taliaferro has established herself as an expert in Six Sigma and continuous quality improvement. In just six months as vice president of Global Quality at Meritor, she has had a “remarkable” impact on 28 company sites in 18 countries. With her leadership, Six Sigma initiatives across the company’s global operations and with suppliers have resulted in more than $2 million in material cost reduction and $4 million in process improvements at numerous plants.Under her direction, Meritor is strengthening supplier relations, based on greater collaboration, attention to quality and a focus on mutual success. Taliaferro also has realigned the Global Quality organization to enhance focus on customers to meet a defect rate of 75 parts per million or less. She has steered plants and other facilities toward greater integration and accountability as well as faster response to customer quality issues. Her focus is on the success of the entire team: employees, suppliers and customers. Taliaferro is working on a Six Sigma process to better predict performance through more robust and reliable testing.
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
57
2015
Women of Color Award Winners
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Padmapriya (Priya) Vijayasarathi Delivery Manager Northrop Grumman Corporation
Priya Vijayasarathi has developed an unparalleled combination of public health knowledge and information technology skills through her support of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Over 12 years, she has become a key leader within CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and Northrop Grumman’s Public Health Operating Unit. Recently, Vijayasarathi has been involved in technical design, architecture, and implementation for the Open Data platform within the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Given full authority to “blow up” the then-current go-to tool for the Office of Smoking and Health’s data dissemination efforts, she was a thought leader for the State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System open data project. The customer’s indisputable confidence in the company’s work is attributed in large part to Vijayasarathi’s commitment to help shape a successful relationship with the project sponsor. Her background in software development and IT, paired with her leadership ability, make her a role model for junior staff, and in every capacity, she has consistently demonstrated “impeccable technical stature.” She is a founding member of the Public Health Technical Advisory Council, where she holds a position of leadership.
Jia Wang
Elaine Ward
Lead Inventive Scientist AT&T
Technical Director, Enterprise Strategy & Transformation The MITRE Corporation
Over 14 years with AT&T, Jia Wang has demonstrated skill and thoughtful leadership. Her technical contributions are praised in and outside of AT&T. Wang provides initiatives important to AT&T’s business in the customer feedback analytics program. She establishes partnerships across the Advanced Technologies Organization, AT&T Labs and with AT&T service operations and care teams. She also drives innovation with her expertise in directing program activities to produce productive outcomes. Wang is no stranger to the field of computer networking. She is recognized as a pioneer and leader. Her accomplishments have had a societal and scholarly impact. Wang is the author of 87 technical papers, and an inventor with 53 patents. She has two Best Paper Awards and several Research Excellence awards. She is also a contributor to the women and minority community within her field. Wang is a mentor for young professionals, and more than 50 students have earned their Ph.D. degrees under her guidance.
58
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
Elaine Ward has built an impressive career with The MITRE Corp. spanning more than 20 years. Her exceptional work has earned several corporate recognition awards. Ward has the respect and trust of colleagues, managers and sponsors. In her current position as technical director she is responsible for 160 technical staff across three departments. Ward joined MITRE as a software systems engineer. Prior, she had worked as an engineer consultant and computer scientist supporting Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Her experience in business process engineering, enterprise architecture, and systems and software engineering proved beneficial. She was entrusted to support the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy, the Defense Information Systems Agency, and other military and civil customers. She has also supported the Customs and Border Patrol by working on their Automated Commercial Environment Modernization effort.
www.womenofcolor.net
59
WOMENOFCOLOR |FALL 2015
www.womenofcolor.net
2015
ď ’ Women of Color Award Winners
2015
Women of Color
Technology
All-Stars & Rising Stars
E
very year, the Women of Color STEM Committee gets a wealth of nominations. These nomination applications are reviewed and recommended for an award by a panel of science, technology, engineering,
and math (STEM) leaders drawn from industry, government, and academia. Some awards recognize inventors of a new product, device or process or women that lead technology development teams or develop ways to use a product or process. The committee looks for broad impact and high value to society. Other awards recognize innovators in the delivery of benefits to communities, or people that bolster corporate resolve to expand educational services and to put budgetary backbone into community development efforts. WOC STEM category awards also look at a woman whose accomplishments in leading and managing a laboratory, a company, or a significant part of a technology enterprise make her stand out. The committee scopes nominees who are managers of STEM programs or who demonstrate exemplary commitment to enhancing access and opportunities in STEM careers through promotion of scientific and technical education programs. The 300+ Women of Color STEM Conference Rising Stars and Technology All-Stars are all these and more. Technology All-Stars are accomplished women of color from mid-level to advanced stages of their careers (approximately 22-plus years in the workforce) that have demonstrated excellence in the workplace and communities. Rising Stars are those in their early career (approximately one to 22 years in the workforce) who are helping to shape technology for the future. All the nominees listed below have impressed the Selection Committee with their academic achievements, the value of their contributions to society, the impact on their workforce, and their standing as role models.
62 62
WOMENOFCOLOR FALL 2015 WOMENOFCOLOR||FALL 2015
www.womenofcolor.net www.womenofcolor.net
TECHNOLOGY ALL-STARS
Women of Color Award Winners
ď ’
2015
Viviana Acosta
Senior Lead Engineer
Booz Allen Hamilton
Meena Agnihotri
Sr. Technical Architect
AT&T
Farala Alvarez
Supervisor of Engineering
General Dynamics Electric Boat
Hiba Alyawer
Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Jerliyn Ballena
Procurement Analyst
The Boeing Company
Awni Bansal
Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Rachel Beattie
Senior Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Smita Bodepudi
Advisory Software Engineer
IBM Corporation
Pamela Booker
Director of Talent Acquisition
AT&T
Bernice Brown
C-17 Sustainment Program EVM Project Manager
The Boeing Company
Cynthia Browne
Manager IMS Database Development
IBM Corporation
Woomi Chase
Lead Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Cynthia Chin-Lee
Senior Manager
Oracle
Ivy Choe-Branstetter
Lead Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Chong Costigan
Quality, Safety and Mission Assurance
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Cheryl Crowder
Program Manager
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Tracy Cuington
Project Management & Planning Operations Rep Senior Staff
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Debora Davis
Senior Contracts Administrator, NASA Commercial Crew Program
The Boeing Company
Kimberly Davis
Project Manager
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Brittany Dispenza
Senior Lead Technologist
Booz Allen Hamilton
Aparna Durvasula
Department Leader Integrator
The MITRE Corporation
Joyce Fai
Member Technical Staff
General Dynamics Mission Systems
Sharolyn Farmer
Director - New Technology Product Development & Engineering
AT&T, Inc.
Angela Fatzinger
Test Solution Architect for IBM zAware, z/OS System Test Resiliency Leader
IBM Poughkeepsie z/OS System Test
Jun Feng
Member of the Technical Staff, Information Systems Engineer
The MITRE Corporation
Laverne Franklin- Jones
Lead Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Gina L. Freeman
Gender Policy Advisor
U.S. Coast Guard
Deirdre Fultz
Manufacturing Manager
FCA US LLC
Resha Gadson
Associate Director-Finance Billing Operations
AT&T
Candace Graham
Software Engineering Manager
Lowes Home Improvement, Inc
Deanna Green Senior Software Engineer
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Rolyn Grim
Manager, Software Quality
Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
Yaojun Gu
Principal Software Engineer
Siemens PLM Software
Deepa Gupta
Director, Education Initiatives & Strategy, Global Corporate Citizenship
The Boeing Company
Deneah Hardie
Senior Lead Engineer
Booz Allen Hamilton
Joyce Harris
Senior Consultant
Booz Allen Hamilton
Denise Harris
Application Focal Point, Project Manager
IBM Corporation
Joycelyn Harrison, Ph.D.
Low Density Materials Program Manager
Air Force Office of Scientific Research
www.womenofcolor.net www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR WOMENOFCOLOR || FALL FALL 2015 2015
63 63
2015
ď ’ Women of Color Award Winners
TECHNOLOGY ALL-STARS
Parisa Hashmani
Lead Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Satonya Hobson-Williams
Lead Engineer, Medium Attitude Endurance Product Office
U.S. Army
Anna Hoover
Scientist/Reliability
Corning Incorporated
Denise Jackson
Manager, MOPAR International Supply Chain
FCA US LLC
Jackie Jackson
Director, Systems Integration
AT&T
Claudia Jara
Senior Manager, Regulatory Compliance and Supplier Diversity
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Aliza Johns
Senior Engineer
General Dynamics Electric Boat
Debra Johnson
Logistic Analyst 5
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Crystal Johnson
Process Analyst
The Boeing Company
Maude Johnson Project Manager
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District
Crannough Jones
Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Patti Jones
Operations Engineer Principal
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Nanditha Kakkarayil
Lead Technologist
Booz Allen Hamilton
Gunveen Kaur
Delivery Lead Program Manager
Infosys Limited
Jacqueline Kim
Senior Lead Technologist
Booz Allen Hamilton
Maureen Kim
Lead Technologist
Booz Allen Hamilton
Bernadette Lee
Information Technology Process Analyst
The Boeing Company
Tiffany Little
Lead Technologist
Booz Allen Hamilton
Sherrie Littlejohn
EVP and Chief Information Officer
Wells Fargo & Company
Anita Lopez Deputy Director for Operations, OMAO and Deputy Director NOAA Corps
NOAA-Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO)
Rupali Lunani
Dept. Manager. Systems Architecture
General Dynamins Land Systems
Elise Mallory
Application Sales Executive Wi-Fi
AT&T
Una McFarland
Management Analyst
Naval Air Warfare Training Systems Division
Sucharna Milligan
Business Operations Staff Analyst
The Boeing Company
Hong Min, Ph.D.
Senior Technical Staff Member
IBM Watson Research Center
Donnella Mitchell-Carter
Information Technology Project Management Specialist
The Boeing Company
Sonja Mooney
Assistant Program Manager for EPS
U.S. Navy
Angela Moore
Resource Deployment Manager
IBM Corporation
Sonya Moore
Program Manager
Meritor
Martha Morris
Project Manager
IBM Corporation
Jessica Mubaraki
Lead Technologist
Booz Allen Hamilton
Sharon Murphy
EVP, Head of Team Member and Mobility
Wells Fargo & Company
Eunice Muthuswami
Lead Network Administrator
World Wide Technology, Inc.
Aida Negron
Master Program Planner Senior Manager
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
KimNga Nguyen-Valen
System Build & Recovery Team Leader
The Boeing Company
Judith Nicholson
Supply Chain Strategy Manager
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Christine Orita
Client Technical Specialist
IBM Corporation
Qiqing (Christine) Ouyang, Ph.D.
Distinguished Engineer, Office of CTO of IBM Analytics
IBM Corporation
64 64
WOMENOFCOLOR FALL 2015 WOMENOFCOLOR||FALL 2015
www.womenofcolor.net www.womenofcolor.net
TECHNOLOGY ALL-STARS
Women of Color Award Winners
ď ’
2015
Neelima Parasker
Business Area Manager
IBM Corporation
Margaret Perez
Engineering Specialist
General Dynamics Electric Boat
Reina Quander
Advisory Software Engineer
IBM Corporation
Lourdes Quinteros
Lead Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Cynthia Roberts
Senior Lead Engineer
Booz Allen Hamilton
Lynda Roland
Business Integration Lead
The Boeing Company
Blanca Sadler
Financial Analyst
IBM Corporation
Rajni Samavedam
Senior Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Harriet-Marcia Shakir
WW SaaS Leader and Program Manager
IBM Corporation
Sandhya Shivashankar
Senior Lead Technologist
Booz Allen Hamilton
Gabriella Smith
Manager, Manufacturing Engineering
The Boeing Company
Sandra Solomon
Program Manager
Raytheon Company
Hong Staley
Systems Engineer Senior Staff
General Dynamics Mission Systems
Ola Sulyman
Managing Consultant
IBM Corporation
Priscilla Summers
Senior, Engineer Specialist, Electrical
General Dynamics Land Systems
Sara Sun
Senior Lead Technologist
Booz Allen Hamilton
Dakshayani Sundararaman
Project Manager
Infosys Limited
Pamela Tanner
Manager Procurement Planning Control Rep
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Nicole Tate
Business Development Manager
World Wide Technology, Inc.
Lee Taylor-Nelms, Ph.D.
Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Tracey Thomas
Senior Lead Scientist
Booz Allen Hamilton
Anjua Verma
Lead Software Systems Engineer
The MITRE Coporation
Ligia Vilela
Sr. Vice President, CTO/CAO Line of BusinessDigital Channels
Wells Fargo & Company
Caroline Waiyaki
Lead Technologist
Booz Allen Hamilton
Denise Wall
HCM Alliance Director
Oracle
Eula Wiggins
Programmer/Analyst
The Boeing Company
Vanessa Wilkins
Senior Manager - Employee Relations
The Boeing Company
Monica Wilkins Divisional Vice President, Quality Systems & Business Strategic Support, Abbott Quality & Regulator
Abbott
Patricia Wilson
Process Engineer
EASi
Jing Zhang
Senior Engineering Specialist, Mechanical
General Dynamics Land Systems
Celebrating women. Celebrating their dedication to impacting people through innovations central to their lives in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Celebrating research, education, and collaboration to change the face of STEM. Women of Color magazine commends recipients of the 2015 Women of Color Awards for their success in STEM. www.womenofcolor.net www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR WOMENOFCOLOR || FALL FALL 2015 2015
65 65
2015
ď ’ Women of Color Award Winners
RISING STARS
Brizzia Acosta
Master Planner Scheduler
General Dynamics NASSCO
Kaoru Adair
Vice President Regulatory and Clinical Affairs
Boston Scientific
Lijuan Ahern
Electronics Engineer
Naval Air Systems Command
Adriana Apahidean
Senior, Technology Collaboration Engineer
General Dynamics Land Systems
Maria Arredondo
Education Program Specialist
NASA Glenn Research Center
Tracey Bagley-Reed
Engine Controller Design Systems Engineer Senior Project Engineer
General Motors
Padma Balasubramanian
Technology Lead
Infosys Limited
Roberta Bardawil
Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Zebunnisa Basu Advisory Software Engineer
IBM Analytics, Safer Planet Law Enforcement Solutions
April Berrian
Department Lead Integrator
The MITRE Corporation
Aparna Bhave
Senior Manager, Research & Development Interventional Cardiology
Boston Scientific Corporation
Veronica Bloom
Mathematician
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Kyhia Bostic
Process Improvement Professional
Hewlett-Packard
Tara Boyd
Sr. Adv Eng-1 Systems
General Dynamics Mission Systems
Denise Brannen
Information Systems Technician Center Pacific
Space and Naval Warfare Systems
Devin Brown
Business Operations Specialist
The Boeing Company
Holly Bullock
Sub System Design Engineer
General Dynamics
Beatrice Burse-Wooten
Quality Engineer Associate
Lockheed Martin Corporation MST
Kiara Cammack
Nuclear Engineer
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Belinda Carroll Young
Contracts Negotiator Staff
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Vanessa Castellanos
Senior Consultant
Booz Allen Hamilton
Rashmi Chandra
Software Engineer, IBM High End Disk Storage
IBM Systems Group
Jamie (Seungmin) Chang
Software Engineer Staff
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Sonali Chatterji
Engagement Manager, Client Services
Infosys Limited
Yashi Chaubey
Business Analyst and Process & Domain Consultant
Infosys Limited
Jane (Qingfang) Chen
Specialist, Data Management
General Dynamics Land Systems
Stephanie Chen
IAM Architect
General Motors
Cynthia Chin-Lee
Senior Manager
Oracle
Lathadevi Chintpenta, Ph.D. Post-Doctoral Research Associate
Delaware University
Priscilla Christopher
Business Systems Data Warehouse IT Security & Compliance Lead
The Boeing Company
Marlena Clark
Network Engineer
Booz Allen Hamilton
Lakisha (Kisha) Cugliari
EUS Cross-Functional Support Leader
General Motors IT End-User Services
Jennifer Dang
Lead Engineer
Cox Automotive
Ursula Darrington
General Foreman Electrical
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Venus Daughtry
The Software Quality Manager
Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training
Brandi Day
Human Resources Generalist
The Boeing Company
Jabu Diagana
Information Technology Program Manager
The Boeing Company
Leticia Diaz Section Manager, Manager III
68 68
WOMENOFCOLOR FALL 2015 WOMENOFCOLOR||FALL 2015
Raytheon Company- Space and Airborne Systems www.womenofcolor.net www.womenofcolor.net
RISING STARS
Women of Color Award Winners
Maria Diaz-Masterson Engineer-Manager
ď ’
2015
Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport
Malini Dodaballapur
Enterprise Solution Architect
FCA US LLC
Priscilla Duggins
Employee Development Specialist
The Boeing Company
Latitia Durr
Executive Program Manager
IBM Corporation
Nakia Echols
Managing Consultant
IBM Business Analytics & Strategy, GBS
Kelli Esparham
Manager Software Engineering
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Darenae Evans
Information Technology Project Manager
The Boeing Company
Penny Fairley
Manager, Material Handling
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Jeni Fan
Lead Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Laura Feaster
Nuclear Maintenance Program Manager
PEO Carriers/ Carrier Planning
Lori Fiehn
Senior Lead Technologist
Booz Allen Hamilton
Andrea Franklin
Manager, Power Open Source Solutions
IBM Corporation
Zakerria (Zee) Frasier
Field Sales Support System Engineer
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Lai Mui Garg
System Engineer Senior
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Joyce Gaston
Contract Risk Management & Compliance Leader
The Boeing Company
Milu George
Team Lead
World Wide Technology, Inc.
Deidra Gilreath
Global Diagnostic Strategist
FCA US LLC
Jamela Girffin
System Design and Integration Specialist
The Boeing Company
Stacey Glowczewski
Information Technology, Section Manager, Engineering Applications Support
General Dynamics Land System
Veronica Gonzalez
Senior Planner Scheduler
General Dynamics NASSCO
Sabrina C Graves
Manager, In House Subcontracts
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Tamara Green
Tool Engineering Manager
The Boeing Company
Jasmine Griffen
Program Manager
Lowes Home Improvement, Inc
Elise Groves
IT Development and Training Project Manager
The Boeing Company
DanaMarie Harrison
Multi-Functional Information Systems Analysis Manager
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Verna Harry
Lead Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Pavithra Harsha, Ph.D.
Research Staff Member
IBM Research
Amanda Hau
Senior Project Manager
AT&T
Cheri Hawkins
Sr. Adv Eng 2- Test
General Dynamics Mission Systems
Jovanna Henry Business Intelligence Data Analyst
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific
Maria Herrera
Delivery Project Executive
IBM Corporation
Monica Hill
Lead Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Jeri Ann Hiller
Principal Scientist
Boston Scientific Corporation
Sharon Hinton
Aircraft Maintenance Support Engineer Senior
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Tammy Holt
Senior Consultant
Booz Allen Hamilton
Michelle Ho-Yiu Lam
Senior Characterization Engineer
IBM Corporation
Asha Iype
Test Engineer
EASi
Lensa Jalleta Software Engineer Staff www.womenofcolor.net www.womenofcolor.net
Lockheed Martin Information System & Global Solutions WOMENOFCOLOR WOMENOFCOLOR || FALL FALL 2015 2015
69 69
2015
ď ’ Women of Color Award Winners
RISING STARS
Tiffany Jenkins
VP, Technology Manager
Wells Fargo & Company
Dawn Jennings
Adv Eng- Tech Support
General Dynamics Mission Systems
Hong Jiang
Industrial Engineer
U.S. Navy
Suja John
Director Member Tech Staff
AT&T
Serena Johnson Engineering LDP
Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions
Maude Johnson Project Manager
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District
Regina Jones
Process Consultant IBM Global Process Innovation
IBM Corporation
Ashley Jones
Development Engineer Leader
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Carol Joseph Accounting Officer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District
Margaret Jute
Administrative Assistant
U.S. Coast Guard
Sailaja Kadimcherla
Project Management
Lowes Home Improvement, Inc.
Amee Karnavat
Project Manager
Infosys Limited
Jaspreet Kaur
Programmer Analyst
The Boeing Company
Masuma Khandaker
Aero-Thermal Engineer
FCA US LLC
Rhonda King
Quality Assurance Supplier Administrative Staff
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Lenora Knox
Systems Engineer
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Elizabeth Kociba
Design Release Engineer
General Motors
Adzoa Kwawu
Project Manager
The Boeing Company
Laura Lai
Sr. Program Manager
AT&T
Sharita Lea Engineer
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific
Jamie Lee
Senior Consultant
Booz Allen Hamilton
Terri Lee
Infrastructure Deployment Manager
General Motors
Stephanie Lewis
IT PMO Analyst
Lowes Home Improvement, Inc
Ivett Leyva, Ph.D.
Aerothermodynamics Program Officer
Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Olivia Loza, Ph.D.
Big Data and Analytics Specialist
IBM Global Solutions Center
Melissa Lutz
Composite Fabrication Engineer
The Boeing Company
Jinghong (Annie) Ma, Ph.D. Advisory Firmware Engineer
IBM System z Development
Mamta Maddireddy
Business Analyst
FCA US LLC
Sabrina Malone
Ping & Sch 2
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Sathia Mao
GFE/GFI Project Manager
PEO Carriers
Eva Martinez
Supply Chain Associate Manager
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Sobha Mathews
Sr. Test Manager
Infosys Limited
Alexandria McCuien
Senior Specialist Applications-Developer
AT&T Technology Centralized Development
Rebecca McGrane
Director, Advanced Programs & Technology
General Dynamics Land Systems
Haidee McKain
System Test Engineer
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Mariely Mejias-Santiago Research Civil Engineer
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center
Joanna Mercado Gomez
Plant Optimization Leader
Charlotte Merritt
Project Engineer IV Huntington Ingalls Industries
70 70
WOMENOFCOLOR FALL 2015 2015 WOMENOFCOLOR ||FALL
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
www.womenofcolor.net www.womenofcolor.net
RISING STARS
Women of Color Award Winners
ď ’
2015
Sonia Mezzetta
Data Architect
IBM Corporation
Shipra Mitra
Senior Principal Consulting
Infosys Limited
Ivette Morazzani
Systems Engineer Sr.
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Jessica Moton
Senior Advanced Analyst
AT&T
Maitreyi Mulpuru
Managing Consultant
IBM Corporation
Sudeeksha Murari
Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Sara Naeem
Sr. Consultant
Booz Allen Hamilton
Moon Nagar
Lead Consultant
Infosys Limited
Kaveri Naik
Technology Lead
Infosys Limited
Jayapreetha Natesan
System z Test Code release Program Manager
IBM Systems Strategy and Operations
Truc Nguyen
Software Engineer Staff Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions
Celena Noel
Managing Consultant
IBM Corporation
Manuela Ocampo
Sr. Research Scientist
Corning Incorporated
Karen Oliver
Systems Engineer Staff
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control
Catherine Ordun
Lead Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Kimberly Owens
Computer Systems Analyst Senior
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Chelsey Owens
Nuclear Engineer
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Millicent Owusu
Sr. Process Engineer
Corning Incorporated
Jin Palmer
Manager, Uconnect Product Strategy (NAFTA)
FCA US LLC
Stephanie Panker
Electronics Engineer
Naval Air Systems Command
Shirali Patel
IT Manager
General Motors Information Technology
Bina Patel Botts
Project Manager, Global Technology Products
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Laura Pedrego
ILS Specialist IV
General Dynamics Mission Systems
Takisha Penix
Manufacturing Engineer
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Harolyn Phillips
Mergers & Acquisitions Strategy Analyst
The Boeing Company
Ann Pitruzzello
Signal and Image Processing Engineer
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Porscha Porter
Program Management
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville Center
Aparna Prabhakar
Technology Innovation Program Leader
IBM Corporation
Elda Rosie Pridemore
Multi-Discipline Systems Engineer, Lead
The MITRE Corporation
Monica Pringle
Electrical Engineer
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Tabitha Profit
Software Engineer Consultant
Lowes Home Improvement, Inc
Priya Radhakrishnan
Associate Director-Client Services
Infosys Limited
Ana Ramekar
Structural Engineer
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Fatima Ramos
VMware Systems Engineer
General Motors
Kristel Ramsay
Lieutenant, Nurse Corps, United States Navy
Naval Hospital Pensacola
Shruti Rawat
Principal Member of Technical Staff
AT&T
Hemlata Reddy
Program Director, Big Data and Analytics, IBM Systems
IBM Corporation
Greyla Ricardo
Business Analyst
Lowes Home Improvement, Inc.
Sonia Riley
Project Management & Planning Operations Rep Senior
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
www.womenofcolor.net www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR || FALL FALL 2015 2015 WOMENOFCOLOR
71 71
2015
ď ’ Women of Color Award Winners
RISING STARS
Iris Rivera
Advisory Software Engineer
IBM Corporation
Dayatra Rivette
Manager, CIS Threat Analysis & Controls
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Rachel Roberts
Senior Lead Technologist
Missile Defense Agency
Samantha Robinson
Associate Engineer
General Dynamics Mission Systems
Jennifer Robinson
Data Loss Prevention Event Analyst
General Motors
Angela Robinson
Project Manager for CVN 78 Configuration Management
PEO Carriers
Aujchariya Rueangvivatanakij
Staff Technologist
Booz Allen Hamilton
Windy Sampson
IT Test Manager
General Motors
Sara Sarkhili
Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Abena Sarkodieh-Ohemeng Manufacturing Planner Senior
Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control
Jenny Shen
Software Engineer Sr. Staff Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions
Rajani Shenoy
Lead Systems Engineer
The MITRE Corporation
Jamie Shorey
Signal and Image Processing Engineer
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Natasha Singh
Software Systems Engineer
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Armita Sinha
Software Engineering Manager
Lowes Home Improvement, Inc.
Anna Slaughter
Software Engineering Manager
Lowes Home Improvement, Inc.
Jasmaine Smalls
Versatile Technologist
The Boeing Company
Umckia Smiley Vehicle Lead, HMI & Ergonomics Vehicle Intergration & Validation
FCA US LLC
LaTrice Smith
IT Career Foundation Program
The Boeing Company
Gloria Smith
Operations Research Analyst
Naval Air Systems Command
Helen Smith
Lead Business and Financial Manager
PEO Carriers
Uma Srinivasan
Senior Engineer, Hardware Development
IBM Corporation
Dawn Stanfield-Scott
Diversity Manager
The Boeing Company
Giselle Stewart
Cultural Diversity & Inclusion Manager
The Boeing Company
Erin Strawn
Intelligence Analyst
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Amy Suarez
Software Configuration Analyst Staff Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions
Jananee Subburaj
Advisory IT Specialist
IBM Corporation
Isabel Summe
Senior Assessor, Third Party Information Security
General Motors
Yanning Sun, Ph.D.
Research Staff Member
IBM Corporation
Edith Szarkowski
Systems Engineer Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions
Vivian Tang
Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Xian Tao
Group and Technical Lead
FCA US LLC
Monica Tate
ILS Manager for Transition & Technical Data for EMA
PEO Carriers
Tamara Taylor Engineer
Aerotek
Isabel Thayres
Finance Leadership Development Program Associate Lockheed Martin Corporation
Jeyachitra Thirunavukkarasu
Project Manager
72 72
WOMENOFCOLOR FALL 2015 WOMENOFCOLOR||FALL 2015
Infosys Limited
www.womenofcolor.net www.womenofcolor.net
RISING STARS
Women of Color Award Winners
My-xuyen Thomas
Chief of Staff to Supplier Management IT Director
The Boeing Company
Yevette Thomas
Subcontractors Administrator 3
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Shireen Timmapuri
Senior Program Manager
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Monique Toliver
General Supply Specialist
U.S. Army TACOM LCMC
Taraesa Toney
Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Yamliee Toussaint
Founder & CEO
STEM From Dance
Rashmi Tyagi
Technology Architect
Infosys Limited
Giovanna Ubillus
Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton
Ekemini Udofiah
Business Analyst
General Motors
Pavana Vaidyanath
Group and Technical Lead
FCA US LLC
Ramagiri Vani D
Senior Software Engineer
IBM Corporation
Nazarelle VanPutte
Software Engineer
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Meenu Venkataarangam
Production Support Lead U.S.
Infosys Limited
Mahalakshmi Venkateswaran
Senior Project Manager
Infosys Limited
2015
Nicole Ward
Project Engineer Staff Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions
Shonnie Warner
Sr. Capacity Manager
Autotrader
Sonya Waters
Chair, Medical Executive Committee
U.S. Naval Hospital, ROTA /US NAVY
Tia White
VP, Technology Manager
Wells Fargo & Company
Natasha Whittle
Pipe Foreman
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Candince Wilder Information Technology Partner Management Specialist
The Boeing Company
Alanna Williams
Senior Health Consultant
The MITRE Corporation
Denise Williams
Manager, IT Software Procurement
The Boeing Company
Carrie Wolfe
Industrial Manager
U.S. Coast Guard
Christina Wong
Structural Engineer
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Mattanyah Woodbury
Lead Associate/Senior Lead Technologist
Booz Allen Hamilton
Rae Yang
Advisory Software Engineer
IBM Corporation
Xiaoping Yang, Ph.D.
External Science & Technology Leader
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Satoko Yoshima
Systems Test Engineer
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Tywana Young
Information Technology Manager - Finance Systems
The Boeing Company
“Women must bring passion and creativity to play a strong role in STEM. It’s important to have an open mind and to be motivated about what’s in front of you. At the conference in 2011, I loved seeing the enthusiasm and excitement that was brought to each session.” — Sarita Rao, 2012 Technologist of the Year
www.womenofcolor.net www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR WOMENOFCOLOR || FALL FALL 2015 2015
73 73
CAREER OUTLOOK An in-depth look at a cutting-edge industry within STEM. We tell you where the jobs are, why you want them, and, most importantly, how you get them.
SPOTLIGHT ON
WOMEN IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, & MATH (STEM)
INSIDE: INDUSTRY OVERVIEW PEOPLE TO KNOW TOP EMPLOYERS
www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
77
CAREER OUTLOOK Industry Overview
Where Women in STEM Find Employment
L
What Is Available and a Critical Caveat Last August, two women graduated from the rigorous U.S. Army Ranger School. The success of these graduates of West Point, with its heavy science, technology, engineering, and math-related curriculum, demonstrates how women can physically and mentally prepare to achieve in any sector. STEM majors routinely turn dreams into plans and complete them via will, intelligence, and internship experience, which is a good thing as the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there will be an estimated nine million STEM-related jobs created between now and 2022. Careerbuilder.com projects that from June through December 2015 “Nearly half of employers plan to hire full-time, permanent staff over the next six months and one-third plan to hire temporary or contract workers... Sectors hiring skilled employees “include those tied to mobile, search or cloud technology, cybersecurity, social media, wellness, financial regulation, managing and interpreting big data, contract strategy for the Web, alternative energy sources and robotics.” 2015’s Best-Paying Jobs for Women The Bureau of Labor Statistics, as reported by Forbes magazine, ranks the potentially most remunerative careers. The list includes twelve STEM-oriented majors, and STEM fills eight of the top 10 slots. They are listed below in descending salary order, with approximate median annual earnings and the percentage of women in each field. At the top of the list are Sales Engineers, $134,472 and five percent; followed by Miscellaneous Math and Science Occupations, $128,908 and 67 percent; Astronomer & Physicist, $118,768 and 25 percent; Petroleum Engineer, $104,988 and 25 percent; Pharmacist, $98,904 and 52 percent; Helper, Construction Trades, $92,508 and four percent; Nuclear Technician, $91,208 and 100 percent; and Architectural & Engineering Managers, $90,168 and six percent.
78
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
The remaining jobs — paying between $90,000 and $79,000 — suited to STEM majors are Electrical & Electronics Engineer, Economist, Aerospace Engineer, Computer and Information Systems Manager, and Natural Sciences Manager. Careercast.com says women in STEM are entering other well-paying jobs. An actuary can receive an annual median wage of $93,680, and the field could grow by 26 percent. The growth outlook for biomedical engineers is 27 percent with an annual median wage of $86,960. Fields That Attract STEM Women Careerbuilder.com listed the six jobs that span the science, technology, engineering, and math fields with the highest percentage of women. Their participation rate and salary per hour are noted below. The career paths include clinical psychologists, 68 percent, $33.39 an hour; epidemiologists, 53 percent, $34.34 an hour; physical scientists, 41 percent, $45.05 an hour; statisticians, 41 percent, $38.28 an hour; database administrators, 38 percent, $38.04 an hour; and environmental engineers, 26 percent, $40.93 an hour. Women Likely to Make More, for a While Interestingly, in August 2015 the New York Federal Reserve Bank blog, Liberty Street Economics, reported after analyzing 2009–2013 data that “women actually outearn men by a substantial margin for a number of college majors.” The majors, with wage premiums for women, included aerospace, chemical, electrical, civil, mechanical, and industrial engineering as well as earth and nutrition
www.womenofcolor.net
sciences. The advantage that women in these fields receive is that entering a career with a higher opening salary creates a critical base for salary growth. Creating that base is doubly important for women. The study also reported that the wage premiums of women aged 35 and 45 plunged as those of men matched and passed them. The explanation: “Women are more likely than men to spend time out of the labor force to bear and raise children”—a career interruption perceived to reduce accumulating employment experience and human capital, which affects future earnings adversely.
www.womenofcolor.net
Careercast.com says women in STEM are entering other well-paying jobs. An actuary can receive an annual median wage of $93,680, and the field could grow by 26 percent. The growth outlook for biomedical engineers is 27 percent with an annual median wage of $86,960.
Will STEM women, whose on-the-job contributions are equal to men’s and are already in C-suites, show their colleagues how family and advancement are not mutually exclusive? Frank McCoy fmccoy@ccgmag.com
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
79
CAREER OUTLOOK People to Know
WOMEN OF COLOR TECHNOLOGISTS OF THE YEAR
Reflections on the Last Years
82
19
E
very October, the Women of Color magazine community comes together at Women of Color (WOC) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) conferences to celebrate outstanding achievers and initiatives. Below is a portrait of the top winners — Women of Color Technologists of the Year — since 1996. Get to know these mathematicians, engineers, computer scientists, accountants, and lawyers, whose innovations have paid off for their employers, some of WOC STEM Conference’s highly committed partners.
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
www.womenofcolor.net
nologist of the Year, was also the first African American woman to serve as operating officer with a unit of Bell Atlantic Corp. She was named president and CEO of Bell Atlantic-Maryland, Inc. in 1997. Bellamy went on to serve as vice president and counsel for Verizon, overseeing state regulatory matters for states on the East Coast. 1998 Technologist of the Year, Stephanie Manuel Bailey, earned WOC’s award for her role in developing a management system for the United Nations, while she was a partner at accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Bailey also led a billion-dollar management services division at PwC. Taiwanese-born Chon-Yin Tsai was recognized for her contributions to industry in 1999. One of her pivotal research studies was the “vortex breakdown” mechanism, which is critical to honing jet flight control, and alleviating hazards caused by strong wakes of aircrafts such as the Boeing 747, a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport aircraft. WOMEN IN A MALEDOMINATED INDUSTRY It wasn’t unusual for Margarita “Maggie” Dominguez, 2000 Women of Color Technologist of the Year, to be the only woman in her engineering classes. A trail blazer, she started the first Society of Women Engineers chapter at University of South Florida. When she began her career in ‘76, she was the first woman engineer ever at TECO Energy, a Florida utility business. Dominguez came up through the ranks and retired as a vice president, overseeing a work force of 350 and a $49 million budget. John Ramil, then president of Tampa Electric, told Women of Color magazine in 2000, “Maggie is not afraid to challenge the status quo, and she does it in a way that brings out the best in everybody.”
Sherita Ceasar, 2001 Technologist of the Year was blown away when she heard that she was a nominee for Women of Color (WOC) magazine’s top award.
Over an eighteen month period, Ceasar had served as president of the 15,000 member Society of Women Engineers — the first African American in the society’s 50-year history and been inducted into the Women in Technology International (WITI) Hall of Fame. Ceasar helped create the technology that enabled families around the world to e-mail, browse the Web, buy and sell products and talk on the phone — all through their television sets. A rising star on the ‘90s conference circuit, the 2001 Women of Color Conference was one of the big ones, she said. “I didn’t often see a large group of women of color; get that kind of entrée among women in high-ranking military command; industrialists, and scientists with those kinds of credentials,” Ceasar said. “I was proud to represent my company, but I remember feeling humbled and in awe of the strength and character in the ballroom.” Fast forward 14 years and Ceasar still savors the moments. Ceasar fell in love with engineering while working on cars at a local auto shop in the projects of Chicago. She went on to earn bachelor and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, before joining a defense company and later a multinational telecoms firm where she increased business from $30 to $40 million by improving operational performance. Currently, as senior vice president, Comcast National Video Deployment Engineering, she is responsible for the vision, direction, and management of video deployment projects including new build infrastructure projects, software and hardware platform upgrades, technical launch validation, infrastructure capacity needs and decommissioning of end-of-life video equipment. Ceasar is also fired up about egg drop and spaghetti machines in FIRST Robotics competitions. “We had 50 teams last year,” she said. “And there are proven results to show that girls who participate in STEM activities are two times more likely to do science and engineering.”
“Getting recognition was a big deal,” she said. “It was a time of change in the industry, change in the makeup of women.”
RETIREMENT? NOT QUITE New analysis from a Pew Research Center of U.S. Census Bureau data shows more than one-in-three American workers today are aged 18 to 34 (Millennial), and this year they surpassed Generation X to become the largest share of the American workforce,
The 2001 recognition was a “hallmark of all that was converging,” she recalls.
This milestone occurred in the first quarter of 2015, as the 53.5 million-strong millennial workforce has risen rapidly. The Millennial labor force had last year surpassed that of the Baby
www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
83
S
herry F. Bellamy, the first Women of Color Tech-
Boom (Post–World War II baby boom), which has declined as Boomers (1946 and 1964) retire.
MILESTONES In 1969, Lina Echeverria became the first woman to be accepted into the geological engineering program in Colombia’s largest public university. Over 25 years, Dr. Echeverria was one of the foremost researchers in ceramics and applications for glass at Corning Inc. In 2006, when she won the Technologist of the Year award, she was running a research center where 75 percent of the products were new, developing technology that would change the way the chemical industry works. The demands of digital business brought finance and accounting manager Vallerie ParrishPorter into technology. The 2003 Technologist of the Year honed her skills in mergers such as that between Compaq and Hewlett-Packard, Nextel and Sprint before leading the largest local exchange carrier in the United States. Jonas Salk’s vaccine ended America’s polio epidemics during the mid-1950s, but progress was slower in other parts of the world. Beset with the mobility-arresting repercussions of contracting polio at age two, IBM Global Services Dr. Asha Goyal, the 2004 Technologist of the Year, engineered ways to facilitate movement. At the Indian Institute for Technology in Kanpur, she developed her own wheeled transport, first trying a bicycle, then an auto rickshaw, contraptions made out of hospital equipment, and finally a moped she called Luna. Years later, computer scientist Goyal led an initiative to build an Indian counterpart to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations, serving national and local police. 2005 Technologist of the Year winner Nancy Stewart was a master at harnessing computer power to manage the problems of inventory control, accounting, and progress reporting. Stewart ran Wal-Mart Corporation’s large system operations as chief technology officer, after serving as the first African American woman executive at IBM global network computing, and at General Motors.
84
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
Duy-Loan T. Le retired from Texas Instruments in 2014. When she was honored as Technologist of the Year in 2002, the chairman, president and CEO of Texas Instruments (TI) said her technical contributions helped keep TI competitive and represented a significant contribution to the company’s intellectual properties. She holds 20 patents in digital signal processor products for wireless and high-density voiceover packets for data transmission. Duy-Loan was the first woman to be elected TI Fellow in Texas Instrument’s 70-year history. She immigrated to America with her family when she was in grade school. By 19, she graduated with high honors from University of Texas with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and began her career at Texas Instruments (TI) as a memory design engineer. Duy-Loan says her immediate plans are “more rest with longer sleeping hours to preserve health, freedom to do what I want that comes with having more time , intellectual stimulation to continue to grow oneself mentally , and the means to continue to give back to America, Vietnam, and the world.”
Chineta K. Davis, the 2007 Technologist of the Year, recalls “the camaraderie” at the twoday event. Davis, who has been retired from Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems for six years, started going to Women of Color in the late 1990s, then a spin off from flagship BEYA STEM. “Our company always had sponsorships and we served on panels and workshops,” Davis said. “But industry was male dominated so it was good to identify with other women. It gave you the ability to talk to others about the isolation a great place to be mentored and find a sense of comfort.” When Davis’ children were younger, she’d also tap working mothers for tips and advice. A John Hopkins University mechanical engineering graduate, Davis entered the workforce in the early ‘70s, married and started a family as she built a technical career at the old Westinghouse Electronic Systems Division of Baltimore, Maryland. In one position she was called the b-word, in another she found photos of her children scrawled with graffiti. Faced with creating a flexible working schedule that some colleagues might have stigmatized, she felt forced to take time out. “In all the bad or disappointing experiences, I have found lessons I can leverage,” Davis reflected. More recently, Davis was named chair of the Associated Black Charities (ABC). ABC facilitates healthier communities through leadership and investment throughout the State of Maryland. www.womenofcolor.net
2008 Technologist of the Year
Irene Hernandez Roberts also mentored high school students through IBM’s Cascade Mentoring program. Roberts was recognized in 2009 with the HENAAC Luminary award for her work as a role model in the Hispanic community. HENAAC, a non-profit organization that focuses on STEM educational awareness programs for students from kindergarten to career, is now known as Great Minds in STEM. Over a 30-year career with IBM, Roberts traveled to Turkey, India, China, Ireland, Spain, Brazil and Mexico, to influence the local community on market planning, programs, processes, and tooling. As program director in IBM Software Group, ISV (independent software vendors) and Developer Relations, she worked closely with vendors to help them integrate IBM products and technologies into their business solutions. She led a team of 150 IT architects and specialists with a budget of more than $15M working across 40 IBM Innovation Centers. “It has been an honor to be recognized as Technologist of the Year, a great opportunity to network with diverse groups,” she said on the phone from Austin, Texas. Retired from IBM for the last two years, she continues to mentor IBM colleagues. Roberts has earmarked a portion of her retirement savings for a scholarship fund to encourage more Hispanic students to major in STEM related fields. She also encourages women to think not only of career planning but to include planning for long term financial goals. “It is important to start investing in retirement vehicles such as IRA’s or 401(K) accounts,” she says. “It’s never too early or too late to get involved in the community. The same goes with financial planning.” According to the Sullivan and North Star Research Partners 2014 Rebuilding Investor Trust study, women and men have similar financial priorities — retiring comfortably, maintaining their current lifestyle, and covering healthcare costs for themselves or family member. However, fewer than half of either
www.womenofcolor.net
group expresses confidence that they can reach their goals. This may suggest that they lack clarity about the future resources they may need for each of these specific goals, the study said. Roberts’ youngest daughter is in her last year at Baylor University majoring in Computer Engineering. With a summer internship opportunity on the IBM Watson team, both in 2014 and 2015, Roberts encouraged her daughter to start funding her IRAs. She would also like to see more free professional development sessions at Women of Color STEM conferences. ‘CHANGE AND INCLUSION’ In 2004, a decade into Alicia Boler-Davis’ career, the 2014 Technologist of the Year became the first Black woman to be appointed plant manager. She won praise for significant improvements in quality and cost performance. Manufacturing was never far from Davis’ mind. She grew up with a passion for cars in Detroit, Michigan. Her father worked for General Motors part of his career. After she graduated in chemical engineering from Northwestern University in 1991, she joined a pharmaceutical, then a food products manufacturer before General Motors in 1994. “Over the years, I’ve changed companies and areas of focus,” Boler-Davis says. “Within GM, where I’ve worked for more than 20 years, I have taken on assignments and responsibilities I never could have imagined when I started out, from mechanical engineering to manufacturing and management. But through it all, my fundamental goal has remained the same: solve problems, contribute in a meaningful way, and make a difference.” 2009 Technologist of the Year Norma Clayton says as her job roles have changed, so has her professional community. “My professional community has grown larger,” she said. “Today, my community is made up of a very diverse set of mentors, advocates and strategic thought leaders, from academia, various industries, non-profits and financial sectors
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
85
When she is not giving career talks in Baltimore schools, she’s trying to help young people see just what fun engineering can be. One of them is her 6-year old granddaughter who gets lots of toys that teach thinking skills for solving everyday problems at varying challenge levels.
and leaders within STEM related fields.” After leadership positions in manufacturing, supply-chain/ program management and plant operations, Clayton joined McDonnell Douglas (later acquired by Boeing) in 1995 as director of the machining center – One of the most important parts suppliers to the F/A-18 fighter-bomber program. From making a success of a machining center, Clayton went to Boeing’s integrated defense systems business unit. In 2009, she stepped up to lead the organization responsible for making sure Boeing has “the right people, the right skills, and the right jobs.” The seventh of nine children born to an African-American father and a Hispanic mother, Clayton entered New Jersey Institute of Technology through the Educational Opportunity program. EOP is one of the oldest initiatives designed to provide access, academic support, and financial aid to students who show promise for mastering college-level work, but who may otherwise not be admitted. “My mom was the most influential person in my life,” Clayton said. “She used to tell me ‘It’s your little red wagon; you can either push or pull.’” After all their children had graduated from college, Clayton’s parents went back to school and got degrees of their own. “Women must bring passion and creativity to play a strong role in STEM,” said Sarita Rao, president, AT&T Wi-Fi Services. “It’s important to have an open mind and to be motivated about what’s in front of you. At the conference in 2011, I loved seeing the enthusiasm and excitement that was brought to each session.” Rao was the first woman at AT&T to receive the Women of Color top award. Sarita holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Commerce from DePaul University. She is also a graduate of the Management Program for Executives from the University of Pennsylvania. She joined AT&T as an account executive in 1990. Since then she has held assignments in supplier contract negotiations, leading large scale union-based work centers and the National Wireless Segment. As founding member of AT&T Wholesale, she had a key role in facilitating the launch of the Wholesale Sales organization. Currently, as vice president, AT&T Business, Office of the Customer, she is responsible for the AT&T Business Capital program and ensures capital investments are aligned with the strategic direction set for the business. Sarita also has a strong desire to support her interests in both
86
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
children’s nutrition and the arts; she sits on the Executive Board of Common Threads and The Redmoon Theater. She is also working with her family to establish free clinics in rural South India that will enable proactive health maintenance and diabetes treatment. Additionally, she is an active member of the Kellogg Alumni Community and Mentoring team. ‘ENGINEERING IS AN ADVENTURE’ Prior to joining General Dynamics Land Systems, Sonya Sepahban, the 2012 Technologist of the Year, worked on programs such as the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station and a lifeboat for astronauts orbiting earth. Engineering is a great adventure, Sepahban once told 40 female students visiting the Maneuver Collaboration Center or mc2, which Sepahaban led. The organization designs and builds military land vehicles to save the lives of war fighters. Sepahban has served on multiple boards of various organizations such as Boys and Girls Club of America (2007-2009), California Academy of Math and Science (2001-2006) and Next Up, a specialized leadership development program for early-career women. “Throughout my career, learning and embracing change to make things better, connecting the dots, collaborating and synthesizing different elements for a greater good emerge as themes,” she says. Sepahban started her career after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University in 1982. Then she travelled to Europe to earn a bachelor’s in business administration at the French Institute of Political Sciences. Sepahaban returned to America and capped her portfolio with a master’s in chemical engineering from Rice University (1985) and another in business administration from University of Houston (1990). Sepahban says although she thrived in male-dominated industries, sports and social networks, she has come to realize that the needle on diversity will not move without focused efforts. “It’s an extremely important matter of economic prosperity and social justice,” she adds. ‘NEEDLE ON DIVERSITY’ “General Motors has a long history of promoting diversity and inclusion,” Boler-Davis says. “Among our many efforts,
www.womenofcolor.net
Camille D’Annunzio, the 2013 Technologist of the Year, says the conferences provided many opportunities to network and explore new topics. “I like that the message that comes across is that “you can do anything you put your mind to and if you need help the support is there for you.,”she ads.
D’Annunzio 4 tips are: Work hard and take advantage of what is offered. Learn all you can.
D’Annunzio, the second Women of Color Technologist of the Year from Northrop Grumman’s Electronic Systems sector, earned a Ph.D. in applied mathematics despite limiting attitudes toward women in math. After her doctorate, she did data analysis for an experiment on a NASA satellite. The satellite was the first to measure composition of a comet and D’Annunzio showed the composition of solar wind. Over 35 years, she has done an exemplary job motivating staff to develop algorithms a step-by-step procedure for calculations in data processing. She served as a leader and advisor for a Girl Scout troop from 1997 to 2013, as her last girl scout graduated and headed off to college.
Duy-Loan’s Tips to a 20-year-old STEM graduate in her first job: Give all you have - soul, heart, and mind.
Don’t be afraid to stretch yourself.
Treat people right along the way ... because it is simply the right thing to do.
Find a mentor you trust and keep your eyes open for other opportunities.
Grow yourself by doing things for others outside of your direct responsibility. Don’t take things personally.
Boeing’s Norma Clayton says she really enjoys speaking with new hires and learning from them, as well as providing advice from her career experience that might help them with theirs. Here is her guide:
Have a sense of humor and be approachable. Never forget that people make a company, not technology! You CAN change the world and remember the sky is NOT the limit!
Understand the job you were hired for and what your company values. Build a broad network of trusted advisors, mentors, and sponsors.
Roberts’ Rules for the Road Get more than one -Mentor/sponsor.
Build trusting relationships with your boss, employees, and leaders.
Build your connections - Network.
Take the tough assignments and perform them well.
Build your skills and knowledge of your company’s business diversify your portfolio.
Own up to your mistakes - they become great learning opportunities. Be mobile and adaptable. It is very likely you will work for a global company - so be open to global assignments. Own your career by developing and following a career roadmap. Review it annually and adjust as needed; track your progress and keep it going! Meet your commitments by performing well in your assignments. A proven track record is a key to success and upward mobility. Know who you are (e.g. values). Know which ones you are willing to flex and which ones you will not compromise. Stay current on advances in your field of study - become a life-long learner.
www.womenofcolor.net
Do more; take risks - in your job What makes you special? - Sell Yourself. Plan and document - Your Career Roadmap. Get involved - Community Activities. Achieve results that matter - Have Work/Life balance. Grow interpersonal skills - Soft Skills. Give back to others - Community.
By Lango Deen Ldeen@ccgmag.com
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
87
we established the industry’s first supplier diversity program, the first U.S. minority dealer development program, and the first women’s dealer development program.”
Women of Color Technologists of the Year
88
2014 f Alicia Boler-Davis General Motors Company
2005 f N ancy Stewart Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
2013 f Camille D’Annunzio Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems
2004 f A sha Goyal IBM Global Services India
2012 f Sonya F. Sepahban General Dynamics Land Systems
2003 f
2011 f Sarita Rao AT&T Corporation
2002 f D uy-Loan T. Le Texas Instruments Incorporated
2010 f Eleanor Valentin, Rear Admiral United States Navy
2001 f
2009 f Norma B. Clayton The Boeing Company
2000 f M argarita (Maggie) Dominguez Tampa Electric Company
2008 f Irene Hernandez Roberts IBM Corporation
1999 f C hon-Yin Tsai Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space
2007 f Chineta K. Davis Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems
1998 f S tephanie Manuel Bailey PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
2006 f Lina M. Echeverria Corning Incorporated
1997 f S herry Bellamy Bell-Atlantic
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
Vallerie Parrish-Porter Hewlett-Packard Company
Sherita T. Ceasar Scientific Atlanta, Inc.
www.womenofcolor.net
CAREER OUTLOOK TOP EMPLOYERS
Who’s Hiring at Women of Color STEM
Conference?
90
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
C
areer Communications Group (CCG), the producer of the annual Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Conference, has been inspiring students and professionals for more than two decades. During this time, CCG’s flagship Women of Color magazine has partnered with some of the largest public and private employers as well as small- and medium-sized startups. Some have been recruiting at the Women of Color STEM Conference Career Fair for only a few years. But many were part of WOC STEM’s very first job expo in 1996. Without a doubt, all of them are here each year to showcase employee performance and their opportunities created for promotion in technical, management, and program leadership positions and to hire top talent. The Women of Color STEM Top Employers list will help you browse jobs in a variety of sectors and industries. They include public utilities, aerospace and defense, global security, automotive, aeronautics and space, research and development, military shipbuilding, home improvement, medical devices, intelligence, military service branches, and major commands. Recruiters and hirers are looking to hire early-, mid-, and senior-level STEM professionals.
www.womenofcolor.net
Consumers Energy
The MITRE Corporation
Consumers Energy is one of the nation’s largest combination utilities, providing electric and natural gas service to nearly 6.6 million of Michigan’s 10 million residents. Search and apply for jobs at https://www.consumersenergy.com/ content.aspx?id=1236.
The MITRE Corporation is a not-for-profit company that operates multiple federally-funded research and development centers. Be part of the next wave of progress: http://www. mitre.org/careers/working-at-mitre.
U.S. Coast Guard General Dynamics Corporation General Dynamics is an aerospace and defense company. GD continually searches for highly skilled employees across the breadth of the company. See what is available for you at General Dynamics: http://www.generaldynamics. com/careers/career-paths/index.cfm.
The U.S. Coast Guard is the only military organization within the Department of Homeland Security. There are over 6,000 civilian positions in over 200 different types of jobs throughout the Coast Guard: http://www.uscg.mil/top/ careers.asp.
AMIE Lockheed Martin Corporation Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company. Find out how to join Lockheed Martin at: http://lockheedmartinjobs.com/about-us.aspx#sthash.aZpqF9jg.dpuf.
FCA US LLC FCA US LLC is a North American automaker with a new name and a long history. Learn about opportunities, and see how you can take your career further at FCA US: http:// www.fcagroupcareers.com/CareerAreas/Pages/home.aspx.
General Motors Company General Motors produces cars and trucks and sells and services vehicles from the following brands: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Baojun, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall, and Wuling. Learn more about the career opportunities at GM in your region: http://careers.gm.com/.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration At the NASAJobs Web site, you can learn more about NASA employment opportunities and programs: http://nasajobs.nasa.gov/.
Northrop Grumman Corporation Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company working in business, cybersecurity, engineering, and health IT, human resources and administration, and production and manufacturing: http://www.northropgrumman.com/ Careers/CareerAreas/Pages/default.aspx.
The Boeing Company Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space, and security systems. Search for jobs in every category: https://jobs.boeing.com/.
www.womenofcolor.net
AMIE (Advancing Minority Interest in Engineering) represents a coalition of industry and government agencies and the ABET-accredited Historically Black Colleges & Universities Schools of Engineering, which see a diversified workforce as a competitive advantage and an essential business strategy. Learn more about the partners here: http://www. amiepartnerships.org/.
Huntington Ingalls Industries Huntington Ingalls Industries is America’s largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of manufacturing, engineering, and management services to the nuclear energy, oil, and gas markets. Look for a new and exciting opportunity at: http://www.huntingtoningalls.com/careers/ search.
IBM Corporation International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation is a technology and consulting corporation. Visit IBM Jobs Blog for career insights, news, and the latest job opportunities: http://blog.ibm.jobs/.
Navy Civilian Careers Explore the possibilities of a civilian career at the Department of the Navy. They are endless and cover virtually every occupation you can imagine: http://www.secnav. navy.mil/donhr/Pages/Default.aspx.
Raytheon Company Raytheon provides electronics, mission systems integration, and other capabilities as well as a broad range of mission support services. Explore Raytheon’s unique talent areas: http://jobs.raytheon.com/en/career-paths.
U.S. Forest Service This multi-faceted agency manages and protects 154 national forests and 20 grasslands in 44 states and Puerto Rico. Job vacancies are posted on USAJOBS.gov.
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
91
CAREER OUTLOOK TOP EMPLOYERS
Who’s Hiring at Women of Color STEM Conference?
Auto Trader Group
National Security Agency
Autotrader is an online solution for buying and selling new, certified, and used cars. For help with getting hired, visit http://careers.autotrader.com/apply/apply-for-a-job.html.
NSA offers tremendous opportunities for a wide range of professionals who play a vital role every day in helping to keep the world safe: https://www.nsa.gov/careers/career_ fields/index.shtml.
Lowe’s Companies, Inc. Lowe’s has been helping customers improve the places they call home since it was founded in 1946. Let your talents shine in one of the many areas of opportunity at Lowe’s: http://careers.lowes.com/areas_corporate.aspx.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Alabama A&M University
Goodyear is a global manufacturing company. No matter where you are in your career, Goodyear can help drive it forward: https://corporate.goodyear.com/en-US/careers/apply.html.
Alabama A&M University boasts four doctoral programs and a multi-million dollar sponsored research office along with collaborations with numerous government agencies. Click here for AAMU at a glance: http://www.aamu.edu/ aboutaamu/pages/aamu-at-a-glance.aspx.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a U.S. federal agency under the Department of Defense and a major Army command.
Aerotek Pprovides recruiting and staffing to many industries focusing on technical, professional, and industrial staffing. Browse jobs by category or state: http://www.thingamajob. com/Browse-Jobs/.
Jackson State University Jackson State University is a diverse, technologically-advanced, four-year university steeped in history and committed to preparing its students to become global leaders: http://www.jsums.edu/.
American Institutes for Research AIR is one of the world’s largest behavioral and social science research and evaluation organizations. View all career opportunities at https://jobs-airdc.icims.com/jobs/ intro?mobile=false&width=900&height=500&bga=true&ne edsRedirect=false&jan1offset=-300&jun1offset=-240.
Virginia State University Virginia State University features academic environments within seven colleges: They offer 55 baccalaureate and master’s degree programs, two doctoral degree programs and three certificates. Check out the programs here. http:// www.vsu.edu/about/index.php
Boston Scientific Corporation Boston Scientific Corporation is a leading innovator of medical solutions that improve the health of patients around the world. Discover where you can make a difference: https:// www.bostonscientific.com/en-US/careers/explore-careers. html.
eCYBERMISSION eCybermission is a web-based Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics competition for 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grade teams. View competition rules at https:// www.ecybermission.com/CompetitionRules.
Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Co. is the world’s largest low-cost carrier, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Click on the job family that best fits what you are looking for in a career at Southwest: Aircraft Maintenance, Airport Operations, Call Center, Corporate, Flight Operations, Inflight, or Internship at https://careers-southwest.icims.com/jobs/ intro?hashed=-435768595&mobile=false&width=980&h eight=500&bga=true&needsRedirect=false&jan1offset=300&jun1offset=-240.
BMW North America, LLC Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is a member of the national laboratory system supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through its Office of Science. It is managed by the University of California (UC): http://www. lbl.gov/about/.
92
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA) was established in 1975 as the United States importer of BMW luxury/ performance vehicles. If you’d like more information about working at BMW or if you’d like to apply for a position, you can do so here: http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/Careers/.
www.womenofcolor.net
Oakland University
L-3 Communications
Oakland University offers more than 270 degree and certificate programs to aspiring minds from its large campus spanning two thriving cities (Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills) in southeast Michigan: http://wwwp.oakland.edu/.
L-3 Communications is a prime contractor in aerospace systems and national security and a provider of communication and electronic systems and products used on military and commercial platforms. Look for career opportunities, and submit your resume/CV for any open position at L-3 in the U.S. and Canada: http://www.l-3com.com/careers/ job-search.html.
World Wide Technologies WWT serves the technology needs of large public and private organizations, including many of the world’s bestknown brands. WWT ranks 59 on Forbes’ Largest Private Companies 2014 list and 28 on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For 2015 list. Search positions by selecting a location here: https://www2.wwt.com/careers/.
Abbott Laboratories Abbott Laboratories is an American pharmaceuticals and health care products company. It has 72,000 employees and operates in over 130 countries. Explore opportunities here: http://www.abbott.com/careers.html.
Air Force Research Laboratories AFRL is the Air Force’s only organization dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of warfighting technologies for America’s air, space, and cyberspace forces. To find a career, click here http://www.airforce.com/ careers/.
Corning Incorporated Corning applies its expertise in specialty glass, ceramics, and optical physics to develop products and processes that have created new industries and transformed people’s lives. What does a career at Corning hold for you? http://www. corning.com/worldwide/en/careers.html
Oracle Looking for a career? Opportunities are plentiful at Oracle. Students should look for the dedicated portal for college recruiting or information on programs for internships. A job and training program dedicated to injured veterans is also available: https://www.oracle.com/corporate/careers/index. html.
The Aerospace Corporation The Aerospace Corporation operate a federally-funded research and development center for the United States Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office and support all national security space programs. Visit current openings for open positions: http://www.aerospace.org/careers/ current-openings/.
America’s Navy The Navy offers technical careers with advanced training in everything from engineering to aviation, health care to information technology. With exciting work as nuclear propulsion engineers, pilots, robotics technicians, and many other roles, there’s no better place for you to reach your potential: http://www.navy.com/stem/.
DTE Energy Company DiversityComm DiversityComm, Inc. publish Black EOE Journal, Hispanic Network Magazine, Professional Woman’s Magazine, U.S. Veterans Magazine, and Diversity in STEAM Magazine: http://www.diversitycomm.net/.
Infosys Infosys Limited is a multinational corporation that provides business consulting, information technology, software engineering and outsourcing services. Explore career opportunities at Infosys across consulting, technology, and business process outsourcing: http://www.infosys.com/careers/jobopportunities/Pages/index.aspx.
www.womenofcolor.net
DTE Energy Company is a diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energyrelated businesses and services nationwide. Their largest operating subsidiaries are DTE Electric and DTE Gas. Together, these regulated utility companies provide electric and/or gas services to more than three million residential, business and industrial customers throughout Michigan. https://www2.dteenergy.com
Jackson National Life Insurance Company® Jackson National Life Insurance Company® (Jackson®) products are designed to serve as part of a portfolio that provides the potential for growth through a diverse array of investments within our annuities. Our strategies are designed with the flexibility to fit a wide range of investing objectives. https://www.jackson.com
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2015
93
40% According to New CBcampus.com Survey
of hiring managers would hire college interns for full-time, permanent positions.
Let us help you! The CCG Job Match internship program connects and places diverse students and recent graduates with top STEM employers that offer invaluable work opportunities and experiences. If you are ready to jump-start your career, visit
http//www.ccgjobmatch.com
Career Communications Group, Inc. | 729 East Pratt St., Suite 504 | Baltimore, MD 21202 | (410) 244-7101 | www.ccgmag.com
February 18–20, 2016
SAVE the
DATE Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
1201 Market Street • Philadelphia, PA
Count Us In: Standing on the Shoulders of Excellence Don’t miss this historic event! www.beya.org For more information, call us at 410-244-7101
Calling all employers Are you an employer looking for great ways to share your company's new job opportunities for an incredible career in STEM?
Let us help you! Post job openings Connect with qualified candidates Become a featured employer If you are ready, visit
http//www.ccgjobmatch.com
Career Communications Group, Inc. | 729 East Pratt St., Suite 504 | Baltimore, MD 21202 | (410) 244-7101 | www.ccgmag.com