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 African-Americans in IT

Skip Waugh
 
 
Diversity Drives Innovation
Information technology leaders are optimistic about 2015. According to Computerworld’s Annual Survey forecasting the upcoming year, 43% of IT executives anticipate budget increases for the year, up from 36% for 2014. Improved optimism is good news on several fronts. Leaders will be eager to bring new technologies online to not only handle existing needs, but also those for the future. Areas such as security, cloud computing, wireless mobile technologies, application development, and business analytics are at the top of everyone’s list. In addition, projects previously outsourced will be slowly moved back in-house. New technologies and meeting needs will contribute to the call for more IT professionals.
 
African-Americans looking for IT opportunities will find an industry growing in its desire to diversify its talent pool. Studies by Wired Magazine and USA Today in late 2014 showed that while African-Americans were graduating in record numbers from elite computer science programs, they still lagged behind in their recruitment by leading Silicon Valley tech companies. Recognizing that diversity drives innovation, some of those companies are taking steps to address their recruiting process. Meanwhile, other companies continue to tap into the pool of talented African- Americans not only outside their organization, but also within their own ranks to help fuel the next round of innovation.
 
MASTERING THE CHALLENGES AT XCEL ENERGY
Daniel Brown is program director of Xcel Energy’s Productivity Through Technology (PTT), an initiative started in 2012 to help find innovative solutions to ease employee work challenges and improve work processes at the utility provider. A team of more than 50 employees drives the work at PTT.
 
Based in Minneapolis, Xcel Energy is a utility supplier of electric, natural gas, and other alternative power. The company serves Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. “Xcel Energy has a very unique culture, where seasoned people in all areas of our operations are not only willing but excited to teach others about their role in the business,” he says. “I enjoy the everchanging nature of my role and the new challenges presented every day, where I am given the opportunity to help solve them.”
 
Before joining Xcel, Brown worked at IBM and Qwest Communications (now CenturyLink). As an IBM systems engineer, he spent several years learning the infrastructure business, building global network solutions for all internal communications, developing web-based services for both internal and external facing applications, and deploying collaborative systems such as a document management, mail, and instant messaging services. He also learned about data center management working in global delivery centers throughout the IBM network.
 
At Qwest, Brown was involved in developing network solutions, a “position that gave me the opportunity to implement a cohesive plan to improve the performance of existing systems.” He also created innovative solutions to improve customer service while increasing efficiency for delivery new services. Along with building similar systems to those done at IBM, he implemented high-speed network and wireless connectivity solutions for mobile ops for field service groups.
 
Brown joined Xcel Energy in 2008 when the company was looking for a leader in technology infrastructure to manage all of its data center operations, corporate wide area networking, and desk side support.
 
His educational background helped make the transition to a leadership role much easier. Brown received a bachelor’s of science in engineering from Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) in 1989 and an MBA from Columbia University (New York) in 1999. “My education has been very critical to the development of my career, not only the knowledge but the network I built,” he says. “Having an engineering degree taught me to look at the process and performance of all systems and find more efficient methods to achieve better functionality.”
 
For those starting in the field, he suggests tackling the internal as well as the external homework. “I suggest understanding what makes you tick, what motivates you, and marry that with the needs of a business,” he says.
 
As for neophyte employees looking to move up within the company ranks, he advises the best way is to start is to focus on being very successful in your current role. “Some people focus on what could be next for them and fail to give their full attention to their current role,” he says. “Take the time to understand what you want with your career and communicate it. Many people think they need to change companies to get what they want, but if they gave their existing company an opportunity to provide that experience, they may actually get it.”
 
For career opportunities, please visit the following site: http://www.xcelenergy.com/Company/Careers.
 
FINDING FULFILLMENT AT GOODYEAR TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY
Todd Easler’s educational background is engineering. But for the past ten years, he has been the global IT manager in Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company’s RDE&Q’s (Research, Development, Engineering, and Quality) unit. RDE&Q is responsible for the innovation and delivery of the products that makes Goodyear’s name synonymous with high quality rubber and tire products.
 
He received degrees in mechanical engineering; a bachelor’s of science from Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland) in 1992 and a master’s of science from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) in 1994. Before heading off to grad school, he received a graduate school fellowship from the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Sciences (the National GEM Consortium). Goodyear was a co-sponsor of his fellowship; Easler completed two summer internships at the company’s headquarters in Akron, OH, joining the company shortly thereafter.
 
Easler’s first job was in Finite Element Analysis (FEA), a computer simulation technique used to analyze materials or objects to determine how applied stresses would impact design and manufacturing. “A tire may look fairly simple – round and black. However, they are actually very complex and high engineered products,” he says. Easler developed UNIX shell scripts to process those FEA results to help make product design decisions. “I realized I enjoyed developing scripts as much as I enjoyed doing the analysis work,” he says.
 
After hours, Easler taught himself web development to help friends create their own websites. “After building my first interactive website with connectivity to a database on the back end, I knew IT was for me,” he comments. After spending ten years enjoying the technical challenges of analyzing and designing tires, he made the transition to IT.
 
In 2005, Easler accepted an offer to lead a team of 16 R&D IT associates. The team provided the IT infrastructure that enabled engineers to analyze and design tires. “After I overcame the shock of transitioning from an individual contributor to a people manager, I soon realized that coaching and developing people was actually more enjoyable than the technical work,” Easler says. “Being totally new at it scared me, but it also motivated me to learn as much as I could about IT and most importantly about leading people.”
 
Managing multiple and changing priorities is one of the most challenging parts of Easler’s role as global IT manager. Couple that with getting his team to effectively manage multiple priorities while meeting department expectations makes for a position that varies daily. “When a new ‘critical’ task comes my way, I cannot refuse it because I am busy on other tasks,” he says. “Prioritizing and delegating tasks are crucial to successfully managing an ever growing to-do list.”
 
Easler, who recently celebrated his 21st anniversary with Goodyear, suggests graduates be clear on their selection criteria for choosing, joining, and staying with a company. “If the values of the company are aligned with yours, the industry is stable, and there are opportunities to take on a variety of responsibilities, that is a company you should actively pursue,” he says.
 
One of the best pieces of advice he received when starting out was to make self-development part of your daily regimen. “Learning doesn’t start and stop in school or a corporate training class,” he says. “With the technology we have at our fingertips, there is no reason not to be listening, viewing, or reading content daily that enables you to be successful and fulfilled in your career as well as in your personal life.”
 
Those interested in employment with Goodyear should visit www.goodyear.com/careers for the latest job postings.
 
LOVING LIFE AT CATHOLIC HEALTH INITIATIVES
A veteran of the healthcare field, Tanya Arthur is associate chief information officer at Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) in Englewood, CO. Arthur’s ex-periences span across various disciplines, including cardiology, asthma, allergy, and emergency care.
 
“Those experiences provided me with valuable insight into how the work we do every day makes a difference for the people we service,” she says. Her advice to any new employee looking to grow their IT career is to embrace the core values of the organization; be willing to build strong positive relationships; and continually strive for excellence every day. The ultimate goal is to make a difference in the lives of others. As part of the IT team, Arthur gets to live that every day. “Whoever said if you do what you love you won’t have to work a day in your life told the absolute truth.” she says.
 
Arthur was drawn to technology at an early age, seeing it as a way to simplify and accelerate the ability to complete things faster. Much of her experimenting with technology, such as learning to build computers and write programs, was enjoyed as a hobby. She graduated with a bachelor’s of science degree from Creighton University (Omaha, NE) and a master’s of science in computer information systems from Bellevue University (Bellevue, NE). Prior to CHI, she worked in the financial and group insurance industry before making the move over to healthcare.
 
“Simply put, I enjoy the challenge of a fast-paced environment focused on making a significant and sustainable difference in the world,” Arthur says. It was the opportunity to make a difference via innovation that drew her to CHI in 2005. “CHI is in a class all on its own when it comes to truly living the mission and core values of reverence, integrity, compassion, and excellence,” she adds. “I have seen so many examples of this since I joined.”
 
Catholic Health Initiatives was formed in 1996 with the consolidation of four Catholic health systems. The resulting organization makes it one of the nation’s largest health systems with operations in 19 states. CHI operates 105 hospitals, including four academic health centers and major teaching hospitals, 30 critical access facilities, community health organizations, accredited nursing colleges, home-health agencies, and other facilities across the inpatient and outpatient continuum of care.
 
Working in such a large organization offers complexity for an IT professional like Arthur. “We face the challenges of turning around a big ship in a small space when it comes to providing high quality cost effective care in a way that improves the overall wellness of the populations we serve,” says Arthur. She acknowledges the IT field is making enormous strides in microtechnology, robotics, etc., but believes healthcare has some catching up to do. “Healthcare technology lags in terms of end-to-end integrated systems that support the full continuum of consumer healthcare,” she remarks.
 
For the new college graduate entering the IT field, Arthur strongly suggests finding a good mentor and nurturing relationships. “Be willing to step outside your comfort zone and accelerate your growth through taking on stretch assignments,” she says. It is a formula she used to establish her own professional growth. “I have been fortunate to have great mentors throughout my career,” she says. “The leadership, guidance, and experiences provided by these wonderful mentors have been invaluable.”
 
Those interested in current I.T. opportunities or posting a resume can visit Catholic Health Initiatives at http://www.catholichealth.net/find-a-job.
 
EQUIPPED FOR SUCCESS AT VOYA FINANCIAL
As director of business development, Andre Robinson drives many technology initiatives at Voya Financial (formerly ING). He heads the team delivering hands-on, personalized sales and technology training and consultation to the company’s network of 2400+ financial advisors. In 2013, Robinson and his team’s efforts helped drive the growth of the advisory business by 28%. “My focus is to equip advisors with the skills and know-how to navigate our IT interface and functionality and to effectively tap our IT capabilities to build client relationships and grow their businesses,” says Robinson.
 
It is a role that allows him to make a difference through technology. “I really enjoy the process of working closely with our advisors to help them make the most of the technology that is available to them through Voya Financial Advisors,” he says. Voya Financial Advisors are part of the company’s Retirement Solutions business area. Voya currently serves approximately 47,000 institutional clients and five million individual retirement accounts. The business unit is focused on guiding Americans to greater retirement readiness through employer-sponsored savings plans, retail fixed annuities, and holistic retirement and income guidance.
 
Robinson was drawn to IT during his college years, which coincided with the dot-com boom in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He attended and graduated from Beaver College (now Arcadia University) in Glenside, PA in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and earned an executive MBA from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia in 2009 with an emphasis on finance.
 
He found himself gravitating to technology because of the energy, excitement, and constant evolution of the industry. “My IT role is a nice mix that bridges the complexities of the technology platforms and the practical needs of financial advisors.”
 
Before joining in Voya in 2010, Robinson worked for the Bank of New York Mellon, where Voya was a client. Robinson positioned and managed the implementation of a new technology platform, which improved the overall efficiency of operations and interactions with Voya customers. “I had a front-row seat before joining to see how the Voya culture was a good fit for me,” he notes.
 
Robinson has been an integral part of various IT projects targeting Voya’s financial advisors. In 2013, the company rolled out a new wealth management platform. The web-based platform offered integrated capabilities so advisors had a more organized view of a client’s complete financial picture. “Strong communication and relationship management skills as well as technology-savvy were crucial to a successful roll-out of the platform,” he says, noting it was a signature achievement of his career so far.
 
Paying it forward, Robinson currently mentors young college-age men. “Mentoring has been a great way for me to inspire promising young African-Americans to aim high, as well as to pass along tips I have learned along the way to further their success.”
 
In that vein, he suggests having an understanding of where you want to be in five years. Writing down career goals and plans and targeting companies that align closely to your ambitions is also critical. A “game plan” provides a helpful foundation for those starting out in their career. “I still have a copy hanging up in my office of the plans and goals I outlined for myself when I was in college,” he says.
 
One final piece of advice that has stuck with Robinson comes from poet Suzy Kassem – “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.”
 
“This advice reminds me to take initiative and know, while failure is tolerable, quitting is not,” he says.
 
Those interested in IT or other job opportunities at Voya can visit http://corporate.voya.com/careers/working-voya-financial. The company also offers a number of internship programs.
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