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The job market is improving for African Americans in IT
"The beauty of the IT industry is that it rewards those with skills, talents and creativity." – Wayne Hicks, BETF
A diverse workforce understands clients better and is more creative and innovative on their behalf." – Ana Duarte McCarthy, Citi
By Sonya Stinson
Contributing Editor
 When the economy started getting pummeled a few years ago, the IT job market also took some hits, but 2010 may turn out to be its comeback year, says Wayne Hicks, executive director of the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF).
BETF is a nonprofit charity founded in 1992 to support the education and technical programs of the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) organization.
"The number of firms that purchased booths for the BDPA career fair in July 2010 is a clear indication that corporate America is looking to hire more IT professionals at all levels," says Hicks.
Even employers in industries not typically considered  technology related are scouting for skilled graduates in the field.
"We always have an appetite for good talent in the information systems division," says Jason Hahn, senior manager of information systems recruiting at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc (Bentonville, AR), the giant retail chain.
Hahn notes that Walmart participates in many job recruiting events to fill positions ranging from interns to program managers and directors. "Not everyone thinks of Walmart for IT, so we have to make sure we have a presence out there," he explains. "We want people to see us as a place that offers an opportunity to grow."
The push for diversity is an ongoing challenge
"African Americans continue to be under-represented in the IT industry," Hicks says. "For example, only about 3 percent of C-level executives in our industry are African American."
Greg Druckman, head of the information management leadership program at GE's corporate headquarters (Fairfield, CT), says that having a diverse workforce makes for more effective project teams, whose work in turn makes the company more successful.
"GE believes that the best teams have a variety of experiences, backgrounds and styles," he says. "Technology and innovation fuel GE's growth, and having the best global technical talent helps us achieve these goals." GE is a diversified technology, media and financial services company.
Ana Duarte McCarthy, managing director and chief diversity officer at Citi (New York, NY), says another payoff is better corporate-client relations.
"At Citi, we recognize diversity as one of our competitive advantages," she says. "In a global marketplace, it is imperative that an organization provide a wide range of ideas and solutions to its clients. A diverse workforce is better positioned to understand clients and can be more creative and innovative on their behalf."
Citi is an international financial services company with operations in consumer, corporate and investment banking.
Hicks is encouraged about the prospects for African American IT pros to increase their presence in the industry.
"The beauty of the IT industry as we move further into the twenty-first century is that it truly rewards those with skills, talent and creativity," he says. "There are objective criteria for being strong in the mathematics and logical thinking that permeates most careers in the IT industry. As such, I think that this industry is wide open for college graduates of African descent."
Fola Soboyejo applies creativity as an apps developer at Citi
 Sofolahan "Fola" Soboyejo recalls being fascinated as a young child watching his father, an electrical engineer, repair broken electronic gadgets and equipment around the house. Sometimes he would even try to help his dad with these fix-up projects.
"I always had an inquisitive nature and knew that I was going to do something that allowed me to be very creative," Soboyejo says. That outlet was set during his freshman year of college.
"After I did my first programming project and saw it work, I knew this was definitely something I wanted to do," he says. Soboyejo earned his 2004 BS in computer software engineering and his 2007 masters in management and business at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
He arrived at Citi's Jacksonville, FL location in the summer of 2007 as part of the financial services company's technology leadership program.
Today Soboyejo gets to apply his creativity as an apps development senior programmer/analyst. On one project, he supported the development of Citi's "Click to Chat" feature, which lets users contact a customer representative online to discuss a problem.
He also applied a concept called "event-driven architecture" to create a proof of concept for a system that would allow Citi customers to quickly detect and respond to evidence of computer fraud involving their accounts. In yet another project, he used Rich Internet Applications to create visual presentations of customer account information that break purchases down by category and merchant.
To advance his career, Soboyejo may branch into either solutions architecture or enterprise architecture. "A solutions architect would oversee the core applications and would be the subject matter expert regarding how to use the applications in different lines of business," he explains. "An enterprise architect works on a higher level, dealing with how different applications should work together overall."
In the meantime, Soboyejo continues to take on projects that help him develop leadership skills. He likes working on the cutting edge.
"I love my job," he says. "It's very dynamic, different and fun."
Jamar Parris develops user-friendly apps at BNY Mellon
 There is no such thing as a typical workday in the life of Jamar Parris. He's an application architect at BNY Mellon (New York, NY), an asset management and securities services company.
"I might spend one day working on a financial model and the next speaking to vendors and internal customers about a completely different project to satisfy a business need that just came up," says Parris.
He works in the asset management sector, where his team focuses on standardizing business functions, like trading, accounting and billing, onto a common platform to improve efficiency and lower costs.
Parris's interest in computer technology goes back to his childhood in the Caribbean. "One of my cousins is a graphic designer," he says. "As a kid I would watch intently as he used his computer to create graphics for his business back in Barbados." Seeing that ability to edit photographs and create amazing graphics using only a mouse opened his eyes to the power of what computers can do.
Parris has a 2005 BS in IT and accounting from the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill, Barbados). He went on to earn his 2007 MS in information networking at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA).
Parris was then recruited into BNY Mellon's IT Leadership Development Program for recent graduates.
In March 2009, he was assigned to his current position, which requires him to translate that "wow" factor into practical, user-friendly applications. He says his graduate studies in an interdisciplinary major combining technology and management have been a real asset.
"In my job, I am expected to understand not only the technology powering our systems but how the business uses it," he says. "Because of my dual focus in school, I can craft a better solution and more clearly demonstrate the business value in terms of additional revenue, cost reduction and other key metrics."
As demanding as his job is, Parris is not particularly eager for a break from the work world when he leaves the office. "While technology and finance are my 'day' job, I am also incredibly passionate about these topics and can spend hours outside of work reading up on them," he says.
Dr Jakita Thomas helps IBM deliver better and more efficient services
 Dr Jakita Thomas is in rare company. According to the U.S. Department of Education's Digest of Education Statistics, she's one of only nine black females of the 1,416 graduates nationwide who were conferred a doctorate in computer and information science in the 2005-06 academic year.
From the age of five, Thomas had set her sights on becoming a pediatrician. She arrived at Spelman College (Atlanta, GA) as a pre-med major with several college credits from AP science courses. This freed her up to take an elective in computer science.
The summer after her freshman year, when she couldn't get into a specific science class, she began to reconsider her choice of major and her career goal. "I feared needles and blood, but loved computers," she says with a smile. "When I got back as a sophomore, I declared computer science as my major."
After completing her 1999 BS in computer science at Spelman Collage (Atlanta, GA), Thomas went on to earn her PhD in CS at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA). Her area of specialization is learning sciences: how people learn and how to design tools to support the learning environment. She also did a double minor in cognitive science and educational research.
Thomas joined IBM Research (San Jose, CA) as a research staff member in 2005, while still working on her dissertation. Her work mainly involves services research. "It's a field that looks at trying to understand services as a phenomenon and as a system," she explains.
"We look at the way IBM and different teams who deliver services to our clients operate, and the kinds of practices they engage in," says Thomas. "We typically make recommendations about the ways delivery of that service can be supported, made better and delivered more efficiently."
Thomas's IBM team is also working to promote service research as an academic discipline, both by developing theory and by helping to establish university programs. Turning her focus to HBCUs, Thomas established a program in service science management and engineering at Morgan State University (Baltimore, MD) in 2008. She hopes to create similar programs at Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta, GA), Tennessee State (Nashville, TN) and her alma mater Spelman College.
While her research field has been slow to gain widespread recognition in the IT industry, Thomas says there's been a recent push for research teams like hers to become involved at the beginning of the design process. "The objective is to apply service science theory to make IT products more user friendly and effective," she says.
Jason Jackson fine-tunes communications devices at Ford
 When drivers of 2011 Ford and Lincoln models use the gizmo that lets them talk to their cars, they'll be benefiting from the work of Jason Jackson.
Jackson is in Ford's college graduate program, working as an IT security and control engineer at Ford Motor Company (Dearborn, MI). Participants in the three-year program rotate to a new IT position each year.
His most recent project has been analyzing a security feature on the Sync module that powers the My Ford Touch and the My Lincoln Touch systems. These in-car communications systems employ a touch screen, voice recognition and other high-tech features.
"It's going to be used a lot for the next generation, so it's really important to know what's going on with this feature," Jackson says. "Our work involves talking to the supplier, looking at code and making sure everything is working properly. My testing and research uncovered some design issues that we were able to get fixed."
The task required Jackson to learn a new set of programming languages, including a particularly difficult one called Lua. "It's used a lot with game design, but it's also used with embedded software design," he explains. "Basically, I bought a book and read through it, then looked on the Internet for examples I could use."
Jackson earned his 1999 BSEE at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and his 2006 MSEE at Wayne State University (Detroit, MI). He believes his engineering knowledge adds a useful perspective to his project team at Ford.
"I have a unique view of how the Sync system runs because I can see the hardware parts as well as the software parts," he says. "Most IT people don't have a hardware background."
Jackson wants to pursue an MBA within the next year or two. He'll stay in technology but, he says, "I eventually want to be in more of a team leader or managerial role."
Ken Emmanuel is a programmer at New York Life
 Ken Emmanuel says the best part of his multifaceted job as a programmer at New York Life Insurance Company (NYL, New York, NY) is "the opportunity to see the big picture and how the little pieces fit in."
Emmanuel joined NYL in August 2007 as an associate programmer in what was then called the Fast Track Trainee program. As a trainee, he completed rotations in business, software and solutions architecture. By November 2009 he'd already received his first promotion.
Emmanuel earned a joint BS degree in economics and information systems at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University (Newark, NJ) in 2006.
"My college studies prepared me for a lot of the system analysis and design work that is part of what I do today," Emmanuel says. But he's also learned a lot on the job. "I work with many cross-functional teams and find out about their specific disciplines on each project I undertake."
One of his recent projects had him delving into some new areas of expertise. "I had to produce a business service specification document, which required me to interact with various subject matter experts on a variety of NYL applications," he says.
Emmanuel's initiation into the world of IT began when some family members encouraged him to take a few introductory classes in computer science. "Before long, I was enthralled with the discovery of an algorithm approach to solving problems," he says. The rest is history.
Emmanuel has enrolled in the part-time MBA program at New York University's Stern School of Business (New York, NY). "I want to advance to a management role where I'll be responsible for managing and supporting business processes," he says.
William Dukes enhances software solutions at Walmart
 For Walmart to keep the clothing departments well stocked in all of its stores, the computer systems that track inventory and orders have to be running in top shape.
That's where William Dukes comes in. He's an advanced software quality assurance engineer at Walmart (Bentonville, AR). He says that improving the company's apparel inventory management system has been one of his most rewarding accomplishments.
"The system we rolled out worked fantastically and made everybody's lives a bit easier," Dukes says. "The users were so appreciative. Hearing about the success and how it impacts the business was awesome."
Dukes joined Walmart's international information systems department as a business analyst intern in the summer of 2007. His main project was developing a playbook for strategic mergers and acquisitions integration. "I also helped several other team members with daily tasks, duties and reports," he says.
He found out about the position at a National Society of Black Engineers convention. Today, he's mentoring another NSBE intern.
Dukes received his BS in information systems technology from Southern Illinois University (Carbondale, IL) in 2005. He notes that the college courses he took in programming, projection management and desktop applications are most relevant to the work he does.
His interest in IT goes back to his childhood love for electronics, but Dukes has also had a long-time affinity for business. "Walmart provides that balance between business and technology," he says. "I can straddle the fence a bit."
As an undergrad, Dukes had a job at a local community center, where he essentially ran the IT department and taught computer classes to both kids and adults. He got a special kick out of introducing adults to computers for the first time.
"Exposing them to technology and its capabilities turned on a light for them," says Dukes. "It was a pretty rewarding experience."
Diana Jackson develops computer programs at Los Alamos National Lab
 Diana Jackson is a scientist II at Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos, NM). She develops computer programs to support the collection and analysis of data from satellite telemetry. She also develops and maintains scientific applications and tools used by the lab's principal investigators.
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a premier national security research institution that delivers scientific and engineering solutions for the nation's most crucial and complex problems. Its primary responsibility is ensuring the safety, security and reliability of the nation's nuclear deterrent.
Jackson started at the lab as an intern in 2005 and converted to full time after finishing her schooling. She earned her 2003 BS in computer science at Wofford College (Spartanburg, SC) and her 2005 MS in computer science at Columbia University (New York, NY).
"During my two internships, I gained a lot of experience, made a lot of contacts and developed good working relationships," she says.
Jackson gravitated naturally toward computers and technology. "As a child, I was very into playing the Atari and Nintendo, not only because the games were fun, but because I was intrigued by anything that involved strategy and logic."
Her curiosity grew once she realized there was a computer controlling the action on the screen. "I started wondering things like, 'How does the computer know what to do,' and 'How can I get it to do what I want it to do,'" she says. "Then in middle school, I was introduced to programming and I was hooked."
While the programming courses she took in college and grad school are all relevant to her job at Los Alamos, Jackson regrets not studying more scientific subjects.
"The most challenging aspect of my job has been integrating myself into the space and science world," she says. "In school, I took only the basic requirements for science and devoted the rest of my time to computer-related courses. It was a challenge to get a solid understanding of the scientific concepts behind the programs."
In five years, Jackson sees herself still working in government, but in a job more directly focused on IT rather than scientific research. "I have gradually been transitioning into that type of role by taking on side projects related to IT," she says.
Ramou Washington does web development at WellPoint
 As a senior developer at WellPoint's Alexandria, VA location, Ramou Washington's responsibilities include turning design concepts into functional applications and ensuring that user interfaces, codes and Web applications meet the required industry standards. She also helps manage the company's Web content.
WellPoint (Indianapolis, IN) provides health benefits, primarily under the Blue Cross and Blue Shield name, to about 34 million members.
Washington's favorite part of the job is using Web technology to design applications that enhance user experience.
"For instance, I can take a storyboard, which is simply graphics, and recreate it by designing an interactive page with animations that allow users to interact with their Web browsers," says Washington. "It's almost like bringing a piece of art to life."
Washington received her BS in information systems management from the University of Maryland-University Park's Adelphi campus in 2004. She says the specific focus of her IT career goal shifted a bit in school.
At first, she wanted to be in project management, but she fell in love with Web and application design while interning her first few years in college. "I started taking more design-related classes like HTML and JavaScript and I took programming language classes in C, C++ and VBScript," says Washington.
Fittingly, Washington says one of her most interesting projects at WellPoint was the redesign of the Anthem website after the two companies merged.
"I found it rewarding because it gave me an opportunity to learn and use tools that I had not used in previous projects," she says, "like the JQuery JavaScript library."
Over the next five years, Washington hopes to take on more leadership roles at WellPoint. Her ultimate career goal is to be chief information officer of a healthcare organization.
She's already taking steps to achieve her goal. "I'm accepting more challenging tasks that help me expand my knowledge and technical skills," she says. "I also plan to take some training courses and complete my masters in health administration informatics."
Bryan Holston is an IS specialist in desktop support at CVS Caremark
 One of Bryan Holston's most useful learning experiences came from a job that had nothing to do with computers.
Holston worked in retail all through his schooling. "I gained tremendous knowledge in customer service through day-to-day interactions with customers," he says.
That experience served him well during his four and a half years in desktop support at Perot Systems, an IT company that is a CVS Caremark vendor. "The gratification I used to feel from having a contented retail customer is very much like the reward of seeing a happy end user after I troubleshoot an IT problem," he says.
Holston transitioned to CVS Caremark (Woonsocket, RI) in June 2010 as an IS specialist on the desktop support team. CVS Caremark is a drugstore chain and pharmacy benefits manager. It didn't take long for him to demonstrate his initiative and innovation.
"During the transition, I was given the task of collecting a number of employee laptop and desktop computers and clearing the hard drives on them," Holston says. "Although it was challenging and time consuming, I developed my own method of tracking the assets and organizing the work to ensure that all systems were successfully cleaned up and returned before the final transition date."
Holston's educational path is somewhat unique. He earned a diploma and certificate of completion in IT and professionalism at the Providence, RI branch of Year Up, a one-year intensive training program for urban adults ages eighteen to twenty-four. With seven locations nationwide, the program includes college credits, an educational stipend and a corporate internship.
His involvement in Year Up continued with his enrollment in an "A+ Certification Boot Camp" course. He's also taking online courses for certification in MCSE and Windows Vista.
Holston would eventually like to become the leader of a desktop support team. "Whether I do this for a large corporation or a 'Geek Squad' supporting residential customers, customer service will remain a high priority for me," he says.
Romel Tolbert is an IT compliance and quality leader at GE Healthcare
 Romel Tolbert started writing code on an old Commodore 64 when he was a kid. He didn't know then that this skill would one day lead him to a career in IT.
"I've always had a passion for technology," Tolbert says. "Even as a child, I was fascinated with computers and video games and the way things worked." He wanted to know how they were constructed, the code behind them.
Today Tolbert is an expert in the workings of computer-based technology in several areas. For the past three years, he's been a compliance and quality leader in IT infrastructure at GE Healthcare's Wauwatosa, WI location. The company is headquartered in Waukesha, WI and provides transformational medical technologies and services.
Tolbert graduated from General Electric's information management leadership program in 2004. Before being named to his current post, he held positions in the company's IT quality organization as a program manager and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, which signifies his mastery of a complex, statistics-based quality management technique.
Part of Tolbert's job is to monitor the IT infrastructure department's compliance with federal regulations of companies that produce medical devices.
"We have systems in house that our engineers and sales people use to support the sale or manufacture of these products," he says. "We ensure that the systems are fit for use and that the infrastructure performs the way the application requires, and the way the regulators expect it to perform."
Tolbert earned his bachelors in MIS at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in December 2001. As an undergrad, he connected with GE at a career fair and landed an internship.
One of the biggest changes Tolbert has seen as an IT pro at GE Healthcare has been the recent move to host and manage in house some of the software products sold to customers. This has meant inheriting a new set of regulatory requirements that would normally be the responsibility of the medical practice or hospital that owns the product.
"This is a new and exciting space for us," he says. "It will be interesting to see how fast this piece of the business grows."
Tolbert tackled the challenge by learning the new regulations that impact the hosted solutions business. He came to the job with the same passion he applied to learning video games inside and out as a kid. "We've been running the program for the past year or so, and we've made significant headway," he says.
D/C
Sonya Stinson is a freelance careers and business writer in New Orleans, LA
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