2008 Technologist of the Year
S
ince 2000, she has served as program director in IBM’s A Texas native of Mexican descent, Roberts was one of 10
software group, working closely with independent children. “I got married young,” she says. “I had my oldest
software vendors (ISVs) to help partners integrate daughter when I was seventeen. So the odds were I wouldn’t
products and technologies into their business and expand go on to college and have a professional career.”
market share. She is also responsible for IBM’s virtual innova-
Roberts worked as a secretary at UT as a young wife and
tion center (VIC), the online counterpart to IBM’s 40 Innova-
mother. “Being in a college environment for that many years
tion Centers (ICs), which provide local access to technical,
helped me appreciate the value of education,” she says.
sales, and marketing resources.
Roberts eventually decided to pursue a degree in computer
“I love working with people,” she says. “It is a great opportu- science. “I knew that if I was going to have a better life this
nity to think and collaborate about where we want to go stra- was the field to focus on, back in the early 1970s.”
tegically. You get to focus on nurturing: making sure people
With a bachelor’s degree in hand, Roberts joined Big Blue
have what they need for growth and how to leverage it.”
in 1981 as a programmer. By 1989, she was named senior
Over her career, the 54-year-old executive has learned that design manager for a key component of IBM’s PC’s software
the most important asset an organization has is its people offering. Over the next two decades, she would be assigned
and their creativity. No one knows that better than Roberts roles with increasing levels of responsibility.
who has more than seventy patents. Her eleven Invention
“There is this perception
Achievement Awards, along
that computer science is
with her patents and 108
an area where you can get
IBM technical disclosures,
Four years ago, Roberts had an epiphany that
stuck doing programming,”
speak to her breakthrough
she says, “but that is far
contributions. Roberts
Big Blue must do more to increase the number
from the truth.” Hernandez
was named an IBM Master
of Hispanics in STEM fields. affirms that one reason she
Inventor in 2006.
has stayed with the IT giant
While Roberts’ body of for so long is because IBM
work and technical con- offers great opportunities.
tribution is impressive, her record for giving back is just as “I have done testing, design, and product development. IBM
notable. Four years ago, she had an epiphany at the IBM values diversity in the makeup of its employees and their
Hispanic Leadership Symposium. portfolio of work,” she says.
“Sitting in a room of over 100 Hispanic senior leaders,” “When I think about my oldest daughter, who is 37, she was
Roberts recalls, “the message was clear: as leaders at IBM young when computers were in their infancy,” Robert says.
we needed to do more to reach out to Hispanics inside and “Today, there are an abundance of gadgets in the market for
outside IBM.” Roberts began to build mentoring programs her 14-year-old daughter who is currently taking computer
focused on IT education, and career advancement. She also science and engineering classes in the 9th grade. Roberts’
initiated a “Find a Mentor” program to help connect Hispanic stepdaughter also has a degree in computer science.
employees, and brought in other executives to participate in
Aside from her Blackberry, Roberts’s favorite gadget is an
professional development and career advancement panels.
iPod with video capabilities. All the better to listen to favor-
She was active in integrating the IBM Academic Initiative pro-
ites from Elvis to Selena, The Beatles, and Cher and watch
gram through the Computing Alliance for Hispanic Serving
movies.
Institutions and HACU.
Roberts points to the shortage of Hispanic students graduat-
ing with engineering and computer science degrees. One
study by the Texas Higher Education Board shows the num-
ber of Hispanics enrolled in higher education: 3.9 percent is
abysmal when compared to the state’s burgeoning Hispanic
population.
In May 2008, IBM, in collaboration with Exxon Mobil, Lock-
heed and Univision, hosted America’s Competitiveness:
Hispanic Participation in Technology Careers summit. The
goal of the event was to develop an action plan and timeline
to address the critical shortage of talent and low take-up rate
of STEM fields among Hispanic students.
“Our failure to address these trends has the potential to affect
the future of America’s economy,” says Roberts, for whom
the summit continues to reinforce a “critical need to build
more skills and remove some of the barriers to achieving IT
skills.”
www.womenofcolor.net WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2008 27
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