2008 Women of Color Honorees
Educational Leadership (College Level)
Katherine M. Black
Staff Systems Engineer
Lockheed Martin, MS2 Tactical Systems
BS-Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota
MS-Business Administration, University of St. Thomas
Katherine Black learned the tools of the trade from her father, an electrical engineer. “Without people in
the community explaining, spotlighting, and providing opportunities, young people will never have the
information to make a decision about [entering STEM fields],” says Black, 28.
The staff systems engineer interacts with college students by discussing engineering fields and provid-
ing career insights. She also makes presentations, which bring her expertise and leadership into the
campus environment.
Black volunteers at the Science Museum of Minnesota Technical Outreach Days and Girl Scouts Patch
Days, and has supported the regional Young Inventors Fair, assisting in choosing inventions and finalists in the
regional competition.
Black sometimes battles the stereotype of techies working alone. By contrast, she works on teams and is involved with activities
that combine skills. “I have become a better engineer because of the contacts I made and all of the networks that I have,” she
says.
Educational Leadership (K-12) Managerial Leadership
Tara Astigarraga Sima Salamati-Saradh
Staff Software Engineer DMOS6 Wafer Fabrication Manager
Systems and Technology Group Texas Instruments
IBM
BS–Electrical Engineering, Oklahoma University
BA-Communications and Spanish Linguistics, University of Arizona MS–Electrical Engineering, Southern Methodist University
MS-Computer Information Systems, University of Phoenix
Sima Salamati-Saradh is a “pioneer in a field that is not a
A member of the Choctaw Na-
traditional career choice for women,” says Paul Fego, vice
tion of Oklahoma and a native
president of worldwide manufac-
Arizonan, Tara Astigarraga has
turing at Texas Instruments.
dedicated much of her career
to championing Native Ameri-
Salamati-Saradh runs an 800-
cans and women in their STEM
employee manufacturing opera-
pursuits.
tion powered by state-of-the-art
equipment and a $3 billion invest-
A leader in diversity networks, she
ment. The unit, which makes
has helped launch IBM sponsored
300 millimeter wafers, is TI’s
programs targeting Native Ameri-
top revenue-generating facility —
can youth on reservations to
representing about 10 to 20 per-
bridge the digital divide. As vice
cent of corporate revenues.
president of the Tucson Native
American Diversity Network she established online mentoring
“It’s not just about achieving results, but it’s also about people
relationships between IBM Native American employees and
and continuous improvement,“ Salamati-Saradh says. “The
Native American students.
question is how do you get there?”
People often think of systems test as a relatively easy job says
Salamati-Saradh is a senior member of TI’s technical staff and
Astigarraga, who joined IBM in 2001. “What they don’t under-
one of 12 members handpicked by CEO Rich Templeton to
stand is that to do the job right, you need to understand all
serve on a corporate diversity team.
the pieces of the infrastructure including servers, storage area
Her technical contributions help develop the world’s most
network equipment, and other components,” she says. “The
advanced integrated circuits that provide brainpower for
better you understand the way the equipment is supposed
products ranging from digital cameras to MP3 players to
to work and perform, and the internals, the better you can
computers and mobile telephones.
poke at the systems to force errors and debug before they
are shipped to clients.”
“I really never knew I would be blazing trails in the semicon-
ductor field, but here I am,” Salamati-Saradh says. She is par-
Astigarraga has filed 14 patent applications with others under
ticularly proud that her plant received a global award for wafer
review. She is proud that she can use her knowledge to help
fabrication facility of the year — encompassing operational
other IBM employees create and file patents. She has also
performance, people, safety, overall strategy, and competency.
participated in numerous “patent farms” for improving IBM’s
Intellectual Property status.
www.womenofcolor.net WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2008 31
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