White has achieved a slew of IT accomplishments, in- cluding leading development of a system that manages pricing-executing strategies and a system that allows cus- tomers to do one-stop shopping at a single register. She was the program manager responsible for the company’s Y2K readiness project, coordinating efforts of 95 major IT and business groups across the enterprise and more than 1,100 stores in fifty states and Puerto Rico.
However, she said she has witnessed a decline in the number of women in the IT field.
“I think that this is happening primarily because, over time, some women still regard IT as a male’s profession,” White observed. “When I started my career in the IT business, there weren’t as many job options to choose from as there are today, so women accepted the same IT positions as men. Now, women have more options. I don’t think enough women look beyond their ini- tial perceptions of IT to the wide opportu- nities that exist in this growing field.”
White, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in mathemat- ics from Mississippi Valley State University and worked as a math teacher in Milwaukee for a year before joining J.C. Penney, said it wasn’t difficult getting her start with the company. She recalls responding to a newspaper ad, getting called for a test and an interview and being offered a job “right away.”
White’s rise through the ranks came about through hard work and an ability to seize opportunities. She’s received several acknowledgements of her dedication to the IT field including being named as the 2010 Women of Color New
www.womenofcolor.net Shirley White, IT Senior Manager, J.C. Penney
“I don’t think enough women look beyond their initial perceptions of IT to the wide opportunities that exist in this growing field.” —Shirley White
Media / IT Leadership Award winner by Career Communi- cations Group and receiving a letter of recognition from President Bill Clinton’s Council on Y2K Remediation. She is ranked in the company’s top 1 percent of IT program managers.
“When I joined the company, I found that it is important to take advantage of train- ing opportunities; be willing to serve on multiple projects to increase your skill set and stay abreast of new developments in your field and within the company,” White said. “Opportunities are always available; it’s just a matter of taking the initiative to seize them.”
White views women as “strategic think- ers” and says they are uniquely qualified for the IT field.
“They shop for themselves, their friends, children, and others they care about,” she says. “A woman’s shopping behavior alone places her in a unique position to be able to effectively solve business problems that are managed by IT. I’m fortunate that J.C. Penney embraces the perspectives of- fered by its diverse associates and applies those insights into our business.”
She offered the following advice to young women contemplating careers in the information technol- ogy field.
“Young women considering the IT field should be open to the retail industry,” she said. “As a woman’s experience level increases and she moves to higher levels of responsi- bility, she becomes more cognizant of the type of industry she prefers to work in, whether it is retail, banking, or something else. The challenge is to get her interested in the retail industry prior to taking that first position.”
WOMENOFCOLOR | SPRING 2011 31
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56