ONE ON ONE CONTINUES
bilities. Lawrence’s role is at the core of the Army’s ambi- tion to become a more capable, better-wired and mobile force. The key to that plan is to have an information tech- nology infrastructure that will put front line soldiers and behind-the-lines planners on the same platform allowing them to share more information in real time and operate more effectively.
That would mean fewer cumbersome satellite receivers, fewer hissing radios and fewer paper maps, and more smart phones, computer tablets and lightweight radios, even in war zones.
Such revolutionary change is not achieved without overcoming huge hurdles. Do you give smartphones to everyone in the Army? How do you ensure broadband service in the field? How do you adapt to fast-changing technology? How do you make it all fit into a budget sure to get tighter with the federal debt growing ever larger?
Untangling those ques- tions is a big part of Lawrence’s job. And if she has her way, many other women will be joining her in facing those kinds of technological challenges— both in the military and in private industry—in the future.
Lawrence said that the nation produces about 150,000 computer science jobs a year. But U.S. universities pro- duce only 14,000 computer science graduates a year to fill them. Lawrence emphasized that the gap represents an opportunity—both to provide crucial service and to embark on a fruitful career.
To be sure, Lawrence is among a slowly growing cadre of women stepping up to fill the void. Three of the nation’s leading defense contractors—Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and BAE Systems—are now led by women who serve as chief executives. Similarly, high-tech firms such as Yahoo!, Hewlett-Packard, Xerox and IBM all are led by women, Lawrence noted.
But for the United States to remain the world leader in the fast-changing world of technology and innovation, more women are going to have to get in to the game, she added.
[T]he nation produces about 150,000 com- puter science jobs a year, but U.S. universi- ties produce only 14,000 computer science graduates a year to fill them. Lawrence emphasized that the gap represents an opportunity.
“Our STEM of today is not going to be the STEM of tomorrow, and we’ve got to adapt,” Lawrence said.
Part of what is going to have to change is how we view high-tech leaders. “The image of the scientist, the mathematician, the engineer…of today is not
the geek, the nerds of yesterday,” she said.
Whenever she has an opportunity, she returns to her high school to encourage other students—particularly girls—to follow her example. These days, women are awarded close to 60 percent of the bachelor’s degrees earned in U.S. universities, which represents a huge transformation over the past generation. But the gender shift has been much more modest when it comes to science, technol- ogy, engineering and mathematics professions.
“Women get 60 percent of the degrees, but men outnumber women in STEM,” Lawrence noted at the Women of Color luncheon.
Meanwhile, STEM subjects continue to be a rich source of jobs and a driving force in reshaping a world that grows smaller as it benefits from an exponentially increasing rush of information.
Lawrence said that the Army is considering setting aside a number of its ROTC scholarships for people interested in working in STEM professions.
Lawrence is adamant that a shift can happen that attracts a broader slice of people, and many more women into high-tech work. She says she has to look no farther than the mirror to know it can happen.
She noted that as a young woman, she never imagined being in the job she has now. And she said she was suc- cessful only because people helped her—just as she tries to help others now.
“It happened because of leaders, mentor and coaches,” she said of her success. “People who saw something in me that I did not even see in myself.”
by Michael A. Fletcher,
mfletcher@ccgmag.com
www.womenofcolor.net
WOMENOFCOLOR | SPRING 2013
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