Leslie Gordon, Vice President of Application and Infrastructure Services Management visited the Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool) to speak to students on March 3, 2011, about her experiences working in both technology and management.
“It was a great learning opportunity for iSchool students to learn from an experienced professional who has worked on all levels of management,” said iSchool Professor David Dischiave.
Gordon visited Dischiave’s IST 439: Enterprise Technologies and IST 352: Information Analysis of Organizational Systems and spoke about features of IBM’s z10 mainframe system and the importance of having mainframe knowledge as well as the systems development lifecycle and her experience working on professional projects.
“It was good to hear her story not only as woman but as an information manager who knows very well how information is managed at each level and the impact of technology on business,” said Kanika Raina G’12 who serves as the secretary for the iSchool’s Women in Technology. “She is an inspiration for all information managers.”
Gordon graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University and started her career at IBM as a manufacturing engineer in Charlotte, NC. She has extensive experience across all business areas and divisions of IBM, and has held many leadership and management roles in hardware and software product development. She now reports directly to the Chief Information Officer of IBM and, according to students, had a good deal of valuable advice to give.
“She’s an amazing woman, and it was very enlightening to hear how an experienced professional worked her way up, especially straddling that line between technology and management,” said Julia Allis G’12. “Her thoughts on drawing a boundary for personal life were particularly relevant, as these days our connectedness keeps growing and making it easier to take our jobs with us wherever we go.”
Photo credit: Piyush Tripurani, G’11