What was your first job and what did you learn from it?

I worked as a telephone operator during the summers while at college. That job was demanding, requiring instant responses for customers who were waiting. Productivity was measured every hour and not a second could be wasted. I learned a lot about time management, overlapping work tasks, and that there is value in being fanatically efficient.

What inspired you to choose your current field or the position you currently hold?

I've always loved math and problem solving. I discovered the joys of computers during college, particularly building large systems and seeing the interplay of how many pieces go together to form a solution. I felt that industry was the best place to build large systems and see them used, so after my Ph.D., I focused on applying to industrial research labs. When I interviewed at IBM, I was impressed by the smart people I found there. At that time, IBM Research in San Jose was just initiating the prototype of what has become a multi-billion dollar industry and I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time with something to contribute. I joined a 20-odd person team which built the foundation of a new field: relational databases.

Why would you encourage other women or young women and girls to choose careers in your field? What advice would you give someone who wanted to choose your career?

Working in software is a technical as well as a people oriented field, so it is both intellectually challenging and personally satisfying. The field itself is growing dramatically and software skills are much in demand. In terms of advice, get the best education you can. Learn how to solve problems in a broad set of fields. Learn how businesses work. But in addition to learning all you can about your technical area, it's very important also to be skilled in communication, writing, and presenting. Having brilliant ideas, while valuable, isn't enough for success; you also have to help others understand them, and persuade them to work with you in a team to bring them to reality.

What motivates or inspires you on a daily basis in your field or job?

What matters to me most each day is having great colleagues to work with -- people who have exciting ideas, are committed to the same goals as I am and who are experts in their areas. Also, it is very important to me to be able to make a difference in my field. I have a job that gives me a tremendous ability to influence the direction of IBM's database products. I want what I do to matter, so that's what motivates me.

What do you see as the single most interesting element of your work?

What I do now is run the Database Technology Institute, with participants from both research and development. This team is focused on inventing and accelerating technology from research to product. It involves both teamwork and technical invention to solve real world problems. In the ten years I have been doing this, every release of every IBM relational database product has included technology from our team. So I'd say that the single most interesting element of my work is being able to invent something and see it quickly become part of a product that people use every day.

Why is your field or industry important to society?

Databases touch every aspect of our lives. You use databases when you cash checks, when you buy things at a store, make travel reservations or go to the doctor. The world's economy runs on databases. When my children were small, they would ask me why I had to go to work. I told them people have a responsibility to use their abilities and talent, and that I felt a real obligation to make the work people do easier, faster and more reliable.

What is your vision for your industry's or field's future? What are some of the exciting things to watch for in your field or industry?

The phenomenon of the Internet has made computing and information accessible to millions of people. As an industry, we are just starting to tap the potential uses of global interconnection. It will have tremendous impact on our economy, on how we keep in touch with friends, on how we obtain health care, on how we govern ourselves, how we educate our children. We can become a global village. For those of us working in the area of databases, there is a special challenge of how to explore, discover, and make usable the massive amounts of information that the Internet makes available.

What values are the most important to you and what do you value in others? How do you prioritize these values in your daily life?

Most important is caring about people. I believe that if people feel they are valued, that their contributions make a difference, they will do great things and be happy as well. So people; family, friends, colleagues, employees are most important in my value system. I spend a lot of time listening to them, working together with them in partnership or on teams. More than anything I like working in a partnership with someone I respect technically and like personally, jointly inventing a new direction or new concept. Together we sharpen and refine our ideas so that they end up much better than either of us could have done independently. In others, I value the same thing: commitment to making a team or partnership successful. I'm not sure that I prioritize that well. Rather, when someone needs me, I just take the time. People on a team are committed to each other and they know that we all get across the finish line together, so they take the time to help one another. In my personal life, I make the same priority decisions: I'll leave early to go to my son's soccer game and then finish my work later on when the kids are in bed.

What do you think are the most important character traits to develop in order to succeed professionally?

Caring for people, as I said earlier. After that, it's being committed to working hard to achieve something, being too stubborn to give up. All of us can think of examples where a kid we knew in high school was brilliant, but lazy and didn't succeed nearly as well professionally as the person who tried hard, kept at it, and didn't give up. I really value people who take the time to learn the details and make something work. It's a commitment to craftsmanship, I think.

Who is your hero, mentor or person you most admire and why?

I've been fortunate to have had tremendous support from teachers, colleagues and managers who have coached and encouraged me. I could probably list hundreds of people who have made a positive difference in my life. But if I had to narrow it down, it would be my parents. They have been not only a constant source of support, understanding, and encouragement, but they also demonstrate, by their example, the values of caring for people, doing your best always, and being responsible and accountable. I remember my mother working constantly. Doing everything around the house so that my dad could finish his college degree during evenings and weekends. And my earliest memories of my dad are his taking the time to show me his slide rule and teach me how to use it.

What is your favorite book and why?

My favorite author is Roberta Gellis. She writes historical novels featuring strong women characters. Her books are a joy to read. I also enjoy Tom Clancy's books immensely.

What book would you recommend to someone who knows nothing about your field or industry but would like to know more about it?

The classic first textbook for databases is "An Introduction to Database Systems" by C. J. Date.

What technology has changed your life professionally or personally for the better?

It's not earthshaking, but I love being able to log on to my work systems from home. It makes such a difference to be able to keep up with my work responsibilities while being with my family on evenings and weekends.

What are your future goals?

Being an IBM Fellow is the company's top technical honor, so it's a bit hard to have ambitions beyond that. More than anything, I want to be on a team where there are great and exciting ideas to pursue, excellent people to work with, and the opportunity to have a substantial impact on the database industry and on the people who use it.

What do you do to relax?

I wish I had more time for relaxing but right now the time I have is mainly spent with my family -- going to my sons' soccer games, for example. After that, I enjoy reading a good book, watching pro football, and going out for a good time with friends.