Sandy Sully
Vice President, Chief Information Officer
Xilinx, Inc.
Nominated by: Chris Taylor
Excerpt from nomination: Sandy Sully plays a critical role in defining and implementing the computer network
architecture necessary to support rapid corporate growth in a global environment. In
addition, she hs effectively managed the company's strategic applications software
evaluation and implementation efforts. Sandy volunteers a great deal of her personal time to several worthwhile causes. She is very involved with her church, especially in the area of youth ministry. She
also serves on the Board of Directors for Computer Technologies Program, an
orgranization funded by the Department of Rehabilittion. The purpose of
this program is to train the handicapped in computer skills. Sandy also served as board
member for the Society of Information Management, a professional organization.
What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
I was hired by IBM as a Systems Engineer in 1967. It was a remarkable
opportunity for me because I had not had any computer training. IBM
started us with 10 weeks of intensive training (4 programming languages,
operating systems, operations, design techniques, and, of course, IBM
presentation techniques. This was the start of a 31-year career (to
date) that has been exciting and wonderful because there is always
something new to learn.
Who is your hero, mentor or person you most admire? Why?
My mother because she was a career person when women weren't supposed to
have careers. She always encouraged me to do my best in any job that I
undertook and to always challenge myself by striving for positions of
greater responsibility.
What are you most proud of (either professionally or personally)?
I have had a career path of steady growth which included 3 1/2 years in
Singapore as the MIS Director for Asia/Pacific for National
Semiconductor. That foreign assignment really helped me grow...both
professionally and personally.
What advice would you give to young women who want to enter your
field?
Know the technology but also learn the business. Use the technology as
an enabler to solve business problems.
What is your favorite book?
"He Still Moves Stones" by Max Lucado
What is your favorite Web site?
www.amazon.com
What do you see as the single most interesting element of your
work?
Since I report to the CEO, I am on the executive staff and really
understand all the business issues of the Corporation. The most
exciting part of my job is to figure out a systems solution to help
solve one of the business problems.
What was your darkest moment (professionally) and what did you
learn
from it?
When I worked for 3Com, the CEO said that he didn't feel that I was
qualified to be CIO (I was VP of MIS) so he was going to hire a CIO
above me and it would be up to the CIO to determine what role I would
play in the new I/T organization. About a month after I got this news,
I received a phone call from a headhunter who had a CIO opportunity at
Xilinx so I interviewed for it and got the job. It was the best
decision of my career.
What do you do to relax?
Since I am not married and don't have children, I am the volunteer
leader for my church youth group (ages 12-18). I just love working with
the kids as they bring a new perspective into my life. I have stayed
friends will all of them as they have gone on to college and then have
graduated from college.
