Sue Costa
Sr. Professional Development Manager
IBM Global Services
Fields: Opeational/Development Management
Nominated by: Don Palese
Excerpt from nomination: "Sue Costa is an experienced Sr. I/T Manager that clearly understands people, processes and 'state-of-the-art' technology. Sue has worked for IBM since graduating from college and has gathered the respect and admiration of her peers and subordinates. Sue took a brief 'leave-of-absence' to bring triplets into the world who are now 5 years old. Sue understands the need to balance work life with family life and understands the need to make appropriate priorities. Sue manages an organization of 260 IBMers and 95 contractors across 3 geographic locations that do very diverse work, including projects in 'e-business' development to Y2K certifications. The various teams have cultural diversity and are well mixed with new IBMer(s) and seasoned veterans.
Sue is an outstanding I/T manager and deserves recognition from her peers in the I/T industry."
What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
My first job was as a QA tester at Raytheon testing integrated
circuits. This was a summer job for me while in college, and I learned that I wanted to stay in school, get a technical degree, and become qualified for a profession rather than work at an hourly
non-technical job.
Who is your hero, mentor or person you most admire? Why?
My maternal grandmother was my role model. She had a college degree,
which was unusual for that time. She worked for many of the years that I knew her as a high school Math teacher. She encouraged me to go to college and make the most of my talents.
What is your favorite book?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
What advances in your field do you envision over the next 10 years?
The technology changes so quickly that I can only speculate. I see
the Internet as the next truly ubiquitous form of global media and the impact on the way that industries do business will change because of it. Computer technology will continue to work it's way into all forms of consumer electronic products in ways that we can't even predict at this time.
What do you see as the single most interesting element of your work?
Helping my employees grow in their careers and seeing them acheive great things in their jobs.
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
There have been projects at work that I considered to be big
accomplishments, but I have to say that raising my three kids, who are triplets, is still my greatest accomplishment in life.
What was your greatest challenge and what did you learn from it?
Ditto. Raising triplets is a huge challenge. I learned that setting
priorities is the most important thing in keeping a healthy balance between personal needs and family needs. It carries over into the workplace also.
What advice would you give to young women who want to enter your field?
First, get a technical degree. Once you get a job: Speak up.
Volunteer to do things even if you're not sure you're quite ready. Ask for help when you need it. Build a good network at all levels of the organization from the secretaries to the computer operators up to the senior managers. Keep a positive attitude.
Show results!
