Black History at Dell: How I Was Impacted by the Legacy of Thurmond B. Woodard

I never met Thurmond B. Woodard, but my life has been impacted by the quiet whispers and loud shouts of his legacy. He was Dell’s first Vice President of Global Diversity and the Chief Ethics, Privacy and Compliance Officer. In 2006, a year before his passing, Dell received the top U.S. government award for workplace diversity efforts he led. He accepted the award from the US. Secretary of Labor and stated, “Diversity has long been a core element of Dell’s values and corporate culture”. Not only was he a voice for the underestimated, undervalued and marginalized population in corporate America, but he also was a powerful force in the community. He was passionate about giving his time and energy to help underserved communities advance and progress.

Politically, he was the driving force behind the AVOICE virtual library, which is a major resource covering the history of African Americans in the U.S Congress. He also served on the board of trustees for Huston Tillotson University, the board of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the Ethics and Compliance Officers Association.

Michael Dell stated, “Thurmond had immense influence on Dell’s growth as a company. He was instrumental in helping us define and promote our distinctive winning culture. His vision and dedication to diversity and ethics were critical in helping us extend Dell’s global reputation for business ethics and integrity. Thurmond’s impact was wide reaching. His sensible counsel, generosity of spirit, tireless dedication and optimism were appreciated and admired by all he touched.”

Although our paths never physically crossed, it was clear his legacy at Dell and my eagerness to make a difference in the community would eventually intersect.   

One of the most common questions I’m asked is, “Why did you stay at Dell for your entire 19-year career?” The answer was a little deeper than just the salary, benefits and people. In order to really understand my thought process, you’d have to understand a little more about my experiences and passions. The two things I’m most passionate about are people and technology. 

The TV in the Alley… Where it All Began

I fell in love with technology when I was in middle school. While on my way to play basketball at the local park, I found an old broken TV next to a garbage can in an ally. I broke the TV apart, ripped out a circuit board and put it on top of a stereo in my room. I would often glance at it and wonder what it was and how it worked. I thought it was magical and would one day take me places. In my mind, I was Marty McFly and I had just found the flux capacitor that would take me back to the future! Well, it wasn’t magical but my curiosity to understand it has taken me around the world and back. That experience was the reason why I majored in electrical engineering in college. We didn’t have STEM workshops in my neighborhood growing up – we had broken TV’s and imagination.  

My Passion for People

My passion for people has been with me for a long as I can remember. In 2007, I was six years into my career as an engineer at Dell. However, I always kept my personal and work life separate. By day, I was a validation engineer working in an enterprise server lab and by night, I was visiting prisons across Texas to spent time with inmates with hopes to inspire them to greatness. My mornings were filled with defect analysis meetings and my lunch breaks were spent visiting local middle schools to share my story with students in the underserved parts of East Austin.

 I’ve learned that people are the sum of their experiences, decisions, gifts and talents. People are fascinating because you can meet a million and they are all unique. I’m not sure why, however that’s beautiful to me. I am fascinated with the art of empathizing with their experiences without condemning their decisions in order to help them reach the goal of self-discovery and self-mastery. Although I loved engineering, I knew it was not my life’s purpose to solely be in a lab testing the voltages, currents and gains of Marty’s flux capacitor.

My Encounter with Thurmond’s Legacy

In 2007, a shift happened in my thinking that led to a convergence of my purpose and Dell’s values. I was nominated to receive the Thurmond B. Woodard “Values in Action” award. My manager informed me of the nomination and to be completely honest, I didn’t think I would win. The first question I asked my manager was, “Who is Thurmond Woodard?” To my surprise, I was selected as one of a handful of recipients to win the award. After researching more about Mr. Woodard’s accomplishments and legacy, I viewed the award as quite an honor. The award means more to me than any other award I’ve received because of what it represents.  

Shortly after I received the award, I noticed how my mission began to intersect more and more with Dell’s values. I also realized people cared and wanted to be a part of the vision by volunteering their time and energy to give back to underserved communities. As a result, I started a nonprofit organization in 2008 which still exists today. I strongly believe that learning more about the life of Thurmond B. Woodard sparked something inside of me that catapulted me into leadership. I went from doing things in isolation to valuing the benefits of inclusion and collaboration in a deeper way. To take it a step further, I wanted to lead diverse teams that developed, marketed, sold, and serviced the next generation of “flux capacitors” that solved real challenges in the world. 

I choose Dell because of the confluence of my personal values with the company’s values. What was once two separate parallel streams of water had joined to become one river with currents that flowed in the same direction. Dell’s goal is to drive human progress through technology which benefits not only customers but also the communities I hold near and dear to my heart.   

The Past, the Present, and the Future

As I reflect back on the events of 2020, there were many times when I found myself wondering, (1) what is the meaning of this and why is it happening (2) what should I do, and (3) what can I learn from the past that will help with today’s challenges. Black History Month is more than just a month where we remember the great accomplishments of extraordinary people. For me, I spend time thinking about the people who have sacrificed their time, energy, and in some cases their lives to blaze a trail for others to travel. It’s a time to not only celebrate Black history but also a time to acknowledge the present challenges and invest in future opportunities. Thurmond B. Woodard’s legacy will continue to live through me and in the lives of countless others that he has touched with his life and his work.