Hispanic Heritage Month (part 2): The Voice of our clients, and my interviews with Jamira Torres-Murphy and Karina Campos

My two part series as part of Hispanic Heritage Month continues today with two incredible women who bring the voice of the client to everything the IBM Z team does!

I have been around testers for most of my IBM career, even having been one myself in my early days. They are a creative, passionate bunch - who place quality and doing it the right way above all, and its something that the Z team does especially well. My first IBM Z experience was on the IBM Z Hardware test team about 3 months before z9 GA, and the test floor would be buzzing around the clock with the energy of delivering a high quality system. Always thinking of the client experience - we kicked it up a notch around 2015 when we went all in on IBM Design Thinking, adding user research and sponsor users to all our major projects from concept through delivery.

When you combine those two, then add in our world class service teams post delivery - there is nothing we do as part of IBM Z that doesn't include the client voice and experience. One of the reasons I love this team so much!

My interview with two women who work in these spaces - @Jamira Torres-Muryphy and @Karina Campos, are below.

What is your current role and why do you love it ?

(Jamira) As of a couple months ago, I became the Functional Manager for IBM Z Hardware Engineering Systems Test and Integration.?This role is extremely exciting as I get to lead a phenomenal and dedicated group of IBMers that get to be the last stop before any new IBM Z goes out into the market ensuring the highest quality for our clients.?

(Karina) With leadership comes the feeling that you are absolutely nailing it some days while others feel like you can't keep tabs on everything going on. It's the push and pulls that keep things interesting and challenging. It's in those moments of hardship that I find myself experiencing the most growth and it's part of the reason I love my job. Additional to the challenge, I love the people I work with. I get to go to work every day with a team that is passionate, hardworking, and hilarious. It's that team trust and collaborative working relationship that make the very challenging days seem a little less challenging. Knowing that I have a team that has my back and I have theirs makes it an incredibly rewarding and supportive place to work. Lastly, AI is such an interesting space filled with a lot of complexity but also a lot of opportunity in it being leveraged in an ethical way to solve problems for our mainframe users. It feels like we are just scratching the surface of?what can be possible.

Three words to describe the mainframe?

(Jamira) Runs world's economy

(Karina) I would describe a mainframe as robust, complex, and mysterious. It's a platform that keeps you on your toes and slowly reveals its true power the more curious you are.

One thing you do to keep you on top of your game ?

(Jamira) As a manager, I do a lot of listening of the technical leaders around me.?I strive to understand the challenges they face and help them overcome them.?It keeps me grounded and I learn a whole lot from them.?I also spend time educating myself via multiple channels about the Mainframe, our clients usage of it, and how it is evolving with current trends like Hybrid Cloud and Artificial intelligence.

(Karina) Does coffee count? In all seriousness, I've never had a singular task that I do that keeps me on the top of my "game" it's constantly changing. Currently, it's podcasts and books, a few months ago it was crocheting and before that, it was hiking. I am someone who loves to learn and not just about design, AI, or IT. I feel more well-rounded when I dive into subjects that don't necessarily relate to my job. I have found that having hobbies or interests that lie outside the immediate field that I work in helps diversify my thinking and problem-solving skills. You would be surprised by the kind of inspiration I have found in learning about our endocrine system, figure skating, or even the anatomy of a sandwich.

If you could invite anyone in IT over for dinner, who would it be and why ?

(Jamira) I've always been fascinated by stories of success of people with a diverse background.?Since we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage month, it reminded me of a great IBM leader I've been following for the last few years, @jmantas (Jesus Mantas), His personal story of moving to the US and succeeding in the IT world has resonated with me since I heard it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YpWQCK7B1A), and he's inspired me in many ways to continue to drive for a more diverse and inclusive culture in IT.?

(Karina) Hands down, Kathrine Johnson, who worked at NASA in the 1950s as an aerospace technologist calculating the trajectory for Alan Shepard and John Glenn's missions during the Space Race period. Not only do I find space fascinating, but I would love to sit and understand the nuances behind the work that she did and the impact her work had on inspiring young women of color to enter into the STEM field.? As someone who is not as mathematically gifted as she, I would love to sit and observe her at work, discuss why she got into Mathematics, have her recount the days of what life was like in the early years at NASA, and get to know her perspective on the organization's evolution since her time working there.?

You can follow Jamira (@JamiraTM), IBM Design (@IBMDesign) and all things IBM Z (@IBMZ)! If you do not know about Katherine Johnson, you are missing out - learn more about her here.

You can also see a short video featuring Jamira, https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/ibm_hispanicheritagemonth-activity-6852256119348330496-nTmH !

Be sure join the IBM Z Community to engage with others in working on the mainframe!

Do you know an awesome woman working on the mainframe, maybe its you ? Send her my way !

#WomenInTech #IBMZ