Name: Thomas W. Shelman
Title/Employer: VP/CIO, Northrop Grumman Corporation
Age: 48
Education: Texas A&M University, Commerce, Texas (formerly East Texas State University) Bachelor of Science, 1984; Major Study: Industry and Technology; San Diego State University, College of Extended Studies, San Diego, California/certification in configuration and data management, 1989. U.S. Air Force Electronics Tech School, Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, 1977.
First Tech Job: U.S. Air Force, Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, avionics technician.
Current role: VP and CIO for Northrop Grumman Corporation. I'm responsible for nation-wide and international operations of information systems and services for the corporation, including mainframe operations, application development and support, network design and management, client server systems development and support, telecommunications, and development of corporate-wide strategic information technology plans.
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What's been your best job and why?
My present position as I am able to set the strategic IT direction of a $30 billion high-tech company, influence the security of information for the nation, and make a significant contribution to the education of our youth in grades K-12 by preparing them for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
What do you think is the number one non-IT skill IT professionals need today?
Communication skills.
What do you credit your career success to?
Cliff Harris, VP Operations, Commercial Aircraft division, Northrop Grumman is my personal mentor and enabled me to transition from an individual contributor to a leader, to a leader of leaders through motivation, collaboration and achieving win-win compromises.
What are the top three skills a high-level IT manager needs today?
- Selecting and developing people
- Building and motivating teams
- Communicating vision and translating it into executable strategies
What's your favorite IT resource site and why?
The CIO Leadership Network is a collaborative network offering leadership insights, interviews, presentations, general subject matter and global partner references.
What is the best career advice you've ever received?
Work in a career you enjoy and take control of your destiny.
What's the top advice you'd give to a new IT staffer?
Work in a career you enjoy and take control of your destiny.
What would you advise someone looking to find the type of role you currently have?
Hire the best people, empower and develop them, and always have honest and open communication.
What is the one career decision you would change if you could?
My career has been a set of building blocks and each block has contributed to my ability to lead at this level. Every decision, good or bad, has been one in which to learn. I believe it is okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them going forward.
If you had the choice to jump into any other job, tech or non-tech, what would it be?
Our nation is in a crisis relative to creating future technological leaders. I would some day like to work full time with educators and other industry leaders to influence our youth to stay in school and excel in science and mathematics to pursue careers in engineering and technology.
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