Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchPC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Black IT professionals can face barriers to advancement at multiple points in a career: exclusion from influential networks, heightened scrutiny, and fewer opportunities to make their work visible. In a 2020 interview feature, CIO spoke with Black technology leaders about those experiences and what individuals and employers can do in response. Its statistics are historical figures reported in 2020, not current workforce estimates.
Where the path to leadership can narrow
The CIO feature describes obstacles that can appear before and after someone reaches a senior role. Interviewees recounted being passed over, mistaken for a subordinate, overlooked in meetings, or judged more harshly than colleagues. These are individual accounts, not a claim that every Black IT professional has the same experience.
Sharon Kennedy Vickers, CIO of the City of St. Paul’s Office of Technology and Communications, described how unwelcoming workplaces can affect retention: “People come into unwelcoming spaces and they’re not taken seriously or given projects and they face a higher level of scrutiny on their work so the individuals leave,”
Vickers also recalled meetings in which questions were directed to white male colleagues while she was expected to take notes. Such moments can limit both access to substantive work and the visibility that often helps people advance.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
#1 Best Overall
- DEVELOPING LEADERS WITHIN YOU 2.0 BRAND NEW PAPERBACK
Access to decision-makers
Ed Sewell, CEO of Velocity AI, summed up one theme as: “It’s all about access and culture,” Black colleagues’ ideas may struggle to reach senior leaders when they lack access to influential networks or when others do not bring their contributions into decision-making conversations. Bennetta Raby described the burden of serving as a conduit for colleagues’ ideas; Aaron Saunders spoke about the isolation of low representation.
Barriers can occur at different career stages
Richard Cox, CIO of Cox Enterprises, said he received 17 rejections for jobs requiring only a high school education. A manager eventually introduced him to people who helped him obtain a customer analyst role, a step on his path to executive work. Sewell said not having a degree blocked a promotion earlier in his career; later, he joined EY and became a partner without first earning a formal degree. These experiences illustrate different routes and obstacles, not a universal career pattern.
Rank #2
- we like to ship out right away
What the 2020 feature’s numbers do—and do not—show
CIO reported several workforce and experience figures in 2020. The feature does not state the underlying data year for most of them, so they should not be read as current estimates or as directly comparable measures.
| Figure reported by CIO in 2020 | Attribution and qualification |
|---|---|
| 7.3% of computer operations jobs held by Black workers; 6% by Hispanic workers; 25% by women; and 10% by women of color | Attributed to the U.S. Census; the data year is not stated in the feature. |
| 3.3% of executive or senior-level leadership roles and 3% of CEO roles held by Black professionals | Attributed to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the data year is not stated in the feature. |
| 58% of Black professionals, compared with 15% of white professionals, reported prejudice and microaggressions | Attributed to a Center for Talent Innovation study; the study year and methodology are not stated in the feature. |
| 65% of Black professionals believed they had to work harder to get ahead | The feature does not specify the source or data year. |
These figures provide context for the article’s 2020 reporting, but their missing dates and methodological detail limit what they establish. They should not be presented as a fresh measurement of today’s IT workforce.
Mentors offer advice; sponsors can create access
Mentorship and sponsorship are related but distinct. A mentor can offer perspective, feedback, and guidance. A sponsor uses their standing to advocate for someone, recommend them for a visible assignment, or connect them with decision-makers. As H. James Dallas, former CIO of Georgia-Pacific and Medtronic, emphasized, sponsorship requires a person to choose to support someone.
Dallas described a sponsor backing him after a racist remark and helping open a later opportunity. Reflecting on the incident, he said: “That incident did me a favor,” His account illustrates how advocacy can matter when unfair treatment threatens to close a door; it does not make the underlying bias acceptable or remove the need for organizational change.
Rank #4
For people seeking advancement, the interviewees recommended cultivating mentors, looking for sponsors, building work relationships, and taking on challenging assignments. Visibility matters alongside performance. Viola Maxwell-Thompson, ITSMF president and CEO, put it this way: “Performance is important, but image and exposure takes a much larger slice of the pie,” Her point is that strong work can be overlooked if decision-makers do not see its impact.
What individuals can do to strengthen their opportunities
- Seek both guidance and advocacy. A mentor can help you think through choices; a sponsor can put your name forward for opportunities. Be clear about the kind of support you need.
- Take on work with visible impact. When possible, pursue challenging assignments that demonstrate judgment and results beyond your immediate team.
- Make contributions legible. Communicate outcomes, ownership, and lessons learned in appropriate team and leadership forums. Visibility should reflect the work rather than substitute for it.
- Build relationships across the organization. Relationships can improve access to information, collaborators, and leaders who may not otherwise encounter your work.
- Focus effort where you have agency without accepting blame for structural barriers. Cox urged intentionality and control over what can be controlled; that advice does not make individuals responsible for inequitable systems.
What employers can change
Individual networking cannot correct workplace structures that repeatedly restrict access or recognition. The leaders interviewed by CIO also called for employer commitments: develop talent pipelines in overlooked communities, partner with organizations such as ITSMF, fund employee resource and mentoring programs, and track accountability measures. Ron Guerrier, an Illinois technology official, urged leaders to speak up for those who will follow: “As you progress in the organization, you have to find a way to be the voice for the next man up,”
Recommended Free Tools
Best Value
- Author: Bungay Stanier, Michael.
- Publisher: Page Two
- Pages: 244
- Publication Date: 2016-02-29
- Edition: 1
Richard Cox argued for deliberate action: “We have to be more intentional now to be sure we move the needle,” The feature presents these steps as recommendations, not as interventions with demonstrated causal results. Executive sponsorship and budgets matter because a program that exists only on paper may not provide sustained access, support, or opportunity.
- Build and maintain talent pipelines. Partnerships and recruitment beyond familiar networks can widen access to entry points and advancement.
- Resource support programs. Employee groups and mentoring initiatives need leadership backing, time, and budget to operate consistently.
- Measure accountability. Define what progress means, review it, and assign responsibility for follow-through rather than relying on broad statements of intent.
ITSMF as a professional development resource
The 2020 feature identified the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) as a professional resource, describing leadership and training academies. It reported that 600 program graduates had completed its programs and that three quarters received a promotion or increased job responsibility within 18 months, attributing the figures to ITSMF president and CEO Viola Maxwell-Thompson. The feature does not specify the measurement period or year, so these are historical figures reported in 2020, not verified current outcomes. Check ITSMF directly for present-day offerings and eligibility.
Source and date
This article’s career accounts and reported figures come from Beth Stackpole’s CIO feature, “Black IT leaders: The challenging path to the top,” published July 27, 2020. The feature is an interview-based account, not a current survey of workplace conditions.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
