134. Lawanda Parnell – A Technology Career Across Generations

In this episode of Ordinarily Extraordinary – Conversations with Women in STEM, Kathy and Linda sit down with Lawanda Parnell, a retired technology and utility leader whose career began at IBM in the early 1980s and spanned decades of innovation and leadership.

Lawanda shares her journey from studying business administration with a strong math and computer science foundation at the University of Florida, to becoming one of the few Black women in tech during her era, to leading large-scale projects in the utility industry.

She reflects on:

• Transitioning from IBM into the utility sector and the challenges of large-scale software implementations.
• How her love of math, particularly calculus, shaped her career path.
• The importance of mentors and sponsors, including those who encouraged her to pursue a master’s degree.
• Building strong, diverse teams and the value of hiring people smarter than yourself.
• Overcoming the fear of public speaking as an introverted techie.
• Her perspective on management versus technical career paths and advice for navigating that choice.
• Why utilities need to do a better job of marketing themselves to the next generation of STEM professionals.

The conversation also dives into listener advice questions, covering:

• Should you move into management if you love technical work?
• What to do if your company offers to pay for grad school in a field you don’t love.

Lawanda’s story is one of resilience, lifelong learning, and the joy of finding passion in work while paving the way for future generations.

About Lawanda:
Lawanda Parnell is a retired technology and utility leader whose career began at IBM and later spanned leadership roles in the energy sector, including CPS Energy and Pedernales Electric Cooperative. With a background in business and computer science, she combined her love of math and technology with strong project management skills to lead large-scale IT transformations and mentor future STEM professionals.

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Music by Kay Paulus 

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