'Women and technology are a good match.' (Profile).

Having broken through the glass ceiling, Carolyn Hershberger, VP of information technology at Green River Community College WA, tries to help other women do the same. "Women and technology are a good match," she told WIHE. "Generally, their abilities to multi-task, structure their time and stay focused and organized blend well with the chaotic environment of IT. They also do very well with customer relations/interactions."

Road to advancement

Hershberger should know. She has worked her entire career in IT, having graduated in the first data processing class at Olympic College in Bremerton WA in the mid 60s, at her father's suggestion. After several years as a programmer, systems analyst and programming supervisor in the private sector, she had a woman ask her to teach data processing at Olympic College. "After that, although opportunities became available when working for women bosses, I was never considered for advancement." More often she saw women as barriers.

Finally more than 20 years later, Hershberger was tapped (by a man) to manage instructional computing at the college. Then in 1998 she became executive director of IT, reporting to the president. Along the way, Hershberger as a single mom raised a daughter, got a BS from The Evergreen State College WA and an MBA from City University WA. After 33 years at Olympic College, last year she left for greener pastures. Green River Community College President Rich Rutkowski hired Hershberger as VP of IT, a title that was her career goal.

"My career started to move when the male dean of instruction asked me to head up instructional computing, when the male president of Olympic College asked me to become executive director of IT, and when my current boss offered me the position of VP of IT at Green River."

Where the boys--and bias--are

Today, Hershberger sees bias more at the state level, where key offices are reserved for the "boys." She also believes most men from traditionally male areas-the physical plant, capital projects, and some vendors--have trouble believing a woman can be successful heading a technology department.