Ndemo, C., & Casale, L. (2023, February), IBM Pathways Program - Empowering technical talent to grow and succeed  Paper presented at 2023 Collaborative Network for Computing and Engineering Diversity (CoNECD), New Orleans , Louisiana. 10.18260/1-2--44800

\bibitem{asee_peer_44800}
  Ndemo, C., \& Casale, L. (2023, February), \emph{IBM Pathways Program - Empowering technical talent to grow and succeed}
  Paper presented at 2023 Collaborative Network for Computing and Engineering Diversity (CoNECD), New Orleans , Louisiana.
  10.18260/1-2--44800

Callistus Ndemo and Laura Casale.  "IBM Pathways Program - Empowering technical talent to grow and succeed".  2023 Collaborative Network for Computing and Engineering Diversity (CoNECD), New Orleans , Louisiana, 2023, February.  ASEE Conferences, 2023.  https://peer.asee.org/44800 Internet.  28 Apr, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_44800}
  Callistus Ndemo and Laura Casale.
  "IBM Pathways Program - Empowering technical talent to grow and succeed".
  \emph{2023 Collaborative Network for Computing and Engineering Diversity (CoNECD), New Orleans , Louisiana, 2023, February}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2023.
  https://peer.asee.org/44800 Internet.  28 Apr, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_44800
author = "Callistus Ndemo and Laura Casale"
title = "IBM Pathways Program - Empowering technical talent to grow and succeed"
booktitle = "2023 Collaborative Network for Computing and Engineering Diversity (CoNECD)"
year = "2023"
month = "February"
address = "New Orleans , Louisiana"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/44800}
number = {10.18260/1-2--44800}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Developed in 2011, the IBM Pathways Program was designed to increase the diversity representation at the executive and thought leader levels within the organization’s technical community. The program has evolved over the years, and more rapidly throughout- and post-pandemic, to continue to advance and support the technical community's diversity representation.

The program focuses on career development, career advancement and retention. Career development includes mentoring, coaching, and networking. Career advancement is about career readiness — gaining the experience, exposure, and evidence needed to advance all with the support of an executive sponsor. Retention is secured with the investment to develop and advance, and once one achieves an executive appointment, the recognition and giveback further reinforce retention ability.

Program participants are coached and mentored to leverage strengths and address derailers to their success. This includes making career decisions (i.e., technical versus management career paths or both), accessing development activities that stretch them (i.e., enterprise-wide work, innovation projects, clients and industries, speaking at conferences), articulating and sharing one’s innovative technical points of view and eminence, advancing soft skills (i.e., leadership presence, negotiations, listening, networking), and empowering self-awareness to fully understand one’s purpose and impact. 

The high touch elements of the program (i.e., coach, sponsorship, mentoring, and personalized development), have proven to accelerate the development, advancement and retention within the technical community. The diversified set of learning options (i.e., asynchronous, coaching, virtual instructor-led, in-person workshops, social learning, and peer learning) have enabled high engagement and desire to be in the program. Program graduates are the strongest advocates and become coaches, mentors and sponsors to current participants. There is a full life cycle for the program. 

Overall results for 2021 -- 89% of technical executive appointments were Pathways program graduates.
AU  - Callistus Ndemo
AU  - Laura Casale
CY  - New Orleans , Louisiana
DA  - 2023/02/26
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - IBM Pathways Program - Empowering technical talent to grow and succeed
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/44800
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--44800
ER  -