Power players - African American executives in the high technology industry

Black Enterprise, March, 2001 by Marjorie Whigham-Desir, Wakeen Edmonds

"The future looks great for the kinds of companies we invest in," says Greene. "There's a tremendous amount of technology being used and this creates opportunities for small and medium-size businesses that can improve productivity. Every day is a new learning experience, and if you don't treat it that way, you'll be left behind."

Donna Auguste Co-founder, President, and CEO, Freshwater Software Inc.

The first member of her family to graduate from college, Donna Auguste, 42, developed her passion for science and technology at an early age: when she witnessed the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing at age 11. Auguste went on to study at the University of California at Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon University and to work at companies such as Xerox, US West, and Apple Computer Inc. At Apple, Auguste, who holds four patents, led the team that developed the Newton PDA (personal digital assistant).

As head of Freshwater Software Inc., a company that provides Web-monitoring solutions for e-businesses, Auguste oversees her firm helping clients such as Merrill Lynch and Intel (and more than 2,600 others) monitor their online transactions. Auguste's company has seen 12 consecutive quarters of profitability, with revenue growth of more than 1,400% since 1997.

John W. Thompson President, CEO, and Chairman, Symantec Corp.

John Thompson, 51, has his fingers directly on the pulse of e-commerce. These days, no company can afford to do without security--whether it's for the enterprise, mobile workers, or e-commerce sites. No question then that security is a big issue, and Symantec is at the forefront, providing solutions for businesses and consumers, as well as enterprise and Web solutions via programs such as the ubiquitous Norton AntiVirus.

It was Thompson, a graduate of both Florida A&M University (B.S. in business administration) and MIT's Sloan School of Management, who, after a 28-year career at IBM (as general manager of IBM Americas), led Symantec to shift the focus from software publishing to security. More than 45 of the top 50 Fortune 500 companies rely on solutions provided by Symantec everyday.

David Steward CEO, World Wide Technology Inc.

Dave Steward has staked his company and his reputation on being able to deliver products and service solutions when he says he -will. And it has paid off handsomely--to the tune of $413 million in gross sales. World Wide Technology is No. 1 on the 2000 BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list. Steward credits the integrated nature of the Internet with allowing his 10-year-old company to grow so well and so quickly.

"The business-to-business and e-marketplace that companies are beginning to roll out is real," he says. "People are looking for better and more effective ways of managing that marketplace, and they're looking to the Internet. There is still an opportunity for minority businesses to get in this market space and develop businesses, and use the Internet to truly bring value to the mainstream market."

Trish Millines Dziko Co-founder/Executive Director, Technology Access Foundation