Stern Stories

Envision Possible

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The possibilities of what I see myself achieving going forward has started with TRIUM as a part of my foundation.
TRIUM student Tina Taylor, Chief Information Officer and Chief Quality Officer for GE Lighting, discusses her career path and the TRIUM Capstone Project.
“Three years ago, my close friend, TRIUM alumna Swaady Martin-Leke, urged me to consider the TRIUM program,” recalls TRIUM student Tina Taylor, Chief Information Officer and Chief Quality Officer for GE Lighting. “I saw that the program offers the rare global component I was looking for, and the average age of the TRIUM cohort (40) appealed to me; it brings a higher level of conversation. I also recognized that I would be able to apply a high percentage of my classroom knowledge to my job, so the timing felt right.”

“My colleagues at GE have been very supportive of my decision to pursue an executive MBA,” Tina reports. “They recognize that it’s a personal goal that also benefits my professional life at the company. My career at GE has provided indispensable real life productive experience, and now I’m adding the theoretical component. I’m also gaining a global, multi-dimensional perspective.”

Tina’s career has accelerated since joining the program: “I was recently promoted to Chief Information Officer of GE Lighting, in addition to retaining my current responsibilities as Chief Quality Officer for GE Lighting,” she reports. “In my new role as CIO, I will be making sure we have the right tools in place to foster growth for the business. It’s a nice complement to what I already do in quality and product regulatory compliance.” She has also been appointed African American Operating Leader for GE.

“There are a lot of changes happening in both IT and the lighting industry, and it makes sense to have one position look at both the systems and our business operating processes,” Tina describes. “On the IT side, we’re figuring out how to best use data and more contemporary tools to develop services for business. Meanwhile, moving to the LED has changed the manufacturing processes and the regulations we need to comply with. Everything has been impacted.”

“The Capstone Project was another aspect that really appealed to me when I was considering the TRIUM program,” Tina says. “It’s not a competition with other students. You compete with yourself and push against paradigms, which is especially valuable for anyone who has been at the same company for his or her whole career or is exploring a new career.” Tina’s Capstone Project will be the development of an all-girls STEM education model that could be set up in Latin America, Asia, Africa, China and India. “There are 16 million girls under the age of 18 in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa who are out of school, and addressing that is a huge challenge,” she explains. “My idea is to create a school for girls only – where they have few distractions – offering a STEM education. There will be a focus on math and science with a slant towards health/healthcare as many of the students I envision attending would have had limited proper healthcare. In my vision, the school would be attached to a clinic or hospital that serves the community, and the staff becomes faculty as well. This has been an ongoing passion and now I get to further explore this model, develop a business plan with a team of other talented professionals and receive coaching and guidance from some of the best professors and entrepreneurs around the world. I am looking forward to starting on the project and working with world leaders to drive change in a more sustainable way for our youth.”

Tina adds, “I can already see how being a part of TRIUM is transforming me as a person and a global leader and thinker. The possibilities of what I see myself achieving going forward has started with TRIUM as a part of my foundation.”