Life as a Technology Trailblazer and FinTech Startup Founder

Abstract: The life of a technology trailblazer is an interesting journey of hills and valleys, open and closed doors, and a relentless, passionate pursuit of the truth: “I belong here”. This talk will discuss the ongoing journey of Dr. Sandra K Johnson as a gifted technology professional. It includes her early years in education, from primary and secondary schools to college and graduate school. Also discussed are her experiences working in an industrial research organization at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, and moving on to development, sales, marketing, and assignments in the Middle East and Africa. She then became an entrepreneur and pursued a different journey to lead a FinTech startup, Global Mobile Finance, Inc. Throughout the talk are vignettes and other experiences, sometimes exhilarating, sometimes door-slamming heartaches, she shares on how wisdom, perseverance, and a sense of purpose fuel her efforts to move forward.

Bio: Sandra K. Johnson is the Founder, CEO & CTO, Global Mobile Finance, Inc., a fintech startup company in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. It has developed geeRemit, a relationship-driven remittance mobile app for Africa. She is also the Founder of SKJ Visioneering, LLC, a technology consulting company, a Visiting Scholar at North Carolina A&T State University and a Director on the Board of Directors for Regional Management Corporation. She is the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in computer engineering. She has obtained many firsts in her 30+ year technology career. She had a 26-year IBM career, including serving as the CTO, IBM Central, East and West Africa. She is a Master Inventor with over 40 pending and issued patents and over 80 technical publications. Dr. Johnson earned B.S. (summa cum laude), M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering, from Southern University, Stanford University, and Rice University, respectively. She is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). She is also an IEEE Fellow and an ACM Distinguished Engineer.

Registration is encouraged, but not required. 

* We ask that you please follow Rice University COVID policies and respect social distancing guidelines. You can find the policies via the link https://coronavirus.rice.edu/policies

*Following the talk, there will be a short reception to enjoy light bites and refreshments. 

Hosted by:
Rice Electrical and Computer Engineering
Office of Multicultural Affairs
Office of Belonging and Engagement – Jones Graduate School of Business