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Meet trailblazing Meliora Collective mentor Julie Shapiro ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™83

How did your experience at the University of Rochester influence your life?

The ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ had an impact on my life even before I was student there. The reason I applied to the University in the first place was because I had received the Bausch and Lomb science award from my high school, which put me in the running for a scholarship there. When I had my admissions interview, my interviewer asked why I wanted to major in biology. I said it was because I want to be a doctor, but in fact, it was not at all clear to me that was really the case. My interviewer pushed me to talk about what I really loved, which, as it turns out, was computer programming. Now remember, itÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s 1978, so aside from a very few who had Commodore PETs, personal computers were not a thing, but there was a computer club at my high school which is where I fell in love with programming. By the time I left the interview, we had crossed off biology, and changed my major to electrical engineering (fun fact ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½“ at the time the University did not offer undergraduate degrees in computer science). This interview impacted the direction of my life before I even stepped on campus.

The opportunities that followed once I became a student at the University were no less significant. I worked in the lab of Professor Stancampiano, helping to build and test Josephson Junctions. I think that work was instrumental in my receipt of a General Motors scholarship, which gave me the opportunity to spend my summers interning at the Rochester Products division of GM. In my senior year, I joined Professor Voelcker and his team on the development of Constructive Solid Geometry, which became the foundation of many CAD/CAM systems. That research had relationships with both General Motors and McDonnell Douglas (McAuto), and upon graduation, I was able to continue this work at McAuto in sunny southern California. That was the beginning of what would be a thirty plus year career developing software, ultimately running large software development organizations, primarily in the finance/banking industry. I recently retired from UBS (a Swiss bank), where I was a Chief Digital and Information Officer, running a global organization of over 5000 technologists responsible for developing the systems supporting the bankÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s Group Functions, which includes areas such as Finance and Treasury, Enterprise Risk Management, Compliance, Data Management, Shared Operations, Legal and HR.

What inspired you to get involved and volunteer?

If I recall correctly, in 1983 when I graduated, I was one of three women graduating with a bachelor of electrical engineering in a class of just under 60. I have navigated working in both a male-dominated profession, as well as male-dominated industries for my entire career. Recognizing the unique challenges this brings, I was very involved in spearheading efforts that created community and opportunities to help level the playing field for women in technology. I am recently retired, and while I look back with pride at the systems that my teams and I built, it is really my legacy of mentoring and being a role model for other women in technology that I am most proud of. And that is why it was such a natural transition for me to join the at the University. I have been on both sides of the mentoring table, sometimes as mentee, sometimes as mentor, and I have reaped great benefits from both! As a mentor, you get the personal satisfaction of knowing that you are supporting your mentees. Beyond that, being a mentor provides the opportunity to meet new people and hear new perspectives and new ideas.

WhatÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s the most rewarding part of staying connected with your alma mater?

Many people ask me what I do with my time now that I am retired. The truth is there is no shortage of things to fill my time with, and like any other point in my life, I get to choose what I want to prioritize. As I settle into retirement, I have found myself drawn to increasing my involvement in alumni volunteer programs, starting with mentoring. ItÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s been a great opportunity to meet new people and join an incredible community. As much as I hope that my participation benefits the Rochester community, itÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s not a selfless act! This volunteer work is incredibly rewarding and I appreciate the benefits it brings to me as well.

What are you looking forward to next?

I am told to be successful in retirement, you have to keep an open mind about what comes next, and I am definitely in exploratory mode. I continue to be passionate about DEI, and am doing a lot of writing on the topic. I am also starting to explore potential opportunities for a role as an advisor or board member, ideally for a small-to-midsize software company in growth mode. I also now have the bandwidth for more engagement with other University volunteer opportunities, and hope to make that a bigger part of my life. But the most surprising and impactful ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½˜nextÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™ for me has definitely been becoming a grandmother! ItÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s an experience like no other, and I am incredibly grateful for it.