Beverly J. Kitaoka

Name:  Beverly J. Kitaoka
Title: Group Senior Vice President
Company:  Science Applications International Corporation
Contact Information: 407-243-3300; kitaokab@saic.com
Web page: www.saic.com <http://www.saic.com> (corporate) and www.asset.com (local)

How I arrived at my present job (academic and other influences):  I have a technical background, with a BS in Mathematics, and a lot of computer courses, from the University of Michigan, and an MS in Computers, Information and Control Engineering, also from U of M.  I have been with SAIC for almost 15 years now, having joined the company after 13 years of working for computer-based product companies and consulting.  My career has been based on developing and applying software technologies.  I developed the ASSET (Applied Software Systems Engineering Technology) Group for SAIC, known for software development and information technology applications in the Modeling, Simulation & Training domain.  We are also developing solutions for such diverse customers as state and local governments, providing high-speed satellite networking management and support for the US European Command, and providing software applications and maintenance for commercial customers.  Our current Orlando-based organization's annual revenues are about $75 million.

How I organize my day:  As a single mother, my first priorities are getting my youngest daughter fed and off to school (her older sister started at Georgia Tech last year), and feeding our pets.  I always check my e-mail from home first thing in the morning, since our company's headquarters is in San Diego, and the business unit I've developed has people from California to Eastern Europe.  Once I get to the office, I review and prepare for scheduled appointments, meet with my staff as needed, and communicate through teleconferencing, video teleconferencing and e-mail to our remote employees, customers, peers, teammates, our sector (next level up) headquarters, and our corporate offices as needed.  Since both my daughters are athletes, I delegated as much travel as I could during their high school years so I could attend as many events as possible.  Now that they will both soon be in college, I am spending a fair amount of time between Orlando and our Washington, DC offices, with periodic travel to visit with our other customers, ranging from California, West Virginia, Tallahassee, Florida, Massachusetts and Europe.  Communications technology is great, but it's not an adequate substitute for face-to-face contact with our employee owners and customers.  I also represent our company on a number of technology boards and initiatives at the state and local level, so these activities are also integrated with the organization's daily operations.

Amount of time spent working daily (at home and office):  This is a tough one, since these days there can be very little difference between being in the office and being at home.  Between cell phones, wireless e-mail and home offices, many of us are accessible almost all the time.  Let's just say my senior staff and I are in touch whenever we need to be, and that's often seven days a week, well beyond what most people consider normal office hours, and I don't think that's unusual for a highly competitive business.

What I do to get myself thinking creatively:  I talk with other people, share ideas with them, get their feedback and insights.  I also like to work on collaborative projects that focus teams into creative thinking and problem solving.

My problem-solving strategy:  My education is in engineering and mathematics, so I've been trained to look at things logically.  While you have to look at each of the components of any given problem, you also have to look at both problems and possible solutions from a higher, system level perspective as well.  I look for patterns, bottlenecks, inefficiencies, recurring issues and systemic problems.  I get input and advice from others, get concurrence, and delegate solutions to those with the skills and motivation to get the job done. 

What I do to relieve stress:  I try to stay away from people who like to create problems rather than solve them and I make the time for some type of physical exercise every single day.  At least three days a week, I spend an hour in the fitness facility of our building, which is staffed with a licensed trainer and available to our employees.  I work out at home on an elliptical machine and play racquetball on weekends.  I also like to read and play with our dogs, shop and go out to dinner with my daughters.  My Dad moved to Florida a couple of years ago.  He is retired after a 43-year engineering career with IBM and has extensive knowledge of computers.  He comes over for dinner most evenings.  It is great to have someone who understands my work issues and can help me solve my home computing,
electronics, and general house maintenance challenges.

My hero, mentor, or person I most admire and why:  I most admire my two daughters.  I'm continually amazed at how aware they are of themselves, other people, and their environment.  They seem to have a much better sense of who they are, and where they want to go, than I did when I was their age. They understand some things I didn't grasp until I was in my forties, and I think that says a lot for their maturity and the clarity of their thought processes.  They're both great young women with good hearts and a very positive outlook on life. 

What I do to mentor those who work for me:  I encourage them to take ownership of their problems, and work constructively with other people to fix them, rather than let themselves be victimized by them.  Rather than fix their problems for them, I help them think through their options, make decisions, and execute their plans.  I also do a lot of networking to get people together who can help each other. 

How a negative event changed my life in a positive way:  Moving to a what was then a low tech area of Florida from a high tech area around the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor seemed like a real step backward at the time.  But it set off a chain of events that provided me flexibility in my career, and the freedom to achieve my personal goals of running an engineering-based business, where the engineers have a voice in selecting customers, services, products, the work environment, and management.

One event or decision in my life I wish I could go back and change:  There were times in my career when I allowed people to control me because of my responsibilities, environment, or financial situation.  I felt trapped and it seemed all my efforts to fix the problems didn't work. Through these experiences, I gained a better understanding of people and their motivations.  I use this experience to help my daughters and other women recognize manipulation, consider their options, and deal with challenges in constructive ways, including sometimes walking away. 

What values are the most important to me and what I value in others:Accepting responsibility, consideration for others, doing the right thing. 

What inspires, motivates, or gets me excited about my job on a daily basis: The people I work with.
 

Biography: Beverly J. Kitaoka is a Group Senior Vice President with Science Applications International Corporation, headquartered in San Diego, CA. She manages SAIC's Applied Software Systems Engineering Technology Group, headquartered in Orlando, FL, with offices from Monterey, CA to Eastern Europe.  She has grown this organization into an SEI Level 4 software development activity, serving commercial, defense, federal, and state & local government customers. 
 

Her organization, the largest simulation company in the Central Florida Research Park, has been cited as one of Central Florida's Top Family-Friendly Employers, and as one of Florida's best employers for working women.  Within SAIC, her organization has won the SAIC Annual Achievement Award for Systems Development/Software integration twice in the last three years. 

In the last year, Bev has been named by the Orlando Business Journal as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Central Florida, and one of the top 10 Women Who Mean Business in the area. 

She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics and a Master of Science Degree in Computers, Information and Control Engineering from the University of Michigan. A long-time resident of the state of Florida, Ms. Kitaoka is the single mother of two daughters:  Michelle, a Computer Science major at Georgia Tech; and Tiffany, who will be majoring in Engineering at the University of Florida this fall.