Watson alumna uses computer science skills as CEO aiding nonprofits

Nicole (Mitchell) Armstrong ’91, who graduated with a computer science degree from the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science, has combined her heart for service with her love of technology throughout her career. Earlier this year, she was appointed the CEO of TechBridge Inc., an Atlanta-based company that provides tech solutions to nonprofits, including Goodwill and Feeding America.

In a recent interview, Armstrong discussed how the Watson School prepared her to succeed and how she plans to grow TechBridge to tackle important social issues facing the nation and the world.

QUESTION: When did you first become interested in technology?

ARMSTRONG: I became interested in technology at age 11. My father, who led a team of communication experts for the U.S. Navy, bought me a TRS-80, which was Radio Shack’s first computer. I taught myself to code using a BASIC programming book. The first program I ever wrote resulted in a stick-figured robot dancing across the green screen of my computer. I was amazed that a few lines of code could do this. I remember thinking, “I can create things from nothing! OK, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

I continued coding as a hobby in sixth grade and was placed in a gifted class where I was skipped from seventh to ninth grade. I was thrilled when I was selected to attend Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers (in New York City). Murry Bergtraum had a dedicated curriculum for those interested in computer science. Back in 1985, this was groundbreaking. I also interned in the school’s data center. The assignment involved loading IBM punch cards into a machine for data processing and retrieving streams of green gridded paper. Computers back then were huge — the operating system and its associated machinery fit into a large room.

Studying computer science in high school definitely prepared me for college. Were it not for the foundation provided by Murry Bergtraum, I would have been overwhelmed my freshman year.

Q: What experiences at the Watson School stand out to you?

A: In 1987, Binghamton University’s Watson School was an early leader in developing computer science as an area of practice. For the first time in the school’s existence, they matriculated freshmen into the engineering program. I was part of the first cohort and was the only person of color selected. So devoted was Binghamton to this first cohort, they actually housed us all in Rafuse Hall. During my first week at the University, I remember being in my room and thinking, “I’m a nerd and I am surrounded by nerds.”

The Watson School did a great job preparing me for life after college. The foundational classes were heavy in math and science, and the coursework was grueling but produced hardcore programmers. While I felt the curriculum was quite rigorous, by the time I graduated in four years, I was ready for corporate America.

There’s something else that happened at Binghamton. GE Aerospace was headquartered in Binghamton. I lived on Main Street at the time, and I used to ride the bus from the West Side, passing GE Aerospace’s offices on the way home. I remember sitting on the bus and every time I’d see GE Aerospace, I’d say to myself, “I’m going to get a job there.” I believed in manifestation, even back then.

One day I mustered enough nerve to get dressed up and go to GE, with no appointment. I was greeted by a receptionist who was taken aback by the fact that I did not have a name or a person to see.“Who are you?” she asked.

I replied, “I am a junior at Binghamton University, studying computer science at the Watson School. I want to work here.” The receptionist said, “Do you have an appointment?” To which I replied, “No.”

She called the head of the division, Ken Cramer, and asked him to come out and speak to me. I am sure she did this out of shock — some kid had the nerve to show up and ask for a job.

After a 45-minute interview, Mr. Cramer hired me on the spot. GE paid me $10 an hour — which was a lot of money back then, since minimum wage was $3.75 an hour. It was hard work and I had to obtain secret clearance. I worked 20 hours a week and also had a full schedule of classes. GE offered me a flexible work schedule, which meant I could come in to work in the wee hours of the morning to complete the unit testing for a top-secret project. We were building what would become known as the C-17 flight simulator, which was one of the first unmanned vehicles that dropped supplies to U.S. troops.

The computer science program at the Watson School really prepared me not only for the reality of working at GE Aerospace but also for what I would do after — dedicating my life to the field of technology.

Q: What are you most proud of in your career?

A: My proudest moment was being a founder and working and learning from John Katzman, who is the founder of the Princeton Review, the Noodle Companies and 2U. John and I had the opportunity to cofound a company called Noodle Markets, and the launch of that company required me to be the chief product architect. I felt like I was uniquely positioned to design the company’s initial platform prototype because of my engineering background.

I was proud that I had the opportunity to utilize my understanding of complex systems and then showcase that prototype to some of the largest venture capitalists in the U.S., raising an initial seed round of $3 million, and then eventually raising a total of $12 million. In its April 2018 issue, Vanity Fair featured me, along with 25 other black women founders/“unicorns” who successfully raised over $1 million in venture capital.

Q: What was the process like of getting this position as CEO of TechBridge?

A: TechBridge conducted a national search, led by a firm called Diversified Search. They received over 200 applicants and went through an in-depth vetting process. Absolutely nothing comes easy. I had to build a strategic plan and present to the search committee and the full board. I think the thing that prepared me most was having a deep understanding of the technology and software space, but also illustrating that I had the soft skills and experience necessary to drive growth and imbibe a culture of service and high performance.

I’ve arrived at a point in my career where my greatest joy is not derived from building software. Being a builder of people, being a builder of companies and being a builder of culture — that’s what gets me up every morning, and that desire is what has really positioned me to be the CEO of TechBridge.

Q: It’s inspiring to young people that we don’t have to divorce any parts of ourselves in order to be successful.

A: That’s exactly right. We don’t have to divorce any part of ourselves to be successful. As a matter of fact, every success, every failure, every strength and every weakness are what make us unique. Being committed to personal growth and being self-aware are critical factors in success. Knowing the areas where you are not strong and understanding how to leverage people, who align to your core values and can fill those gaps, is the secret sauce.

Q: Can you speak to your experiences of being a person of color in the late 1980s at Watson School?

A: The thing that I loved about the Watson School was that even though I was the only black woman in my freshman cohort, I never felt like the professors treated me differently. I always felt like I had as much opportunity to grow or fail as the next person. But I wonder if that’s an experience that’s unique to me? What I do know is that being a person of color and being a woman means that I have to work harder than most. For those of us who are breaking barriers, we have to be the absolute best. We have to get up every day and really knock it out of the park.

Q: Is there anything that you’re most excited to work on at TechBridge?

A: My word for 2020 is “bigger.”

In 2020, TechBridge will celebrate its 20th year as a nonprofit. Our mission is to break the cycle of generational poverty through the innovative use of technology. The platform and services we deliver in the areas of hunger relief, homeless support, legal justice and workforce development are focused on helping our most vulnerable populations.

We are doing amazing work. We are well loved in Atlanta and have a national presence with the support of over 500 local technology leaders. As we move toward our 2021 fiscal year, I want us to think bigger. We are well-positioned to deepen our impact in our core communities — Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama — and strategically expand to other states that need us.

We are focused on four key pillars. The first pillar is hunger relief. Our hunger relief platforms are tethered to the work we do with food banks and Feeding America. We enable critical parts of Feeding America’s supply chain management ecosystem. Our platforms support 63 food banks and almost 20,000 food pantries, and move 6 billion pounds of food annually.

We are also doing a lot of work in the homeless community, with a specific focus on collaboratives and collective action. We are partnered with a California-based nonprofit called Community Technology Alliance, which integrates data from disparate systems and funnels it into an app called HOME. The app allows case workers to meet vulnerable families and individuals where they are — in the street, on a bench, in a subway — and provides real-time access not only to bed availability, but also other critical services like food stamps, medical care and job placement. The United Way of Nashville is one of our largest customers, leading the charge around this important work.

Our third area of focus is legal justice. Last year, we launched our JusticeServer platform, which is an online legal case management tool that enables attorneys to easily volunteer their time for pro bono cases from one or more legal services providers. And more importantly, it allows attorneys to connect with low-income clients in need, based on the attorney’s legal expertise.

Our fourth pillar is workforce development. We are passionate about giving low-income, underserved, unemployed adults a pathway out of poverty by providing them with gainful employment through a comprehensive Technology Career Program TCP). The graduates of our free, 16-week TCP program obtain industry-recognized certificates in Microsoft BI, Service Now and cybersecurity, to name a few. In addition to securing marketable certifications, we provide job placement, a mentor for six months and courses in basic web-development, financial well-being and remote work etiquettes. We built our program in partnership with Goodwill of North Georgia. Our TCP graduates have moved from being unemployed or working low-wage retail-related jobs to making between $50,000 and $77,000 a year with Fortune 500 companies like Accenture and many of our other partners.

So yes, we are very excited about the future of TechBridge. We plan to stay laser-focused on our four pillars so that we can help transform lives one community at a time. I feel like I’ve come full circle. Thirty-nine years later, I am still amazed and in love with the power of technology.