Since the early days of the mainframe, women have been coding and working with the platform to help not only researchers, but also the government. Like Grace Hopper, today’s women continue to build on the knowledge of the past to further innovate the mainframe.
Jeanne Glass, founder and chief executive officer of VirtualZ Computing, is one of these women. Grace Hopper’s work with COBOL programming was an early inspiration, and the mainframe has been a big part of her life since college when she learned the language. Glass is not only the leader of an independent software vendor (ISV) with a diverse staff, but she’s also a patent holder.
“VirtualZ is a unicorn in the mainframe space given that it is the first and only women-founded mainframe software vendor in the 60-year history of the mainframe,” Glass says. “With my and my co-founder’s Native American heritage, we understand we are also the first and only Native American-founded mainframe ISV, and we are also the first mainframe software start-up to come to market since around 2012.”
Glass shares her list of heroes for Women’s History Month, how women in the mainframe ecosystem continue to inspire her, how they’ve influenced her as an innovator, and the resources that are available for women in technology.
Breaking Barriers and Opening Doors
“In thinking about Women’s History Month and the 60th anniversary of the mainframe, I read about Jean E. Sammet, who contributed to the development of COBOL and was instrumental in establishing it as an ANSI standard,” Glass says. Another of her heroes is Frances Allen. “She was the first woman to win the Turing Award, which is akin to the Nobel Prize in computing,” she explains. “She made significant contributions to compiler optimization and parallel computing, which are essential technologies for mainframe systems.”
These are just some of the computing pioneers who inspired Glass because they not only broke down barriers, but also inspired other women to enter the fields of computing and technology. Some of Glass’ heroes in the mainframe ecosystem include women who roll up their sleeves and intentionally lift other women up, introduce them to peers, provide them with advice, bring them together with other innovators, and so much more.
“I admire so many women in the mainframe computing of our time. Deb Carbo, Nicole Fagen, and Megan Rupert with Broadcom all come to mind when I think of inspiring women I know and work with,” Glass says. “Mari Bray with Tech Channel is an inspiration to me. Martha McConaghy and Karla Houser, who pioneered the Women in IT initiative at SHARE; Lisa Dyer with Ensono; Meredith Stowell and Maria Boonie with IBM; Laticia Carrow with Tish Talks Tech; and many more are pioneering and innovating in the mainframe industry today.”
Each of these women are champions. According to Glass, “These women are all supporters of other women. They want everyone to succeed, and they’re ready and willing to help in any way they can. It is a common characteristic of the women in the mainframe that I admire the most.”
Innovating Today’s Mainframe and Strengthening the Community
According to Glass, VirtualZ Computing has “brought a lot of firsts to the mainframe industry, including our patented mainframe software innovations.” The company is bringing data-sharing capabilities to the mainframe through its Lozen, Zaac, and PropelZ software.
Glass didn’t stop with just her corporate success. When preparing for an interview on being the first female founder of a mainframe ISV, she started looking for diversity initiatives in the mainframe industry. Drawing upon that research, her own journey, and the inspiration of her own mainframe heroes, Glass knew more diversity initiatives were needed and would be successful. In partnership with Broadcom’s Greg Lotko, the idea for the Making Our Strong Community Stronger initiative was born. The C-level, industry-wide, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiative for mainframe is now in its fourth year and growing.
Upcoming Making Our Strong Community Stronger Events:
- On Aug. 4-8 at SHARE in Kansas City, there will be a live panel, “Closing the Multigenerational Gap in Business.”
- On Nov. 13, a webinar will focus on Native Americans in IT, honoring Native American Heritage Month.
Paying it Forward
Glass advises other women entering into mainframe careers and the computing world to get involved with SHARE and the LinkedIn-based Making Our Strong Community Stronger initiative because they provide not only a plethora of resources on building careers, but also can connect them to peers in the industry. “Secondly, they should connect with mainframe vendors with notable on-boarding programs for anyone interested in a mainframe career,” Glass says. For those who join SHARE, there are student rates and passes available. “Join SHARE and attend the conferences and technical sessions offered by the ‘best of the best’ in mainframe computing,” she adds.
SHARE’s Women in IT (WIT) Focus Area also offers events at each conference, and Glass says they are always booked to capacity. At SHARE Orlando, the program hosted the “Encouraging Women in IT” panel discussion about milestones of women in the mainframe ecosystem and how women can help other women reach their own milestones in the technology space. The WIT Focus Area also offers “Mentoring Advice from SHARE's Women Leaders” and “Tips on Mentoring from SHARE’s Women Leaders” videos on SHARE’s YouTube channel.
According to Glass, “The WIT program is a great place to network and meet more inspiring women and learn about resources that are available for women in the mainframe.” Passing knowledge onto the next generation of women is one way to ensure the mainframe ecosystem continues to meet new business needs and be as innovative as it has been for the next 60 years.