Managing technology across the globe
Yvonne Turchetti ’02 graduated with degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics. She is director of IBM Z and Linux Client Care, responsible for the technical management of critical client situations worldwide. If a client has a serious issue, her team is involved directly.
Yvonne started her career with IBM immediately after Union. She has held a variety of leadership roles across hardware, software, test engineering, portfolio management and technical support. Since 2005, Yvonne has been in management. The combination of leading and coaching teams, coupled with developing and enabling world-class technology, has been very fulfilling for her. Each day, she is “privileged to work with talented, brilliant, kind individuals.”
Outside of work, Yvonne has coached youth athletics, including swimming, field hockey and lacrosse. In 2007, she started the girls’ lacrosse program at Red Hook High School. Yvonne served as head coach through 2018 and is now an assistant.
What are/were the most challenging aspects of your career? What are/were the most rewarding?
There have been challenges in each role I have held – development timelines, staffing, budget, client needs and more. My current role has been the most challenging and the most rewarding. Each day truly is different. Client issues come at all times and in a variety of severities. The rewarding part is enabling the team of experts, knowing when to pull the team together, and ultimately, resolving the issue. The work of my whole extended team strengthens our partnerships with our clients. When clients see our work and feel our support during the tough times, they typically understand and value our platform even more.
How has your engineering degree been useful in another field?
My entire career has been in and around the lab. I do not have to break out basic engineering principles all that often. But thinking like an engineer -- following the data, understanding how hardware and software systems work together – I use those every day.
What was your most formative experience at Union?
My athletic teams and experiences – field hockey and lacrosse – undoubtedly shaped my Union experience. My teammates, the hard work, the successes and adjusting after losses – all were parts of that formative experience, and aside from a few more wins, I would not trade any of it. To build on that, many of my nights were spent in the lab with my friend and teammate, Heather. After hockey practice or a game, we would grab dinner and head to the lab to work much of the night. I believe a strong work ethic is integral to success and I definitely continued to develop one at Union.
What’s the best piece of advice (professional or personal) you ever received?
Enable your team.