Meet Alum Chad Wright ’92, Senior Director of IT, Amazon Robotics
In one sentence, what does your job entail?
As Senior Director of IT, I am responsible for the overall strategy and delivery of IT services, such as enterprise software, infrastructure, information security and service desk, that help our organization operate safely and efficiently.
What were you involved in when you were on campus?
When I was on campus, I was a member of the Calculus Workshop (which also included the inaugural Computer Workshop) and a TA that graded lots of math homework. Though my baseball career was very brief (one season), my friends and I played just about every intramural sport the college offered.
What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?
I was a Mathematics major with a concentration in Computer Science. I studied what I loved and it led me into the direction of my career today. I didn’t know anything about Information Technology and that’s why I’m so passionate about helping students learn more about the industry and be prepared for the opportunities that await them.
What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?
When I graduated, I had two job offers. The first was a math and computer science teaching position with athletic coaching responsibilities at a private school in Long Island, NY. The second offer was to join a database marketing software company as a business analyst that was much closer to my family and friends in MA. I decided to take the business analyst role not really knowing what I was getting into, but because it was a growing company with challenging business problems and a teaching and learning culture, I decided to take a chance. It turned out that I enjoyed the work and really excelled at it.
What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?
The most important skills are critical thinking and problem-solving. As a manager, mentor and coach, I find it’s very difficult to teach someone how to think critically or make them a better problem solver without investing an extraordinary amount of time and effort. Holy Cross helped me develop my skills to look at each challenge pragmatically, to find new and creative ways to solve a problem – whether it be about people or about technology. Leaving Holy Cross, I became a better reader, writer and listener. These skills are critical to the success I’ve had in my various IT roles throughout my career.
