ALUMNI NEWS
Roderick Haynes Featured on the NASDAQ During Black History Month
By Nicholas Cole
R oderick Haynes has achieved a lot during his lifetime, but one of the proudest moments in his career came during Black His- tory Month this past February when he was featured on the NASDAQ repre- senting Blacks at Microsoft (BAM). “It was an extraordinary experience,” said Haynes (Beta Upsilon 1988), a global account delivery executive at Microsoft. “In terms of being recognized as a leader at Microsoft and being able to be highlighted on the National Stock Exchange, that’s a once in a lifetime op- portunity.” Founded in 1989, Microsoft’s first Employee Resource Group (ERG), BAM, has led the investment in pro- grams like the BAM scholarships and Minority Student Day, an outreach event it hosts annually to educate students on careers in the tech industry. BAM is dedicated to supporting the contin- ued growth and development of black employees and encouraging students to pursue a career in technology. It is designed to advance Microsoft’s global diversity strategy.
The more than 800 employee group sponsors an annual BAM Minority Student Day in February to expose un- derrepresented ethnic groups to oppor- tunities in tech. The group also provides employee and college mentoring and helps implement corporate diversity plans. BAM has been a distinguished guest of NASDAQ every year for the past three years to ring the closing bell on the first day of February. This year BAM se- lected members from their global leader- ship to ring the closing bell virtually as it kicked off Black History Month. Haynes was one of the leaders highlighted on the NASDAQ tower. Haynes is the chairperson for Houston that covers the Houston, San Antonio, and Austin areas. Most recently, Haynes was inter- viewed by Kate Johnson, the President of Microsoft US, to discuss his super power or what makes him so effective and impactful for Microsoft. “As a leader, I focus on getting our youth exposed to and helping them understand the value of emerging
technologies, showing how technology helps companies innovate and how that innovation impacts them. It’s important for youth from marginalized communi- ties to see a person they know on the NASDAQ wall making it relevant and infectious. It’s important for them to know and say, ‘I attend Texas South- ern University or any HBCU and this guy comes and to talks with me all the time,’” Haynes said, before adding, “I also ensure students have the resources necessary for students to compete for opportunities by working with the career centers, assisting with technical interviews, etc. Since my engagement, schools in my territory have increased substantially and have led in HBCU recruitment. Not only are the students embracing technology, they understand the value of having a diverse and inclu- sive mindset.” Haynes stressed that diversity and inclusion are foundational to Microsoft culture. “It plays a key role in shaping corporate diversity in promoting career
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