WITI
Women
Program Manager for Texas Instruments
Duy-Loan Le graduated from the University of Texas in Austin in 1982
and received her MBA from the University of Houston in 1989. She
joined Texas Instruments in 1982 as design engineer to work on the
64K DRAM design. Le was promoted to supervisor in 1985, design manager in 1989,
and program manager in 1995. Currently she is program manager
for several C6X projects, including the first project for a Nokia wireless
base station.
Le holds 14 patents with 11 pending. She has received the Patent
Incentive Award for multiple years. Le was elected as a Member of
Technical Staff of Texas Instruments in 1990, Senior Member of the
Technical Staff in 1993, Distinguished Member of Technical Staff in
1997 - she is the first woman to achieve this distinction - and Texas
Instruments Fellow in 1999. She serves as chair of the Houston Women
Initiative, contributes to the Houston DSP Diversity Leadership Team,
participates as mentor for the DSP Catelog Mentoring pilot project
and is a member of the SC Technical Council. Le is also a member of
the Technical Program Committee for ICCE and has taught Junior
Achievement for many years. She has been a frequent speaker at WITI
events & IEEE's various symposiums.
Le is married and the mother of two boys. She enjoys deep sea
fishing, classical music and opera, reading and movies.
1. What was your first job in technology?
I was a design engineer for Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM).
2. Who has been your most significant mentor? Why?
The war in Viet Nam served as my greatest mentor. 'It' has taught me that destiny is in my control even when circumstances seem otherwise.
3. What has been your greatest challenge and what strategies did you use to overcome
obstacles?
My greatest challenge was to graduate from high school and college as soon as possible, and with high scores. Strategies I used include: have a dream, set the goal, execute the plan with intense focus, hard work, and determination .... and do not let anybody else tells you it cannot be done. Finally, pray like crazy that luck is on your side.
4. Who has been the most influential person in your life? Why?
My father and my first-born have been the most influential people in my life.
5. What lessons have you learned that would be valuable to women beginning their
careers in technology?
Men are human beings and it helps if you can put yourself in their shoes and see things from their perspective. Also, do not take things personally, and think that 'you can and you will.'
6. What strategies do you use to maintain balance in your life?
In life you have to realize that something has to give since you cannot be the best at everything. When you realize this , you will see the need to adjust your priorities accordingly. Make sure your family understands what is important to you and seek their support. Establish a firm routine for the children and set expectations up front about what is acceptable and what is not. This eliminates a lot of wasted time arguing with children and saves you time because they become responsible at earlier age. If money can be used to 'buy' time, then do so (order in food from a restaurant, hire people to cut the grass, pay people to come to your house and wash cars or clean etc.). Also, work at home at night to allow yourself to finish your job well and to be home when your kids go to bed. I set up a station in my own bedroom to enable me to work 'next' to my husband reading magazine/watching TV at night.
7. What new technology do you believe will have the most positive impact on the
world in the next 20 years? The most negative impact?
The most positive impact I believe will come from the ability to make everything wireless and the ability to transmit voice/data real time. I do not know what the most negative impact will come from, however ... personally i think it will involve technology that invades privacy, as well as technology that exposes violence and sex to children without control measures.
On a lighter note:
1. If you could have dinner with any 2 people (living or not), who would they be?
The Pope (God is preferred but since he does not live on earth, the Pope will have to do). Hitler (he fascinates me on his ability to influence so many people to do the wrong thing)
2. Define success in 10 words or less.
Being respected, liked and the best at what one does.
3. If you could only subscribe to 3 magazines, what would they be?
Technology, Money, Parenting
4. What was the last book you read?
It was in Vietnamese and so would not make sense to list here
|
For more 'WITI Women' articles, go to: http://www.witi.com/wire/witiwomen/ For all the latest news and information on women in technology, visit http://www.witi.com |