Michael Pompey
Chief Information Officer at The Philadelphia Youth Network, Inc.
Can you please provide a little introduction about yourself
Hi, my name is Michael Pompey. I’m currently the CIO of the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN), and am based out of Philadelphia, PA. I’ve been at PYN for close to 20 years, helping to take the organization from “borrowed” office space in a school district warehouse, to a national leader in Youth Workforce and Employment strategies. Along with my CIO duties I’m also an avid mountain biker, amateur astronomer, science-fiction author, barbeque enthusiast and #RoboticsDad. But the roles I enjoy the most are as husband and father.
What has your journey to your position been like? What path have you taken?
My journey to the position of CIO has been as long and meandering as any river. I began my academic career in Physics and Electrical Engineering, pursuing what I thought was my dream role of becoming Mission Specialist of a Space Shuttle crew. I soon discovered that while I had an aptitude for the coursework, the application of those skills solely for the sake of technological advancement, didn’t stir my soul as much as I thought it would. I fell in love with Criminology during my tenure at University and switch majors; bringing my tech skills and loves with me. While working as a Juvenile Probation officer, I was struck by the immense amounts of data that was collected about the young people. Data that any commercial organization would kill to have about their customers. But I was broken hearted to see how superficially it was used. I started developing software to track, analyze, and predict outcomes and soon started working with organizations and systems dedicated to improving the lives of youth.
Has it always been your vision to reach the position you’re at? Was your current role part of your vision to become a tech leader?
To this day I remember the first time I learned about the CIO role. I was a college student working temp jobs in construction, gas companies during the summer for a local ManPower office. I was waiting in the lobby and there was a copy of CIO magazine flopped open on the coffee table. Waiting for the office staff to cut my paycheck, I devoured the pages. I snuck the magazine out of the office and read the rest of it in my beat up car in the parking lot. I now knew what I was supposed to be doing, but no clue how to get there. I had an accidental mentor through another part-time gig (Dr. Laurie Bettinghaus) that convinced me to take an unpaid intern position with the count while working nights to pay bills. That position would allow me to sharpen my technical and soft skills and raise my own expectation of what I could do. After that stint, my job choices and adventures read like Lando Calrissian’s CV. I did database development for SPCA. I did GPS and land mgt for local planning commission. I continually reached out for any new role that would teach me something that I didn’t know, but would allow me to help others with the acquired skills.
Have you had a role model or mentor that has helped you on your journey?
I've had a number of mentors and teachers along my journey. My father and mother were always there to show me what excellence could be. This was pre-Cosby show era and you rarely saw Black Physicians, much less a family with two! I was always inspired and looked on with pride at their example and achievements. The next mentor was Dr. Laurie Bettinghaus. She was my first Executive Leader in my first "real job" while in college. She took a chance on a cocky kid that was good with computers but unfocused in the application of his talent. She showed me the ins and outs of how nonprofit organizations actually worked, and showed me just how valuable my skill sets were. She was a great teacher, mentor, and human being.
How do you see the role of the technology leader evolving over the next 5 years?
In successful organizations, this role will serve as the API between the capacity to innovate and core business functionality. A competent leader in this role will look and feel more like a good CEO/COO, than the traditional technology evangelist.
What skills do you think leaders of the future will need in order to thrive?
I see the core skills orbiting 3 large domains, Business Intelligence, Security, and Automation & Integration. The events of the past 2 years are showing us that world-changing externalities can show up and anytime with tremendous capacity for disruption. The leaders of the future will need to always scan the horizon and be ready for a pivot. The ability to leverage predictive analytics, automate based on the information, and protect your intellectual assets at all costs are going to differentiate those that thrive vs survive.
How do you keep current with new skills, technologies and personal development?
As a "WarriorCIO" I have to have my hands on the tech. I'm always reading, watching, and playing with new ways to serve the business and look at the data. I try to approach issues from a systems approach first, with the practical application of technology to come later. My motto is "Beg, Borrow, and Steal" any good idea whether it has been applied before in youth services or not. I'm a huge proponent of white lab environments, and an avid user of Oreilly, StackOverflow, and Github.
What do you see as the next leap in technology that will impact your business or industry in particular?
I think the next leap that will impact our field is going to be virtual intelligence systems in conjunction with BI. This has the potential to be a game-changer. The amount of data that is being generated each year is staggering, the ability to see and actualize actions on embedded and predictive information will change transportation, education, law, healthcare, employment; you name it.
"Always lead, decide, and act based on a human-centered focus first."
If you were mentoring a leader of the future, what advice or guidance would you give to help them on their way?
Always lead, decide, and act based on a human-centered focus first. I would remind them that they a stronger and braver than they realize. Any skillsets or learnings that they do not have they can acquire along the way. But to always try to lead and listen with compassion first.
Is there anything in particular that you would still like to achieve in your career or what is the next step on your journey?
The next step on my career journey is to learn how to apply my current skillset to move initiatives at a national and global level. I'm continuing to hone my skill for learning and application of my "magic" in behalf of young people.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
This is a powerful question. The ability to waive a wand and vanquish one ill from the world. I must have written 5 different answers to this question. If I had to pick one thing to change I would eliminate fear. I feel we are missing out on living up to our truest potential as a species because it is so easy to distrust and hate what we don't know, understand, or fear. We have been led to accept so many things as inevitable that humanity already has the tools to change. Whether it be education, poverty, hunger, etc. But too often we can let the fear of "the other", fear of not having, fear of losing face, fear of being wrong, etc get in the way of progress.
A big thank you to Michael Pompey from The Philadelphia Youth Network, Inc for sharing his journey to date.
If you would like to gain more perspective from Tech Leaders and CIOs you can read some of our other interviews here.
