Deirdre Woods, CIO at University of Pennsylvania's Wharton SchoolDeirdre Woods, CIO at University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School

1

Fast Times
"People say a revolution or transformation takes a long time. But literally I can remember three years ago on campus, people had cell phones but they weren't talking on them all the time. Now if you walk around on a busy afternoon on Locust Walk, our main drag, they're all on their cell phones, they're all text messaging. That's clearly where a lot of communication is occurring today and will continue."

2

Past Life
Woods previously worked at an econometric forecasting firm. "We dealt with tons of data all the time to see what drove the economy and foreign exchanges. Sometimes I wonder what that business is like now, ... when there is so much access to information and depth and breadth of information."

3

Next Phase
Offshoring isn't going away, "but it actually gives opportunities for a lot more different people to be in the profession, because it only makes the work more complex. You have to have someone who can translate business requirements to a development team offshore. [That] will make the job more interesting over time and get folks aligned with the business strategy of the company."

4

Class Act
One of the most popular electives is Wharton's negotiations class, and Woods has sat in on several sessions. "I've learned something new from each professor I listened to," she says, but the biggest takeaway for successful negotiations is this: "Count to five to yourself before you answer."

5

Alternative Eats
Besides cafeteria food, there are food trucks on campus. "You can get Korean to French crepes to Vera Cruz-style burritos to vegetarian Chinese food and everything in between." For Woods, it's usually a choice between burritos and Chinese.