{"id":1386,"date":"2011-11-16T11:54:44","date_gmt":"2011-11-16T19:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=1386"},"modified":"2011-11-16T11:54:44","modified_gmt":"2011-11-16T19:54:44","slug":"grad-proves-women-can-rise-to-top-of-computer-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2011\/11\/16\/grad-proves-women-can-rise-to-top-of-computer-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Grad proves women can rise to top of computer industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

If it is a man\u2019s world, nobody told Camosun success-story grad Shelley Zapp.<\/p>\n

Zapp is president of UNIT4 Business Software, a subsidiary of one of the top global leaders in business software, where she manages accounts for all of North America. And while it seems rare to see a woman in Zapp\u2019s position, she says that the computer-technology industry is welcoming to everyone.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Camosun alumni Shelley Zapp (photo provided).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI had a job before I even finished my program,\u201d she says, pointing out that even when she graduated more than 20 years ago, being a woman never posed a problem in the job market. \u201cI don\u2019t think the industry has ever been male-dominated. If I look back on my graduating class, I bet it was a good 30 percent women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zapp\u2014who won Camosun\u2019s distinguished alumni award this year\u2014graduated from Camosun\u2019s computer technology program in 1984. Looking back on why she chose a field of study that was in its infancy at the time, Zapp recalls that a career in computer technology was an exciting prospect.<\/p>\n

\u201cComputers were just starting to come out onto the market,\u201d she says. \u201cWe didn\u2019t even take computers in high school at that time, and, of course, no one owned a computer. But, it intrigued me. Computer programming was like solving a puzzle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Zapp says the industry is gender neutral, she does admit that it\u2019s uncommon for a computer programmer to become head of a company.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout 90 percent of CEOs come from sales and nine percent from finance, but it\u2019s rare they come from fields like computer programming,\u201d she says. \u201cWe are not always the best extroverts.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, in developing exceptional business skills, which Zapp attributes to her time at Camosun, she was able to rise to the top of her field.<\/p>\n

Zapp\u2019s success, combined with her commitment to the community, makes her a well-known leader in the local tech industry. Ken Hartman, acting chair of the computer science department, has seen firsthand how Zapp gives back to her alma mater.<\/p>\n

\u201cShelley is one of those important people willing to provide her time and expertise on various volunteer boards and committees,\u201d says Hartman.<\/p>\n

Serving on the Program Advisory Committee, a group of industry professionals working with instructors to give insight into changes, trends, and opportunities that relate to Camosun programs, Zapp has given Hartman\u2019s department \u201cgreat support and encouragement as well as important feedback on industry trends,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Along with her accomplishments, Zapp\u2019s contagiously positive attitude leaves a lasting impression on everyone who meets her.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s really hard working,\u201d says Camosun alumni relations coordinator Angie Bowles. \u201cShe\u2019s a real sweetheart and an amazing woman.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If it is a man\u2019s world, nobody told Camosun success-story grad Shelley Zapp. Zapp is president of UNIT4 Business Software, a subsidiary of one of the top global leaders in business software, where she manages accounts for all of North America. And while it seems rare to see a woman in Zapp\u2019s position, she says […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1387,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus","category-november-16-2011"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1386"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1389,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386\/revisions\/1389"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}