Women’s History Month – Tracey Grace, President and CEO of IBEX

For Women’s History Month, we recognize the outstanding women that make up our GMSDC family. We are grateful for committed leaders like Tracey Grace, President and CEO of IBEX IT Business Experts, for her dedication and support of GMSDC. As Co-Chair of the Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee (MBEIC), she works to ensure the voices of our MBES are heard. She helps provide feedback on GMSDC programming and collaborates with MBEIC Industry Group Chairs to ensure our MBEs are on the path to success.

We wanted to use this opportunity to learn more about Tracey.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, who is the most inspiring women in your life? 

My grandmother. She is 97 years old and still tech savvy. She continues to surprise and amaze me.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing women in business today?

The Tech sector needs more women. We need to go after opportunities and compete. In corporate America — and being in IT — most people I worked with were white males. If I walked into a room, 95% of the people I saw were white males. I learned how to play golf; I learned how to beat them at golf. I learned how to compete amongst anyone.

I realized after starting my business that there are organizations out there that look like me: minority-owned and women-owned. I became a member there. I had to learn how to do business with people who look like myself. That might sound strange, but it was different for me. Now, more than 50% of my workforce is women! It has been an interesting transition.

What is the best advice you’ve received in your career?

My father was a lifelong entrepreneur. He owned the largest minority-owned carpet company in New Jersey. He loved to make people laugh and tell jokes and was very well-known in the community. The best quote that he ever told me — and that takes me through life changes and that I share with others — is “Everybody’s different.” It is a short, but impactful, statement. Your lens is determined by your life experiences and circumstances, and everyone’s experience is different, so be understanding that no one else has lived your life and will not understand things exactly as you do.

Any advice for future women business leaders?

“It’s the people and ideas that I allowed into my inner circle that determined my life direction, it is my insatiable curiosity that impacted my ultimate success.” It would be to hang on to those contacts you have that you met along the way who really impacted you or provided you with some sort of guidance. Even if you just touch base once or twice, every other year, you may never know when you need to reach back out. Those people can be pivotal, and you only meet a finite number of people in your lifetime.

About IBEX

IBEX is an award-winning IT Services firm specializing in Training, Certification, Consulting, and IT Solutions. The foundation of our offerings is in the areas of IT Service Management, Enterprise Governance, Project Management, and IT Security Management. IBEX has created a Supplier Diversity Vendor Management System, Certifiably Diverse, which is the best platform for buyers and diverse suppliers to connect and collaborate to build meaningful relationships.

For more information on IBEX, please visit www.ibexexperts.com.

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