40 for 40: Profiles of individuals integral to Khoury’s success
40 for 40: Profiles of individuals integral to Khoury’s success
40 for 40: Profiles of individuals integral to Khoury’s success
Cathy Bilotta began as one of Northeastern’s first computing college students. Now she’s giving back.
In telling the story of Khoury College’s 40th anniversary, it helps to highlight people whose computer science stories bookend those 40 years perfectly.
Cathy Bilotta’s does. She began studying computer science at Northeastern on the eve of the college’s founding, and her son Andrew graduated with his cybersecurity degree from Khoury College just last year. In between, Bilotta amassed a career of remarkable achievement in the aerospace and defense industry, and made a point of mentoring and developing others along the way.
When she began at Northeastern as a computer science student in the early 1980s, she was intent on standing apart from her older brothers, both engineers.
“Personal computers were just starting to come into focus, and I was fascinated by that,” Bilotta recalls. “Northeastern was the only local school that recognized computer science as a separate discipline with its own degree program.”
During her undergraduate years, right around the time Northeastern established the College of Computer Science, Bilotta became interested in applying technology for business solutions, and sought co-ops accordingly. A couple of years after graduation, she landed a position with Raytheon Company, where she spent the next three decades working in information technology, strategic planning, project management and shared services. Among her leadership roles, she led the strategy development for the company’s billion-dollar Global Business Services organization, executing enterprise strategic initiatives to drive transformational change.
“Northeastern’s Boston campus is one of my happy places. I’ll look for any excuse to get back there. I love it, love the energy and the wonderful memories it brings back.” — Cathy Bilotta
“I was supporting manufacturing and business, and I got to rotate through many different roles within the company,” she recalls. “I love diversity of assignments. The worst thing I could do is repeat the same thing over and over.”
As an executive sponsor for the company’s IT leadership development program, Bilotta fulfilled another of her passions: helping the next generation. It was something she’d long wanted to bring to her alma mater, too.
“Northeastern’s Boston campus is one of my happy places,” she says. “I’ll look for any excuse to get back there. I love it, love the energy and the wonderful memories it brings back.”
So when her son, Andrew, enrolled at Khoury College in 2017, Bilotta had another excuse. She joined the Parent Leadership Council, a group of volunteer ambassadors that strives to steer Northeastern’s community outreach and provide feedback on its activities. It also aims to create and strengthen experiential learning opportunities for students, and its members have all contributed financially to further this goal.
After leaving Raytheon during the company’s merger in 2020, Bilotta joined the board of directors for Wellspring House, a Gloucester-based nonprofit that aims to prevent homelessness and inspire people to achieve financial security. She was also elected to the Select Board in her town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, meaning the one-time commuter student can walk to work at the town hall. All the while, Bilotta has continued in her role as an alumni mentor at Northeastern, where she can impart not just the lessons she learned in industry, but those from her “life-changing” co-ops, and from her experience as one of only a few female computer science students in her cohort.
“I’ve accumulated a lot of experience and knowledge, and sharing it is really important,” she says. “I have a special place in my heart for women who are going into this industry. They need a different kind of support sometimes, and I’m happy to help.”
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Cathy Bilotta began as one of Northeastern’s first computing college students. Now she’s giving back.
In telling the story of Khoury College’s 40th anniversary, it helps to highlight people whose computer science stories bookend those 40 years perfectly.
Cathy Bilotta’s does. She began studying computer science at Northeastern on the eve of the college’s founding, and her son Andrew graduated with his cybersecurity degree from Khoury College just last year. In between, Bilotta amassed a career of remarkable achievement in the aerospace and defense industry, and made a point of mentoring and developing others along the way.
When she began at Northeastern as a computer science student in the early 1980s, she was intent on standing apart from her older brothers, both engineers.
“Personal computers were just starting to come into focus, and I was fascinated by that,” Bilotta recalls. “Northeastern was the only local school that recognized computer science as a separate discipline with its own degree program.”
During her undergraduate years, right around the time Northeastern established the College of Computer Science, Bilotta became interested in applying technology for business solutions, and sought co-ops accordingly. A couple of years after graduation, she landed a position with Raytheon Company, where she spent the next three decades working in information technology, strategic planning, project management and shared services. Among her leadership roles, she led the strategy development for the company’s billion-dollar Global Business Services organization, executing enterprise strategic initiatives to drive transformational change.
“Northeastern’s Boston campus is one of my happy places. I’ll look for any excuse to get back there. I love it, love the energy and the wonderful memories it brings back.” — Cathy Bilotta
“I was supporting manufacturing and business, and I got to rotate through many different roles within the company,” she recalls. “I love diversity of assignments. The worst thing I could do is repeat the same thing over and over.”
As an executive sponsor for the company’s IT leadership development program, Bilotta fulfilled another of her passions: helping the next generation. It was something she’d long wanted to bring to her alma mater, too.
“Northeastern’s Boston campus is one of my happy places,” she says. “I’ll look for any excuse to get back there. I love it, love the energy and the wonderful memories it brings back.”
So when her son, Andrew, enrolled at Khoury College in 2017, Bilotta had another excuse. She joined the Parent Leadership Council, a group of volunteer ambassadors that strives to steer Northeastern’s community outreach and provide feedback on its activities. It also aims to create and strengthen experiential learning opportunities for students, and its members have all contributed financially to further this goal.
After leaving Raytheon during the company’s merger in 2020, Bilotta joined the board of directors for Wellspring House, a Gloucester-based nonprofit that aims to prevent homelessness and inspire people to achieve financial security. She was also elected to the Select Board in her town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, meaning the one-time commuter student can walk to work at the town hall. All the while, Bilotta has continued in her role as an alumni mentor at Northeastern, where she can impart not just the lessons she learned in industry, but those from her “life-changing” co-ops, and from her experience as one of only a few female computer science students in her cohort.
“I’ve accumulated a lot of experience and knowledge, and sharing it is really important,” she says. “I have a special place in my heart for women who are going into this industry. They need a different kind of support sometimes, and I’m happy to help.”
Read More
© 2024 Northeastern University
Khoury Social
Contact Khoury
440 Huntington Avenue, 202 West Village H
Boston, MA 02115
617.373.2462
TTY: 617.373.3768
Khoury Social
Contact Khoury
440 Huntington Avenue, 202 West Village H
Boston, MA 02115
617.373.2462
TTY: 617.373.3768
x
x
About
Programs
Experiential Learning
Research
Life at Khoury
Information for...
x
About
Programs
Experiential Learning
Research
Life at Khoury
Information for...
© 2024 Northeastern University
Khoury Social
Contact Khoury
440 Huntington Avenue, 202 West Village H
Boston, MA 02115
617.373.2462
TTY: 617.373.3768
Khoury Social
Contact Khoury
440 Huntington Avenue, 202 West Village H
Boston, MA 02115
617.373.2462
TTY: 617.373.3768
x
x
About
Programs
Experiential Learning
Research
Life at Khoury
Information for...
x
About
Programs
Experiential Learning
Research
Life at Khoury
Information for...