Driving Digital Inclusion with Dominica’s Own Justina Nixon-Saintil

Justina Nixon-Saintil is new to IBM starting her role in December 2020. A native of Dominica, a small Caribbean island in the Lesser Antilles, Nixon-Saintil’s first job upon graduating with a mechanical engineering degree from University of Buffalo was with the U.S. Department of Energy working at a nuclear facility. She most recently worked at Verizon leading the development of education programs and solutions that leveraged 5G and emerging technologies to deliver to under-resourced populations.  Her career journey has placed her in a number of leadership roles in network engineering, marketing, program management and social responsibility.

As IBM’s newest head of global Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, Justina is focused on education and skills, volunteerism, responsible stewardship, and leading the company’s communications on Good Tech. “Since I joined IBM, I have been impressed with the focus on societal impact, not just within the CSR organization but across all IBM,” Nixon-Saintil said.

For skills and education, her responsibilities include managing the investments in IBM's programs such as our iconic P-TECH, and IBM’s new digital platforms, Open P-TECH and SkillsBuild that meets the educational needs of high school students and adults in this new digital era. In volunteerism, she oversees impactful initiatives such as Service Corps, which bring together the power of our IBMers and the best of IBM’s technology. 

Justina believes technology can solve some of society’s greatest challenges from education, health, climate and more if implemented properly with care, caution, and trust. She is also passionate about creating economic opportunities in STEM fields for Black and Brown students in underserved communities.

Combining IBM’s innovative technology with societal impact can create and develop a more diverse and inclusive society and workspaces. “There is an urgency to create a pipeline of Black students with STEM skills and expose them to new technologies so that they are not left behind in the jobs of the future,” Nixon-Saintil says.

Outside of her work, Justina is an avid fan of tennis having attended the US Open in Queens at least 18 times seeing a teenage Serena Williams compete as well as watching Pete Sampras retire. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, ages 15, 17 and 20. The youngest of five children from a loud, competitive yet wonderful family passionate about food and dominoes, she says it is not unusual for a regular barbecue to have 50 family members in attendance. “My husband is Haitian and has an extended family as well so there are a lot of us when we get together,” Nixon-Saintil says.

We celebrate the past and present of the Black Experience in America during Black History Month and the continued fight for change. Nixon-Saintil said, “February and every month are opportunities for allies to reflect and engage around how they can help to create a better future for everyone.”