Legend in Technology: Rodney Adkins (IBM)

Rod Adkins will retire from IBM at the end of 2014 after more than 33 years of service for the company. During this transition, he will continue to focus on several strategic corporate projects and client relationships. Mr. Adkins had been senior vice president of Corporate Strategy since 2013, and previously was senior vice president of Systems and Technology Group, a position he held since 2009.

Inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2005, Mr. Adkins is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council, and the National Society of Black Engineers, which in 2001 awarded him the Golden Torch Award for Lifetime Achievement in Industry.

"43% of school-age children today are of African American, Latino, or Native American descent. Yet of all the engineering bachelor's degrees in the U.S., less than 15% are awarded to underrepresented minorities. We need to reconcile these opposing trends so that the composition of our STEM education pipeline reflects America's shifting demographics. National nonprofit organizations, like the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, also play an important role, by supplying Congress with research and policy analysis, in addition to providing scholarships directly to students."