Fewer than 20 percent of all U.S. patents list a woman as an inventor. But Irene Hernandez Roberts, the 2008 Technologist of the Year, earned more than fifty IBM patents before retiring as a program director in the software group for independent software vendors and developer relations.

In that position, she led a global team of 150 information technology (IT) architects and specialists working across 40 IBM Innovation Centers. The IT team worked closely with vendors to help them integrate IBM products and technologies into their business solutions.

Hernandez Roberts traveled to locations such as Turkey, India, China, Ireland, Spain, Brazil, and Mexico, to influence the local community on innovative market planning, programs, processes, and tooling.

She was also responsible for IBM’s Virtual Innovation Center —the entry point for technical resources that help partners develop and enable apps.

Hernandez Roberts provided mentoring within IBM and mentored high school students through the company's Cascade Mentoring program. She was also active in integrating the IBM Academic Initiative program through the Computing Alliance for Hispanic Serving Institutions and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

Hernandez Roberts is a member of the advisory committee for Latinas in Computing and a lifetime member of the Society of Professional Engineers (SHPE). She received her Bachelor’s in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin in 1981.