Annika Andrews came by her brainpower honestly; her parents were professors of pure mathematics at Brown. But her business savvy is all her own. Applying her economics degree, a smattering of computer skills, and considerable confidence, she powered up the ranks at Northwest Hospital, taking on organizational challenges that overwhelmed colleagues twice her age.

Interviewed on "Information Technology Leaders," Andrews describes some of the tasks she tackled: overhauling the hospital's IT systems, making sure all systems were Y2K compliant -- huge projects for which she was under-qualified, at least on paper. She succeeded because of her critical thinking and problem-solving skills and her willingness to study up and ask around for whatever she didn't know.

"I think that it's really possible to be a good manager in the technical realm without a ton of technical knowledge if you're very careful about what questions you're asking and [if] you have an aptitude for learning it," she explains.

"Information Technology Leaders," produced by the University of Washington’s School of Business, presents multi-faceted portraits of the people filling the top IT positions at major corporations such as Microsoft, Boeing, and AT&T Wireless Services. The revealing interviews show that personal characteristics often play an important role in the unpredictable career trajectories of this industry.

Andrews was raised in Providence, R.I., in a counter-cultural environment -- her family didn't have a TV, and her mother rode a bike instead of driving. Andrews says that attending public school contributed to the strength of her personality, while coaching rowing, her favorite sport, gave her a taste of leadership. As an economics student at Princeton University, Andrews interned at a health research firm, which cemented her interest in a career in business and health science.

Life after college, Andrews admits, was "pretty rocky." Her husband got a job in Redmond, so the couple moved west. Without contacts or a degree from a local university, she couldn't find a job, and she wallowed for months in unemployment. "If I were to do it over again today," she says, "I would be a lot more go-get-em."

Once she landed at Northwest Hospital, however, she more than made up for lost time. As a research assistant, her ability to automate data collection attracted the attention of an executive in the data processing department. Though it was the early 1990s, health care institutions lagged behind other industries in using IT systems. Andrews found that little more than a couple computer courses and common sense qualified her as a technology expert in that environment.

As a project manager, she helped the hospital move to a vendor-supported, PC-based systems environment. In executing her new responsibilities, which included walking the board of directors through the whole process, she says, "I was fearless." The changes required new technology, a new, customer-focused way of working and different staff. Andrews was tapped for leadership, rising to CIO within four years of starting at the hospital.

Andrews' energetic, aggressive style and high standards are exactly what the hospital needs. "We do have unique IT demands," she explains. "Everyone expects their IV pumps to work all the time, so guess what? Our computers need to work all the time. We can't have the downtime that other industries tolerate." During the Y2K project, she took the opportunity to test all emergency preparedness systems. Now she's tasked with nurturing business development.

Being young has proved more challenging than being female, Andrews found. When she was a 25-year-old CIO, many of her peers were in their sixties. She worked hard to bridge difference with her older colleagues. Sometimes the only thing she had in common with them was their children her age.

Now a vice president and a mother herself, Andrews struggles to balance demands of work and home. As she contemplates her future, her commitment to the nonprofit sector competes with her maternal drive. "I didn't do a lot of conscious planning over the years of where I wanted to be next," she muses. "[In five years] I could be continuing with health care administration, or I could be a stay-at-home mom."

Produced By: Christopher Redner