Marquita Bowles, Spc
About Marquita Bowles, Spc
Marquita Bowles serves as the IT Director at Sallie Mae, where she has worked in various roles since 2004. She holds a B.S. in Computer Information Systems from Indiana University Bloomington and an MS in Project Management from ITT Technical Institute.
Work at Sallie Mae
Marquita Bowles has held multiple positions at Sallie Mae, contributing to various aspects of IT management and strategy. She began her tenure in 2004 as an IT Manager focused on PMO Process Improvement, serving for one year. Over the years, she progressed to roles such as IT Program Manager for the Department of Education Servicing Contract and IT Project Manager for the Department of Education Reauthorization. From 2012 to 2017, she served as Director of Digital Strategy. In her most recent role as IT Director, OCIO, which she has held since 2020, she has continued to influence IT operations and strategy.
Education and Expertise
Marquita Bowles holds a Master’s degree in Project Management from ITT Technical Institute. She also earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington. Her educational background provides a strong foundation in project management and information technology, equipping her with the skills necessary for her various roles in IT leadership.
Background
Before her extensive career at Sallie Mae, Marquita Bowles worked at Liberty Mutual Insurance as an IT Project Manager in Application Development from 2002 to 2004. Her experience spans over two decades in the IT sector, with a focus on project management, agile methodologies, and digital strategy. This diverse background has allowed her to develop a comprehensive understanding of IT operations and management.
Achievements
Throughout her career, Marquita Bowles has made significant contributions to the adoption of the Scaled Agile Framework within Sallie Mae, providing training and education to enhance enterprise agility. She led the Enterprise Value Delivery team, achieving program predictability above 80% for each program increment. Additionally, she played a crucial role in developing and executing distributed planning during the global pandemic and in maturing DevSecOps practices to improve quality through team assessments and process improvements.