Alex Berry, PMP (call him Alex) is a Portland-based Technical Program Manager within Intel’s Global Supply Chain. Alex combines his corporate experience, nonprofit leadership and global travels to build bridges between the public and private sectors. He was elected to the PWA board of directors in June 2021.

“I’m lucky enough to be able to spend a lot of my time figuring out different ways to connect corporate America to different areas in the nonprofit community and to the educational community,” Alex says. “So for me, I think PWA represents a really, really cool opportunity to continue to expand on that.” 

Below are Alex’s thoughts on jobs, careers and joining PWA.

What’s your favorite career advice?
“Go and find mentors in the areas you are passionate about - and you'll be ok. Your mentors won't always provide you shortcuts, but they can make career and academic journeys a lot more fun and interesting.”

What’s a memorable job you had as a teenager? 

“I tutored Spanish, math and history for public and private school high school students. It was eye opening to see how some students were so much more advantaged and how other students learned to work hard and work smart.”

Can you share something you learned in high school about work? 

“If you can lead small teams, communicate to older generations and influence people to invest in your idea, then ‘work’ becomes a lot easier. Learning becomes a lot more fun. And failure becomes a lot less risky.”

What draws you to serve PWA?
“The world that many of our students face now is more complex, more global and more diverse than mine. But that also means there is more opportunity for impact. I hope my service to PWA will allow the students we serve to better realize their own potential and start changing their world NOW.”

More about Alex:
After graduating from Georgia Tech with a B.S. in Industrial & Systems Engineering and a dual Business/Mandarin minor, Alex has dedicated the last four years to creating sustainable programming at the intersection of technology, business and societal impact.

With this in mind, Alex created a social entrepreneurship (Chocolate Milk Diplomacy) that empowers underserved and untapped communities with the career development support they need. His black-owned business works with students and early career professionals on resumes, skill mapping, interview preparation, career navigation and more. 

After work, you can find Alex leading within the community and collaborating with nonprofits that support minorities, first-gen students and those facing houselessness. A true introvert, Alex recharges by playing soccer, watching anime and drinking chocolate milk.