Sheila Lopez has two passions in life: increasing the number of Native professionals in STEM fields and raising awareness of — and acceptance for — Native two-spirit (LGBTQ) individuals. Lopez earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Northern Arizona University, where she first became an AISES member. She has worked in her field for nearly two decades, including at Intel for the past 10 years following a stint at HewlettPackard, which she initially joined through an internship she learned about at a National Conference.
Throughout her career Lopez has helped recruit people of color and women for tech industry jobs. “I’ve always had a passion around increasing the number of American Indian students in the STEM fields,” says Lopez. “While in college and working in the tech industry I didn’t see people like me, and I wanted to change that.” And after learning that two of her three children are gay, Lopez co-founded the only Native American chapter of PFLAG, the nation’s largest organization supporting family and friends who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer.
Before moving into her current role as a diversity recruiting manager, Lopez says she enjoyed some “incredible opportunities” with Intel. She has worked in a variety of positions, including managing equipment that locates micro-sized defects on silicon wafers. She has also led teams in product development and IT infrastructure for validation labs in Arizona, California, and India, and has collaborated with Intel customers to develop software for TV, DVD, and cable set-top box media drivers.
Currently, Lopez manages a team of “VIP” recruiters. “Our focus is helping increase the number of qualified technical females and underrepresented minorities who find their next career at Intel,” Lopez says. “Over the years I have assisted in those recruiting efforts at both companies I’ve worked for. Here my team’s efforts directly contribute to Intel’s goal of reaching full representation of women and minorities by 2020.”
Lopez has high praise for her firm. “Intel has given me the opportunity to test my abilities and skills in ways I never imagined,” she says. “I’ve been able to work with some incredible individuals on amazing technology. Our company is dedicated to diversity and inclusion. I’ve been able to be a part of those efforts and have also been supported because of them. I’m very grateful to work for such an amazing company!”
But Lopez also has another goal. “I joined PFLAG in 2009 when my son and daughter came out,” she says. “Before that I was wearing ‘straight’ goggles — I thought everyone was straight.” Growing up in a small town in Arizona also contributed to her lack of knowledge about LGBTQ issues. “There I ‘learned’ two things about being gay: it was bad and you made fun of it.”
Lopez says that she may have been “ignorant” when her children came out, but she is grateful for what they have taught her about life. “Sometimes I think I learned from them more than I taught them, especially about having the courage to be yourself,” she adds.
The Native PFLAG chapter arose from Lopez’s commitment to supporting not only her children but also other individuals who are coming to terms with their sexual orientation and/or gender expression/identity. “Our chapter’s focus is fostering positive Native teachings that all our family members have a role in our communities and need our support, love, and respect,” she says.
During her tenure at PFLAG, Lopez has become an outspoken LGBTQ advocate. “As a mom of three children — two of whom are gay — I find it’s important to share my story,” she says. “I think LGBTQ allies have an important place in educating others on the struggles LGBTQ individuals encounter.”
Her company also supports the work she does in the community. “Intel donates $10 to Native PFLAG for every hour of time I donate to the chapter,” she says. Lopez was recently recognized at Intel’s Arizona Diversity Awards with the firm’s 2015 Commitment to Diversity Leadership Award. And thanks to her commitment to the community and PFLAG’s mission, she was named a 2015 LogoTV Trailblazer Parent.
Lopez has given presentations at American Society for Engineering Education and AISES conferences on the Human Rights Campaign’s Safe Space initiative. And she co-organized the first LGBTQ Rainbow Gathering at the AISES National Conference in 2012. She says her next career goal is to become a full-time LGBTQ advocate. “I’d like to leave the world a better place for my children,” says Lopez. “There is such a need to educate others about issues the LGBTQ community faces.”
