Check Out Frederick X Ravin III’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Frederick X Ravin III.

Hi Frederick, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story started as a young black boy who grew up in a military family moving across the country and overseas. I would move from South Dakota to Germany, Pennsylvania to North Carolina, and various points in between. Attending school on a military base so close that the President of the United States of America flies his helicopter to your school was a big deal as a kid, and it still is to me as an adult. Moving from there to Durham, NC (not the gentrified Durham people know now) at a young age began to force me to understand social classes, racial self-identification, and masking at a young age. It’s something that has never left me.

Fast forward, I have accomplished virtually every goal I have set for myself. I’m happily married; I have three exceptional children; I’ve earned four college degrees; BS in Marketing from North Carolina A&T State University (A&T) and BBA in Finance, MBA, and MIS from North Carolina Central University (NCCU). I have owned and currently own multiple businesses that range from a deli, an event management company with a few of my friends I went to school with, a private family-based asset management company, and even a consulting firm. However, the lynchpin at the core of my success throughout life has been the expectation that I would ultimately win at anything I began if I were willing to work for it, which was instilled in me by my family. That is complimented perfectly by the relationships organically curated by me as an HBCU student and graduate. Without my relationships, I have no clue where I would be because the positive energy I put out at every turn would boomerang back to me and guide me to the next opportunity.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In hindsight, I always succeeded in the traditional sense of challenges. So often, you hear people talk about they got it through the mud. You hear about people’s struggles. I had absolutely none of that. I felt guilty at times that I was afforded so many opportunities. I never worried about not eating, not having a car, or not having money in my pocket. If anything, I would have to turn down my parents’ (predominantly my mothers) offers to help me. My challenges usually were self-inflicted.

My obstacles dealt with the constant battle growing up of downplaying my intelligence so that people could relate to me or understand me. Understanding that the average person is turned off by knowing it all’s, especially when they know it all. It caused a shift in how I interacted with people. I learned that people thought you were cool if you learned how to listen to them more, speak less, and remember their names and facts about them. The masking that I initially mentioned was a real thing. I would study or remember facts about everything from sports to music, science to politics to help engage people. I’ve conversed with multiple chiefs of police or folk on the other end of the spectrum. Whether I discussed advocating for the special needs community with soccer moms or recited the words to Dreams and Nightmares from the top of a couch during an HBCU classic or all-star weekend with me people, with that said, all I wanted to do was be at home watching anime, so, mentally, I was drained for years. I didn’t realize it until the pandemic closed everything and I could take a deep breath. I AINT looked at life the same since, and I have no problem with going on a vacation and hardly leaving the hotel room if that makes me happy that day.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My professional career(s) have intertwined to the extent that the only way I could even attempt to disconnect them is to leave Durham, NC, entirely along with my job, the boards I chair, and the organizations I support. My primary employment is with the City of Durham; however, my role requires that I, directly and indirectly, support both the City of Durham and Durham County. I am the Chief Data Officer / Assistant Director of Technology Solutions for the City of Durham. I have worked for the City for 15 years. I left corporate America in 2008 while working as a senior loan officer for Citigroup. I saw the bottom preparing to fall out before the banks collapsed, which jump-started that recession. In my current role, I’m responsible for multiple data and application support divisions, but one of my focus areas is the Digital Inclusion Program. I’m currently recruiting a Digital Inclusion & Community Engagement Manager. This unique opportunity allows me to work with a driven and dedicated person interested in eradicating the digital divide.

My history of working within my community and being deeply rooted in community engagement may set me apart from many people working in the IT space. I was one of the co-founders and the first chair of the Durham Special Needs Advisory Council. I am currently the chair of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People Inc., a foundation that has historically sought to improve the lives of the black citizenry in Durham. I was previously a member of the Durham Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education. Additionally, I am the Chair of the Ravin Family Foundation Inc., which now provides scholarships to every DPS student of the month.

What changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
In the next 5-10 years, critical thinking will become even more important to IT than ever. With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and at the adoption rate, I suspect that staff roles will also need to adapt. There will be more automation of responsibilities, but additionally, there will be more of a need for IT Professionals to understand the business value that their clients are looking to achieve to translate their needs into the language that the AI understands and can follow as commanded. That will be coupled with a more robust cyber-security workforce. We are at the point in society where not all wars are fought as they were a few decades ago. Nationalized industrial saboteurs under the cloak of “individual cyber actors” will likely remain a growing threat. To any young people looking for a secure career where they are well-compensated, cyber-security, as well as trade skills, is it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/fxravin
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/fxravin
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrederickRavin
• Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/fxravin
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/FrederickRavin 

Image Credits
Tonya Hurter