Press Releases

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., – CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the global information technology (IT) industry, has appointed Deborah Kestin Schildkraut Vice President, Member Communities. In her new role, Schildkraut will lead a global team responsible for membership groups in United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the Benelux Region of Europe.

Most recently, Schildkraut was Blockchain and IBM Z Ecosystem Marketing Leader at IBM Corp. She established IBM’s Business Partner route to market and blockchain-for-good initiatives and was the IBM Champions program leader for IBM Blockchain. She has served in global program director roles for Business Partner Strategy, Digital Content Marketing, and Value Added Distributor Marketing & Enablement. She also developed and launched the IBM Business Partner Innovation Center Program globally.

During her tenure with IBM, Schildkraut was actively involved in advancing women's initiatives and diversity at the Fortune 500 company, including the launch of an LGBTQ+ Families support group.

Schildkraut, who has served as Chair of the CompTIA Blockchain Advisory Council since 2019, received the CompTIA Woman in Technology Leadership Award in 2020 and the CompTIA Advancing Diversity in Technology Leadership Award in 2021. She also was named one of the CRN Women of the Channel in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

“Debbie has long been both a high-performing member of CompTIA and the technology ecosystem. We are thrilled to bring her onboard as Vice President of Member Communities where her years of personal and professional experience will enable her to make a significant contribution to our member programs and industry initiatives,” said Nancy Hammervik, executive vice president of industry relations at CompTIA and CEO of the CompTIA Tech Career Academy.

“CompTIA plays a powerful role in the global technology community,” said Schildkraut. “I look forward to working with members from around the world as we collectively build stronger and more diverse member communities. This is an exciting time to be in the technology industry and to be with CompTIA.”

A graduate of the State University of New York in Albany, Schildkraut is active in her local community and has volunteered and served in leadership roles with multiple non-profit organizations including her alma mater, Hadassah, the Girl Scouts, and in her local school district.