Programmed to Lead

Cindy Langston: Senior Vice President and Chief Information, Data & Digital Officer at Univera Healthcare

College never crossed Cindy Langston’s mind while growing up in inner-city Chicago. Her parents never attended, and people in her community didn’t typically go either during the early 1980s.

But while working as a data entry operator at Sears as part of a school-sponsored career pathways program, a supervisor suggested she should look into it.

“I remember that conversation like it was yesterday,” Cindy says. “After talking to her, I went back to my high school and told them I was interested in going to college.”

So Cindy went to a college fair and found Purdue University, where a counselor told her about a new major called computer programming. Already familiar with data entry, this program focused more on the writing of the language that talks to the computer.

“It sounded interesting, and the salary was pretty good coming out,” she says. “I wouldn’t say I was a nerd as a little girl playing with computers, so there was really no indication where I’d end up.”

It was just the starting point of a 30-plus year career that has spanned the globe while marrying her three passions of technology, leadership, and business.

Now living in Rochester as SVP, Chief Information Data and Digital Officer at Univera Healthcare – the largest nonprofit health insurer in upstate New York – Cindy leads a team of more than 700 people who use data and tech to deliver personalized care to members.

“Healthcare, for us, is being a part of the community,” she says. “Our mission is to make sure everybody in the counties we serve has affordable and quality healthcare.”

Cindy was first hired by Univera in May 2014 and earned new titles and added responsibilities every couple of years. When she was promoted to her current role in January 2022, she became the first female CIO and woman of color CIO in the company’s 87-year history.

As a longtime supporter of women in STEM careers, Cindy encourages and empowers the next generation of leaders to continue breaking through barriers.

“I remember, for me, I had that one person that connected with me,” she says. “If I can connect with just one person and help them better themselves, I know I will have done my job to leave the world in a better place.”

She remembers struggling while sitting in college classrooms of 300-400 people as one of the only females and the only African American. She questioned if it was the right major for her, but she eventually hung in there, graduated with a degree in computer technology, and eventually went on to earn her MBA.

“When I think about women in technology, a lot of times I felt intimidated being in a room with all men,” Cindy says. “Do I belong here? Is this the room for me? It is, and that’s why I share my story and am such a huge advocate for women and African Americans in STEM.”

Her love for tech blossomed during her first few roles at Dow Corning and as a consultant, which gave her the responsibility to lead large-scale system implementations in places such as Australia, Japan, England, Singapore, Scotland, and South Korea. It’s also when she honed her leadership skills that have been so valuable during her 10 years at Univera.

The culture of women and minorities in tech has shifted since the 1980s, but Cindy’s work as a CIO, mentor, and coach to hundreds of people continues to push a movement forward.

“Becoming CIO at Univera, to me, that means times are changing,” she says. “I’ve seen the tide change where women are now encouraged and supported to going into this career field. There are great opportunities for women, women of color, and African Americans right now.”