Growing up, William D. Lombardi considered several different careers. Maybe he would be an artist or a journalist, he thought, but neither seemed quite right. Taking inspiration from his father’s career in computer science, Lombardi finally settled on data science.
“Jobs that came up commonly were data analyst, data scientist or data engineer. And I said to myself, ‘What is the coolest job out of all of this?’ At that time, the sexiest job was data scientist,” said Lombardi, who graduated from Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies.
Now a data scientist at Booz Allen Hamilton in McLean, Va., Lombardi works in security services where he mentors employees that are interested in Data Science or data-like projects, leads a Tech and Data Community of Practice, and provides innovative data solutions forward to both business and technical stakeholders. The private nature of his work prevents him from sharing many specifics, but he loves working alongside former military and government workers to keep the company’s employees and their data safe.
“I’m helping people understand their data better. People are really good at what they do, but they don’t necessarily understand the data from another perspective,” he said. “I bring the innovation. I’m very proud of working with different mindsets. Govtech is not something I ever thought I would get into.”
Lombardi credits the iSchool for helping him hone his data science skills. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in information management and technology in 2018 and a master’s degree in applied data science in 2019.
“All of the data science projects that I worked on when I was working towards my master’s at Syracuse University showed me that what I was studying could be used for social good,” he said. “I love helping others, and this master’s has enabled me to understand that if I can help you understand the data better, you can make a better decision in the long run.”
In his spare time, Lombardi enjoys running, reading futuristic technology books and trying to predict future trends. Despite his love of tech, he wishes people would get off their phones more.
“How can we break that habit and invest more into understanding humans and being more collaborative?” he said. “How can we unlock more social gatherings? We all have to fix this together.”
He would share that same advice with current iSchool students. Get off your phones and talk to your professors and fellow students more.
“Be friendly to everyone. Treat everyone like family. You never know when your paths may realign,” he said. “And ask for help. There are people that are going to want to help you. Helping others is pretty much my M.O. right now. I feel a joy in it.”