Karen Black

About Karen Black

I started my career as a geologist in the oil and gas industry, where I spent seven years conducting lab analyses, managing multi-unit projects, and writing technical reports for clients. I worked directly with client exploration and production teams to design testing programs and translate complex geological data into insights that informed production decisions.Around 2020, I decided to explore my interest in computer science and data. I went back to school while landing an internship at Hewlett Packard Enterprise as a data analyst, where I built dashboards and automated workflows. That experience led me into HPE\'s early career rotational program, where I spent two years rotating through automation engineering, cybersecurity data engineering, project management, and platform development roles.Today, I work as an IT Engineer at HPE, where I maintain the infrastructure for our partner-facing API gateway and build automations that keep our integration platforms running smoothly. I also develop backend systems for internal tools that help teams across the company move data faster- IT Engineer, Hewlett Packard (July 2024 - Present)- IT Consultant, Hewlett Packard (July 2022 - July 2024)- Data Analyst & DevOps Intern, Hewlett Packard (May 2021 - July 2022)- Geologist, Core Laboratories (April 2013 - November 2020)- Backend API development- Platform automation and DevOps- Data engineering and ETL pipelines- Infrastructure management- Cross-functional project coordination- Technical reporting and documentation- Client-facing communication- Python, JavaScript, SQL- Ansible, GitHub Actions, Jenkins- Kafka, SnapLogic- PowerBI, New Relic- Docker- Git, VSCode My value lies in my mix of scientific training and engineering skills. I apply the principles I learned from my time in geology to building reliable systems and automations. I\'m comfortable working independently, but I also know when to collaborate and ask for input. And I\'m genuinely motivated by making things work better – whether that\'s a faster integration process or a more stable platform.\' I\'m always interested in connecting with other professionals. Feel free to reach out.

Experience

1. IT Engineer

   Hewlett Packard Enterprise

   Jul 2024 — Present

   Our group maintains the middleware platforms that move operational data across HPE\'s business functions – sales, finance, contracts, orders—and we also manage the partner-facing API gateway that external enterprise clients use to retrieve order details, quotes, and billing information. We have about 40 people split between the US and India, and we also explore emerging technologies to improve how our global IT platforms function- Maintain infrastructure and daily operations for the external API gateway used by enterprise partners- Build automations for platform maintenance using Ansible and GitHub Actions- Support onboarding for external partners from a technical perspective, helping them understand APIs and navigate the catalog- Collaborate with engineering teams across the US and India, including project managers and developersJavaScript, Ansible, GitHub Actions, Git, SnapLogic, Kafka, New Relic, Python, SQL, Docker, PowerBI & This role has taught me how critical reliability is when you\'re maintaining systems that external partners depend on. Small improvements in automation can have outsized effects on team capacity and system stability. I\'ve also learned that building tools with future scale in mind – especially after acquisitions – makes a real difference in how quickly teams can respond to growing integration demands.

Education

• The University of Texas at Austin

  Master of Science (M.S.), Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences

  2010 — 2012

• College of Charleston

  Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences

  2006 — 2010

• Oregon State University

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Computer Science

  2020 — 2022

Skills

• Geology
• Geophysics
• Stratigraphy
• Science