CompTIA Appreciates Aaron Woods, its First African-American Board Member

This Black History Month, CompTIA notes the contributions of Aaron Woods, director of U.S. solutions providers, relationship and partners at Xerox and the first African-American member of the CompTIA Board of Directors. Woods is an ardent supporter of TechVoice – CompTIA’s public advocacy grass roots network – and the IT industry.

“Being the first of anything usually brings with it some concerns as to how you will be viewed by others,” Woods said. “As it relates to being the first and only African American on the CompTIA Board of Directors, it’s a recognition not only of my past contributions to CompTIA, but of being recognized by the leadership development committee and the previous Board of Directors – that I could be a contributor at the board level.

Woods said his entire career has been built on being the first in a position or the only African American in a group. “All that I’ve ever asked for is to be treated and respected as an individual who has the knowledge and capability to be able help move the agenda forward and recognized as a contributor to the organization,” he said.

“I thank Todd [Thibodeaux, president and chief executive officer of CompTIA] and the leadership development committee for considering my contributions to CompTIA since 1989,” he said. “Now that I am the first African American on the Board of Directors, my hope is I will not be the last.”

Woods is actively involved in CompTIA’s initiatives targeted at improving services offerings and the experience of resellers and manufacturers throughout the IT industry. He was instrumental in helping to develop and introduce the CompTIA A+ certification program for technicians. He also worked to develop the standardized warranty claim form, adopted by many IT manufacturers, and is currently working on a warranty fraud and service abuse initiative.

Woods has served as chair and vice chair of the CompTIA A+ certification advisory committee, was past chair of the Printing and Document Imaging (PDI+) certification advisory committee, and is the vice-chair of the IT Services and Support community. In 2010, he was appointed co-chair of the ambassadors program by Thibodeaux.

He has received numerous awards from CompTIA, including the 2005 CompTIA Industry Contribution Award for Leadership, and was inducted into the association’s IT Hall of Fame. Woods has also been an instrumental part of TechVoice since its start, having attended all three TechVoice D.C. Fly-Ins and serving as a top advocate back home in Oregon.

Woods is the director of North America Resellers (NARS) relationship management and partner programs in the partners and alliances (P&A) support group, a part of the Xerox Technical Services (XTS) organization. His responsibilities include: relationship management between XTS and the NARS organization; working with senior staff to assist in developing partner programs targeted at increasing post sale revenue; and, as a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, sponsoring and leading high-level projects.

Woods has a bachelor’s of science in business management and a master’s of business administration from Marylhurst University in Lake Oswego, Oregon. He and his wife, Shirley, have five adult children and six grandchildren.  He loves to fish, cook and create new recipes in his spare time.