For Chioma Okoro, Corning is a puzzle.
Not in a discombobulated or perplexing way; in a jigsaw way, where all the pieces in the Corning box fit together to create a clear vision, a complete solution.
“Everybody has different pieces that they bring and when all those pieces fit together, with our different skill sets, you get a perfect result, or very good, aligned results that work for most people,” she says.
This Global Business Planner in Environmental Technologies says that’s her favorite thing about the company.
“At Corning, the beauty is that no one person has all the knowledge. It's like piecing together a puzzle. Getting things done involves collaborating with a lot of people,” Chioma says. “The way we approach a problem; we’re thinking about a solution from one angle while another person is looking at it from another angle. For you to get results, you need to partner with people.”
That’s a theme Chioma has discovered time and again since she joined Corning in 2018. She came to Corning, New York, with her husband, Chukwudi Okoro, Senior Staff Scientist in Devices and Systems in Corning Research & Development Division, and their young family two years prior.
Chioma and Chukwudi met in college in Nigeria. Chioma studied agricultural economics, not her first choice; she had wanted to be a medical doctor, but she picked an alternate major while she was waiting to take the medical school entrance exam. Turns out, she loved the field and saw a lot of opportunity in it.
The couple married and went together to Belgium, where Chukwudi began his doctoral program. In Antwerp, Chioma noticed the shipping ports and the interconnectedness of the small countries of Europe, neither of which she had experienced in Nigeria. She became fascinated with how goods move from one place to another, so she earned a master’s degree in industrial management, majoring in production and logistics planning.
The couple came to the United States to begin their careers in Gaithersburg, Maryland, before landing at Corning. Since then, the company and community have become “home,” where the couple has grown their careers and raised their three daughters, ages 7, 11, and 15.
Now, Chioma is a supply chain nerd, excited by the systems and processes in manufacturing that move goods from the production floor to Corning’s customers all over the world. Allocating resources, improving processes, meeting consumer demand – every day is just another puzzle for Chioma to solve.
“I can’t get bored in this field. There are plenty of opportunities, things that keep you interested. And, for me, I love my work being a challenge – something that I’m always waking up and saying, ‘Okay, I’ve got something else to tackle, something new.”
With five core businesses and facilitates all over the world, Chioma sees vast potential to continue to expand her skills and grow within the company.
“There are lots of opportunities in supply chain in Corning,” she says. “I don't think – even if I switch jobs every other year – that I'd be able to hit all the supply chain roles we have in Corning, not just local in the Corning area, but think about all the other sites that we have.”
She likes the intrigue of endless possibilities, but for now she’s staying put, where she’s firmly rooted.
For Chioma, the community, too, is a puzzle to work at, with interconnected pieces that overlap and fit together to form a complete life. Much of that connection has come through Chioma’s participation in Corning employee resource groups (ERG). She currently leads the Corning Valley chapter of the Corning Black Employees Network (CBEN), and she attends many activities and service events hosted by other ERGs, as well.
“Each one you actively participate in opens doors to know more about other ERGs and other resources that are available to them,” Chioma says, adding that these events drew her into the larger community. “I wouldn't have known a lot about Corning without being a part of the ERG.”
Chioma’s daughters – Nonye, Chinny, and Ugom – are also frequent participants at ERG events that bring Corning families together, like picnics in the park and movie nights at the local theater. And ERG community service events have become family tradition.
“So, they look forward to it. It is also a great way for them to get integrated into the community as well,” Chioma says, adding that her church community is equally important to the Okoro family.
With both the Okoros working for Corning at two different sites, they feel like they know everyone in this small company town of 11,000 people. It’s easy to live here, Chioma says, where schools, shops, and the kids’ activities are close to work and home.
With meaningful work and many circles of community, Chioma’s Corning puzzle box contains all the pieces her family has needed to build a life.
