David Caruso has leveraged the knowledge he gained from his degree in information sciences and technology into on-the-job success and a sense of fulfillment that drives his expertise in technology and business.
Caruso, a 2004 graduate of the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) who came to the college when it was only in its second year, said that many of the courses he took as an IST student are still valuable and applicable to the work he’s doing today as a senior director in information technology at Mylan, one of the largest generics and specialty pharmaceutical companies in the world. Mylan’s mission, he said, is to provide the world’s seven billion people access to high quality medicine, an aspiration that Caruso shares.
“Working on projects that are going to provide access to affordable and high quality medicine for people around the world is enjoyable and fulfilling,” he said. “I really like our organization’s culture and vision.”
Caruso, a native of Pittsburgh who has worked in several roles across Mylan’s technology and shared services teams since joining in late 2013, said that his experience has been extremely challenging “in a good way” and has allowed him to pursue his goal of operating in both a technology and leadership role. Making sure projects are being delivered on time and aligned to the enterprise strategy, while Mylan continues to experience significant growth, keeps Caruso busy in the world of business technology.
Recently married, Caruso and his wife, Megan (2004 mathematics, 2005 master of business administration) are avid Pittsburgh (Steelers, Pirates, Penguins) and Penn State sports fans and enjoy cooking and traveling together. He settled into his current position at Mylan after spending 10 years employed at Deloitte – currently the world’s largest audit, financial advisory, tax, and consulting firm – traveling throughout the U.S. and Europe, which he said was “a tremendous way to start my career and see a lot of things in a short period of time.”
For now, Caruso remains challenged in his current position, operating in a business operations and strategy role for Mylan’s technology and global shared services functions. In the future, he would like to branch into more speaking opportunities and teaching.
“I have an interest, later in my career, of returning to an academic environment and helping students,” he said.
What advice would Caruso give to his future students?
“Always continue to learn, develop your skills, evaluate where you’re going and then bridge that gap with new skills and education,” he said. “If you have 10 seconds to answer, listen and think for nine, and speak for one.”