From Tech901 Student to Trailblazer: How Alum and Former Instructor Catrina Dean-Lewis Found Long-Term Career Success

All career journeys start somewhere.

Before Catrina Dean-Lewis became the Director of Marketing Technology for our beloved Memphis Grizzlies, she was a part of Tech901’s inaugural graduating class in 2016. 

“When I first went through the Tech901 program, I was teaching IT. I was an IT instructor and wanted to kind of up my skills and get a certification. It sounded like a fun opportunity. And boy, they just pulled me in,” Dean-Lewis said. “It’s real-world experience. It's very enlightening to see it out in the world and what that looks like as a career field. And Tech901 lets you do that every step of their program.”

Following her graduation, her career journey brought her back to Tech901 to join the team as an instructor and help build out our web development program, which was in its infancy at the time.

“I tried to build [the program] up as much as possible to make a cohesive boot camp-style experience for students to come in, learn how to code and the fundamentals of web development and web design, and really go into industry and had a lot of success there,” Dean-Lewis said. “I had a lot of students who came in, who got it, who worked really hard to get their coding skills up and went right into the industry and are doing very well. And that’s something I’m super proud of.”

As an instructor and beyond, she always emphasized the importance of mastering the technology fundamentals, as the pace of technological innovation becomes increasingly rapid.

“Every 8 to 12 months, there’s something new… but truthfully, all of it was built with the same foundation. So I really honed in on helping students to understand algorithms and data structures, and the nuances around all the different technology pieces that were out and available,” Dean-Lewis said. “Once you build those core foundational skills, it’s really easy to transition, to upskill into different languages, into different platforms.”

Now, Catrina is making big moves in the Memphis technology industry, working with the Grizzlies for four seasons now at the intersection of technology and business.

“I oversee a team of engineers and product managers. We specialize in products and technologies that integrate with marketing. Email service providers, setting up all of the technical infrastructure for our fan activation platforms, our websites, our mobile apps, just a plethora of technologies related to consumer-facing marketing,” Dean-Lewis said. “How do we help the business understand how these technologies are useful and can help move the business forward, and how do they translate to business? That’s what I get to do, which is great. It was a perfect segue for me.”

Throughout her career, she’s never lost sight of what’s important - giving back.

“I want to be able to share my journey, to share opportunities, to share my knowledge as much as I can with people. And Tech901 will always be a conduit for that,” Dean-Lewis said.

To Catrina, Tech901 has played a very instrumental role in building up the tech community in this city. 

“One of the unique things about Memphis is there’s so many eager, talented young folks who just need a little bit of direction. Memphis is continuing to grow and expand, right along with technology. As a city, we have to keep up with the technology and the demand,” Dean-Lewis said. “Places like Tech901 are amazing infrastructures that help us to build up our talent so that we can retain them here in the city and also help them to upskill and explore huge opportunities.”

Thanks to the close community she’s formed at Tech901, she continues to engage with the organization whenever she gets the chance.

“Anyone that comes in contact with Tech901, once you meet the staff, meet the instructors, you see how passionate they are about their students, about their work, and just how brilliant they are,” Dean-Lewis said. “It just becomes a family, and they couldn’t get rid of me now if they wanted to.”

All this shows that Tech901 is about more than helping you simply enter the tech industry. In addition to a community that will always be there for you, Tech901 helps you find long-term career success. In fact, Catrina’s not the only Tech901 alum on the Grizzlies MarTech team. Some of her former students work with her! 

If your goal is to build a long-term career in tech, we can help you, too. Visit our website to discover our course offerings, and learn how you can get certified and start gaining real-world tech experience.