Mark Dean is an influential Black tech leader and prominent figure in computer science. Early on he had an interest—and a gift—in technology, building his own computer, radio and amplifier when he was in high school. He began working at IBM in 1980, where he was an essential leader in developing the personal computer. He holds 3 of IBM’s original 9 patents for the PC. Beyond that, he holds a total of 20 patents. Throughout his career, he has made significant contributions to IBM’s research and development. More recently, he led the team that produced the 1-Gigahertz chip. He is the first African-American to become an IBM Fellow, which represents the highest level of technical excellence.

Dr. Mark Dean started working at IBM in 1980 and was instrumental in the invention of the Personal Computer (PC). He holds three of IBM’s original nine PC patents and currently holds more than 20 total patents. The famous African-American inventor never thought the work he was doing would end up being so useful to the world, but he has helped IBM make instrumental changes in areas ranging from the research and application of systems technology circuits to operating environments. One of his most recent computer inventions occurred while leading the team that produced the 1-Gigahertz chip, which contains one million transistors and has nearly limitless potential.