Tia Bianca Caldwell

TIA BIANCA CALDWELL, OF SACRAMENTO, CA ENTERED INTO ETERNAL REST ON OCTOBER 15, 2022.

TIA BIANCA CALDWELL WAS BORN IN SACRAMENTO, CA ON APRIL 30TH, 1983, TO THE LATE SIM WALTON IV AND DEBORAH WALTON. TIA ATTENDED JOHN REITH ELEMENTARY, JACKMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND GRADUATED WITH HIGH HONOR FROM VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL IN 2001. DURING HER TIME AT VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL TIA PARTICIPATED IN VARIOUS CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES ALL WHILE MAINTAINING HIGH ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT. TIA WAS A “SILVER VIKING”, SOCIALITE, AND STAR ATHLETE, PARTICIPATING IN CHEERLEADING, BASKETBALL, AND TRACK AND FIELD. WHILE GROWING UP IN SACRAMENTO, CA, TIA SPENT MOST OF HER TIME WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS EXPLORING AND CREATING NEW ADVENTURES. AS A CHILD TIA CHEERED FOR THE SACRAMENTO RAIDERS, DANCED WITH HER SISTER AND COUSINS, AND ATE HER GRANDMOTHER'S SEAFOOD GUMBO EVERY CHRISTMAS. AS A TEENAGER YOU COULD FIND TIA WITH HER FRIENDS “THE SWEET THANG CLICK”, COMPOSING DANCE ROUTINES, EATING JIMBOY’S TACOS, TALKING ON THE PHONE, AND STUDYING FOR THE NEXT BIG TEST. IT WAS AS A TEEN TIA’S AFFINITY FOR MATH AND SCIENCE GREW, EVENTUALLY LEADING TO A CAREER IN COMPUTER SCIENCE. TIA ALWAYS SAID SHE WANTED TO BE AN ENGINEER, LIKE HER MATERNAL GRANDFATHER, HERMON COLLIER, AND SHE DID THIS AND SO MUCH MORE.

TIA WENT ON TO ATTEND XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AND GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE WITH A MINOR IN MATHEMATICS IN 2004. WHILE ATTENDING XAVIER UNIVERSITY, TIA WAS SELECTED FOR AN INTERNSHIP AT MICROSOFT IN 2003, WHERE SHE MET HER LOVING HUSBAND, NICK CALDWELL.

TIA HAD A LONG AND SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN TECHNOLOGY, SPANNING SEVERAL OF THE WORLD'S MOST WELL KNOWN PRODUCTS AND COMPANIES. HER FIRST JOB WAS AS AN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER FOR THE US GOVERNMENT'S MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY, WHERE SHE RESEARCHED TECHNIQUES FOR IDENTIFYING INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILES. AFTER GRADUATION SHE MOVED TO SEATTLE WASHINGTON TO BEGIN A CAREER AT MICROSOFT. HER FIRST TEAM WAS MICROSOFT OFFICE. FAMOUSLY, TIA'S TEAM WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR CLIPPY THE OFFICE ASSISTANT. LATER SHE JOINED THE OFFICE.COM IDENTIFY SERVICES ORGANIZATION, WHERE SHE BECAME A MANAGER FOR THE FIRST TIME AND OPERATED A SERVICE USED BY 30 MILLION PEOPLE DAILY.

NEXT, TIA  SWITCHED JOBS TO WORK ON A DIFFERENT PRODUCT: WHEN MICROSOFT WINDOWS 10 LAUNCHED IN 2015, IT WAS TIA'S TEAM WHO CREATED THE APP STORE, WITH EXPERIENCES ON DESKTOP, MOBILE, AND EVEN HOLOLENS. IN 2016, NICK GOT A JOB IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. TIA DECIDED TO QUIT HER ROLE AT MICROSOFT AND SHE JOINED NICK IN THE BAY AREA. WITHIN A MONTH SHE HAD 3 JOB OFFERS, CHOOSING TO START AS AN ENGINEERING MANAGER AT NETFLIX. THERE HER TEAM BUILT THE CUSTOM HARDWARE THAT ALLOWS NETFLIX TO SERVE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS THEIR FAVORITE SHOWS. IN HER FINAL ROLE, TIA JOINED SLACK, A HOT TECH STARTUP WHICH HAD AN IPO AND WAS THEN ACQUIRED BY SALESFORCE FOR $27B.

WITH THIS MAJOR SUCCESS TIA DECIDED TO SEMI-RETIRE AND DEVOTE TIME TO HER FAMILY AND CHARITABLE CAUSES. SHE SPOKE INTERNATIONALLY ON ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP AND WAS AN ACTIVE MEMBER IN /DEV/COLOR, A NON-PROFIT DEDICATED TO ADVANCING THE CAREER OF BLACK SOFTWARE ENGINEERS.

TIA IS SURVIVED BY HER LOVING HUSBAND OF ELEVEN YEARS, NICK CALDWELL, SISTERS TIFFANI WALTON AND DEJA RAE ABUCAY, BROTHER SIM WALTON, GRANDMOTHERS DORIS COLLIER AND MILDRED MOORE AND SEVERAL NIECES AND NEPHEWS. TIA LIVED A LIFE FULFILLED WITH THE LOVE OF MANY FAMILY AND FRIENDS. TO KNOW TIA, WAS TO LOVE TIA.

  TIA WILL BE SINCERELY MISSED BY ALL WHO KNEW AND LOVED HER.