As president of the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC), Andre Arbelaez has seen Hispanics rise to the top ranks of several high-profile firms.

He also knows the industry has a long way to go, and faces a talent drought that could prove to be long and painful if not addressed today by schools willing to dedicate themselves to STEM education and organizations committed to mentoring and advancing current employees.

The 45-year-old Detroit-area resident says many of the industry's biggest challenges – whether it's overcoming a lack of diversity or simply getting kids interested in IT careers – boil down to education, not just in the classroom, but at home and in the community.

Arbelaez's approach is methodical. Success for Hispanics in IT begins simply with getting more Hispanics into college. And his views are the same regardless of ethnicity or nationality: Get kids interested in school, get them interested in science, math and engineering, and show them that there are opportunities in IT, opportunities that can come with very good salaries and almost limitless advancement.

Arbelaez spends much of his time on the road, and he spoke with IT Best of Breed by phone recently. "Where we will have our biggest impact is in the seeds we plant with students and young executives today," he said. "While HITEC is making a difference today, 10 or 20 years down the road our impact will have been much greater."

"The real challenge is for the IT industry. It needs talent, no matter where it comes from and the Hispanic community can be an important resource."

Does the IT industry have a diversity problem in general? If so, what can be done to solve it? If not, what has it done to prevent it?

Diversity challenges in the IT industry, particularly in Silicon Valley, have been pretty widely reported. The IT industry, like many industries, needs to always be vigilant about diversity and pay attention to recruitment and hiring strategies and practices. There is always room for improvement.

The Hispanic IT Executives Council provides an excellent model for how to help solve diversity challenges in the tech world. First, there are many amazing Hispanic executives at the highest levels of corporate America. They take an active role as board members, advisors and mentors.

Second, our HITEC 100 awards shine a light on Hispanic IT executives making a difference in their companies, their industries and their communities.

Third, our emerging professionals mentoring program provides tangible career development for young, up-and-coming executives.

Finally, reaching down into middle school and high schools is getting kids interested in STEM careers. We need to put more Hispanic kids on the path to a technology career, and our efforts are making this happen.

What's HITEC's opinion on the current talent shortage in IT? How can it be overcome?

In many ways it comes down to education at all levels. At middle schools and high schools we need to guide students toward STEM subjects. At the collegiate level, we need to encourage more students to choose technology oriented majors.

Finally, we need to link employers with more educational institutions. Everyone recruits at Stanford, or the Ivy League schools. But there are many bright, talented students at colleges that serve the Hispanic community nationally.

These schools can be great sources of talent for organizations and often provide a larger pool of minority candidates. It’s incumbent upon parents and our community to challenge these kids into the STEM fields as well.