As Chief Technology Officer of Healthcare Provider Solutions at ACS, a Xerox Company, Mr. Bradberry is a busy man. His job is to guide technical strategy and lead innovation on client projects for the $33 billion company. This is quite an achievement for someone whose first job was that of a bus boy.

“Because I entered the healthcare field in the mid-90s, I was right there when technology began to transform the way hospitals operated,” Bradberry explains. His career path led him to a wide variety of IT positions—from Navy computer operator to roles as an analyst, engineer and architect.

However, Bradberry wasn’t satisfied and felt he needed help to reach higher in his career. That’s why he went back to school and earned his degree as a member of the Strayer Class of ’09. The sense of achievement he felt helped him realize that so much more could be possible across other aspects of his life. “I always tell people, you own your career,” he says. “You have to plan your career around the idea that you aren’t connected to any company or logo; you are your own logo.”

Bradberry has managed to build a role for himself at the intersection of operations and innovations. He has overseen the construction of innovation labs for clients that involve hundreds of people and hundreds of millions of dollars. He has also led projects that push the evolution of analytics.

He loves the fact that his career allows him to be innovative all the time. “At Xerox, we pride ourselves on our ‘innovate or die’ culture, so we are always developing new ideas.” Bradberry knows career planning is hard work, and that you have to fully evaluate your strengths and weaknesses to market yourself properly. “Ultimately, you have to create the reality you want to be in and in which you can advance,” he says. “Then, all you have to do is set the wheels in motion.”