Tech in the Right Direction: Recent Episodes
Jennifer Didier
Welcome to Tech in the Right Direction! Every week, Directions Training President and CEO, Jennifer Didier discusses how women can take tech in the right direction to drive social change and close the employment, pay, and culture gap for women in technology.
Join Jennifer Didier as she has a lively conversation with Shelley Copsey. They discuss Shelley career path and her goals to have a diversified workforce. Jennifer also adds a new place to travel on her bucket list.
More about Shelley Copsey:
As the co-founder and CEO of FYLD, I lead a venture that empowers utilities field teams and managers to make data-driven decisions in real-time, leading to greater safety, productivity and quality assurance. I have over 20 years of experience in the intersection of physical infrastructure and digital technologies, as well as the human transformation required to deliver on the promise of emerging technologies.
I have created and led multiple enterprise SaaS start-ups in this domain, including GeoSLAM, a world-leading geospatial company that transformed the way the real world was mapped (exited to Faro). I was a founding board member at Coviu, an award-winning telehealth platform that scaled from 400 to 25,000 consultations a day during the Covid-19 pandemic (on board through to completion of Series A). I also contributed to spinning out multiple companies from research powerhouse CSIRO, including drone technology company Emesent and regtech platform PaidRight.
I have a strong background in finance, innovation, and commercialisation, having held senior roles at CSIRO's Data61, PwC, and KPMG. I am a Chartered Accountant and have undertaken executive education at MIT and Stanford on AI and corporate entrepreneurship. My roles have seen me hold numerous board positions and partner with scaling companies to achieve strong funding outcomes and exits, aligned to business strategy.
Connect with Shelley Copsey on LinedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleycopsey/
Join Jennifer Didier as she speaks with Amber Ivey. Amber has a unique career path that eventually lead her from the private sector to the government sector. Listen as she shares her journey and educates us on the positive work that is going on.
More about Amber Ivey:
Amber Ivey “AI” is currently a Vice President at a non-profit where she leads a team that helps governments drive impact. In her prior role, as the Senior Director for the Bloomberg Philanthropies Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University, she led a team that assisted governments in utilizing data and performance management for decision-making. Furthermore, she played a key role in the design and launch of the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance. The program aims to train 100 mayors and their senior leaders throughout the Americas on utilizing data to achieve better outcomes. Formerly, she worked at The Pew Charitable Trust—a nonprofit focused on solving today's challenges by using data-driven, nonpartisan analysis. Here, Amber led the data collection and organization efforts of a first-of-its-kind research study on how all 50 states and the District of Columbia use data to solve complex problems, improve the delivery of government services, manage resources, and evaluate effectiveness. Most recently, Amber led a team that provided technical as well as strategic assistance to states and counties, who were working towards streamlining their business processes and launching technology, like legal assistance websites and online courts, to modernize and improve access to the legal system.
Before joining Pew, Amber served at Maryland StateStat, a performance-measurement and management office established by former Governor Martin O'Malley (D). Following the change in administration, she helped facilitate the transition by demonstrating the effectiveness of data-driven decision-making through StateStat. Additionally, she played a key role in the establishment of the Governor's Office of Performance Improvement under Governor Larry Hogan (R).
Before joining the State of Maryland, Amber was a logistics manager for a Fortune 50 company where she used data to drive efficiency, productivity, and profits. She switched from private to the public sector to use her skills in service of government efficiency. She has her MPA and J.D. and is excited to serve at the intersection of data, technology, public policy, and law.
She is also the creator and host of the AI for Kids podcast–a series of podcast interviews with industry experts and everyday people who help explain topics related to AI for kids and their parents and the creator of AiDigiTales—an edutainment platform that focuses on AI for kids.
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberivey/
Jennifer Didier has a wonderful conversation with Courtney Quinn, Senior Director of Career Change Marketing at CompTIA. As they reminisce gain wisdom in the importance to Own it, Know it, and Grow it. These steps can help you set the stage for the next chapter of your career. You should definitely Consider a career in the IT field.
Bio: Courtney Quinn is the Senior Director of Career Change Marketing at CompTIA, the largest trade association for technology professionals. Courtney has played a vital role in the organization's efforts to help over 2 million people earn tech certifications and gain the skills they need to succeed in the tech industry. With a strong background in both technical and leadership roles, Courtney is a valuable resource for anyone looking to start or advance their career in technology. Connect with her to know more about your potential to launch a tech career and how to get ahead in the industry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyquinn1/.
Passion areas:
Helping job seekers develop career transition strategies through the OWN IT, KNOW IT, GROW IT framework
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Transferable Skills (OWN IT) - Own the skills you have and make them your competitive advantage
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Financial Goals (KNOW IT) - Know where you want to go in life and how long it will take to get there
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Skill Building (GROW IT) - Grow the skills you need to take your first step towards a new career
Courtney thrives on Instilling confidence in job seekers about their ability to work in tech and achieve job satisfaction. Comtia.org
Jennifer Didier sits down with Director of client Services as Clear Digital, Annie Raygoza. Listen to their conversation as they go deeper into Annie's career path and the importance of being empathetic to the team around you.
About Annie Raygoza
Annie serves as the Director of Client Services at Clear Digital, a digital agency specializing in marketing and advertising for B2B brands. She dedicates her time to building client relationships, and as a result of that, her team has garnered a 90% client retention rate.
Active in the community, Annie sits on the board of the Silicon Valley chapter of the American Advertising Federation and works with other tech professionals working toward advancing leadership opportunities for women.
As a woman in marketing, advertising, and technology, she understands the importance of representation and advocating for women in the field, and she consistently supports women of all career levels to find their confidence to reach their full potential.
Join Jennifer Didier and Maggie Reed as they discuss joining the technology industry a little later in Life. Faced with a health disability Maggie strives for the fullness of life through her career.
Bio:
Maggie Reed’s journey as a working woman has been defined by her relentless pursuit of personal and professional growth, fueled by a thirst for knowledge and a readiness to adapt to new technologies. After overcoming a chronic illness that left her bedridden for over two years, she fearlessly re-entered the workforce at the age of 53, forging a successful career in Technology.
Today, Maggie holds the prestigious position of Sr. Customer Success Manager & Engagement Lead at a Fortune Global 500 company. In addition to excelling in her role, she actively mentors other women within the organization, and holds leadership positions on committees dedicated to advancing the causes of Women in the Workforce and Women in Technology.
Passionate about promoting women's issues, Maggie leads discussions to find solutions for the challenges faced by women in the technology industry. Her unwavering commitment to gender equality and inclusivity serves as an inspiration to her colleagues and peers.
Reach Maggie at Pearlpower61@gmail.com and on twitter @pearlpower61
Jennifer Didier interviews Samantha Bufton on how she has leveraged her skills to assist her in building her career. Her journey will take us from her arts and English literature start to COO of Poppulo.
A little more information about Samantha Bufton:
Highly-accomplished business, product, and innovation leader adept at growing global business lines via sophisticated B2C/B2B, product, and technology strategies. Over 20 years of success driving transformational growth for organizations of all sizes.
Be sure to connect with her on LinkedIN.
Today Jennifer Didier is joined by Shannon Reedy from TeraKeet. Shannon shares her journey from school up the ladder to help put in better practices for TeraKeet employees. These practices have helped TeraKeet to embrace Women in Technology and assist in bringing them work-life balance.
More on Shannon Reedy:
Shannon Reedy
Chief Revenue Officer
Shannon Reedy is the Chief Revenue Officer at Terakeet, the Fortune 500's preferred owned asset optimization (OAO) partner for strengthening brand and consumer connections online. With a demonstrated history of leadership, data analysis, and results-driven business development, Shannon has helped Terakeet, as well as its global customers, achieve breakthrough performances. As CRO, Shannon guides Terakeet’s company growth and revenue-generating processes, including sales, marketing, and client success strategies, which have collectively driven 66% more revenue under her leadership.
Join Jennifer Didier and Elise Carmichael and they track their roads to success in the tech industry. They will share about networking, the importance of learning, and growing inside the industry itself.
More About Elise Carmichael:
As Lakeside’s Chief Technology Officer, Elise is responsible for building and delivering the next generation of Digital Employee Experience solutions. She has over 20 years of experience working with enterprise organizations on high-tech, big data, and machine learning-based products. Before joining Lakeside, Elise held senior technology and product leadership roles at Functionize, Tricentis, QASymphony, and Mobiquity throughout the last ten years.
Elise founded a nonprofit in Florida to encourage more women and minorities to enter and stay employed in high-technology fields. She studied Computer Science and Music at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The best way to Reach Elise, is to find her on LinkedIn and engage her about things that are not sales related. :)
Jennifer Didier speaks with Rachel Meranus about how the products we all love get from one place to the next. She shares about the industry itself and how women have been making an impact.
More about Rachel Meranus:
Executive management level professional with 20+ years’ experience in strategic B2B marketing and corporate communications. Expert in re-focusing marketing cost-centers into measurable, revenue-focused contributors. Highly skilled in cross-departmental alignment to drive opportunity and accountability specifically between sales, customer success, product, and marketing. Expert in brand building for competitive differentiation. Strong inspirational & strategic leader who motivates results-driven team to exceed established goals. Respected thought leader in marketing and communications industry.
Jennifer Didier and Jasmin Guthmann talk about how building a team of networks to support working together. This network can help you source solutions in marketing that can provide encouragement and opportunity.
Jasmin Guthmann bio:
Jasmin Guthmann is a marketing trailblazer on a mission to translate complex technology into compelling stories and amplify Contentstack’s reputation as the leading Content Experience Platform (CXP) platform. She currently serves as the Head of Corporate Communications at Contentstack. With more than 10 years of experience, Jasmin and her team elevate the business and help usher in a new era of content management.
She currently serves as the Vice President and Executive Board Member of the MACH Alliance, empowering brands to adopt best-of-breed enterprise technology ecosystems that provide never-before-seen business benefits. She is a fierce advocate of Women in MACH, constantly pushing the envelope on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) in the tech industry. Additionally, she is the host of a new Contentstack thought leadership podcast, People Changing Enterprises, where she interviews people who have transformed big businesses from the inside to share their secrets for success. Before Contenstack, Jasmin held multiple executive positions at Valtech and served as a marketing leader at BlackRock.
Jennifer Didier and Stephanie Shreve have a great conversation about the ELITE group that finds ways to empower other Women and the next generation of women to join the world of technology.
A little more about Stephanie Shreve:
Stephanie Shreve currently is the Chief Marketing Officer at PowerChord, Inc. She is a software and digital marketing executive with 20+ years experience leading high performing teams to support global brands and strategic partners. With a track-record of performance, her goal is to build strong relationships with customers to create solutions that drive business results. She embraces opportunities presented by emerging technologies to reach new markets and grow business.
Join Jennifer Didier and Beth Attwood as they share great tips and insight on how to build confidence. Todays Technical Industry needs confident people to take the lead with bold moves to ask the hard questions and negotiate the best contracts.
Bio:
Beth Attwood is Vice President, Growth Marketing for Nitro Inc, the document productivity company, specializing in market-leading PDF, eSign and Digital Identity solutions.With over 20 years’ experience in technology marketing, Beth’s had the privilege of working for leading brands such as Ingram Micro, Brocade, Veeam, Snow and Nitro Software. She believes in leading with authenticity, challenging the status quo and developing long-lasting connections with employees, partners and customers alike.Beth is passionate about mentoring and supporting young women navigating their way through the tech industry. Her hope is that through sharing inspiration, with a sense of humour borne of experience, she can make a positive difference to the new generation of female leaders.
Join Jennifer Didier and she speaks to Nimia Amaya. They will discuss the importance of education and the need to have confidence, even it it takes you in a different direction than you thought.
Bio for Nimia Amaya:
Nimia Amaya is the Demand Generation Director at Younium. A digital mediaand marketing professional with expertise in the North American and LatinAmerican markets. She holds a BA in Broadcast Media from theUniversity of North Texas and has worked with brands such as UnivisionCommunications, Verizon, Levi’s, Macy’s, and Cedar Fair Entertainment. Sheresides in Dallas, TX with her 9-year-old daughter.
Jennifer Didier sits down with co-founder of Kumospace Brett Martin. Listen to their conversation about the changes that are available in the digital work space. (Virtual Office)
Brett Martin Bio:
I am an entrepreneur, angel investor, pragmatist, and optimist. Having spent most of my career in the startup trenches, I now focus on supporting other entrepreneurs as Managing Partner of a small seed-stage venture fund: Charge Ventures. Charge is a NYC-based pre-seed/seed stage venture fund. We invest 200-500k at the earliest stages of company formation and then help founders take things from 0 to 1.When not working directly with startups, I spread the startup gospel as an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School. My teaching focuses on product strategy and entrepreneurial finance but also have a few war stories to tell, having co-founded Switch, a mobile job discovery application, and Sonar, a location-based social network. I began my career on Wall Street as an equity research associate.In my spare time, I've been fortunate enough to write for Harvard Business review, launch a little website called Vice, found a rock band, and sail thousands of miles on a 30ft sailboat.
Brett’s Profilelinkedin.com/in/brettlucasmartinTwitter* brett1211
Join Jennifer Didier and Amy Buckley with a very frank conversation about fertility and some of her personal experiences with the currently available options. Amy got tired of the process and decided to take actions into her own hands.
Bio for Amy Buckley:
Many of our listeners are silently struggling with infertility. From mixed messaging in media to fear of failure, people often struggle to find the right path forward in their fertility journey. Amy Beckley is Founder and CEO of Proov. She went through the exact same challenges and has used her experience to craft an accessible solution. For Amy and many others, the key to becoming pregnant was deceptively simple: learning about hormones, their individual functions, and how to keep them balanced. This knowledge completely changed Amy’s approach to fertility - ultimately resulting in the birth of her second child!
Join the conversation as Jennifer Didier and Radhika Narayana discuss the opportunity of technical certifications.
Bio for Radhika Narayana:
Radhika Narayana is Director of Cloud and Managed Services for enterprise solutions provider, Calian ITand Cyber Solutions, where she is responsible for the Managed Services Network Operations Center forcollaboration, network, datacenter and cloud services. She brings over 20 years of experience inenterprise solution design, installation and complex global infrastructures support, and she is highlycertified with Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Collaboration – 15670 (Emeritus) and ITILCertifications.Customer success and customer satisfaction drive Narayana. During her career, she has designed,planned, and executed several large Unified Communications and Contact Center deployments,migrations, and upgrades on new and existing telephony environments. Prior to joining Calian IT &Cyber Solutions, Narayana served as a Senior NOC Manager for General Datatech where she workedacross various managed services groups to standardize customer facing change management processes.Narayan holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communications from Bangalore University.
Listen as Jennifer Didier and W. Curtis Preston talk about the importance of backing up your technology. Mr. Preston is an advocate for women and he encourages women to join his team.
W. Curtis Preston Bio:
W. Curtis Preston (AKA Mr. Backup) has specialized in designing data protection systems since 1993, and has designed such systems for some of the largest organizations in the world. His lively prose and wry, real-world approach has made him a popular author and speaker. He has written four O'Reilly books, the latest of which is Modern Data Protection, published in 2021. He is also the host of BackupCentral.com and its Restore it All podcast. He is now the Chief Technical Evangelist for Druva, the only at-scale SaaS provider of data protection.
Join the conversation as Jennifer Didier and Kristie Grinnell talk about how important the words are you use for yourself and in speaking to those around. These words can open or close doors of opportunity.
Kristie Grinnell Bio:
Kristie was recently named a top CIO to watch in 2022 by WashingtonExec, is a member of the CIO Executive Council, and she serves as chair of the Capital CIO Advisory Board and is a member of STEMforHER Advisory Board. A strong supporter of academic STEM programs for young women, she is a recipient of the 2018 Women in Technology STEM Leadership award, Washington Business Journal’s 2020 Women Who Mean Business Award, a 2020 Capital CIO of the Year ORBIE Award Winner and a 2021 National CIO of the Year ORBIE Award Winner.• Kristie earned her BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and holds an MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management.
Jennifer Didier interviews Ann Garnier. They discuss Ann's exit from being a healthcare employee to opening a business that collects the necessary data needed to further healthcare for all women. She also shares about her journey and tools that help her to be confident and successful as a woman in technology.
Ann Garnier Bio:
Ann Garnier, the co-founder and CEO of Lisa Health, is a seasoned healthcare leader andoperator, helping to create, launch, and scale innovative tech companies and productsthat have improved patient outcomes and access to care. Prior to Lisa Health, Ann wasCOO at CarePayment, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Operations at RelayHealth(McKesson), and Vice President, Strategy and Marketing for Paradigm Health (Optum).She is passionate about using technology to transform women’s health, advancingresearch on menopause and healthy aging, and helping women thrive in midlife andcelebrate the start of something great.
Jennifer Didier speaks with Hayden Orme as she shares how she left the corporate world to become an entrepreneur. In this process she has developed a system to help individuals as well as companies find their life, work balance.
Hayden Orme Bio:
For over 13 years, prior to launching her own business, Haydensupported top executives and teams at companies such as PartnersHealthcare, Brightcove, Inc., Novartis and McKesson. She most recentlymanaged the office of the Chairman and CEO of McKesson (a Fortune 5company at the time). Now as an entrepreneur herself, Haydenleverages her corporate experience and her unique “get it” factor.Handled. By Hayden & Co. is a business elevation and optimizationfirm, providing a unique approach to remote support and business development. Haydenand her Crew utilize their combined experiences and expertise to provide top-notch strategyand high-caliber support for their clients in order to claim their space and authority asEmpowered CEOs and create sustainable growth and holistic success for their businessesand lives. They combine elements of strategic consulting, executive assistance, and digitalmarketing services to give their clients back the time and freedom to operate solely in theirzone of genius and joy while delegating the rest. As part of Hayden's vision, her employeesare empowered by playing an integral role in the company's mission and are holisticallysuccessful. She believes in a culture where everyone is celebrated in what they do best!Hayden is also a speaker, a two-time international bestselling author, an award-winning leaderin her field, and a 50 Ton Master Merchant Mariner Captain
Listen in as Jennifer Didier and Josh DeTillio talk about the opportunities in the medical industry for Women.
More About Josh DeTillio:
DeTillio has more than sixteen years of experience in health care and hospital administration, including creating a popular hospital-wide wellness program. In Healthy You, Healthy Team, Healthy Company, he presents an essential how-to guide on building and maintaining your own wellness plan. In eight stages, ranging from learning how to be an inspiration to incentivizing participation to using data to refine practices, DeTillio will show you how to increase loyalty and morale while decreasing healthcare costs.
Join Jennifer Didier and Danica Bunnett as they discuss the operations of Bluon. Danica will share how her childhood experiences have helped to find her passion and use it to build Bluon to it's current status in the marketplace.
Danica Bunnett Bio:
As Bluon’s Chief Operating Officer, Danica manages the day-to-day operations of Bluon, a rapidly growing technology company in the HVAC space that has grown from 30 people to 130 in just over a year. As is typical in a company of Bluon’s size, Danica directly oversees several critical teams while working hand in glove with managers on several others. Danica is a true hands-on manager and player coach, who utilizes her unique skill set to manage a diverse group of technicians, professionals and software engineers with equal skill, grace and authority. Danica has been with Bluon from the virtual beginning and has been instrumental in its growth as well as its one-of-a-kind culture. In many ways, Bluon is a direct reflection of Danica and her unworldly work ethic, unmatched enthusiasm, seemingly always positive attitude and direct style of communication. She is a graduate of Stanford University with a Bachelors in Product Design Mechanical Engineering. She was also the co-president of Stanford Women in Design (SWID) and believes in bridging Silicon Valley's high-tech innovation with the HVAC world.
Meet Breno Araujo from BOTO as he discusses with Jennifer Didier how the hiring practices of BOTO pursues qualified women for Technology jobs. Breno shares his unique ideas on how to maintain the candidates they hire.
A little more about Breno Araujo:
Breno Araujo is the Founder and CEO of BOTO, a no-code platform that allows anyone to build and share automation. Before BOTO, Breno was head of Revenue Intelligence for Ripple and has been in the blockchain space since 2016.
Breno has been coding since he was 12 years old, and has an MBA from INSEAD and a BSC in Mechatronics Engineering from PUC-Rio (Brazil).
Tech in the Right Direction host, Jennifer Didier and Manager of People and Culture at Curate Partners, Natasha Thomas talk about how she got involved in the Technology industry. Natasha also shares some great insight on how to represent yourself to be considered for technology opportunities.
Natasha's Bio:
Natasha Thomas is the Manager of People and Culture at Curate Partners. She studied at SUNY Fredonia, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology and currently resides in the North end of Boston, MA. With over a decade of IT industry experience, Natasha is passionate about building programs and opportunities to support people of all backgrounds in achieving their career ambitions. A major focus in her current role is expanding DEI&B initiatives for internal/external employees and clients.
Join Jennifer and Laura Bell Main as they talk about the importance of Software security. Software security is not just a business challenge, but a challenge for home computer users as well. Laura Bell Main shares some great insights and tips that everyone can use to have a safer online experience.
A little more about Laura Bell Main:
Laura Bell Main specializes in securing some of Australia and New Zealand’s fastest-growing organizations. She has over twenty years of experience in software development and information security. It's her mission and passion to bring security into organizations of every shape and size. Laura is the founder and CEO of SafeStack Academy, an online education platform offering flexible, high-quality, and people-focused, secure development training for fast moving companies, with a focus on building security skills, practices, and culture across the entire engineering team. SafeStack is a value’s driven company on a mission to make cybersecurity accessible for everyone and any organization. “To protect each one of us, we must protect all of us” This is the underpinning belief that drives Laura. Her company pushing hard into this issue by attempting to train all of our organisations, big and small. Through free plans, student sponsorships and sponsored communities, she is working towards a future where we no longer spend 99% of our security resources on 1% of our organizations. She is an experienced conference speaker, trainer, and regular panel member, and has spoken at a range of events such as BlackHat USA, Velocity, and OSCON on the subjects of privacy, covert communications, agile security, and security mindset. She is also the co-author of Agile Application Security and Security for Everyone.
Jennifer Didier gets to know Weili Dai. Hear their conversation about Understanding how to make next-gen Conversational AI in the metaverse a reality.
Weili Bai Bio:
Weili Dai is one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in the world. Widely considered a technology visionary, she is the only woman Co-Founder of a global semiconductor company, Marvell Technology Group. For her contributions to technology and society, Newsweek named Ms. Dai one of the “150 Women Who Shake the World” and was profiled by CNN International for the Leading Women Series: Leading the Female Tech Charge, Leading Women Principles Fair and Care, Educating for Future Success, and Leading Women Inspire Others. Forbes Magazine listed Ms. Dai as one of the “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” and 2021’s “America’s Richest Self-Made Women”. The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) recognized Ms. Dai along with her husband Dr. Sehat Sutardja, Co-Founder and former CEO of Marvell, with the prestigious 2013 Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award, selected due to their exceptional success in creating Marvell, their individual contributions to today’s modern semiconductor age, as well as the talents and expertise they’ve continuously leveraged to address and overcome pressing global issues like education and smart energy. Ms. Dai was also named to the prestigious Committee of 100, an organization representing the most-influential Chinese Americans. Weili Dai holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley. In recognition of their generosity, her alma mater named Sutardja Dai Hall for Ms. Dai along with her husband Sehat Sutardja. Sutardja Dai Hall is home to the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS). Celebrated as the glue behind her companies, family and community, Ms. Dai is the proud mother of two sons, Christopher and Nicholas who both received their Ph.D degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UC Berkeley. Ms. Dai was selected as the first woman commencement speaker for the University of California, Berkeley, College of Engineering graduation ceremony on May 12, 2012. Ms. Dai is the Chairwoman of Lark Health through which she has become a powerful advocate for the better use of technology to improve the human condition. Ms. Dai continues to have a relentless passion to innovate through her various active roles in semiconductor technology and software companies, including FLC Technology as the Co-Founder and President and Meetkai, as the Co-Founder and Executive Chairwoman where she is leading the charge to make next-gen Conversational AI in the metaverse a reality.
Listen to hear Jennifer Didier converse with Estelle Giraud about Estelle's firsthand experience navigating the maze that is beginning of life medical care. Estelle will share how using her own struggles to inform a solution, She Co-founded Trellis Health . Trellis Health is an all in one platform that takes frustration and anxiety out of coordinating and curating pre and postnatal health.
Bio:
Estelle Giraud is a PhD scientist (population genetics) turned commercial operator and leader in biotech and frontier medicine @Illumina, and now turned founder. Estelle believes people don’t neatly fit in single boxes, and some of the most interesting insights about people and the world come from the unplanned intersections. She brings authenticity and openness to tough conversations about the hard problems we face, and thrives in finding new understanding through conversation.
Jennifer Didier and Shannon Meadows talk details on education technology. How it came to be a necessary service for our daily lives.
Some additional information about Shannon:
Shannon was previously VP of Sales & Operations for Blackboard Inc. where she worked on $182M in Acquisition between NTI Group & Blackboard Connect. As Chief Revenue Officer, Shannon leads the Sales and Customer Success organizations at BibliU. She is an industry expert in Ed Tech and Digital Publishing sales and go-to-market strategies. She has led companies in C-level roles in Sales, Marketing and Business Development, building several start-up businesses resulting in successful company equity events.
About BibliU
BibliU is a learning enablement platform that empowers higher education institutions to streamline their textbook and courseware workflows to achieve greater student outcomes, affordability and social mobility. With BibliU, colleges and universities can finally deliver on the promise of digitalization, guaranteeing all students have first-day access to the learning content they need.
As Jennifer asks questions, Liya helps us explore and gain understanding of web 3 and blockchain. This is a detailed conversation of where we are now and where this technology may take us.
Liya Safina Bio:
Liya is a digital design director and web3 strategist living in Honolulu, Hawaii. Through her work in blockchain innovation, Liya is building with a mission to help people get educated, connected, and empowered in web3.
She has established creative for Fortune 500 companies and startups alike: Nike, Google, Alibaba, Sotheby’s, StreetEasy, Brandless and Coinbase to name a few. Liya has experienced a variety of leadership scenarios, from bootstrapping a startup to designing for future citizens of a city built by Toyota in Japan. Recognition closely followed: she was selected as a fellow at Estee Lauder's Vital Voices Leadership program and awarded as Innovator of the Year by Falling Walls Conference in Berlin.
Liya’s vision is to build a future where technology serves human needs, instead of humans serving revenue models.
Join Jennifer Didier and Shruthi Rao, as they discuss how the data blockchain can resolve communication problems for companies and offer better customer and data interactions.
Shruthi Rao Bio:
Shruthi Rao is the Co-Founder & CBO at Vendia, a serverless, multi-cloud platform inspired by the tenets of blockchains, that enables IT firms to manage distributed data and code. Rao has spent most of her professional life scaling businesses, investing, and as an advisor for projects in technology and crypto. Before Vendia, she led the business development for AWS, as well as high-profile deals for enterprises such as Bank of America and AT&T.
This week's guest is Jennifer O'Brien, the Founder of Accounting Business Solutions by JCS - a solution provider that focuses on the implementation, training, and technical assistance for accounting software.
Today we talk about Jennifer's career journey and how she dove headfirst into tech during the early part of her career journey. Jennifer's headfirst attitude developed because she knew she would see a return on the investment in herself. This investment in herself became a realization after Jennifer figured out that she could help small businesses with the accounting side of their organization, which led her to create Business Solutions by JCS.
Learn more about Accounting Business Solutions by JCS here: https://www.jcscomputer.com/
Thank you for listening; we hope Jennifer's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
Join us on this episode as Jennifer speaks with Kimberly Fox. Kimberly will share with us how she used the pandemic to start a food blog and turn it into a variety of corporate cooking experiences.
A little about Kimberly:
Kimberly Fox leads virtual corporate cooking classes and is a recipe developer and writer for her food blog, From Market to Table. Kimberly developed her signature corporate cooking experiences after spending 10+ years working in STEM and experiencing the gender inequities and micro-cultures in corporate cultures. Now, she leverages her understanding of STEM culture and well-tested recipes to help leaders build inclusive teams and close the gender gap.
"Learn more about Kimberly's Cooking Classes here: https://frommarkettotable.com"
Listen to Jennifer Didier and Lorraine Hamilton discuss how all employees should not be treated the same. It is not healthy for the employee or the Employer.
A little information about Lorraine Hamilton:
Lorraine Hamilton PCC is a globally accredited coach with over 15 years of
experience. Before coaching, Lorraine was a radio frequency engineer
designing cellular networks using cutting-edge technology in the UK and
New Zealand. At the peak of that engineering career, she was leading her
team so effectively that the whole office culture was modeled on them.
Lorraine ran the ICF accredited Coach School Certified Professional Coach
program for 5 years before being brought on as Program Director at
Coaching Evolved by Emmy-award-winning media entrepreneur and coach
herself, Natalie MacNeil. She is also the mentor that The French Relationship
Expert Alexandre Cormont trusted to develop his skills (who now shares his
expertise with his 3.25million followers online). Now, Lorraine is facilitating
successful coaching classes on “Breaking Upper Limits” to women in the
business and tech industries.
Melissa Widner from Lighter Capital talks to us about the evolution of the Venture capital space for Women Entrepreneurs.
Melissa Widner
Melissa Widner is the CEO of Lighter Capital, the pioneer and leader in revenue-based financing for tech startups, founders, and companies. Previously, Melissa was the Managing Director of NAB Ventures, the VC arm of the National Australia Bank, and a General Partner at Seattle based SeaPoint Ventures. She is the co-founder and Chairperson of Sydney-based Heads Over Heels, an organization that supports women entrepreneurs running companies with high growth potential.
Jennifer interviews Sunnie Weber about her accomplishments professionally as well as family.
Sunnie Weber Bio:
Director of IoT Ecosystem Partner Strategy and Scale
Sunnie has been in the world of IoT for the last 8 + years now having worked in Sales and Partner Enablement, Sales Operations, and Channel Scale Design at Cisco and Intel before focusing on setting up partner programs for our edge partners, the OT SI. Just recently she moved into a broader role in IoT as the Ecosystem Partner Strategy Lead and is excited to be able to take everything she’s learned to help build a bridge across the ecosystem, helping our partners cross over from get to go to market with a goal of getting everyone faster time to market and more services opportunities. Connecting our ecosystems through solutions and solution selling is her greatest passion at Intel.
Join Jennifer as she speaks to Katy Rose about entering the age old business of insurance and developing new ways to process and service customers.
A little information about Katy Rose: PINS CEO
The youngest on her block and in her family, a very competitive Katy Rose bemoaned to her father, Marshall, that the big kids didn’t want to play with her. His response, “Build something that they’d want to be part of, and they’ll come to you…” One treehouse later, Katy and all the older kids were now playing together.
That same philosophy and action applies today, with the company that Marshall founded, and the one which Katy is now CEO. PINS Advantage is a San Diego-based SaaS company that helps businesses track certificates of insurance. And like the treehouse, the big kids are coming to PINS, with clients like Enterprise Car Rental, LAX and the City of Glendora. Katy recalls making 30 cold calls, into 10 different offices to close Enterprise. She’s tenacious and passionate about the business her father created and leads with a visionary mindset.
A graduate of University of Boulder, Katy also received her coding boot camp certificate from UCSD. She’s an avid long-distance runner and is not afraid to put in the miles, as proven by her outstanding and unwavering efforts to close Enterprise.
Today PINS has clients across multiple industries, including airports, cities, rental car companies, property management and more. Check out www.pinsadvantage.com and see how we can help build your business.
Jennifer and Robin talk about the need for employers and employees to be honest about what they can and are willing to do. The need to have strong empowering boundaries for all parties is extremely important for business and personal success.
Robin Corralez is a hands-on, diversified, human resources leader focused on creating sustained value in fast-paced, dynamic environments by building strong teams and identifying, assessing, and executing organizational initiatives that drive business success aligned with the overall strategy.
In her role at PandaDoc, she focuses on building a talented organization that will help scale their business from $20M to $100M while maintaining the best workplace culture possible.
Her specialties include executive coaching and developing new leaders; sourcing, hiring and aligning "A" players in critical positions; creating and maintaining talent pipelines; leading change and enhancing employee relations; improving performance and organizational development; employment law; and achieving cost efficiencies through better utilization of resources.
Robin is eager to share her tips for your audience and is the author of multiple articles on the topic of managing a remote-first, globally distributed workforce.
Under Robin's direction, PandaDoc was honored with multiple awards such as Inc. Magazine's 2021-2020 Best Workplaces, 2021 Forbes 500 Best Start Up Employer, and Quartz Best Companies for Remote Workers.
Robin Corralez, Global Sr. Vice President of Human Resources
Seth Earley is an expert with 20+ years of experience in Knowledge Strategy, Data and Information Architecture, Search-based Applications, and Information Findability solutions. Seth has worked with a diverse roster of Fortune 1000 companies helping them to achieve higher levels of operating performance by making information more findable, usable, and valuable through integrated enterprise architectures supporting analytics, e-commerce, and customer experience applications.
Seth Earley is a sought-after speaker, writer, and influencer. He is the author of "The AI-Powered Enterprise" from LifeTree Media which was released in April 2020. In 2021, the book received the Axiom Business Book Silver Medal in the Artificial Intelligence / Robotics / Algorithms category.
His writing has appeared in IT Professional Magazine from the IEEE where, as a former editor, he wrote a regular column on data analytics and information access issues and trends. He has also contributed to the Harvard Business Review, CMS Wire, CEO World, TechTarget, eCommerce Times, and Analytics Magazine. Journal of Applied Marketing Analytics, and he co-authored “Practical Knowledge Management” from IBM Press.
Dan is the CEO and Founder of CipherStash, a data storage platform for sensitive data. Their platform uses searchable encryption technology to protect against attacks that leak a snapshot of the entire running system, thereby enabling development teams to search data with high levels of protection without compromising on usability.
Connect with Dan:
- Debugging Diversity
- CipherStash
Thank you for listening to Dan's expertise on Data Security and Cryptography.
Caley Adams is the Founder & Creative Director of Wildes District, an NYC-based design studio that specializes in emerging women's and e-commerce brands. Wildes District works closely with founders to build meaningful experiences that span multiple touchpoints — including brand, web, app, print, packaging, and more.
In today's episode, Caley discusses the importance of branding, her challenges, and being an entrepreneur along with motherhood.
You can find out more about Caley on her website and be sure to follow her on Instagram.
We hope you enjoyed today's chat with Caley and her advice on branding.
Leelila Strogov is the Founder and CEO of AtomicMind, an education technology company offering families a boutique coaching experience that prepares students to become “wow candidates” in the increasingly competitive college admissions landscape. Leelila earned her Bachelor of Science degree from MIT and, with dual interests in the humanities and sciences, works with students around the world. As a former journalist, Leelila employs her interest in people and storytelling to students, helping them develop the tools and mindset that enables their success, and assisting families as they navigate college admissions.
Today, Leelila talks about her passion in helping students get into top colleges through her background in journaling and storytelling.
You can learn more at atomicmind.com.
We hope you enjoyed listening to Leelila and her mission.
As Vice President of Product Management, Liz Ronco is responsible for Spiceworks Ziff Davis’ (SWZD) global product offering, including omnichannel marketing offerings and a comprehensive suite of B2B experiences that enable technology professionals to make the best decisions for their businesses. Liz joined SWZD in 2018 and quickly established new data-driven experiences and products to help businesses and technology providers make better decisions. She’s continued transforming SWZD’s product offering beyond data to optimize existing products and technology to build a product roadmap that maximizes value for end-users and brands - ultimately creating the framework for authentic connections between technology buyers and sellers.
Today we talk about Liz’s leadership style, boundaries, and the importance of diversity in the tech world.
Learn more about Liz HERE. (https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiceworks-ziff-davis/)
Thank you for listening. We hope Liz inspires you in your tech journey.
Suruchi is the Founder & CEO of GIANT, a blockchain protocol that turns a phone number into a bank account and bandwidth into currency via; seamless and secure access to the internet globally; rewards on usage and yield on airtime balances.
Suruchi has extensive telecom, consumer software and blockchain experience and serves as a speaker/panelist at industry events in the US and abroad. She advises and mentors blockchain start-ups at Founders Space (ranked #1 incubator for overseas startups by Forbes) as well as mentoring young girls to cultivate her passion for technology.
Today we talk about Suruchi’s dream for technology and her passion for influencing young girls to start looking into technology, as early as 8 years old.
Click HERE to learn more about Suruchi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/guptasuruchi/
Thank you for listening to Suruchi’s story as she encourages young girls to get into tech.
Katherine Kress is VP of Strategy and an awesome women leader at Percepta. She has extensive experience in marketing, customer experience consulting, and the contact center / BPO space. She has 25 years of experience in marketing and customer experience consulting, having managed global marketing, product and services development, and more. Her ability to build and lead teams is second to none, and she has a great vision on the path to success for women working in any industry – especially marketing, technology, or the BPO space.
Today we talk about Katherine’s career journey, how she went from a degree in Asian Studies in Political Science to the technology world. Katherine discusses steps on how to build and lead amazing teams, being passionate in her work, and how much technology has changed in the last several years.
Connect with Katherine Kress HERE on LinkedIn.
Thank you for listening, we hope Katherine’s expertise has encouraged you.
This week on our MENtors that Make a Difference segment is Vince Menzione, an award-winning business leader who has delivered and advanced four successful business transformations by embracing disruptive technology and building successful partnerships to transform organizations.
Today we talk about Vince's career journey and how it can be summed up into four business transformations that have culminated into the start of his very own podcast. We also talk about the changes happening in tech with regard to women's influence in the industry and how male allies can help support their female counterparts.
Vince also hosts the successful Ultimate Guide to Partnering Podcast, where he spotlights leadership and partnership principles to help technology organizations thrive and survive during this age of rapid transformation.
You can listen to and learn more about the Ultimate Guide to Partnering Podcast here: https://ultimateguidetopartnering.com/
Thank you for listening; we hope Vince's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Jennifer Buchholz, the Founder of Excel and Flourish - a corporate technical training company. Jennifer helps organizations, teams, and individuals leverage their technology to save time, increase productivity, and reduce frustrations.
Today we talk about Jennifer's early experiences with technology and how her childhood helped shape her career path in tech training. We also talk about the importance of taking ownership as a woman in technology to accomplish the tasks at hand.
You can learn more about Excel & Flourish here: https://www.excelandflourish.com/
Thank you for listening; we hope Jennifer's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Ayumi Moore Aoki, the Founder and CEO of WOMEN IN TECH - a leading global organization whose mission is to empower and grow women and girls’ presence in STEM. The organization focuses on four primary areas that are a call for action: Education, Entrepreneurialism, Social Inclusion, Science & Research. The aim is to educate, equip and empower women and girls with the necessary skills and confidence to succeed in STEM careers. She is also the Founder and CEO of the award-winning agency Social Brain® and the Co-Founder of HER Digital Academy.
Today we talk about Ayumi's early years in business and how she eventually transitioned from a career in marketing to finding her purpose with a career in technology. Ayumi was fully immersed in technology - learning to code, build websites, and create apps. During this time, Ayumi learned about the ever-widening gap between women and men within the tech industry. To help close this gap, Ayumi founded Social Brain, WOMEN IN TECH, and HER Digital Academy with the focus of empowering and lifting women up.
Learn more about Ayumi and WOMEN IN TECH here: https://women-in-tech.org/
Thank you for listening; we hope Ayumi's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
Our next guest on our MENtors that Make a Difference segment is the co-founder of Kitcaster, Ryan Estes. He has owned a media and marketing agency for the last 10 years. For eight of those years he hosted the founders podcast Talklaunch. Consistently ranked in the iTunes "Top 100" podcasts. He has recorded 300+ interviews with more than a quarter million downloads, and attributes $1M+ in revenue as a direct result from podcasts. He loves podcasting, believes the medium possesses a giant opportunity for entrepreneurs, and is more than happy to discuss your prospects!
Find out more about Ryan and Kitcaster at https://kitcaster.com/
Thank you for listening and we hope Ryan's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week on Tech in the right Direction, we’re joined by Kalin McKenna who joined Microsoft in 2011 leading the marketing efforts for Windows Phone and Surface devices, and later transitioning to the AI and Sustainability Market Development Team. Listen in to hear about Kalin’s journey from working in politics to joining the tech world, and her thoughts on the employment, pay and culture gap in the tech industry, how the industry is moving forward, and how discrimination plays a role despite these positive changes.
This week on Tech in the Right Direction we are joined by Ansley Fender, a serial entrepreneur, and Founder/CEO of Atlas. Ansley started out college as a classically trained violinist who had to switch her trajectory when she suffered a hand injury. In order to graduate on time, Ansley decided on a whim to major in Non-profit Management, and later attended grad school for public finance. When Ansley became a stay-at-home mom to her first born she found herself needing an outlet, so started bookkeeping and financial consulting for non-profits. This is where Ansley stumbled on a market where no one was providing services in her area, and thus her journey as an accidental entrepreneur began. Listen in to hear Ansley’s story and what she’s accomplished as a woman in tech.
Learn more about Atlas Solutions here: https://www.getatlassolutions.com/
Thank you - we hope Ansley's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
Our next guest on MENtors that Make a Difference is award-winning researcher and author, Tom Tonkin. Tom holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership with a focus on Leadership and Management and defines himself as a ‘recovering executive’. We discuss the fact that technology has outpaced our ability to acknowledge and accept it, and that we are experiencing a social revolution with women in the tech industry. Listen in to hear Tom’s perspective of how allies can support women in technology and how privilege plays into the discrimination so prevalent in the industry today.
Thank you for listening; we hope Tom's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week on Tech in the Right Direction we follow Vanina Ivanova's journey in the Tech Industry and the extreme differences in digital marketing from when she first started her career to today. Vanina is currently the CMO at Adex Network, a blockchain powered system that is bringing full transparency to the digital marketing space through smart contract technology. She’s a cryptocurrency enthusiast herself, and is finding working for a blockchain company inspiring, empowering and overall – delightful. Join us as we dive into personal data, the lack of privacy in advertising, and what we can do to change this problem.
Learn more about Adex Network here: https://www.adex.network/
Thank you - we hope Vanina's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week on Tech in the Right Direction we are joined by Elizabeth Burstein, CEO and Co-Founder of Neura Health, who foundered this organization based on her personal journey with chronic pain and the challenges that came along with it. In this episode we discuss the lack of access, administrative burdens, and general struggles that exist within our healthcare system, how that affects quality of care, and how Neura Health helps solve these issues.
Thank you - we hope Elizabeth's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week dive into true leadership, authenticity, and radical inclusivity as we are joined by Ashleigh Wilson, a San Francisco-based, life-long entrepreneur. Listen in to hear about how Ashleigh went from cleaning homes, to founding her own business, how her motto ‘People Over Profit’ impacts her day to day, and how her struggles led her to where she is today.
Thank you - we hope Ashleigh's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Susan Sanders, the Founder and CEO of Spinderok - an IT Consulting Firm focused on helping companies harness the power of Microsoft 365 to deliver the ultimate employee experience.
Today we talk about Susan's career journey and what led her to become the Founder and CEO of Spinderock. We also discuss what it takes to be a leader in today's world and how we can help women forward in their careers. Listen to today's episode to learn more about Cynthia's remarkable story.
Learn more about Spinderok here: https://spinderok.com/
Thank you - we hope Susan's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Cynthia Meinke, a Senior Account Executive with New Era Technologies - a global managed technology solutions provider. They are trusted advisers to more than 9,000 customers worldwide and provide a seamless blend of solutions that securely connect people, places, and information in a rapidly changing digital world. Cynthia passionately embraces partnering with her clients to deliver an exceptional customer experience with every interaction through high-velocity and elegant innovation to push revenue growth up while driving costs down through improved business processes and operational excellence.
Today we talk about Cynthia's career journey and how her early years in the foster system helped develop her into a strong-willed leader who wanted more in life. Cynthia saw that computers and technology could help her provide not only for herself but her family as well. She 'cut her teeth' early on by repairing various systems and eventually saw her opportunity in tech sales. Her career growth has led her to New Era, where she is a Senior Sales Executive. Listen to today's episode to learn more about Cynthia's remarkable story.
Learn more about New Era Technology here: https://www.neweratech.com/us/
Thank you - we hope Cynthia's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Supriya Gupta, the General Manager of Recommendations and Head of Product at Credit Karma - a personal finance company helping individuals reach their financial goals. Supriya is responsible for personalizing the Credit Karma app experience for their 120 million customers. She has taken her department to the next level and their recommendation system now makes more than 35 billion model predictions every day.
Today we talk about Supriya's career journey and how she went from working on defense satellites to now managing an entire team within Credit Karma. We also discuss the importance of combining technical skills with soft skills and how strategy is key to creating success. The discussion continues with the challenges women face in today's business world and how to facedown imposter syndrome to reach new heights.
Learn more about Credit Karma here: https://www.creditkarma.com/
Thank you - we hope Supriya's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Eva Helén, the CEO of EQ Inspiration, Board Director at Vasion, and the Author of Women in Tech - a Book for Guys. Eva is a seasoned business executive and an experienced board member. She has over 20 years of experience in high tech, international business, strategy, operations, and finance. In addition, she has refined her expertise in developing shareholder value in high-growth companies, advising on business development and human capital.
Today we talk about Eva's early years in Silicon Valley and how it led her to become a Co-Founder, CEO, Board Member, Speaker, and Author. We also discuss the significant role men can play in growing women's presence in the tech industry and the steps they can take to become more inclusive. This idea is at the center of Eva's book, Women in Tech - a Book for Guys. Listen to today's episode and learn more about Eva and her incredible story.
Learn more about EQ Inspiration and Women in Tech - a Book for Guys here: https://eqinspiration.com/product/women-in-tech-a-book-for-guys/
Learn more about Vasion here: https://www.vasion.com/
Thank you - we hope Eva's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Lauren Anderson, the Owner and Chief Recruiter for All-In Recruiting & Talent Boutique - an experienced Human Resources & Talent Acquisition Organization delivering exceptional hiring results with urgency. They specialize in Direct Placement Executive Search, placing Mid to Senior level Diverse Professionals in Hi-Tech & Technology fields.
Today we talk about Lauren's career journey and how she found her passion in helping others grow their careers. We also discuss the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion and how it can drive positive results for organizations by showcasing the talent that otherwise wouldn't be acknowledged. We also cover how the hiring landscape has changed during the pandemic and what the future holds for the recruitment process.
Learn more about All-In Recruiting here: https://www.all-inrecruiting.com/
Thank you for listening - we hope Lauren's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Brandy Mayfield, the Chief Underwriting Officer at InShare - an insurance claims solution provider that focuses on services and solutions in Actuarial, Claims Operations, Claims Platform, Claims Process, Legal, Data Science, and Third Party Administration. Their focus on providing insurance within the gig economy is revolutionizing the industry and is filling gaps created by emerging technologies and apps.
Today we talk about Brandy's career journey and how her goals and aspirations led her to a leadership position within InShare. We also discuss the ever-changing insurance industry and how InShare meets modern-day needs within the gig economy. We also cover women's influence on technology and how we can continue to encourage them to join the tech industry.
Learn more about InShare here: https://inshare.com/ Thank you for listening - we hope Brandy's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Sandra O'Sullivan, the Chief People Officer at Curriculum Associates - an organization focused on creating innovative solutions for the education space. Based in North Billerica, Massachusetts, and with offices and remote employees throughout the United States, Curriculum Associates has been awarded many recognitions as a top employer. Their team of more than 1,500 employees is comprised of lifelong learners who stand behind their mission, working tirelessly to serve the educational community with world-class programs and support every day.
Today we talk about Sandra's career journey and how she went from a Web Designer to becoming a C-Level Executive. We also cover how diversity and inclusion can help organizations grow and thrive in today's world. We also discuss the challenges women face throughout different industries and how we can help them overcome obstacles and create success through education and training.
Learn more about Curriculum Associates here: https://www.curriculumassociates.com/
Thank you for listening - we hope Sandra's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Jayme Ambrose, the CEO of Adobe Care & Wellness - an integrated health care solutions company utilizing innovative proprietary software with in-person wellness care to assess, track and improve outcomes and quality of life. They are the only health care company in the U.S. utilizing an integrative model for proactive and preventative care that successfully reduces ER visits and hospital readmits while increasing member retention and satisfaction. The company now provides healthcare solutions and services to more than 40,000 people.
Today we talk about Jayme's career journey and how her work as a nurse eventually led to her becoming the CEO of Adobe Care & Wellness. We also cover how healthcare is changing and how tech is helping fill healthcare gaps for those in need. We then dive into the challenges women face in the tech industry and how to overcome them.
Learn more about Adobe Care & Wellness here: https://adobecw.com/
Thank you for listening - we hope Jayme's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Evelyn Sheahan, Director of Business Programs for Azure Cloud and AI at Microsoft. Evelyn has a background in technology, business management, and marketing. In addition, she has a wide range of corporate and field experience and has worked in sale-enablement programs developed to drive multi-million-dollar sales with increased efficiencies.
Today we talk about Evelyn's early years in technology and how it eventually grew into a number of different roles at Microsoft. We also cover Evelyn's involvement in mentorship programs and why they are crucial for creating real change in the industry. We continue this conversation by talking about the slow climb women and minorities face while growing their tech careers and how a DEI strategy can help organizations, employees, and communities change for the better.
Thank you for listening - we hope Evelyn's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Vickie Helm, the CEO of Smart Group Firm - a consulting firm focused on business strategy, leadership, training, and management consulting. Vickie is also the Co-CEO of Metadigm Digital - an online media network to help visionary action takers shape the future and create thrive-ability through world-class books, shows, and programs. She is also a best-selling author and keynote speaker that focuses on economic, political, and business patterns across the globe to create success for her clients and to prepare, pivot and profit from the changes ahead.
In today's episode, we talk about Vickie's career journey and how she developed a passion for entrepreneurship at a young age. We also talk about how young entrepreneurs can maximize their potential and build a successful business. We also discuss giving back and the importance of helping others while helping yourself.
You can learn more about Smart Group Firm here: https://www.smartgroupfirm.com/
We hope Vickie's story helps inspire others to grow their career.
This week's guest is Paula Tutman, a multi-Emmy-winning journalist, Novelist, Screenplay Writer, Communication Coach, and Inventor. Paula has spent over 30 years in broadcast journalism as a field reporter and is also the proud creator and inventor of Bra-Less Bra, the Instant Cleavage Sculpting Solution. Paula is a woman of the world who spent several of her younger years in Africa but now calls Detroit her adoptive home.
In today's episode, we talk about Paula's career journey and how she took advantage of the opportunity to become a reporter in broadcast journalism. We also talk about the struggles women face regarding beauty standards and how this inspired Paula to develop the Bra-Less Bra. We also discuss how women can work together to advance their careers and business endeavors.
You can learn more about Bra-Less Bra here: https://bralessbra.com/
We hope Paula's story helps inspire others to grow their career.
This week's guest is Donna Loughlin, the Founder of LMGPR - an award-winning public relations agency focused on B2B and consumer technology. LMGPR's proprietary approach called Pulse, a multi-tiered, systematic approach to public relations, is designed to leverage public relations to drive new business opportunities, increase sales and create category leadership. In addition to her business, Donna also hosts Before It Happened, a podcast focused on telling the stories of visionaries, innovators, and futurists and how they have changed the world as we know it.
In today's episode, we talk about Donna's career journey and how her early experiences with STEM pushed her to begin a career in technology. We also discuss how important it is to expose kids, especially young women, to STEM and various technologies to set them up for success in the future. Lastly, we talk about how tech is changing the world and what innovators and futurists are doing to create a better future for all.
You can learn more about LMGPR here: https://www.lmgpr.com/
You can listen to Before It Happened here: https://www.beforeithappened.com/
We hope Donna's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Dr. Cara Antoine, Managing Director Digital Transformation IG&H - a leading independent business consulting firm based in the Netherlands. IG&H is a market leader in complex end-to-end digital transformation and has focused its work across five industries: retail, healthcare, banking, insurance, and pensions.
In today's episode, we talk about Dr. Cara's journey from fixing radios as a young child to the head of IG&H's Digital Transformation team. We also discuss the difficulties women currently face in the technology industry and what we can all do to help grow their presence. Lastly, we discuss creating a more accessible business and how organizations can help create opportunities for anyone and everyone to gain access to products, services, and solutions.
You can learn more about IG&H here: https://www.igh.com/
We hope Dr. Cara's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Veronica Place, an Account Manager at GenCare, a division of General Networks - an organization that delivers technology consulting and managed services for customers who need to collect and process business-critical information. Veronica is passionate about bringing individuals together and whose key strength is coaching people to their potential.
In today's episode, we talk about Veronica's career journey and how it led her to her current position within GenCare. We also discuss Veronica's involvement with non-profits and her passion for creating a more diverse, equal, and inclusive world. Finally, we take the conversation further into how we can put our biases aside to create a better future for the generations to come.
You can learn more about GenCare here: https://gencarenow.com/
We hope Veronica's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Peggy Martinus, VP of Sales & Marketing at Magenium Solutions - an organization focused on Microsoft-centered services and solutions that allows companies to increase revenue, reduce risk, and decrease costs. Peggy is a tenured leader with over twenty-five years of experience in IT and is an instrumental part of Magenium's partnership with Microsoft. She offers deep insight across all aspects of the business relationship and has helped grow the organization over the past ten years.
In today's episode, we talk about Peggy's career journey and how she found herself at Magenium. With a degree in Computer Science, Peggy found herself in coding right out of college, which eventually led her to the business side of IT. Peggy eventually grew within the business side of IT, which ultimately led her to a leadership position within Magenium. We also discuss how women can better advocate for themselves and negotiate their way into a more equal and deserving world.
You can learn more about Magenium Solutions here:
https://www.magenium.com/
We hope Peggy's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Liz Aldridge, the Manager of Client Services at ApostleTech - an organization specializing in implementing, extending, connecting, and supporting Salesforce. Liz is passionate about developing processes and sales operations that provide substantial customer results and drive change. In addition, she has extensive experience in sales and cloud services, which has allowed her to grow within the ApostleTech team.
In today's episode, we talk with Liz about managing a team in a remote world and how-to handle your work-life balance. We also discuss the different ways you can navigate the challenges created in today's modern business world. Finally, we continue the discussion and talk about setting expectations within your work and at home - along with so much more.
You can learn more about ApostleTech here: https://apostletech.com/
We hope Liz's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Sara Silver, the Founder and President of Silverware, Inc. - a Premier Microsoft Gold Partner focused on providing a library of solutions to help organizations drive efficiency and create growth. Starting in 1988, Sara has grown the company into a world-class organization and is now focused on using this growth to create more opportunities for women in tech.
In today's episode, we talk about Sara's career journey and what led her to become the Founder of Silverware, Inc. We also get into how women have changed the IT landscape and what we can do to expose more women to tech careers. We also get into the unique opportunity created from the pandemic for more women to enter the tech industry.
You can learn more about Silverware, Inc. here: https://www.silverw.com/
We hope Sara's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
Our next guest on MENtors that Make a Difference is Allen Middleton, Partner Development Manager of North America for Amazon Web Services (AWS). Allen has spent over 20 years in the IT learning and development space, where he has a proven track record of creating positive organizational change. He is a driven leader focused on creating team success and the growth and advancement of his customers.
Today we discuss Allen's professional career and how his past 20 years in the learning development space have led him to Amazon Web Services (AWS). We also cover women's presence in tech and the challenges women face in today's IT landscape. Then, digging in further - we talk about how organizations can advocate for positive change for women to help overcome these modern-day challenges and how the data is trending in the right direction.
Thank you for listening; we hope Allen's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Alaina Percival, the CEO and Board Member of Women Who Code - an international nonprofit focused on creating opportunities for women to excel in tech careers. Alaina sees the lack of women in tech as a global issue and is passionate about finding modern-day solutions to help solve it. She founded Women Who Code with these ideas in mind and has continued to grow the organization's reach by expanding into new communities every day.
In today's episode, we talk about Alaina's career journey and how she took a non-traditional path to tech. Alaina started coding and chose a path that helped her realize her potential and grow in the tech industry. Our discussion evolved into talking about her passion for increasing women's presence in tech and how this eventually led her to found Women Who Code. Listen to today's episode to learn more about Alaina and her incredible story.
You can learn more about Women Who Code here: https://www.womenwhocode.com/
We hope Alaina's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Sarah Currey, a Cloud Security Consultant at Amazon Web Services (AWS). Sarah works closely with AWS customers to architect, implement, and deploy AWS Cloud Security solutions. Additionally, Sarah is a strong advocate for underrepresented individuals in the cloud security space and serves on several committees to help push for more inclusion in the industry.
In today's episode, we talk about Sarah's early years in tech and how her career evolved into working within the IT security space. We also talk about the gaps being created for women in tech and how the pandemic has created further problems. We then cover how to navigate these gaps and how women can work together to build a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
Thank you for listening; we hope Sarah's story help inspire others to grow their tech career.
Our next guest on MENtors that Make a Difference is Michael Ashford, the Director of Marketing at The Receptionist. Started in 2013, The Receptionist paved the way as the first-ever visitor management company. They are now in over 4k+ locations and 36 countries worldwide. You can learn more about The Receptionist here: https://thereceptionist.com/
Today we talk about Michael's career journey and how his different experiences working in a wide variety of roles helped shape his business skillset. We also talk about the positive shifts that are taking place for women in tech and how gender stereotypes are being broken to create change.
Thank you for listening; we hope Michael's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guests are Colette Bishamy and Melody Roberts. Colette is the Director of Women's Innovation Learning Labs at the Women's Business Development Center. The organization is focused on supporting and accelerating innovation by and between women business owners, subject matter experts, and corporate partners. Melody is the CEO and Co-Founder of Liv-Labs. They focus on combining self-care tools and easy-access services for convenient health management, starting with pelvic floor fitness.
In today's episode, we talk about how innovation is a crucial aspect of business growth. Unfortunately, the pandemic has made innovation difficult but not impossible. Listen to the episode and learn how to continue innovating and thriving when facing the modern world's challenges.
Thank you for listening; we hope Colette and Melody help inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Anne Bathel, CEO, and co-founder of ReDI School of Digital Integration. In 2006 Anne graduated from KaosPilot in Denmark, a hybrid of a business and a design school. From 2006-2009, she worked as a corporate social responsibility consultant. While in this role, Anne developed and implemented Samsung Electronics' award-winning corporate social responsibility strategy for Scandinavia. Anne eventually moved to Japan, researching open social innovation, where she received the prestigious Rotary Peace Fellowship.
Today we talk about Anne's journey into the tech industry and how her experiences helped shape her career. We also cover how in 2012, she moved to Berlin to set up the Berlin Peace Innovation Lab in association with Stanford University. The lab focuses on how technology is facilitating emerging and measurable social change toward global peace. In 2015, in response to the refugee crises, Anne co-founded ReDI School of Digital Integration, a vocational training program teaching programming and tech skills to refugees and marginalized people. ReDI is currently teaching 1500+ adults and kids per year - with 65% of these being women and girls.
Thank you for listening; we hope Anne's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Chaitra Vedullapalli, an influential business leader passionate about enabling business equity throughout our communities. Chaitra is the Co-Founder of Women in Cloud and the CMO of Meylah, a cloud solution provider that helps businesses grow their digital presence through a wide range of solutions. She is also a Board Member, Forbes & Your Story Contributor, Entrepreneur, TEDx & Public Speaker, and avTop100 Global Change Leader.
Today we talk about Chaitra's career journey and how her early experiences helped form her passion for technology. Chaitra saw the potential technology had to advance people's lives for the better and she wanted to be a part of these advancements. However, she also saw the glass ceilings that women faced in the industry. To break these glass ceilings, Chaitra co-founded Women in Cloud to give women access to opportunities they otherwise wouldn't have. Listen to today's episode and learn more about Chaitra's story and the progress she’s making.
Thank you for listening; we hope Chaitra's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career. To learn more about Chaitra and to get in touch with her, visit her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaitrav/
This week's guest is Gavriella Schuster, the founding sponsor of Women in Cloud and the Women in Technology Network. She currently sits on the board of both, along with being a board member of ChinaSoft International, IAMCP, and the University of Washington Bothell. Last year she gave a TEDx speech on "Gender Equity," where she launched her "Become Framework." As an Athena International Global Leadership Award winner and a former Corporate VP at Microsoft, Gavriella knows what it takes to make significant changes for women in tech.
Today we talk about Gavriella's career journey and how she rose through the ranks at Microsoft as a woman in tech. Being at Microsoft for 25+ years, she reached an executive-level position by continuing to build on her knowledge and experiences to stand out from the rest. We also talk about her passion for growing women's presence in the industry and how she's turning that passion into real-world change through the various projects she helps manage. Finally, we talk about exposing the problems facing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the tech industry and how we can all help solve them.
Learn more about Gavriella and the organizations she's involved with by following her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavriella-schuster/
Thank you for listening; we hope Gavriella's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
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This week's guest is Ayumi Moore Aoki, the Founder and CEO of WOMEN IN TECH - a leading global organization whose mission is to empower and grow women and girls’ presence in STEM. The organization focuses on four primary areas that are a call for action: Education, Entrepreneurialism, Social Inclusion, Science & Research. The aim is to educate, equip and empower women and girls with the necessary skills and confidence to succeed in STEM careers. She is also the Founder and CEO of the award-winning agency Social Brain® and the Co-Founder of HER Digital Academy.
Today we talk about Ayumi's early years in business and how she eventually transitioned from a career in marketing to finding her purpose with a career in technology. Ayumi was fully immersed in technology - learning to code, build websites, and create apps. During this time, Ayumi learned about the ever-widening gap between women and men within the tech industry. To help close this gap, Ayumi founded Social Brain, WOMEN IN TECH, and HER Digital Academy with the focus of empowering and lifting women up.
Learn more about Ayumi and WOMEN IN TECH here: https://women-in-tech.org/
Thank you for listening; we hope Ayumi's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Rhonda Cook, a Senior Director of Customer Success at Microsoft. Rhonda manages the adoption, consumption, and digital transformation for all United States Federal Agencies, Military Services, and Intelligence Organizations. Her focus is to ensure all aspects of these organizations have their needs met when it comes to their usage of all Microsoft 365 offerings. Additionally, she has continued to help these organizations maintain a modern-day infrastructure in today's digital world.
Rhonda's started her career by teaching mathematics and knew that she was excited about continued learning. She continued to train and learn about new technologies, which eventually led her to join an IT training organization. At this new organization, Rhonda homed in on how to find solutions for IT problems that arise. Her knowledge and newfound skill set for finding modern-day solutions allowed her to join Microsoft, where she continued to grow and flourish within the organization.
Thank you for listening; we hope Rhonda's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
Our next guest on MENtors that Make a Difference is Tom Foster, the Director of Sales at The Receptionist, the company behind your swift check-in experiences. Started in 2013, The Receptionist paved the way as the first-ever visitor management company. They are now in over 4k+ locations and 36 countries worldwide.
Today we talk about Tom's career journey and how business culture helped guide him to where he is today. We also talk about the significant impact women have had on The Receptionist and how they have impacted the tech industry as a whole. Finally, to further explore this impact, we discuss the qualities male allies can attain to help their female counterparts grow their careers.
You can learn more about The Receptionist here: https://thereceptionist.com/
Thank you for listening; we hope Tom's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Lori McColl, the CEO and Founder of Whim-Detroit, a technology startup and digital transformation group that focuses on implementing agile solutions. She is passionate about sharing her experience in the tech industry and growing a new business. Lori has been a guest speaker at several events, including the future of retail and social movements at the Women's Convention, Social Media Week, Planet M IoT Connect, and Detroit Start-up Week.
Lori has taken a customer-focused approach to growing her business. This focus on client needs has allowed her to build trust, which gives her the ability to innovate and develop projects quickly. This approach has been central to the culture of Whim-Detroit and has allowed them to grow into the successful business they are today.
To learn more about Lori and Whim-Detroit, visit their site here: https://www.whim-detroit.com/
Thank you for listening; we hope Lori's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
Our first featured guest on MENtors that Make a Difference is Vince Menzione, an award-winning business leader who has delivered and advanced four successful business transformations by embracing disruptive technology and building successful partnerships to transform organizations.
Today we talk about Vince's career journey and how it can be summed up into four business transformations that have culminated into the start of his very own podcast. We also talk about the changes happening in tech with regard to women's influence in the industry and how male allies can help support their female counterparts.
Vince also hosts the successful Ultimate Guide to Partnering Podcast, where he spotlights leadership and partnership principles to help technology organizations thrive and survive during this age of rapid transformation.
You can listen to and learn more about the Ultimate Guide to Partnering Podcast here: https://ultimateguidetopartnering.com/
Thank you for listening; we hope Vince's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Jennifer O'Brien, the Founder of Accounting Business Solutions by JCS - a solution provider that focuses on the implementation, training, and technical assistance for accounting software.
Today we talk about Jennifer's career journey and how she dove headfirst into tech during the early part of her career journey. Jennifer's headfirst attitude developed because she knew she would see a return on the investment in herself. This investment in herself became a realization after Jennifer figured out that she could help small businesses with the accounting side of their organization, which led her to create Business Solutions by JCS.
Learn more about Accounting Business Solutions by JCS here: https://www.jcscomputer.com/
Thank you for listening; we hope Jennifer's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Jane Pitt, a Business Program Manager at Microsoft. Jane is a Technical Architect with +20 years of experience in infrastructure engineering and architectural design and a Storyteller with a passion for illuminating opportunities to grow and succeed personally and in business.
Today we talk about Jane's career journey and how she got into tech. Her story is very similar to most women who join the industry, as it was not her first career choice. Jane did have a lot of experience with computers and software growing up, but she followed her passion for literature and chose a career in creative writing. However, as she followed this passion, she continually found herself working with tech and this eventually grew into a full-fledged dive into the tech industry.
Thank you for listening; we hope Jane's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Jennifer Buchholz, the Founder of Excel and Flourish - a corporate technical training company. Jennifer helps organizations, teams, and individuals leverage their technology to save time, increase productivity, and reduce frustrations.
Today we talk about Jennifer's early experiences with technology and how her childhood helped shape her career path in tech training. We also talk about the importance of taking ownership as a woman in technology to accomplish the tasks at hand.
You can learn more about Excel & Flourish here: https://www.excelandflourish.com/
Thank you for listening; we hope Jennifer's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Nauren Batjargal, the Co-Founder and COO of erxes Inc, an open-source growth marketing platform that focuses on being a single tool for the Growth Marketing Lifecycle. They currently have over 1 million downloads in over 100 countries and are in the process of raising even more capital for further growth.
Today we talk about Nauren's career journey and how she moved up the ranks within the financial tech industry and how this led her to co-found erxes. We also cover how women can establish themselves as leaders within an organization.
You can learn more about erxes Inc. here: https://erxes.io/
Thank you for listening; we hope Nauren's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Deanna Emery, a Lead Data Scientist at Aon - a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, reinsurance, retirement, and health solutions. In addition to her work as a Lead Data Scientist, Deanna heads a Sprinternship Program that focuses on growing women and non-binary presence in the STEM fields.
Today we talk about Deanna's jump from Astrophysics to becoming a Lead Data Scientist at Aon. Deanna also shares her experiences with growing women's presence in the industry. This focus on increasing women's presence is centered around the Sprintership Program Sponsored by Break Through Tech Chicago and Aon. The project they worked on this year revolved around building out diversity solutions for inventors and creators.
Thank you for listening; we hope Deanna's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Lisa Heite, a Partner Development Manager at Microsoft with a passion for helping others. Lisa's story revolves around living, studying, and working around the world. She gained a wide range of experience throughout her international travel and has used that to bring a unique perspective to the tech industry. Her ideas and approach give her an edge when it comes to solving problems and bringing people together.
While volunteering at an NGO, Lisa developed a digital strategy and saw how digital transformation could further women's rights and give them a voice throughout the world. This passion for women's rights led Lisa to the WIT Network, and she is now lending her skills to their cause.
Thank you for listening; we hope Lisa's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career. To learn more about the WIT Network, visit their site here: https://thewitnetwork.com/
This week's guest is Dr. Nicole Tschierske - a scientist and positive psychology coach. Nicole is passionate about helping overlooked women in STEM become influential to confidently unlock new opportunities for themselves. Nicole lives in Hamburg, Germany, is a food chemist by training and holds a Ph.D. in chemistry next to certifications in coaching, positive psychology, change management, and advanced problem-solving. As a scientist and positive psychology coach, Nicole helps her clients strategically turn their career frustrations into a renewed love for their work.
Today we talk about Nicole's career journey and how she ended up in the STEM field. We also talk about Nicole's involvement in coaching and mentoring women in STEM. We also talk about how we can garner more engagement from women in STEM and grow their presence further.
Thank you for listening; we hope Nicole's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Evelyn Sheahan, Director of Business Programs for Azure Cloud and AI at Microsoft. She has a background in technology, business management, and marketing. Evelyn has a wide range of corporate and field experience and has worked in sales-enablement programs developed to drive multi-million-dollar sales with increased efficiencies.
Today we talk about Evelyn's beginnings and how it eventually grew into a role at Microsoft. We also talk about the challenge’s women face within tech and how important it is to develop your skills to stand out. We also talk about how important it is to find a mentor who can guide you in the right direction.
Thank you for listening; we hope Evelyn's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Sharan Hildebrand, Vice-President of Strategic Alliances for the North American division of Hitachi Solutions. Sharan has more than 15 years of client development and consulting experience in the IT industry. She is passionate about partnering with customers and other corporate organizations to leverage technology that helps people reach their top-line goals and address their most significant business problems. She works with field sellers and partners to design, market, and close projects that will provide deep value and guarantee high levels of client satisfaction.
Today we talk about Sharan's early leap into the tech industry that started back in college, where her passion for technology grew. This passion and love for tech eventually led her to a career in the industry. We also talk about Sharan's involvement with several organizations that work toward growing women's presence in the tech industry.
Thank you for listening; we hope Sharan's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Sarah Haggard, the Founder and CEO of Tribute− a peer-to-peer mentorship platform available in Slack and Teams that enhances team collaboration, learning, and productivity by creating real-time access to knowledge sharing via micro-mentorship. Sarah is an innovative people and business leader who has led multiple start-up initiatives within her decade-long career in Product Marketing at Microsoft, raising $40M to scale her last business. She is an expert in P&L management, enterprise software, and GTM strategy. Her tenacity and drive for results led to her being widely recognized as a turnaround expert and new business incubator.
Today we talk about Sarah's non-traditional route that started in social work and how this evolved into a career in technology. Sarah also shares how technology is helping shape entrepreneurship and how it can help individuals find the mentoring they need.
Thank you for listening; we hope Sarah's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Andrea Stevenson Conner, the Principal of Stevenson Conner Global Strategies - an organization that collaborates with game-changing, innovative leaders of regional/global nonprofit and for-profit organizations with missions for gender equity that seek significant impact extending to the 7th generation. Andrea is a consultant who knows how to build the team around critical initiatives and serves as an agent of change. She moves innovative initiatives forward from an idea, creates alignment of strategy, and focuses on team building with a global lens.
Today we talk about Andrea's experiences throughout the world and how they helped her develop her approach to making significant positive changes for women. Andrea also shares what she attributes her success to. We also talk about how women significantly impact the global economy and the influence they wield.
Thank you for listening; we hope Andrea's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Jane Wiseman, CEO of the Institute for Excellence in Government. This consulting services organization helps state and local government clients with strategy development, policy analysis, program implementation, and performance management. Jane is a seasoned government innovation and data analytics thought leader, strategy consultant, and experienced board member for social enterprises and non-profits.
Today we talk about Jane's move into the tech industry and how she became an executive-level leader within her organization. We also talk about how women can drive change in male-dominated industries by overcoming their self-doubt and knocking down obstacles.
Thank you for listening; we hope Jane's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Heather Doran, Chief of Staff for Business Applications Marketing & Global Industry at Microsoft. Heather is an enthusiastic leader with a proven record of implementing high-performing marketing, operations, and event strategies. She has an innate ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams to successfully develop a vision based on customer-focused insights and data that delivers results.
Today we talk about Heather's move into the tech industry and how she moved her way up through the ranks at Microsoft. We also talk about how women can find success and break down barriers in a male-dominated industry.
Thank you for listening; we hope Heather's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Whitney Cathcart, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at 3DLOOK. This AI-first technology company has built a patented mobile body scanning technology that measures fully dressed people with the highest precision of accuracy in seconds. Their fit-tech solution is allowing the fashion and apparel industry to catch up with modern times.
Today we talk about Whitney's move from the applications space into the fit-tech industry and how 3DLOOK is helping modernize fashion and apparel. We also talk about how women are becoming a driving force in technology and how staying curious can keep this drive going.
Thank you for listening; we hope Whitney's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Momei Qu, the Senior Vice President of PSP Growth - the growth equity arm of PSP Partners. They focus on leveraging their multi-faceted experience and expertise across vital economic segments, including business & technology services, housing, and industrials. Their approach is centered on investing in innovative high-growth software and tech-enabled services companies that drive efficiency and disrupt the status quo.
Today we talk about how Momei's passion for technology started and how her tech career grew into a senior-level position with PSP. We also discuss the importance of investing in women and how that investment can pay dividends down the line.
Thank you for listening; we hope Momei's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Sowmya Murthy, Chief Customer Officer with Seven Lakes Technologies - a SaaS company that focuses on empowering people to gain insights and take timely action on Production, Capex, Opex, Reserves, Regulatory and Compliance metrics of over 100,000 wells of the 1 million wells in the US. Sowmya has a passion for measurable revenue growth outcomes by implementing disruptive business strategies, product roadmaps, and market leadership campaigns for B2B technology companies. She has 15+ years of insights in leading product marketing, demand generation, brand awareness, strategy consulting, and start-up initiatives.
Today we talk about how Sowmya's career in tech started and how it grew into an executive-level position. We also talk about the power of technology and how it is transforming industries. We also discuss owning your position as a woman in executive-level leadership and how women can challenge the status quo.
Thank you for listening; we hope Sowmya's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Elisabeth Bohlmann, VP of Client Strategy for December Labs - a company that focuses on building vibrant and game-changing products for Enterprise corporations, such as Google, Accenture, Zurich, Santander & Nest, along with Silicon Valley’s top-funded startups and growth-stage companies. Elisabeth is a versatile cross-functional marketing executive specializing in defining and developing custom marketing solutions with aesthetic precision and timely execution. She has developed and led projects for iconic brands such as Mattel, NBCUniversal, Food Network Latam, NBA Latam, Concacaf, Sony Music, Universal Music, Univision, sports clients, and celebrities.
Today we talk about Elisabeth's early beginnings in tech and how her passion for tech products grew into a full-time career. We also talk about designing tech products with a solution-based mindset.
Thank you for listening; we hope Elisabeth's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Jen Snyder, Chief Evangelist at GovQA - a provider of SaaS-based collaboration tools enabling the nation's top cities, counties, and state agencies to process complex work while facilitating internal and external communications in a highly secure environment. Jen is also a guest speaker and moderator for government events, roundtables, and associations with nearly fifteen years of experience in the state and local government space - plus another ten years managing local and international business development initiatives for B2B tech companies.
Today we talk about Jen's move to the tech industry and how GovQA is helping build a better tomorrow. We also discuss the different opportunities women have when entering the tech industry and finding what fits them best.
Thank you for listening; we hope Jen's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Kris Blackmon, the Chief Channel Officer at JS Group - a management consulting firm specializing in creating impactful indirect go-to-market strategies for tech firms. Kris has been in the channel market for several years now, which she has used to develop her skills and grow into an executive role within JS Group. She is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, and her volunteer efforts bring her a deep sense of fulfillment.
Today we talk about Kris's career journey and how she found herself working in the tech industry. We also talk about her passion for making a difference regarding women's career opportunities and growth - especially in more technical roles.
Thank you for listening; we hope Kris's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Holley Hunt, Sales Director at IntelliSite - an organization that focuses on turnkey IoT solutions that build out to a wide range of managed applications that create connected businesses and actionable outcomes. Holley has been passionately involved in the security industry for over 20 years. She currently represents innovations in IoT, AI, and Computer Vision for smarter and more secure solutions.
Today we talk about Holley's beginnings in the tech industry and how she became a director and leader at IntelliSite. We also discuss the challenges women face when entering the tech industry and how to rise above these challenges to become leaders within an organization.
Thank you for listening; we hope Holley's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Shindy Chen, the Founder and CEO of Scribe - a global financial content consultancy and agency based in New York. As a former guest contributor and on-air expert for media outlets such as The Huffington Post and Cheddar TV, she wrote on fintech, credit, lifestyle, career, and travel advice. She has also authored three books:
- "The Credit Cleanup Book" (Praeger) was published in 2014.
- Its sequel, "Credit Score Hacks" (Scribe) released in September 2017 and hit #1 on 2 Amazon Bestseller lists in its first week of release.
- "The First Time" (Scribe), released in February 2017, hit 3 Top 10 Amazon bestseller romance lists.
Today we talk about Shindy's beginnings in the fintech industry and what led her to start her own company. We also talk about how women can advocate for themselves and overcome challenges such as the gender pay gap.
Thank you for listening; we hope Shindy's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
Christine Bongard is the President of the WIT (Women in Tech) Network, and she is joining us in this week’s episode to discuss the amazing work her organization does. The WIT Network is present in over 30 countries worldwide and it is working diligently on encouraging women and girls to pursue careers in the technology sector, enable more women to attain leadership positions and support more female entrepreneurs in their professional endeavors. Christine talked to us about including more girls in the tech world through working with schools, creating work environments that are more welcoming to women and insisting on inclusion strategies. She emphasizes the importance of inspiring and coaching each other to gain confidence needed for a successful career in the fast-paced technology industry. Despite the long road that is still ahead, Christine is confident this is a great time for women in technology as companies are opening up and more opportunities are being offered to marginalized groups. Tune in to learn more about Christine's efforts and pick up on some great advice that she shared with our listeners.
Joining us in this week’s episode of our podcast is Sarika Malhotra, a dynamic business leader who spent over 25 years consulting companies around the world, helping them with their IT needs. Today, Sarika is the founder and CEO of C3IT Software Solutions and a community leader at IAMCP, a not-for-profit working with the Microsoft Partner Channel, however she told us her amazing journey in the world of technology started by mistake. Sarika almost followed in her father’s footsteps and joined the army as a medical professional, but her drive and ambition led her down a different path. A bold and energetic entrepreneur that she is, Sarika understands how critical data analysis is to run a successful business which is why she focuses on helping large enterprises comprehend and utilize information in the best way possible with the goal of transforming and bettering their business. Her work, however, does not stop there. Sarika is also engaged with the international partner community to encourage diversity at the workplace. She is an active proponent of inclusion of people with different backgrounds and aside from telling us about her professional endeavors, she shared her thoughts on the significance of workplace diversity.
This week's guest is Sarah Haggard, the Founder and CEO of Tribute. A peer-to-peer mentorship platform that enhances team collaboration, learning, and productivity by creating real-time access to knowledge sharing via micro-mentorship. Sarah is an innovative people and business leader who has led multiple start-up initiatives within her decade-long career in Product Marketing at Microsoft, raising $40M to scale her last business. She is an expert in P&L management, enterprise software, and GTM strategy. Sarah's tenacity and drive for results led to her being recognized as a turnaround expert and new business incubator.
Today we talk about Sarah's beginnings in the tech industry and what led her to found Tribute. We also talk about the importance of mentorship and how it can help shape your career.
Thank you for listening; we hope Sarah's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Sherlaender (Lani) Phillips, the VP of US Channel Sales for Microsoft. Lani brings over 20 years of experience in managing transformation in technology and inclusive leadership. As a recognized member of Microsoft leadership, Lani has been a driving force behind creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce which in turn has made Microsoft a centerpiece for positive reform within the tech industry. Lani's story of creating positive change is an inspiration to everyone facing the challenges in today's tech culture. Lani credits her success to her personal experiences, the people she's surrounded herself with, and the education she’s sought out. She also credits a few books that have helped her along the way:
- Inclusive Leadership: The Definitive Guide to Developing and Executing an Impactful Diversity and Inclusion Strategy: - Locally and Globally
- Inclusive Leadership: From Awareness to Action
- THRIVE: The Facilitator's Guide to Radically Inclusive Meetings
Lani's work and story will continue to leave an indelible mark on the world of technology. You can continue to follow her story when her book arrives in 2021. We want to thank you for listening and we hope that Lani's story inspires you to be a part of the transformative change that is taking place in the world of technology.
This week's guest is Gavriella Schuster, Corporate VP of Commercial Partners at Microsoft. Gavriella currently leads a global portfolio of channel partners that has influenced over $1 trillion in ecosystem revenues through Microsoft's fastest-growing ecosystem. She has over 20 years of leadership in digital and cloud transformation roles, driving strategy and execution spanning all aspects of the business model and product development, launch, marketing, sales, and partner development. As a builder and change agent, she has built and turned around businesses by inspiring a vision for future customer relevance and engaging teams in developing the roadmap.
Today we talk about Gavriella's beginnings in the tech industry and how she became an executive-level leader at Microsoft. We also talk about the challenges women face when entering the tech industry and how to overcome those challenges.
Thank you for listening; we hope Gavriella's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Evelyn Sheahan, Director of Business Programs for Azure Cloud and AI at Microsoft. She has a background in technology, business management, and marketing. Evelyn has a wide range of corporate and field experience and has worked in sales-enablement programs developed to drive multi-million-dollar sales with increased efficiencies.
Today we talk about Evelyn's beginnings and how it eventually grew into a role at Microsoft. We also talk about the challenge’s women face within tech and how important it is to develop your skills to stand out. We also talk about how important it is to find a mentor who can guide you in the right direction.
Thank you for listening; we hope Evelyn's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Aja Hill, Director of Modern Workplace Customer Success - Federal at Microsoft. Aja's primary focus is on ensuring Microsoft customers achieve full adoption of their Microsoft Teams technology. She does this by giving the customer full visibility into what they own, developing plans to train end-users to use the technology, and encouraging end-users to make the technology their own.
Today we talk about Aja's beginnings in marketing within the music industry and how she eventually grew into a role at Microsoft. We also talk about the challenges women are facing within tech and how market leaders like Microsoft are taking action.
Thank you for listening; we hope Aja's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Leonie Moos, the Head of Program at Grace - Accelerate Female Entrepreneurship. Leonie previously worked at a fintech company in the e-commerce industry and a venture capitalist firm. Her global industry experience has allowed her to become an expert on how to grow a business with worldwide capabilities.
Today we talk about how a global perspective can help organizations improve and grow a worldwide presence. We also discuss the importance of promoting female entrepreneurs and some advice for females’ entrepreneurs just starting.
Thank you for listening; we hope Leonie's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Binna Kim, the President and Co-Founder of Vested - Communications Agency. She is an experienced financial services communications consultant, working with large and small financial brands on strategy and execution. Leveraging creativity and pragmatism, she worked with firms to craft a compelling strategy with impactful results. As an integrated communicator, she thinks holistically about how brands can leverage the communications mix to deliver ROI.
Today we talk about how certain people and experiences help spark career inspirations. We also talk about how different industries have evolved to make room for women, but more work remains.
Thank you for listening; we hope Binna help inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guests are Megan McCann, Jane Hamner, and Leslie Vickrey. Megan is an established IT recruitment and technology services leader known for building and leading highly successful IT services firms and for her work to advance diversity and cultivate talent across the technology industry. Jane is a dedicated and seasoned IT staffing professional with more than 30 years of experience delivering top technology talent and IT solutions to businesses. Lastly, we have Leslie, an enterprising Chicagoan with a keen entrepreneurial spirit, focusing on making a difference in the tech and business community.
Today we talk about how different journeys can bring people to a single place and create a shared mission. Our different talents, passion for diversity, and affinity to technology led us to each other and has allowed us to grow diversity and inclusion within tech. We will also look at how everyone can help make a difference in the tech industry by driving a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Thank you for listening; we hope Megan, Jane, and Leslie help inspire others to grow their tech career
This week's guests are Colette Buscemi and Melody Roberts. Colette is the Director of Women's Innovation Learning Labs at the Women's Business Development Center. The organization is focused on supporting and accelerating innovation by and between women business owners, subject matter experts, and corporate partners. Melody is the CEO and Co-Founder of Liv-Labs. They focus on combining self-care tools and easy-access services for convenient health management, starting with pelvic floor fitness.
In today's episode, we talk about how innovation is a crucial aspect of business growth. The pandemic has made innovation difficult, but not impossible. Listen to the episode and learn how you can continue to innovate and thrive when facing the modern world's challenges.
Thank you for listening; we hope Colette and Melody help inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Anne Bathel, CEO and co-founder of ReDI School of Digital Integration. In 2006 Anne graduated from KaosPilot in Denmark, a hybrid of a business and a design school. From 2006-2009, she worked as a corporate social responsibility consultant. While in this role, Anne developed and implemented Samsung Electronics' award-winning corporate social responsibility strategy for Scandinavia. Anne eventually moved to Japan, where she spent two years researching open social innovation and received the prestigious Rotary Peace Fellowship.
In 2012, she moved to Berlin to set up the Berlin Peace Innovation Lab in association with Stanford University. The lab focuses on how technology is facilitating emerging and measurable social change toward global peace. In 2015, in response to the refugee crises, Anne co-founded ReDI School of Digital Integration, a vocational training program teaching programming and tech skills to refugees and marginalized people. ReDI is currently teaching 1500+ adults and kids per year. 65% of these are women and girls.
Anne was recognized by Edition F as one of "25 Women" revolutionizing German industry and by Handelsblatt as "Mutmacher of the Year" (2018). She was awarded Best Female Social Entrepreneur of the year in Germany 2020
Thank you for listening; we hope Anne's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Rhonda Cook, a Senior Director of Customer Success at Microsoft. Rhonda is responsible for managing the adoption, consumption, and digital transformation for all United States Federal Agencies, Military Services, and Intelligence Organizations. Her focus is to ensure all aspects of these organizations have their needs met when it comes to their usage of all Microsoft 365 offerings. She has continued to help these organizations maintain a modern-day infrastructure in today's digital world.
Rhonda's started her career by teaching mathematics and knew that she was excited about continued learning. She continued to train and learn about new technologies, which eventually led her to join an IT training organization. At this new organization, Rhonda honed in on how to find solutions for IT problems that arise. Her knowledge and newfound skill set for finding modern-day solutions allowed her to join Microsoft, where she continued to grow and flourish within the organization.
Thank you for listening; we hope Rhonda's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Lori McColl, the CEO and Founder of Whim-Detroit, a technology startup and digital transformation group that focuses on implementing agile solutions. She is passionate about sharing her experience in the tech industry and growing a new business. Lori has been a guest speaker at several events, including the future of retail and social movements at the Women's Convention, Social Media Week, Planet M IoT Connect, and Detroit Start-up Week.
Lori has taken a customer-focused approach to growing her business. This focus on client needs has allowed her to build trust, which gives her the ability to innovate and develop projects quickly. This approach has been central to the culture of Whim-Detroit and has allowed them to grow into the successful business they are today.
Thank you for listening; we hope Lori's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career. To learn more about Lori and Whim-Detroit, visit their site here: https://www.whim-detroit.com/
This week's guest is Chaitra Vedullapalli, an influential business leader with a passion for enabling business equity throughout our communities. Chaitra is also the Co-Founder and CMO of Meylah, a cloud solution provider that helps businesses grow their digital presence through a wide range of solutions. She is also a Board Member, Forbes & YourStory Contributor, Entrepreneur, TEDx & Public Speaker, Strategic Partnerships, Top100 Global Change Leaders Seeking opportunities to contribute to public or private boards.
Chaitra began her technological career in college, where she was exposed to COBOL Programming, Oracle Databases, and Windows. This experience opened her eyes up to the opportunities technology can create to change the world for the better. She also saw the glass ceilings for women and saw a chance to make meaningful change. Seeing these glass ceilings led her to become a Co-Founder of Women in Cloud, 'a community-led developmental organization for women that celebrates the female entrepreneurs in the tech world; creates opportunities and access for entrepreneurial acceleration.'
Thank you for listening; we hope Chaitra's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career. To learn more about Chaitra and to get in touch with her, visit her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaitrav/
This week's guest is Tina Eskridge, a Senior Director of Marketing at Microsoft. Tina is responsible for digital marketing, strategy and analytics, marketing technology, and inclusion with a focus on the delivery of best-in-class services. Before joining Microsoft in 2012, Tina spent more than 17 years in strategic roles across various industries.
Tina started her career in supply-chain and marketing, which allowed her to get a full picture of what it takes to grow a successful business. Her journey continued to revolve around marketing but touched on several different aspects within organizations. Along this journey, Tina saw the value of connecting with people and growing her relationships. Connecting and meeting with people to not only improve business but to develop personal relationships is vital to her. This idea has become even more prevalent within the world we are currently living.
Thanks for listening; we hope Tina's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Cathy Moya, a Senior Program Manager at Microsoft. Cathy's primary focus is to bring customers and engineers together to create better technology products. Cathy's ability to bring people together has allowed her to grow her program and become a successful member of the Microsoft team.
Cathy saw the disconnect between people who are heavily involved in tech vs. those who work in positions or industries outside of that world. Cathy understands that people who consider themselves outside of tech are really working on or with tech every day—shifting their belief to view themselves as working in tech has allowed them to open-up to different ideas and solutions to problems. This idea of changing their worldview or 'work-view' has helped bridge some gaps between the two.
Thank you for listening; we hope Cathy's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
This week's guest is Lisa Heite, a Partner Development Manager at Microsoft, with a passion for helping others. Lisa's story revolves around living, studying, and working around the world. She gained a wide range of experience throughout her international travel and has used that to bring a unique perspective to the tech industry. Her ideas and approach give her an edge when it comes to solving problems and bringing people together.
While volunteering at an NGO, Lisa developed a digital strategy and saw how digital transformation furthered women's rights and give them a voice throughout the world. This passion for women's rights led Lisa to the WIT Network, and she is now lending her skills to their cause.
Thank you for listening; we hope Lisa's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career. To learn more about the WIT Network, visit their site here: https://thewitnetwork.com/
This week's guest is Leah Faul, the Founder and Owner of 15000 Cubits − a digital marketing agency that focuses on SEO, social media, and paid media to support small and mid-sized companies' growth. Leah started the company in 2015 and has grown it into the thriving enterprise it is today. That success hasn't gone unrecognized as Leah was recently named to the Houston Business Journal's 40 Under 40 List.
Leah is passionate about her business and has seen success because of her value-focused initiatives. They focus on five core values: People First, Growth Mind-Set, Celebration Culture, Time-Efficiency, and Commitment to Excellence. These values have driven 15000 Cubits and allowed them to grow throughout the years.
Thank you for listening; we hope Leah's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career. To learn more about Leah and her business, visit their website below here: https://15000cubits.com/
This week's guest is Sandee Kastrul, the President of i.c.stars - a technology-based workforce development and leadership training program for underserved adults that connects them with career opportunities through their social enterprise and partner organizations. Sandee is also a board member of both Goodcity Chicago and HICC (Hispanic Innovation Center of Chicago). She is currently working on a new book, "Change and Equity" By Sandee Kastrul.
Sandee knows that education opens doors and allows people to reach their potential, and she has dedicated her life to this cause. i.c.stars is the culmination of her ideas around education and training and has grown into a fantastic organization. The program allows individuals to showcase their skills and develop new skills to help grow their careers.
Thank you for listening; we hope Sandee's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career. To learn more about Sandee and her business, visit their website below.
i.c.stars: https://www.icstars.org/
This week's guest is Lori McDonald, a former flight controller at NASA and now the President and CEO of Brilliance Business Solutions. Lori is recognized as an industry expert in her field and is a speaker on website creation, eCommerce, and digital strategy at business conferences. Lori has remained on the cutting edge of business solutions by continually learning, evolving, and adapting to changes in technology. From the growth of eCommerce to the evolution of machine learning, Lori has expanded Brilliance Business Solutions by staying on top of these changes.
Brilliance works with clients to implement digital commerce solutions by making organizational changes through technology. In 2020, the company was named to America's Fastest-Growing Businesses by Inc 5,000. Lori's experience in developing internet solutions for businesses and organizations has allowed her to grow her business into what it is today.
Thank you for listening; we hope Lori's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career. To learn more about Lori and her business, visit her website below.
Brilliance Business Solutions: https://www.brillianceweb.com/
Referenced Books:
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
- Crucial Conversations
- Dare to Lead
This week's guest is Heather Stratford, the founder and CEO of Stronger International. As a thought leader in cybersecurity, Heather keynotes at conferences, universities, and large financial institutions on the importance of keeping their data secure. She continually writes on cybersecurity and was a featured guest at the 2018 G-7 Summit in Canada. Heather also regularly speaks on entrepreneurship, failing forward, women in technology, and diversity in cybersecurity.
Heather is now growing small businesses, and she is passionate about finding and helping young entrepreneurs. This passion led her to become the founder of both Stronger International and Moxie Marketing. Moxie Marketing specializes in turn-key technology and marketing solutions for service industries and their product manufacturers. At the same time, Stronger International specializes in consulting and training with a 360º approach to security. Their services include end-user Security Awareness Training, onsite training in compliance and security, IT and Military Certifications, Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Assessments, and specialty security projects.
Thank you for listening; we hope Heather's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career. To learn more about Heather and her business, visit her website below.
Stronger International: https://stronger.tech/
This week's guest is Tiffani Bova, a Global Growth Evangelist at Salesforce and the author of Growth IQ: Get Smarter About the Choices that Will Make Or Break Your Business, a Wallstreet Journal Bestseller. Tiffani was also named to Thinkers50 2019 Global Ranking of Management Thinkers and one of the "Most Powerful and Influential Women in California." These are just a few of the accolades Tiffani has acquired throughout her years in the tech industry.
Tiffani's current focus is on helping drive customer success within their vast customer ecosystem. She helps companies not only grow bigger but also better with new business strategies and technology. She credits working in sales to her unique perspective on the challenges facing companies and the solutions she creates to solve them. She works alongside sales and customer success teams worldwide to drive change and build them into successful enterprises. She is sharing this experience in her podcast, "What's Next!" to give others a perspective on improving themselves and their business.
Thank you for listening; we hope Tiffani's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career. If you would like to learn more about Tiffani and her accomplishments, visit her podcast site: https://www.tiffanibova.com/whats-next-podcast/
Learn more about her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Growth-IQ-Smarter-Choices-Business/dp/0525534407
This week's guest is Karen Chastain, a proven leader in strategic alliance management among some of the world's largest technology companies and a Senior Director of Global Alliances at Episerver. Karen has over 20 years of experience in partner relationship management, strategic business planning, and marketing. This background has allowed her to consistently deliver results by developing mutually beneficial relationships with her partners.
Karen is currently running the technology partner program and app marketplace, which provides a single source for partners to find a solution for their customers. She is also a current member of the WiT Network, which focuses on making it easier for women to imagine, begin, and develop within the industry of technology. Karen has brought her skillset of forging partnerships to these projects, which has helped them grow into what they are today.
Thank you for listening; we hope Karen's story helps inspire the next generation of women. If you would like to learn more about Karen and her company, visit their site: https://www.episerver.com/
This week's guest is Mariyah Saifuddin, the Founder of Innovative Solution Partners, a Michigan-based IT consulting firm specializing in helping businesses utilize data analytics to make effective decisions. Mariyah has 20+ years of IT and entrepreneurial experience, including work for Ernst & Young, Levy Home Entertainment, and Electronic Data Systems. She is a board member of the NAWBO Greater Detroit Chapter. She is also an alumnus of Emerging Leaders, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, and a member of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
Mariyah was surrounded by technology ever since she can remember. As the child of immigrant parents who ran a computer parts store, she grew up with technology and computers all around her. This early influence led her to get into IT and eventually start her own business in the tech industry. As the Founder and President of Innovative Solution Partners, Mariyah has used her position to further women's presence in the tech industry through various platforms and organizations.
Thank you for listening; we hope Mariyah's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career. If you would like to learn more about Mariyah and her company, visit their site: https://www.isolutionpartners.com/
This week's guest is Beth Bridges, a networking motivator who has run over 2,500 networking events over a ten-year span. She is the author of "Networking on Purpose," which focuses on networking strategy and how it helps grow businesses. Beth is now focusing on taking networking to the virtual world with her nine-minute network training courses. Beth is also the Chief Networking Officer for Blitzr.com, a networking platform that combines traditional one-on-one networking with the digital realm.
Beth has an extensive background in marketing and networking. Early on in her career, her niche was traditional marketing, but the digital world was right around the corner and Beth knew she had to develop her skills. She worked on these skills independently by writing HTML and then developed into a full-on digital marketing guru. This growth set Beth up for success in digital marketing and helped her grow her network within the business world. Beth credits networking with helping grow her career and knows that she couldn't have made it to where she is today without a little help from her networking friends.
Thank you for listening; we hope Beth's story helps inspire others to grow their network and see the benefits of leaning on other professionals. If you would like to learn more about Beth and her company, Visit their site: https://blitzr.com/
Learn more about her book here: https://thenetworkingmotivator.com/
This week's guest is Denise Cagan, a graduate of James Madison University, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Quality Systems Development. Denise never thought she would be a business owner, but as time went on, she found that her skillset coincided with her ideas and so she started her first business in 2001, followed with another in 2011. Her newest business is DCA Virtual Business Support, a company that supports small businesses with marketing and administrative tasks.
Denise credits her hard work for getting her to where she is today. She views work ethic as monumental for getting any job done and advancing your career. This hard work philosophy has been the foundation for how Denise has built her company into what it is today.
Thank you for listening; we hope Denise's story helps inspire the next generation of women entrepreneurs. If you would like to learn more about Denise and her company, visit her site: https://dcavirtual.com/
This week's guest is Alicia Baldino, the founder and owner of Brandmetix. Alicia's career started in freelance and virtual marketing, but she quickly felt a drive to create something of her own. Her passion for remote work led her to create Brandmetix, a marketing strategy company that focuses on creating custom solutions for brands.
Alicia created Brandmetix on the idea that working from home can help you and your company succeed. She considers building a stable work-life balance for her and her employees as an essential piece for growing her business. This idea grew into The Virtual Hustle, a resource and community site where people can share tips and tricks for working remotely.
Alicia has excellent advice on how remote work can be efficiently managed for you and your company. Thank you for listening; we hope her story and tips can help you in this new age of working from home. For more information on how to develop good habits while working from home, visit The Virtual Hustle.
This week's guest is Angela Spang, the winner of First Women's Entrepreneur of The Year 2017, business owner, and chairman on the board for the World Academy of Medical Science Training and Education. Angela founded June Medical, a company that focuses on developing surgical medical devices, and has made it a priority to have more women included in developing new products and solutions within June Medical. Angela is passionate about developing talent, innovation, and fostering the career success of others. Getting more women involved with project development and having them speak up is essential to her company and organizations’ success worldwide.
Angela is truly a difference-maker in the medical industry, and she is essential for making real change throughout the world. Thanks for listening, and we hope that Angela's story inspires everyone to create social change by closing the gender pay and culture gap.
This week's guest is Kati Quigley, the Senior Director of Global Industry Marketing at Microsoft. Kati is responsible for the buyer journey across seven different industries and has helped grow Microsoft's presence throughout those verticals. Kati grew her career within Microsoft and used that growth to further women's involvement in tech leadership.
Kati found her career path by working in various departments and projects for Microsoft. This exposure to different sides of the business helped her grow as a woman in technology and led to her becoming a senior director. Kati is now using her influence to help further women's roles in technology by advocating for cultural changes in the industry.
Kati is an inspiration for every woman who is looking to become a leader within their organization. Thanks for listening; we hope Kati's story inspires everyone to be a part of the change taking place throughout the tech industry.
This week's guest is Asra Nadeem, the first female Pakistani venture capitalist, and global speaker. She began her entrepreneurial career working on product and market development for startups in the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia. Today she is the co-founder of Opus AI, which is a streaming platform that turns plain text into movies and playable 3D worlds in real-time. Asra is also the president of Draper University, which helps budding entrepreneurs grow their startups.
Asra is helping develop the future of technology, and she sees AI as fundamental for this future. Asra also knows that women are helping push the boundaries of AI and sees that it will take more investment in women to make the future of AI a reality.
Asra is creating real-world change when it comes to the presence of women in technology, and she is dedicated to funding more women-owned startups. From her humble beginnings in Pakistan to an influential entrepreneur, Asra is someone that every woman can look to as inspiration on their own path.
Opus AI: https://opus.ai/
Draper University: https://www.draperuniversity.com/
This week we’re joined by Jenna Beckett, web developer, technical trainer, and an active leader in tech who is passionate about promoting the female voice.
Jenna joins the show to talk about how she made a career pivot into tech and how she grew into a Full-stack Web Developer and Technical Trainer specializing in the .Net stack. Jenna is an active WIT community leader who is passionate about promoting the female voice in tech. As a woman who has faced the challenge of shifting careers and making the jump into the industry, Jenna has a great perspective on what it takes to create positive change for women everywhere.
Jenna is someone who has blazed a path that other women looking to get into tech can follow. Thanks for listening, and we hope that Jenna's story inspires women everywhere to be a part of positive change so that they too can get into the world of technology.
This week's guest is Kate Roberts, the founder of Maverick Collective, The Ikigai Company, and Katmondo Lifestyle. Kate is a global social entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor, artist, women's advocate, and public speaker. As a serial entrepreneur, Kate has used her influence and platform to find opportunities and gaps in world health, specifically women's health, to put together teams and address these issues. Kate has most recently worked with PSI, Melinda Gates, and HRH (The Crown princess of Norway) to fund Maverick Collective, a $100M groundbreaking philanthropic initiative led by women for women, which has been innovating and scaling women-focused public health solutions across 60 developing countries.
Kate is truly a difference-maker through the work she is doing in women's healthcare, and she is essential for making real change throughout the world. Thanks for listening, and we hope that Kate's story inspires everyone to be a part of the global programs that are making a significant difference in the world of women's health.
Get involved with Kate’s organizations here:
- Maverick Collective
- PSI
This week's guest is Sherlaender (Lani) Phillips, the VP of US Channel Sales for Microsoft. Lani brings over 20 years of experience in managing transformation in technology and inclusive leadership. As a recognized member of Microsoft leadership, Lani has been a driving force behind creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce which in turn has made Microsoft a centerpiece for positive reform within the tech industry. Lani's story of creating positive change is an inspiration to everyone facing the challenges in today's tech culture. Lani credits her success to her personal experiences, the people she's surrounded herself with, and the education she’s sought out. She also credits a few books that have helped her along the way:
- Inclusive Leadership: The Definitive Guide to Developing and Executing an Impactful Diversity and Inclusion Strategy: - Locally and Globally
- Inclusive Leadership: From Awareness to Action
- THRIVE: The Facilitator's Guide to Radically Inclusive Meetings
Lani's work and story will continue to leave an indelible mark on the world of technology. You can continue to follow her story when her book arrives in 2021. We want to thank you for listening and we hope that Lani's story inspires you to be a part of the transformative change that is taking place in the world of technology.
Christine Bongard is the President of the WIT (Women in Tech) Network, and she is joining us in this week’s episode to discuss the amazing work her organization does. The WIT Network is present in over 30 countries worldwide and it is working diligently on encouraging women and girls to pursue careers in the technology sector, enable more women to attain leadership positions and support more female entrepreneurs in their professional endeavors. Christine talked to us about including more girls in the tech world through working with schools, creating work environments that are more welcoming to women and insisting on inclusion strategies. She emphasizes the importance of inspiring and coaching each other to gain confidence needed for a successful career in the fast-paced technology industry. Despite the long road that is still ahead, Christine is confident this is a great time for women in technology as companies are opening up and more opportunities are being offered to marginalized groups. Tune in to learn more about Christine's efforts and pick up on some great advice that she shared with our listeners.
There is nothing this incredibly successful entrepreneur and well-rounded expert cannot do. In this week’s episode, we had the joy to talk to Arabel Alva Rosales, the president and CEO of AAR & Associates that utilizes technology to transform both private and public sector entities into exceptionally run organizations. Her business also provides consulting expertise in the area of telecommunications. She majored in Business Administration at Loyola, obtained her Juris Doctorate degree from DePaul College of Law, and holds an executive certificate from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. As we chatted with Arabel, we had the pleasure to witness her expertise that lies in both management and technology tools as well as her constant evolving; a trait much needed in the tech world. Additionally, this multitalented professional is co-owner and co-executive producer of Latino Fashion Week, the only full week dedicated to Latino Fashion in the country. Be sure to tune in and learn more about Arabel’s diverse endeavors that made Chicago Magazine describe her as “Renaissance Woman”.
In this week’s episode, we welcome Karen Fassio. Since her humble beginnings as a receptionist in a tech company to over her 21 years at Microsoft, Karen acquired rich and diverse working experience by holding multiple marketing roles. Currently, she is the leader of the strategy for digital marketing engagement that serves the global Microsoft partner ecosystem. Her engagement with the tech world, however, does not stop there; Karen is also co-founder and steering chair of Women in Cloud, a community-centered organization committed to helping female entrepreneurs lead and grow their business in the cloud. Join us as we discuss Karen's amazing career journey and all the milestones achieved along the way, as well as her incredible drive and passion for diversity and stronger inclusion of women in a male-dominated industry.
Joining us in this week’s episode of our podcast is Sarika Malhotra, a dynamic business leader who spent over 25 years consulting companies around the world, helping them with their IT needs. Today, Sarika is the founder and CEO of C3IT Software Solutions and a community leader at IAMCP, a not-for-profit working with the Microsoft Partner Channel, however she told us her amazing journey in the world of technology started by mistake. Sarika almost followed in her father’s footsteps and joined the army as a medical professional, but her drive and ambition led her down a different path. A bold and energetic entrepreneur that she is, Sarika understands how critical data analysis is to run a successful business which is why she focuses on helping large enterprises comprehend and utilize information in the best way possible with the goal of transforming and bettering their business. Her work, however, does not stop there. Sarika is also engaged with the international partner community to encourage diversity at the workplace. She is an active proponent of inclusion of people with different backgrounds and aside from telling us about her professional endeavors, she shared her thoughts on the significance of workplace diversity.
This week, Tech in the Right direction features a multilingual business delivery executive that made her way from Czech Republic to the United States bringing an invaluable global perspective into the tech world. Her name is Sandra Kafka and during our conversation she not only shares her incredible journey with us, but also reminds us that in the world of technology staying agile, adaptable, and open to constant learning is the true key to success. As she continues to grow professionally, Sandra is still refining her business skills by pursuing an MBA at Northwestern University and offering her mentorship skills to young and emerging tech professionals. Join us this week to hear more about Sandra’s path to finding her own voice in the business world, ways she conquered many challenges that women face in a male-dominated industry and gain insight from a female trailblazer who is not afraid to fall and get back up to try again.
Joining us this week on Tech in the Right Direction is Rona Borre, CEO of Instant Alliance. Rona is one of the leading female entrepreneurs in the Chicagoland area and has received numerous awards such as Inspiring Woman of the Year and is an advocate for women in tech. Listen in to see the incredible work that Rona is doing to help elevate women in technology and advice on how to get into technology, the different roles and aspects within tech, and the importance of mentors.
This week on Tech in the Right Direction we welcome Michelle Vondrasek. founder and CEO of Von technologies. As one of the few women in the telecommunications industry, Michelle discusses what differentiates her such as consistency, quality and values and dives into the importance of morals, integrity and values within her company and their culture. Jennifer and Michelle discuss the adversity they have faced as women in the tech industry and how they have overcome it. Later, they visit the impact of COVID-19 and the system Michelle has created that ensures the health and safety of visitors and staff by monitoring and proactively alerting according to social distance guidelines.
Brea Starmer founder of Lions and Tigers, a marketing and strategy consultancy, shares her story of how she identified a need as a senior consultant, started her own business in 2018, and now serves customers including Microsoft and Google. Discussing the importance of courage, fearlessness and authenticity, Brea also dives into her flexible freelance model, a concept that unlocks a talent pool that previously was inaccessible and fulfills the desire for a healthy work-life balance. Later, Brea and Jennifer talk about what the future of work will be, as well as the challenges women in technology face every day, including Brea’s personal experience with pregnancy discrimination. Listen in and don’t miss this featured episode!
This week we welcome Alison Chung, founder and President of TeamWerks, a Chicago-based technology consulting firm with a growing specialty practice in computer forensics. Finding her passion for technology during college, Alison never looked back no matter the challenges she faced being a woman in technology. Listen in as Alison shares how she overcame the daunting feeling and fear she experienced and the importance of mentorship, validation and positive reinforcement.
In this week’s episode, we welcome guest Madinah Ali, a 3rd generation entrepreneur and President & Co-Founder of SafePC Cloud, a company focused on data backup and recovery for midsize, enterprise, and government IT environments with an emphasis on cybersecurity. Madinah and host Jennifer Didier discuss the impact COVID-19 has had on the tech industry, the growth of remote work, the increase of cyber attacks during the pandemic and why so many people are having a newfound interest in data backup and recovery. As the Lead for the WIT Network in Atlanta, Madinah is a strong advocate for women in tech and is passionate about the serious retention problem we are seeing with women in the tech field as well as women being supported to feel confident in their abilities and education. Listen in to hear the advice Madinah has for those interested in going into the tech industry, and how she is working with the WIT Network to create a virtual mentor circle to empower young women and create change.
Arlene Harris is an award-winning innovator and founder of several companies including GreatCall, maker of the Jitterbug cellular phone and service now owned by BestBuy. Having grown up in a wireless family business, she started working with computers in the late 60’s and has spent the next five decades at the intersection of wireless and computing. Arlene share’s her journey through the Tech Industry, the struggles she’s experienced finding financing for her big ideas in addition to being one of few in her industry and where she is today. Her newest innovation, launching soon, is a family home management system called Rosy, a private console that will help families manage and support their multi-generational homes. Tune in to hear an inspiring story of a woman defying the odds while facing discrimination, and why she believes women are the future of tech.
This week Heather Doran, a Las Vegas native shares her story of how at 16, she started her career in the Casino industry gaining business experience throughout high school and college, working for MGM Resorts for 10 years, and enduing up at Microsoft. She discusses the culture change she experienced when going from the casino industry to the tech industry, the imposter syndrome that she struggled with, and the amazing women who inspired her at Microsoft. Join us as we dig into the importance of authenticity, mindfulness and balance, as well as some discussion on the issue of inequality in the tech industry.
This week we are joined by Kate Lister, a well-recognized thought leader and president of a research-based consulting firm. Recently, Kate has written about her perspective on how COVID-19 will affect the way people work and has been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek and more. Listen in to be a part of a discussion on how companies have been responding to the ‘new normal’ of working from home and the pros and cons of working remote. From productivity, disaster readiness, and retention to struggling to recreate water cooler culture and preventing loneliness, Kate and Jennifer touch on all aspects of working remote on a personal, professional, technical and environmental level.
This week on Tech in the Right Direction, we speak with Evelyn Sheahan, who has many roles at Microsoft, currently holding the role of Business Program Manager. Starting off in Graphic Design, Evelyn then got hooked on technology and the excitement that came with the industry. Listen in to hear how she feels working in a male dominated industry, the benefit of male mentors, and the importance of quality managers and leadership. Evelyn also shares how she has built her confidence and courage to stand up for herself and the benefits she has seen from it over the years.
This week, we are joined by global technology leader, investor, and advocate for advancement of women in the workplace, Harini Gokul. Harini was raised in India and came to America to further her education, receiving her MBA from Vanderbilt University. Join us as Harini shares her thoughts on being a woman in technology and her positive outlook on the progress within the industry surrounding diversity and inclusion. She shares the lessons she’s learned throughout her career and the four areas she believes are essential for success.
This week we get a different view of technology from 30-year tech vet and Vice President of Sales, Sharan Hildebrand. Sharan fell in love with tech her Junior year of college when she took a coding class and saw the amazing output that could come from writing code. She shares her experiences over three decades of working with technology and dives into the tech job roles that are often overlooked. She also shares what it’s like to be a woman in tech, how to gain and maintain confidence, and the challenges she’s overcome.
After a great first season of Tech in the Right Direction, we’re excited to announce some upcoming changes. Tech in the Direction will now focus solely on host Jennifer Didier’s passion: Women in Tech. As a woman in technology herself, Jennifer has always been passionate about helping guide and mentor other women and young girls to explore the world of technology and what it has to offer. With only 26% of computing jobs being held by women and that number continuing to decline over the years, Jennifer is committed to doing her part in closing the gender, pay, and culture gap in the tech industry. Join us in our initiative to turn ideas into action and create opportunities for women and girls to advance in tech, and tune in every Tuesday for a new episode!
This week on Tech in the Right Direction we start off talking with full stack web developer and technical trainer Jenna Beckett. Jenna began her career in construction management but eventually found herself in a bootcamp to become a developer. After a few years in the field she returned to bootcamps, but this time as a trainer helping others learn as she did and helping them enter the tech field. Listen in to hear Jenna’s views on taking the ‘non-traditional’ route into technology, why she doesn’t believe four-year degrees should be a requirement in the tech industry, and when certifications are most valuable.
This week, IT Business Analyst Caitlin Knox joins us to share her journey into technology. Working in Hospitality, studying Political Science, then returning to Hospitality, Caitlin continually explored her skill sets. Taking a leap of faith, with no experience in the tech industry, she found a job as a Tech Assistant. See how Kaitlin uses her ‘humanness’ to stand out and hear her inspiring story of being a rookie in tech while pushing herself to be one of the first complex users of Power BI. Later, we have a guest in our Next Gen Tech Segment, high schooler Sarah Hole. Getting her start in technology in just third grade when she had her first experience with code, Sarah found the abilities it gave her magical and she hasn’t looked back ever since. Holding multiple Microsoft Certifications, being a part of a competitive robotics team and showing great interest in cyber security, Sarah discusses the problems she experiences with technology and the incredible support system she’s developed.
This week we welcome back the founder of the female mentorship app Tribute, and former Microsoft employee, Sarah Haggard. Sarah saw the world’s desire to enhance our human experience within technology and combined it with her passion for mentorship by creating her own solution: Tribute. Listen in to see how Tribute forms prosperous, long-lasting mentor relationships and how Tribute benefits businesses through data analytics.
This week we sit down with Harini Gokul. Harini attended Vanderbilt and has now been in the IT industry for over 20 years strongly advocating for women in the workplace. Harini believes we are on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution as we continue to innovate and solve unique problems with technology and create more immersive experiences between the physical and digital world. Join us as we discuss tech solutions in today’s world and dive into data privacy ethics.
For our first episode of the new year, we welcome back Microsoft Vice President, Gavriella Schuster. This time around, Gavriella reviews the tech trends she’s seeing while working at one of the largest tech companies today. We also discuss how she believes we can begin to close the skills gap within the IT industry, the importance of training, retraining and certification, and her hopes for changes in the structure of curriculum and the educational system. Additionally, Gavriella speaks on the importance of balance and boundaries with technology, and how the mode of learning is changing over time.
For our final episode of 2019 we have a very special guest, Microsoft Vice President, Gavriella Schuster. As the Corporate Vice President for the One Commercial Partner, Gavriella leads the business strategy across all commercial partners, is responsible for managing the partners, and leading programs globally. Listen in as Gavriella shares her journey through tech, finding great success as a woman in tech, and her thoughts on the opportunities and struggles that women may find within the tech industry. Don’t miss this exclusive episode capturing the highs and lows Gavriella has experienced, and the advice she has for you!
This week we welcome back guest Jenna Lange, founder and CEO of Lang International. We talk about the importance of human transformation in a digital age and why soft skills such as leadership and communication are critical in the Tech Industry. We also dive into the benefits of training, exposure to new trends and skills, and how it allows us to have a greater impact in what we do.
After, we speak with Kim Snyder. With 20 years of experience consulting executives and leaders of Fortune 500 companies on business growth, strategy, and transformation, Kim Snyder brings a great amount of knowledge and insight to this week’s episode. Going back to where it all started, Kim takes us on the path to getting to where she is today and explores the different components of technology that aren’t always at the forefront. Join us to be a part of an important discussion about a vibrant industry with many aspects and paths that need to be exposed to both young girls and women to open up an endless world of opportunities for women in tech. Interested in speaking with Kim? Schedule a call at: https://kimdsnyder.com/jennifer.
This week in our Tech Careers segment we welcome Mike Fernandez, who is an IT System Engineer for the Austrian Environmental Agency. With more than 10 years of experience in IT Operations, he now specializes in cloud technologies, configuration management, and automation. With the Tech Industry having one of the most competitive job markets today, Mike shares how he sets himself apart and what it took to get there. We also discuss the similarities and differences of tech in different parts of the world as Mike reflects on his experiences with technology in both the U.S. and Austria. Later, we are joined by global technology leader, investor, and advocate for advancement of women in the workplace, Harini Gokul. Harini was raised in India and came to America to further her education, receiving her MBA from Vanderbilt University. Join us as Harini shares her thoughts on being a woman in technology and her positive outlook on the progress within the industry surrounding diversity and inclusion. She shares the lessons she’s learned throughout her career and the four areas she believes are essential for success.
In our Tech Trends segment, Lexy Kassan discusses data oriented Technologies and the cloud, digitial transformation and data-enabled business, and the importance of conitnued learning and real-world experience in closing your skills gap. Lexy is a data scientist, and community practice lead for advanced analytics at CCG Analytics in Tampa, FL. She also is host of her own data science ethics podcast. Later, we are joined by Camryn Baum, a high-school student and co-founder of "Tech Tuesdays". Tech Tuesdays provides resources to children and families who lack technology resources. They provide tools to assist students with being able to complete their homework. She discuss her charity, how it came to be, it's vision, and how you can help.
Joining us this week in our Women in Tech Segment, is Heather Doran. Heather, a Las Vegas native, started her career in the Casino Industry, managing casino events and slot marketing for MGM Resorts. Life’s circumstances called for a career change during a relocation, and she soon discovered a career in Technology was a passion that she no longer had to doubt. She transitioned into the Microsoft space working in partner marketing, inside sales, and business applications. Her roles in Microsoft have included community strategy, experience marketing, branding, partner engagement and compete strategy. Currently, Heather is the Global Lead for experience marketing and compete strategy for the cloud marketing business application team. She discusses in detail how she once doubted her ability to be successful in the tech industry, but through networking and determination, Heather catapulted herself into an industry that she never thought was possible.
Join us in welcoming back Microsoft employee Keith Boyd. This week he will share his career story and how he has flourished over the years in the field of technology. In order to remain relevant In a time when technology and the IT industry are rapidly changing, Keith ensures he has leading edge technology skills backed up with solid foundational business skills. Listen in to hear Keith’s thoughts on soft skills, and why he believes certification is critical in the IT industry today. Later we are joined by Jane Weisman, a well-rounded leader in the technology field, who is dedicated to improving government and moving it in a positive direction. Find out how keeping an open mind led Jane to an unexpected job that would be the foundation for her entire career, and how she feels being a woman in a male-dominated field has actually provided her with opportunities she wouldn’t have otherwise had.
This week on Tech in the Right Direction we start off talking with full stack web developer and technical trainer Jenna Beckett. Jenna began her career in construction management but eventually found herself in a bootcamp to become a developer. After a few years in the field she returned to bootcamps, but this time as a trainer helping others learn as she did and helping them enter the tech field. Listen in to hear Jenna’s views on taking the ‘non-traditional’ route into technology, why she doesn’t believe four-year degrees should be a requirement in the tech industry, and when certifications are most valuable. Later, IT Business Analyst Caitlin Knox joins us to share her journey into technology. Working in Hospitality, studying Political Science, then returning to Hospitality, Caitlin continually explored her skill sets. Taking a leap of faith, with no experience in the tech industry, she found a job as a Tech Assistant. See how Kaitlin uses her ‘humanness’ to stand out and hear her inspiring story of being a rookie in tech while pushing herself to be one of the first complex users of Power BI.
Our first guest this week is Peggi Peaslee, a well-rounded tech veteran currently in the HR space. She shares her journey with us; from her start in banking, where she began taking on tech projects and realizing her passion for tech, through 10 years in various tech roles. Come see how Peggi was able to meld tech with business. We also discuss the importance of having a mentor, as well as being a mentor. Listen in to hear Peggy’s advice on how to choose mentors and have a successful career in Technology. Later, in our Women in Tech segment, we get a different view of technology from 30-year tech vet and Vice President of Sales, Sharan Hildebrand. Sharan fell in love with tech her Junior year of college when she took a coding class and saw the amazing output that could come from writing code. She shares her experiences over three decades of working with technology and dives into the tech job roles that are often overlooked. She also shares what it’s like to be a woman in tech, how to gain and maintain confidence, and the challenges she’s overcome.
This week in our Tech Solutions segment, we welcome back Jim MacLennan, Senior Vice President and CIO at Eidex Corporation. Speaking about what problems he currently faces when creating solutions and what problems he believes we may start to see in the near future, Jim also discusses issues he sees with how the world approaches and uses automation. We discuss the importance of communication, from how the new generation communicates to how to communicate with customers. We are then joined by Caitlin Knox, a self-taught IT business analyst. Starting her career in Hospitality, Caitlin took a leap of faith to move to the tech industry when she found a passion within problem solving and creating solutions for end users. Join us to hear Caitlin’s story of overcoming self-doubt as a woman in technology and finding her personal strengths as a woman that give her an advantage. Later, we have our first guest in our Next Gen Tech Segment, high schooler Sarah Hole. Getting her start in technology in just third grade when she had her first experience with code, Sarah found the abilities it gave her magical and she hasn’t looked back ever since. Holding multiple Microsoft Certifications, being a part of a competitive robotics team and showing great interest in cyber security, Sarah discusses the problems she experiences with technology and the incredible support system she’s developed.
Harini Gokul attended Vanderbilt and has now been in the IT industry for over 20 years strongly advocating for women in the workplace. Harini believes we are on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution as we continue to innovate and solve unique problems with technology and create more immersive experiences between the physical and digital world. Join us as we discuss tech solutions in today’s world and dive into data privacy ethics. Later we welcome back Stefanie Cortese, an IT Director who specializes in collaboration and business automation. With a unique path from Fashion Merchandising to finding her passion within technology, Stefanie discusses how she stands out in a growing industry by continuously strengthening her skills and working towards new certifications as well as how she stays on top of the constant changes within the industry.
This week we welcome back the founder of the female mentorship app Tribute, and former Microsoft employee, Sarah Haggard. Sarah saw the world’s desire to enhance our human experience within technology and combined it with her passion for mentorship by creating her own solution: Tribute. Listen in to see how Tribute forms prosperous, long-lasting mentor relationships and how Tribute benefits businesses through data analytics. Later we’re joined by Jenna Beckett, web developer, technical trainer, and an active leader in tech who is passionate about promoting the female voice. Jenna discusses the challenges she’s faced as a woman in tech, starting from being dissuaded from taking an HTML class in middle school. She’s now a leader in the community and is proactive about making sure the same doesn’t happen to other young girls like her by volunteering with various organizations promoting coding and technology.
This week we sit down with Steven Zylstra, President and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council. We discuss technology trends influencing our society, commerce and economy, and how those changes will only continue to rapidly increase in the coming years. We also discuss how-to prepare future generations for the effects of technology advancements on new job roles. Later, Women in Tech guest Peggy Peaslee joins us to share her story about her journey into technology and how she found her passion. Find out how Peggy believes women can succeed in technology, solve problems, and break through barriers. She also shares her advice for other women who want to enter into the world of technology.
This week we welcome back John Nicolau, entrepreneur and IT consultant to discuss the value of certification. Jennifer and John also discuss how technology and the trends today will continue to drive businesses operations, especially regarding mobility and anywhere access. Listen in for John’s advice on how-to stay current in an ever-changing industry. Later, we are joined by Stephanie Cortese, an IT Director who specializes in collaboration and business automation. Find out how she went from majoring in Fashion Merchandising in college to becoming a leader in the tech industry, how she’s exceled in that role while balancing being a working mother, and her advice on how-to stay current in the industry.
This week we sit down with Sarah Haggard, long-time Product Marketing lead at Microsoft for multiple startup initiatives, who is now the mastermind behind Tribute, an app that connects individuals with mentors in a personal way. We discuss how she’s melded her desire to change the world one person at a time with the enticing world of technology, how she was able to affect change on a much larger level by diving into problems within the business world, and how she engineered new solutions for those problems. Later, we showcase part 1 of 2 of our discussion with John Nicolau. John has spent his entire career in IT and began his own IT consulting firm that quickly achieved Microsoft Gold Partner status. From customer-facing interface to building technical solutions, John is immersed in the field and has seen the full gamut of technology trends. We will discuss four main trends he is seeing today.
This week we sit down with Patrick Thomas, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Microsoft Azure, to discuss industry trends including AI, Machine Learning and Data Science, and the growth potential that each have. We discuss the prominent existing skills gap, how-to remain current, and the need for the next generation of developers to help continue to move us forward. Later, we are joined by Lynn Bailey who shares her path through the tech industry over the past 40 years, the adversity she has faced as a woman in a male dominated industry, how she ultimately achieved success, and how-to leverage your skillset for continued growth.