Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Stefana Muller, SVP Cloud Infrastructure & Operations at OWN.

Where did you grow up and how would you describe yourself as a child?

I’m the oldest of three, raised in New York in a close-knit Italian family steeped in cultural traditions. My parents are from Sicily, and we owned a pizzeria/restaurant that became the heart of our family life. Being very family-oriented, I developed a strong work ethic early on. I spent much of my life in customer service, and that experience eventually led me to tech. My first foray into the field was designing and coding a menu and printing system throughout the restaurant. I even learned the wiring with CAT5 cables to make it all work seamlessly. Instead of writing down an order and then running 3 copies to 3 locations of the store, the system printed them out and correlated. It was simple but so much more efficient.

What did you study in college and what was your first job?

I originally went to college for pre-law, but I ran out of financial resources at 18 and had to pivot. At the time, there weren’t many opportunities for women to take technology courses at my university, so I decided to use my remaining savings to attend a tech boot camp. I earned my A+ certification and networking certifications in Novell and Microsoft NT. With those credentials, I updated my resume, went to interviews, and landed my first tech job at Computer Associates (now CA Technologies/Broadcom), a then billion-dollar company in Long Island. I started in customer service and tech support, but within six months, I was promoted, and my career continued to grow from there. Eventually, I became a Product Manager for Anti-Virus software, focusing on security technologies.

Can you share the details on your career path and what were the critical moments that got you to where you are today?

At CA Technologies (formerly Computer Associates), I expanded our security business beyond anti-virus and played a role in acquiring several startups in the security space. Our security solutions were targeted at infrastructure teams, particularly those working in data centers, so I spent a lot of time understanding their challenges and figuring out how we could automate their pain points. Eventually, I transitioned into infrastructure automation, focusing on the testing/QA space and supporting the 'shift-left' movement in engineering. For many years, I worked to enable engineers to test, deploy, and observe their software in production. In the past six years, I’ve shifted from Product Management to becoming the customer—now using the very products I once helped build.

What is your current role and responsibilities?

As the Senior Vice President of Infrastructure and Operations at Own, I oversee the production environments, focusing on how we deploy, run, secure, monitor, and scale our SaaS products. My organization is divided into three key functions: Cloud Infrastructure, SRE, and Production Engineering. We operate as a global team, available 24x7x365, supporting five products used by over 7,000 businesses worldwide. Running across two clouds (AWS and Azure) in 15 regions, we are committed to maintaining a 99.9% uptime for our customers.
 

What leadership style do you embrace, and how has it evolved over time?

In the past, I was highly hands-on, often diving deep into the details. As an executive leader, I've been working to step back from that approach, although you may still occasionally find me deploying code or adjusting settings in the AWS console. My leadership style focuses on empowering my leaders and teams. I'm transparent, direct with feedback, and driven by a strong sense of teamwork. One of my top priorities is fostering the growth of my team members' careers—it's something I consider my most important responsibility, even beyond overseeing Production. I dedicate significant time to coaching, mentoring, speaking at events, and freely sharing advice.
 

Looking back, is this where you thought you’d be professionally?  Was it always your goal to be in this position?

I never envisioned this specific role early in my career. I was headed down the CPO or Head of Product route for a while. That said, I’m really happy with where I am today because I’ve achieved several key goals that matter deeply to me: 

• I’ve been able to advance significantly in technology, becoming an expert in my field.
• I’ve shared my knowledge with others, fostering a positive and collaborative team environment.
• I’m constantly learning, whether it’s new technologies, different communication styles, or diverse personalities—I thrive on that.
• Travel has always been a personal goal, and my career in tech has enabled me to explore new countries and cultures while working on what I love.
• Leadership has always been something I aspired to. Today, I have the opportunity to lead, make strategic decisions, and guide my team with autonomy, all while contributing to the overall success of the company.
   

For people who are looking to be in a similar position, what advice would you give to others in terms of helping them achieve their career goals?

1. Get used to being the ONLY woman in the room. This is typical in our industry and you have to be comfortable with that to a point where it is no longer something you notice. 
2. Knowledge is Power - bring receipts. Document your work, bring the data when making a decision. Not everyone is going to believe you because you say so. This is different for men than women/other genders.
3. Master in CS, Minor in Humans - my biggest learning curve was learning how to work with different people, how to communicate effectively, how to organize work, how to be a team player. This is a superpower now and is exactly why I can be successful in my position today.
4. Create your own Opportunities - don’t wait to be promoted, don’t wait to be asked to speak at a conference, don’t wait for someone to give you permission to be great or to take that leap.
5. Don’t be a ‘yes’ woman. Be okay with saying no or giving a contrary opinion. This makes you powerful and the reason why you bring the right level of diversity to decision making.
6. Build your network. NOW. Don’t wait to be in the job or right place. Your network can be built in every step of your career. In college, at events, at work. Keep in touch with these folks like you would your friends. Stay aware of their career moves as well. Your next job is likely going to be through your network.
7. Be brave, confident, resilient and learn to fail. Learning to fail was my biggest weakness. To say I didn’t achieve something was so important to learn how to do effectively both for my leadership team and for myself and my own team. Every failure was an opportunity that has led me to where I am today.
8. Be a sponsor, mentor & advocate. Once you’re in the industry, keep the momentum going and help someone else get here. I founded LI Women in Tech to do just that. We volunteer our time to mentor folks entering into their careers in the tech industry. My favorite part is I learn something new from these folks every time I mentor someone.
9. Stay for You, Not Them – I wish I learned this early in my career. I stayed at a company for 16 years thinking I didn’t have the ‘chops’ to make it outside and that the team couldn’t do it without me. I didn’t realize that I was severely holding myself back as well as my team. Sometimes it’s best to know when to leave.
10. You have every right to pursue a career in tech. The tech industry will be better because of people like you joining in and being part of its leadership. 

What trends or changes in the tech industry are you most excited about?

I’m thrilled to dive back into AI in today’s landscape. Previously, I worked with machine learning algorithms to predict transactions over REST and other protocols, which was an incredibly eye-opening experience. Moving forward, I’m eager to leverage AI in key operational areas such as streamlining documentation, automating fault resolution, and enhancing the predictability of production issues.

The rise of Platform Engineering is really exciting—it feels like the next evolution of DevOps. I've seen it successfully implemented at a few companies in the past, and I'm eager to bring this approach to Own.

At Own, I'm genuinely excited about the potential our Discover product offers to customers. After years of helping them backup and archive their data, we now have a tool that empowers them to analyze, predict, and make smarter decisions using that time-series data through Discover.

What are the most important skills that you need to do your job well?

An SVP of Infrastructure needs a blend of technical, strategic, and leadership skills to manage large-scale infrastructure operations and ensure an organization's systems are reliable, scalable, and secure. A few of those include:

• Technical Expertise in Cloud Platforms, automation, cybersecurity, networking and connectivity while staying ahead of emerging technologies. 
• Strategic thinking and vision along with being able to manage the day to day budgeting, resource management, vendor management, and DR/BC plans. 
• Leadership skills centered around people and providing inspiration, collaboration and a substantial amount of change advocacy and problem solving.

What do you find most interesting/rewarding about your work?  What’s the most challenging?

Interesting: New tech every day. I learn new things each day about the technology I’m working with, get to evaluate new software and optimize how we do our work.

Rewarding: Seeing my team members succeed. It’s exciting to see them reach their goals as individuals on the team. I’m happy to be a part of their journey.

Challenging: Communications. Keeping everyone from various perspectives, time zones and teams on the same page has been the biggest challenge at Own. We have a lot of balls in the air. I’m excited to continue to tackle this challenge as we grow.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

This is a tough one because I’ve had so many rewarding experiences throughout my career. What stands out the most, though, is when I see my team's work showcased to a larger audience and witness the positive reactions it receives. Knowing that what we believed in resonates with others is incredibly fulfilling. I also take great pride in seeing my current and former employees succeed. When they reach out to share their successes or seek advice, it reassures me that I’m focusing on what truly matters.

Are you involved with any professional organizations outside of the company? Volunteer work?

I am the President and Founder of a non-profit organization called Long Island Women in Tech. We are a supportive community of over 800 technologists providing mentorship, career development, and education to women and girls on Long Island. Membership is free and open to people of all genders. This organization has been running for 9 years and has brought me a ton of learning, connections, and the most rewarding experiences in my career.

I’m a conference organizer (and recently the emcee) at DevOpsDays NYC

Q&A
 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I’ve been married to my husband Jay for the past 19 years, and we support each other's growing careers while parenting our 16 and 12 year old daughters, our beloved dog Winston and a mysterious turtle named Sausage. We love to ski in the winter, paddle board and surf in the summers, play soccer year-round, and travel wherever we can go.

How do you manage stress?

Stress? What’s that? I will say it’s probably my #1 weakness. But I’m focused on tackling this. I have a health coach that works with me on tactics to reduce stress like, walks during the business day, breathing exercises and remembering to center myself in difficult conversations. I love to work-out (light weights) and hike to get away from work and de-stress. 

Any book or podcast recommendations?  (professional or fun)

Book - ROAR by Stacy T. Sims, PhD - totally great book for women in their 20’s and up that love to train their bodies but want to know how to fuel for success.

Book - Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men - great eye opening experience helping me see how I can influence the future of data by helping fill the data desert of data about women.

PodCast - Staff Eng hosted by David Noel-Romas and Alex Kessinger. Helps me learn about trends in the industry especially coupling “roles/responsibilities” with “technology shifts”.

Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Ingrid Vasquez, VP of People Operations at Smartbear.

Where did you grow up and how would you describe yourself as a child? 

I grew up between Lawrence and Methuen, Massachusetts, both cities in the northeastern part of the state. Growing up, I was a curious dreamer, embracing everything I could about different cultures (thanks in part to shows like Where in the  World is Carmen Sandiego?). Always up for a challenge, I inherited a strong work ethic from my immigrant parents. In fact, by 10, I was wielding a newspaper bag alongside my brother, chock-full of entrepreneurial spirit! 
 

What did you study in college and what was your first job out of school? 

My educational background is a bit of a combo! I have a bachelor’s degree in marketing communications, combined with a master's degree in organizational leadership with a focus on HR. This enables me to leverage my communication skills and HR expertise to excel in various roles, particularly within the tech industry. 
 

Can you share the details of your career path and the critical moments that got you to where you are today? 

My career path wasn't a straight line to HR – it zig-zagged across different organizations before I found my niche in talent acquisition and business partnering,  primarily within the tech industry. 

The turning point for me was when I made the conscious decision to switch gears to  HR. As I completed the coursework for my degree in organizational leadership, I  found myself increasingly drawn to HR management courses. It became clear that  HR was the path I wanted to follow. A pivotal moment came during one of these classes when a classmate – who has become a lifelong friend – offered me an incredible opportunity to join her recruiting team. 

But here's the best part: I've been lucky enough to be mentored by amazing female leaders who championed my career and opened doors for me. Now, I'm passionate about creating those same opportunities for others! 
 

What is your current role and responsibilities? 

I lead a talented team at SmartBear as the VP of People Business Partners &  Operations, shaping our company culture and driving employee engagement. We focus on retaining and developing our people, and we partner closely with leadership to craft people initiatives that fuel our business growth goals.
 

Looking back, is this where you thought you’d be professionally? Was it always your goal to be in this position? 

As a child, I wanted to be a lawyer. I definitely didn’t expect to land in HR, however I will say that my career path has been more about embracing opportunities and challenges that allow me to grow and contribute to the success of others, and in turn, my own. While I never envisioned this specific role, it perfectly aligns with my desire to build a strong, supportive culture where people can thrive. The journey itself is what excites me, and I'm grateful for the amazing experiences and learnings along the way. 
 

For people who are looking to be in a similar position, what advice would you give to others in terms of helping them achieve their career goals? 

My advice for aspiring leaders is to focus on three key things: 

• Embrace the Journey: Enjoy the day-to-day experiences, stay curious, seek out opportunities to grow and learn while also focusing on adding value to those around you. This will open doors to unexpected opportunities and learnings. 
• Support Your Network: Actively support the growth of others. Invest in up-and-coming talent and build a strong network of colleagues. These connections will be invaluable throughout your career journey. 
• Build Your Community: Surround yourself with supportive mentors and peers who can act as your "co-pilots" on your career path. These relationships will provide guidance, encouragement, and a sense of belonging. 
   

What are the most important skills that you need to do your job well? 

The most important skills for success in roles similar to mine are:

• Curiosity and Open-Mindedness: These two traits are essential for anyone looking to navigate the dynamic HR landscape and evolving world of work.  Lucky for me, they align perfectly with SmartBear’s value of being Curious.
• Business Acumen: A strong understanding of the business and its strategic goals is critical for developing effective HR programs, people initiatives, and partnerships with your business colleagues. Lifelong Learning: The ability to continuously learn and stay up to date on the latest trends and best practices is crucial for success in any leadership role agnostic of your function. 
   

What do you find most interesting/rewarding about your work? What’s the most challenging?

In my role, I find it rewarding to see the business achieve its goals and to see the people I support grow in their careers. I enjoy the feeling of winning together as a team.  

On the challenging front, society and the workforce are constantly grappling with a dynamic global landscape. This includes challenges like navigating complex global issues, keeping up with rapid change, and fostering a supportive environment for a diverse workforce. These realities can undoubtedly impact employees' success,  making it even more important to prioritize work-life integration and employee well-being support in the workplace. 
 

What is your proudest professional accomplishment? 

My proudest achievement is the journey itself! Growing from a recruiter to a trusted business partner, and ultimately leading the HR function at two high-growth companies has been incredibly rewarding. 

Now at SmartBear, I enjoy the dual privilege of leading a talented global People &  Culture team and collaborating with an amazing broader team. Together, we empower people and leaders worldwide to achieve success, ultimately supporting the company's mission. Every day, I continue to learn from inspiring minds and contribute my diverse background to the company's strategic goals. 

Q&A 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? 

Adventure or relaxation, I'm all for it! Exploring ancient ruins in Athens, chilling on pristine beaches, or getting lost in the vibrant energy of NYC – travel is for me. And for pure relaxation, the beaches of the Dominican Republic top my list! 
 

How do you manage stress? 

It took some time, but I have stress-fighting strategies in my toolbox now! Virtual wine nights with friends, long naps, journaling, and reading self-help books are just a few of my go-to options. Two books that I highly recommend for this are The Four  Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and The Power of Vulnerability by Brené Brown. 
 

How many cups of coffee do you have in a day? 

Coffee fuels my mornings, but I'm working on breaking the double (or sometimes triple!) espresso habit. Ideally, I'd switch to a single shot and enjoy some tea in the afternoon. Baby steps!
 

Any book or podcast recommendations? 

To stay informed and inspired, I tune into a mix of podcasts: 

• Future of HR by JP Elliott for insights on the evolving HR landscape,
• The Mel Robbins Podcast for Mel Robbins' signature motivational advice, and
• Un resumen de libros para emprendedores, a Spanish-language podcast summarizing business books, to keep my Spanish language skills sharp. 
   

What advice do you have for recent college graduates? 

I advise others to develop transferable skills like communication, problem-solving,  and teamwork, especially earlier in their careers. Also, cultivate a positive attitude  to showcase your willingness to learn and work with others. This combination will  position you for success in your career.

Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Michelle Landy, COO/GC at PERSUIT

Where did you grow up and how would you describe yourself as a child?

I grew up in Melbourne, Australia. I’d describe myself as independent, curious, a go-getter, and a perfectionist; someone that was engaged in a wide variety of pursuits. We won’t ask my mother how she’d describe me! 
 

What did you study in college and what was your first job out of school?

I studied commerce and law. I had a bunch of jobs while I was studying- supermarkets, cinemas and as a paralegal. My first job after law school was an articled clerk at a law firm (ie. training contract for junior lawyers). 

Can you share the details on your career path and what were the critical moments that got you to where you are today?

I would describe my career path as a tree with lots of branches, as opposed to a ladder. I started off as a traditional lawyer at a law firm, and from fairly early on, I decided I wanted to have an international experience (this was inspired by my 7-month solo backpacking adventure around Europe and Asia after I finished law school). So after a few years at a firm, I packed my bags and headed to London. I landed there with no job, limited experience, no home and no connections. I started applying for jobs (mainly ones I wasn't really qualified for!), and got an opportunity as an in-house lawyer at a branding & licensing agency - it was a 6 month contract that turned into over 4 years and building an in-house team to support the global business. It was pretty early on in my legal journey to go in-house so I latched on to the general counsel’s at the various brands we represented and learnt from them! This then led to further in-house legal roles with a large media company which took me from London to NYC to Singapore. I always had an interest in the entrepreneurial community, and my professional role expanded into legal and business development. I continued on this path of organic expansion of my roles and skill set. Within this same media company, I had the opportunity to move to Asia for my first role as COO. Ten years down the line, I decided it wasn’t possible to fully understand the entrepreneurial and startup journey without getting under the hood of a growth business, so I took my first startup role in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This then led me to advise and consult for multiple startups and emerging businesses in various markets for a few years before landing in my current role. Fast forward to PERSUIT, I met our Founder/CEO, Jim, about 5 years ago and agreed to consult 2 days/week in NYC. Once I got in there, I was hooked and moved into the role of full-time GC and COO fairly swiftly.  I love NYC for the innovation scene combined with the arts/culture that this city has to offer. 
 

What is your current role and responsibilities?

At PERSUIT, I am the General Counsel and COO. I own and lead all things legal and compliance, people and culture, strategy and operations. 
 

Looking back, is this where you thought you’d be professionally?  Was it always your goal to be in this position?

I don’t think I visualized an ultimate destination, I am a lifelong learner. As long as I was learning and growing, I was happy and focused on continuing to expand my skill set. The one thing I always knew is that I enjoy the diversity of functions and am super curious, so I like the breadth of responsibilities and role. 
 

For people who are looking to be in a similar position, what advice would you give to others in terms of helping them achieve their career goals?

Don’t be obsessed with a straight line ladder of a career path. Always remain open and a learner - work hard, add value and focus on having impact. Try not to worry about titles and stay focused on outcomes and impact; the rest will come. Trust your instincts - it’s ok to get 80% of the way rather than obsess over the 100%.
 

What do you find most interesting/rewarding about your work?  What’s the most challenging?

The most rewarding part of this is the ever-changing growth journey, and watching the step change at each stage of the business as we grow. I absolutely love building a phenomenal team of people around that journey, and watching the team develop as the business grows and evolves. Saying that, this journey is really tough, and similarly, the thing that’s the most interesting is also the most challenging. It definitely requires an agile mindset. Building a company is hard, being a category-creating company is even harder; we are building a business and educating a market at the same time. The people and culture growth journey is challenging as you scale the company, the proactive work that is necessary to build and maintain the culture is constant but incredibly rewarding. 
 

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

It’s hard to pick one thing, because it’s been a series of moments that have taken me on this journey. I’ve had many moments, from massive deals to life-changing experiences and  incredible exposure to many cultures, countries, businesses, business models and amazing professionals and mentors along the way. But building my own high-performing team that truly has each other’s backs and is having a huge impact across our greatest asset: our people, is the one that stands out for me. 
 

Are you involved with any professional organizations outside of the company? Volunteer work?

I’m passionate about giving back. On a local basis, I’m involved in organizations that focus on supporting the homeless community in NYC. I’m also involved in the Global Leaders network for my university. Internationally, I’m the Executive Director of Kilimanjaro Education Foundation focused on water, sanitation and other infrastructure builds in the public school system in Tanzania. 
 

Q&A

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Aside from volunteering, I very much enjoy all of the arts and culture that NYC has to offer. I am a massive theater buff and try to go several times a month. I love the food scene as well - I love to try new food spots here in the city. I also love to travel. Ideating around launching a blazer company at the moment (made out in East Africa) - you’ll always catch me in a blazer!
 

How do you manage stress?

Some self-care through OrangeTheory fitness, massage, and I’ve recently attempted to get into meditation, although I can’t say it’s stuck quite yet. I enjoy long walks in different parts of the city as well.
 

How many cups of coffee do you have in a day?

Usually two. 
 

Any book or podcast recommendations? 

I am obsessed with podcasts. I listen to a combination of podcasts for news, a series of entrepreneurial type podcasts, and I also love true crime podcasts.  I don’t go a day without listening to at least 3 podcast episodes. It’s the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning - put on Mo News to start off the day.
 

What advice do you have for recent college graduates?

Stay open-minded, stay curious and get as much experience as you possibly can in multiple environments. The title and the money will come once you have solid experience under your belt. Focus on constant learning, experience and impact at the outset and the rest will follow.  Seek out mentorship and build your personal board of advisors as early as possible. International experiences are incredibly beneficial - both personally and professionally. I had no idea that my decision to move to London for 1 year in 2000 would lead to a 24 year international career living in 5 different countries and working in many more. The best thing you can do is to be uncomfortable as much as you can, that’s where the growth happens. Lean into the uncomfortable zone, you’ll learn a lot more there and hopefully be pleasantly surprised along the way.
 

Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Lisa Luscap, Chief Marketing Officer at Pluralsight.

Where did you grow up and how would you describe yourself as a child?

I was born and raised in the 7x7 square miles of San Francisco. Imagine the 80’s and being a latchkey kid where I was either at home doing my homework and watching TV20 or channel 44, or traipsing around the city, roaming from Japantown to Pacific Heights and Fillmore. I had two extremely hardworking parents, my mother was a graphic designer who started her own studio with one of the first available Macs - so we always had technology in the house. My dad was first a mail carrier in the city. He worked his way through law school and eventually started his own practice. I was fortunate enough to have these hippie parents who gave me both the creative and strategic storytelling aspects of who I am, but also an amazing drive and work ethic - nothing came easy. I would describe myself as a child who was always testing boundaries and norms. I remember not wanting to be a Girl Scout but instead joining the Boy Scouts because I didn’t want to learn to sew or sell cookies, but instead, how to use woodworking tools, earn a fishing badge and make cars to race in the boxcar derby.

What did you study in college and what was your first job out of school?

My major in college was Communications with a minor in Asian American Studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara. The most interesting part about that program was that it was a split discipline between Mass Communications and Media and Interpersonal Communications, and both areas have proven to serve me well in my career. My first job out of school was working in a small, boutique marketing agency in San Francisco that serviced a number of technology customers including 3Com and Cisco Systems, which are accounts I would eventually lead. 
 

Can you share the details on your career path and what were the critical moments that got you to where you are today?

I’ve been in technology marketing for more than 20 years, working for companies large and small from Siebel Systems to HP, Juniper Networks, VMware, Dolby and most recently Snowflake. I was part of the team that took Snowflake public, resulting in the largest software IPO in history. I love working on interesting and complex marketing challenges. I am a great storyteller and that has been the hallmark of my success at all of the companies that I’ve had the honor of working for. I’ve been at the center of every major tech transition in the last two decades: from the early days of the internet, defining virtualization and the transition to the cloud, and the disruption from mobile and security. I have been at the center of helping companies find relevance during these times of technological transition, and here we are again today with the emergence of gen AI. 
 

What is your current role and responsibilities?

I am the Chief Marketing Officer at Pluralsight, a BAYCAT Board member, and a mom of two teenage boys. For work, I lead the global marketing team for Pluralsight - overseeing a talented team of marketers driving brand and creative, demand generation, field marketing, paid media & SEO, communications and social, product marketing and marketing operations and digital. We quickly pivoted the team to AI in 2023 to capitalize on the macro trend that will forever change the technology landscape. Our aim is to bring technology skills and knowledge to today’s technology workforce, helping them harness and drive cloud, AI,  and security transformation initiatives within their own organizations. I am passionate about my board work with BAYCAT as it gives me a sense of purpose to make a difference in the world and make a meaningful impact in the lives and communities of young people. The goal and mission of BAYCAT is to change the faces and bring more equity to the storytellers who work in front of and behind the camera in media and entertainment. It’s really gratifying for me to create job pathways for youth to help them attain what they aspire to be. As a mother, my aim is to help my sons find passion and purpose so that they can lead fulfilling lives that make a difference.
 

Looking back, is this where you thought you’d be professionally?  Was it always your goal to be in this position?

I have always aspired to have the top job in marketing, so yes, it’s great to finally realize that ambition. I was always a person that wanted to earn my way here. So I took every job in marketing that I could take, hungry to learn by doing. When I arrived in this seat, I wanted to not have feelings of imposter syndrome but know that I had been there, done that, and that I could offer sound advice and experience to bring to the team, the role, and the company.
 

For people who are looking to be in a similar position, what advice would you give to others in terms of helping them achieve their career goals?

I’d recommend spending the time to learn about all of the areas of marketing that interest you but honing in on your specific super-power. There are a lot of different types of CMOs who specialize and bring different strengths to the team depending on the needs of the business. Some CMOs are transformational, some are operational, some are brand gurus. You need to know where your strengths lie so that you can align that with the stage and size of the company that is the best fit. Demand gen and growth are needed everywhere, so that is a must for any marketer. 
 

What are the most important skills that you need to do your job well?

The most important skill in business is high emotional intelligence. It enables you to build trust and relationships with those at every level of the company. You need to build support across the team to ensure that you can bring out the best ideas and are aware when people need your help removing obstacles or barriers. At this stage and level, the primary component is enabling your teams to be as creative as they can be and move quickly to stay ahead of the competition and ship campaigns to market.
 

What do you find most interesting/rewarding about your work?  

My proudest accomplishment is watching team members grow and shine in their respective areas. Whether they are still at the company or have moved on into a new role, it’s rewarding to see marketers seize their dreams and shine in their own careers. 
 

Are you involved with any professional organizations outside of the company? Volunteer work?

I am on the board of a Bay Area organization called BAYCAT, whose mission is to bring diversity to the entertainment and media industry. The organization serves Bay Area youth from BIPOC communities who aspire to be screenwriters, film makers, producers and cinematographers. BAYCAT creates career pathways for them to get their foot in the door at Disney, Lucas, Netflix, Amazon, Pixar - you name it. For me, it’s so rewarding to see our students land roles at these amazing organizations. I was just talking to an alumni from our program last week, who is now a cinematographer for the SF Giants, a role that growing up he didn’t even imagine. It feels so good to be able to help and influence someone’s journey and aspirations in that way. 
 

Q&A

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love to hike, bike, and do yoga. I spend a lot of time in Lake Tahoe, CA and in Hawaii. I am a creative at heart, and have always embraced painting and ceramics. 

How do you manage stress?

I manage stress by walking or exercising. I am very fortunate to live close to nature where trails and beaches are easily accessible. I think best when I am near water. 
 

How many cups of coffee do you have in a day?

I have one cup of coffee every day to start the morning. I wake up at 5am, light incense, and watch the sun rise over the mountains as I quietly drink my coffee from my patio.
 

Any book or podcast recommendations?

I am currently reading Building What Matters by Arthur Brooks. A book on how to create the life you want, not just career-wise, but studying happiness in your life and creating a fulfilling existence.
 

What advice do you have for recent college graduates?

Be your best advocate. Figure out your story and narrative so that you can authentically share who you are and what you bring to the table. Adversity is character building and helps to create a story arc, a hero’s journey that is memorable and interesting. So don’t leave those details out, what did you do after the loss, the heartbreak or the failure? How did you pick yourself up and prevail?

Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Sarah Magluyan, Director Product Management, at Agero.

Where did you grow up and how would you describe yourself as a child?

Mission Viejo, CA. I was a happy and very shy kid -- I loved reading and spending afternoons after school at my neighbor’s house doing crafts.

What did you study in college and what was your first job out of school?

In college, I studied Applied Math, specializing in Statistics and Actuarial Science. Following graduation, I explored opportunities in actuarial roles but discovered it wasn't the right fit for me. It took me months of hunting, but I eventually landed a role as a Business Analyst at a health insurance tech company in Seattle. The job was primarily focused on gathering product requirements, which sparked my interest and led me into Product Management—a path I've been loving ever since!

Can you share the details on your career path and what were the critical moments that got you to where you are today?

Reflecting on my career journey, I see each instance of switching companies as having been pivotal in my career. Moving to a new company brings exposure to new and different industries, responsibilities, mentors, and colleagues, all of which have significantly shaped my perspective and approach to various challenges. Being intentional about those shifts has been instrumental in my professional growth and development.

What is your current role and responsibilities?

I’m currently Director of Product Management at Agero, focused on the roadside Service Provider experience in the platform. I work to establish a shared vision across the company by building consensus on strategies and priorities and lead a team of Product Managers through ideation, technical development, and launch of products against said strategy

Looking back, is this where you thought you’d be professionally?  Was it always your goal to be in this position?

Definitely not. Through high school and college, I was set on being an actuary. After college, I realized my envisioned career path didn't really align with my interests. It was a challenging realization, particularly after dedicating four years to studying for that particular field. But in hindsight, I see a positive outcome. Even though I veered away from my initial trajectory, my background in math has proven to be incredibly useful in Product Management; it’s provided me with the analytical skills needed for data-driven decision-making, allowing me to strategize effectively, identify opportunities, and ensure successful product launches.

For people who are looking to be in a similar position, what advice would you give to others in terms of helping them achieve their career goals?

Be curious and ask questions! In Product Management, asking the right questions is crucial to the role: What’s the true problem we’re trying to solve? Why is it a problem? Why does it matter? Constantly asking questions gives you and others clarity on the goal and confidence in the strategy

What are the most important skills that you need to do your job well?

Prioritization: In Product, there will always be endless opportunities to pursue. Exercising clear prioritization helps ensure people are focused on the most impactful items to deliver on the broader strategy

Communication: Product involves close collaboration with various stakeholders including developers, designers, and executives. Being clear, transparent, and concise in communication goes a long way to ensure everyone’s aligned with the product vision, goals, and requirements. 

Analytics: Tied to prioritization, data tells us a lot and helps us make informed Product decisions. Being comfortable with data is helpful in identifying and prioritizing opportunities + tracking and measuring the success of product launches

What do you find most interesting/rewarding about your work?  What’s the most challenging?

Growing and leading a team of Product Managers has been both my most rewarding and challenging aspect of my career. It’s challenging in the sense that there’s no clear-cut path to success. But it’s incredibly rewarding to foster an environment where my team feels motivated around a collective goal, and it’s nice to be able to share my learnings to support their skill development to advance their careers. 

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

It’s difficult to choose, but I’m proud of helping establish and refine processes around A/B testing at my company. It’s been a useful tool in being able to measure success against our initial goals + reduce risk for product launches

Are you involved with any professional organizations outside of the company? Volunteer work?

No, but within my company, I’m a co-lead for the AAPI Associate Resource Group which celebrates, supports, and raises awareness for the Asian American & Pacific Islanders community.

Q&A

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Hosting dinner & game nights, going out on hikes, and travel: weekend getaways, international trips, and all things in between

How do you manage stress?

Two things come to mind:

1. take a beat. If I feel stressed or overwhelmed, taking time for myself to do something I enjoy helps restore me.
2. break things down into simple tasks. Do one small step at a time

How many cups of coffee do you have in a day? 

1 cup only!

What advice do you have for recent college graduates?

Don’t be afraid to try out something new!

Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Becky James, Vice President of Program Development at Amwell.

Where did you grow up and how would you describe yourself as a child?

I grew up in a combination of Minnesota, Ethiopia and rural Idaho.  My family moved to Idaho when I was 9 so I had 9 years before Idaho and 9 years in Idaho.  Spending time in Ethiopia put my family on a path to simple living.  I was the third of 3 girls and would say I was a typical third child - a bit more freewheeling than the first two.  I was fairly shy but spent a lot of time with adults so was very comfortable with them.  As a kid I loved to have a diverse group of friends and that part has carried into my adult life.

What did you study in college and what was your first job out of school?

My college path was a bit windy.  While I stayed at the same college the entire time, I changed my major time and time again. I needed to graduate in 4 years because I didn’t have the money to continue.  I landed on Computer Science at the beginning of my senior year because Computer Science was the one degree I had enough credits in and I could get with only one more year to go.  My first ‘real’ job was as a Software Engineer at a company called BioDynamics.  We did acoustic analysis on fixed-wing planes and helicopters.  It became clear to me around week two that I was the diversity hire so the company would qualify for government contracts.  I was very thankful for the opportunity and what they taught me but I only stayed there about a year before pursuing a job at Microsoft.

Can you share the details on your career path and what were the critical moments that got you to where you are today?

I have had the most fortunate of careers in many ways.  I got to work for startups that got acquired and for large companies that had a lot of opportunities.  I worked for Microsoft, Intel, Mattel, WebMD, and now Amwell.  My start-up experiences were sprinkled in between those moves.  I have held a number of roles from Software engineer to Project Management and leading small and large teams.  Here are the companies I worked for and my roles.

BioDynamics (Software Engineer)

Microsoft (Software Engineer ->Technical Trainer)

Intel (Sr Software Engineer, Program Manager, Trainer)

PrintPaks (startup) -> Acquired by Mattel (Technical Project Manager -> Director of Product & Engineering)

WellMed (startup) -> Acquired by WebMD (Head of PMO -> Director of IntegrationEngineering -> Sr Director of Client Delivery)

Conversa (Startup) -> Acquired by Amwell (VP of Client/Program Operations, VP of Program Development)

At BioDynamics, I learned how to work.  I learned that working full time meant, how to work on a team, take direction from a boss, and that I wanted to work on a bigger team with more people close to my age.

At Microsoft, I learned what it was like to work on consumer software, work for a world-renowned company, and the perks and hard work that came with that.  Most importantly, I learned that I like collaborative work and that was my first step towards moving out of being a full-time software engineer. When I moved from Software Engineering to teaching programming classes at Microsoft, it was one of the key moments in my career when a mentor took me under his wing and coached me (24 years old at the time) into a comfortable space teaching people much older than me, and with much more experience, how to write code the Microsoft way.  A truly pivotable, confidence-gaining, moment in my career.

Going to work for Intel, another industry leader, put me again in a position of working with a lot of very smart people which I appreciated.  I was doing software engineering again on video conferencing products and doing a lot of work educating Intel software engineers on how to write code to support international markets.  A key moment at Intel was when I first heard their motto that hardware is job one and software is job two. I determined while I was there, that going forward, I would always strive to be part of a company's main focus.

Working for PrintPaks and then Mattel on children’s software was a highlight because it was the first time I worked for and with mostly women.  Such an energizing experience for me and the place where I really started down the leadership path.  I learned at PrintPaks/Mattel that diverse teams can make fantastically diverse products and I have carried that with me throughout my career.

Working for WellMed and then WebMD took me into healthcare where I could more directly see how my work could positively impact humans.  For the many years at WellMed/WebMD, I help drive the growth from 16 people in my division to over 500 when I left.  That type of growth stretched me in so many ways - growing teams, re-organizing teams, managing in functional alignment, and then in cross-functional alignment.  I managed onshore teams, off-shore teams, consultants, new college grads and PhDs, and everything in between.  I had to get comfortable not being the one who knew everything but knew now to get the right people who knew everything.  That is where I really ‘grew up’ work-wise.

Then going to Conversa which was acquired by Amwell, where I am today, is where everything came together.  My get-stuff-done skills were the perfect compliment to some extraordinary visionaries at Conversa.  I found my operational footing working, working side by side with our clinical teams, strategists, and engineering leaders to bring a brand new concept of conversational design into the provider market.  I now take a tremendous amount of pride in seeing my team execute, knowing the hard work it takes getting the right team, with the right dynamic, with the right focus to bring new concepts into the market.

What is your current role and responsibilities? 

My current role is the Vice President of Program Development. I lead a team of clinicians, designers, writers, operations, QA and Solution leads and we are responsible for building digital Mental Health programs to aid in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and for building automated conversation-based clinical programs to aid in clinical decision support and keep doctors and patients connected between visits.  

Looking back, is this where you thought you’d be professionally?  Was it always your goal to be in this position?

I always knew I’d be a problem solver - I just thought I would be doing it with software engineering not people engineering. I am a software engineer by heart now leading a team that is trying to change healthcare. I feel so fortunate to have taken a turn in healthcare and got aligned with some brilliant strategists.  I am an executor and problem solver - a get-things-done person.  Working alongside my counterparts who had a vision and mission that I believed in, made the hardest of days of problem-solving with my team seem worth it.  I always knew I would be problem-solving, I just didn’t know I would get to do it with such a diverse cast of talent - clinicians, therapists, nurses, informaticists, patient experts, content strategists, operationally focused folks, quality assurance analysts, and designers. 
 

For people who are looking to be in a similar position, what advice would you give to others in terms of helping them achieve their career goals?

Seek to work with people you can learn from.  If you are the top performer, enjoy it briefly then seek more challenges.

Don’t be bitter in a job.  Know yourself well enough to know if you are uncomfortable during a growth period or if you really don’t like what you are doing.  If you don’t like what you are doing your lens will not allow you to see opportunities - move on.  

Ask for opportunities - make your desires known. Hundreds of conversations happen every day, if you want people to think about you for opportunities, let them know you desire them.

What are the most important skills that you need to do your job well?

Ability to identify and retain talent - hiring and retaining talent is the most important thing I can do in my job today.  

Perspective - helping keep the lens of patient and clinical safety on all things we do.  It is easy to get mired in the details of today’s task and lose track of what we are trying to accomplish.

Curiosity - keep asking the why questions.  When you are in the innovation business understanding the problem from every perspective is critical to solving it.

Empathy - it is humans that are needed to solve the problems.  Keeping the whole human in mind at every turn is critical to building relationships.

Diplomacy - I get the luxury of working with brilliant people.  Brilliant people need diplomats to get things done.

What do you find most interesting/rewarding about your work?  What’s the most challenging?

The people and the people.  I get great satisfaction and joy seeing how we can bring so many different backgrounds, experiences, and personalities together to try to change healthcare.  The passion my team brings to their work and our mission gives me confidence that we are changing healthcare.  The other humans that bring me great joy are our clients, the care teams taking care of patients, and the patients.  On my hardest days, I go in and review the feedback patients give when they use our products.  Seeing how our solutions change how engaged patients feel about their health journey makes all the hard days worthwhile.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

I have two.

One, there was a point at one of my jobs, during an executive leadership change, when the team I managed was completely disbanded.  I thought I would lose my job, but instead, I was moved to manage an engineering team.  A 60-person engineering team that had extremely high turnover, no room for advancement, and 60% of the team was offshore.  I honestly thought that it was a way of managing me out of the organization.  After regrouping, I identified strong leaders and with them, created career paths on the team so folks didn’t have to leave to grow, brought 90% of the work back onshore and was able to accomplish the work with the same budget.  After 18 months, the team had new college graduates up to architects and everything in between.  We were able to automate work with the more senior-level folks on the team and create a work environment that received extremely high employee satisfaction.

Two, at the beginning of Covid the startup that I worked for decided to double down and help our hospital system clients with COVID solutions. Within a matter of days, we started delivering COVID screeners so our clients could help their employees and patients track the ever-changing rules about COVID symptoms and exposure.  Our platform went from maybe 60 users a day to ever a million a day in a matter of 2 weeks.  Every last thing we did and how we worked had to be re-invented.  My team rose to the challenge.  We met the needs of our clients and their patients and employees every day.  I learned that the speed at which we could evolve, solve and deliver when there is clarity of mission was profound.  I think about those times every day as am am trying to ensure there is clarity.

Q&A

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Hanging with my family and friends is what I crave most and fills my soul.  When I can pair that with travel, game night, puzzles, hiking, Broadway musicals or cooking, all the better.

How do you manage stress?

Earlier this year, I got myself an under-desk treadmill.  I wish I had done that 20 years ago.  That movement gives me just what I need to keep my unhelpful stress at bay. I end my day having walked 4-6 miles, I feel good for having moved and I don’t seem to be feeling the physical impacts of stress (racing mind, heavy heart, etc) quite as much.  Additionally, I always try to have a vacation planned.  Having something to look forward to when the days are hard gets me through the day sometimes.

How many cups of coffee do you have in a day?

If you had asked me that 3 months ago, I would have said 5-6 but recently I have been trying to not drink coffee first thing in the morning.  Because I now wait to have coffee until mid-morning, I am down to about two cups a day.  No caffeine headaches and I don’t feel quite so dependent on it to wake up in the morning now!

Any book or podcast recommendations?  (professional or fun)

How to narrow it down!!  A few of my favorites are “Stuff you should know”, “Freakonomics”, “Smartless”, “Today Explained”, “The Daily”, “Serial”.   As far as books, that is also very hard to narrow down. A few recent ones are Blink by Malcom Gladwell, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver and The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes.

What advice do you have for recent college graduates?

Be curious and be bold!  There are so many adults in your life (professors, neighbors, parent’s friends, colleagues, relatives) who would love nothing more than to share their experiences with you (everyone loves to talk about themselves).  Take them out for coffee, and pepper them with questions about what they have liked and not liked in their careers.  Ask them to connect you with even more people. Many of those conversations won’t turn into jobs but you will learn a lot and impress many people.  The art of being curious is not common.  Master it.

Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Carmen Cano, SVP Product Design at Seismic.

Can you share the details on your career path and what were the critical moments that got you to where you are today?

The most impactful factor was discovering and embracing technology, and understanding how it could change or affect how we do things. For me, it started with the web, but it has never stopped. Imagine the possibilities the web brought, followed by the cloud, followed by mixed reality, and now the most fascinating potential of AI. My most consistent thread has been an endless curiosity and a passion to solve problems. It’s amazing what you can do by simply showing up and being the best version of yourself – no matter what. I can talk about moments, but at the end of the day we all are responsible for creating those moments: memorable, scary, clumsy. Let’s have the courage to explore!

Looking back, is this where you thought you’d be professionally?  Was it always your goal to be in this position?

I don’t think I ever thought about getting any specific title or position. My ambition has always been driven by a genuine desire to learn, to grow, to help others grow, and to leave things better than I found them.

For people who are looking to be in a similar position, what advice would you give to others in terms of helping them achieve their career goals?

Show up, be prepared, be yourself. Also work hard, be curious, ask questions, have the courage to understand, and have fun.

What do you find most interesting/rewarding about your work?  What’s the most challenging?

It’s all about people.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

Consistently believing I was behind, then realizing I was ahead.
 

Q&A

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Walking, reading, painting, listening to music, gardening and spending time with my husband.

How do you manage stress?

I mostly worry about what is in my control and do something about it.

For things that we don’t control but may affect us, I tend to curate them into fiction-like stories and observe them from the outside, like when we watch movies. That technique provides me with a much-needed perspective that we often lose, for some reason or another.

How many cups of coffee do you have in a day?

As many as I can. Coffee is an important part of my daily ritual. But it’s not about caffeine… it’s about the smell, the color, the feeling, the thinking while taking that warm cup in your hands. It’s about that pause, that quiet, slow moment the cup creates between you and the rest around you. It frees you up.

Any book or podcast recommendations?

The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath, which says to stop waiting for the memorable to happen, create it.

Homo Ludens by Johan Huizinga helped me understand that play is a critical ritual to both discovery and personal fulfillment.

What advice do you have for recent college graduates?

Don’t fall in love with the plan.

Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Jennifer Griffin Smith, Chief Market Officer at Acquia.

Where did you grow up and how would you describe yourself as a child?

I grew up in the North East of England in a small mining village. It was a tight knit community where you knew everyone and kids all went to school together. I enjoyed school and I liked being with friends and family. I didn’t go on a plane until I was 15 years old - most of my family vacations were spent in France after a very very long drive! I have made up for it since then with all my travels. We relocated 15 years ago to Boston.

Before I went to University I took a gap year working 6 months in Switzerland and 6 months in Germany. I loved it and for a short time thought I might graduate and live in Germany but then I decided to stay in London!

What did you study in college and what was your first job out of school?

I studied Business Administration with German at a University just outside of London. My first job was as a customer service agent for a technology company managing customers and partners in German speaking countries. At that stage of my life I thought I would be a linguist.

Can you share the details on your career path and what were the critical moments that got you to where you are today?

I never had a hard plan of where I wanted to be and by when. I didn’t even know I wanted to go into Marketing until I got to experience a trade show first hand and then applied for my first marketing specialist position after being a customer service agent. This was a critical moment when I landed my second job with the most inspiring CMO who spent time teaching me about the practical aspects of marketing that you don’t learn at school. Lesson number 1 - Always make sure you work with people you can learn from.

I was lucky to be part of companies that were acquired by larger companies and given opportunities to take on new roles. Lesson Number 2 - don’t fear change - change can bring many opportunities. I’ve had times where I have been disappointed not getting a role or a project I really wanted but there’s always a reason for it and something better is around the corner. 

Lesson number 3 - put the work in. I have always had a strong work ethic (from my mother!) - you don’t get anywhere unless you work at it. If you have an idea - put it out there, don’t be afraid to write a recommendation or take on a project - you never know where it might lead. 

What is your current role and responsibilities?

As Chief Market Officer I have 2 primary roles. 1) Working with the executive team to ensure we bring  solutions to market that bring exceptional value to customers. I aim to be the voice of the customer (it helps that we use all our products internally) making sure we are always thinking outside in and not inside out and 2) to functionally lead the marketing organization including product marketing, marketing programs, field marketing, communications (AR, PR, Social) and thought leadership.

My ultimate responsibility is to ensure we meet our company goals including customer retention and financial growth. 

Looking back, is this where you thought you’d be professionally?  Was it always your goal to be in this position?

Nope! I never had a goal of living in America or being a CMO. I had an opportunity and I took it. I love being a CMO. We are the connection point between the innovators (product and engineering) and the sellers. Our job is to ensure we can monetize our innovations and that includes everything from creating websites and promotions to training sellers and creating pricing packages. Every day is varied and I love working across different teams.

For people who are looking to be in a similar position, what advice would you give to others in terms of helping them achieve their career goals?

Be open, listen, take every opportunity to learn from people and don’t be afraid to give your ideas/perspectives. Find people you admire or respect and look at what they do really well. What makes them great.

What are the most important skills that you need to do your job well?

Focus & time management - it's really easy to get caught up in the things that don’t make an impact. Think about how your time is best spent. 

Creativity - how to do things differently. How do you get your message heard in a “sea of sameness”

Human centric - Get to know your team. What motivates them professionally and personally. A motivated, inspired team is so much more productive and when we are productive results follow. And when results follow everyone is happy. And lifes too short not to be happy and enjoy what you do. 

This is a picture of me at an Acquia event. In this picture is one of my team, 2 customers and a partner and it really captures the joy we have working together. 

What do you find most interesting/rewarding about your work?  What’s the most challenging?

Seeing what our customers can achieve as a result of our technology.

Seeing people grow into new skills and take on new roles is really rewarding

Seeing a team celebrating success is like nothing else!

The most challenging - spinning all the plates at one time - balancing work and being a mom of 2 kids and 2 dogs!

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

The amazing people I have worked with that I now call friends

Are you involved with any professional organizations outside of the company? Volunteer work?

My children keep me busy. I volunteer at my daughters dance company and my sons’ school as much as I can. My daughter is a senior and will be leaving for college this fall. They grow up quickly and time is precious so I try and spend as much time with them and their activities as possible.

I also stay connected with my peers through CMO clubs and local events.

Q&A

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love my Peloton tread. I am addicted to it! If I had one thing to take to a desert island it would be my tread!

I also love traveling - give me a beach anyday! 

My idea of a perfect view 

How do you manage stress?

Exercising! Skiing in the winter and Peloton bootcamps! Taking trips, and being with friends

My family and I skiing in the Alps in December.

How many cups of coffee do you have in a day?

None - I don’t drink coffee but as a true Brit I have 3 cups of tea a day

My tea of choice is Twinnings English Breakfast with cold oat milk 

Any book or podcast recommendations?  (professional or fun)

Nope - I get  most of my recommendations sent to me or from LinkedIn!

What advice do you have for recent college graduates?

Enjoy yourself. Don’t rush into a job for the sake of it. Before you know it you’ll have been working for 30 years!
 

Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Cristina Hernandez, Chief Diversity Officer at Synopsys.

Where did you grow up and how would you describe yourself as a child?

I was born in Phoenix, AZ, but grew up in Colorado where my family moved when I was a year old. I remember being a happy child (lots of smiling pictures!), yet it’s probably being driven and organized that would stand out to others. I spent a lot of time performing – I played piano for over 10 years and sang in the choir. My mom ran a center for senior citizens, so my siblings and I all volunteered a lot. I really loved helping other people.

What did you study in college and what was your first job out of school?

I studied US history and went directly to law school after college, so my first job out of school was as a lawyer in Boston. I was a litigation associate and jumped right in the field to learn as much as I could.

Can you share the details of your career path and what were the critical moments that got you where you are today?

For the first few years of my career, I just put my head down and worked as hard as I could learning about and practicing law. Mentors and colleagues played a very important role early in my career. I learned many valuable lessons from them -- including the importance of relationships to professional growth and success and why it’s critical to value each person you work with no matter their role. The people around me really cared about me, encouraged me, and gave honest feedback that helped me grow. I try now to pay it forward!

These relationships really helped me when I decided to change careers after over 15 years practicing law. I was a successful lawyer and decided to move to California for personal reasons. I started calling people for advice on what my next career step should be. One of those people was the inclusion and diversity author and speaker Vernā Myers, who is my mentor and friend. She encouraged me to start doing work to support organizations that prioritize diversity and strive to be more inclusive. One thing led to another, and now I have been doing this work for over 10 years. I was first a consultant with Vernā, then a founding member of the Inclusion Strategy team at Netflix, and now Chief Diversity Officer at Synopsys.

What is your current role and responsibilities? 

I am the Chief Diversity Officer at Synopsys, a silicon to systems design solutions company. I have the great privilege of partnering with our leaders and employees around the world to create an inclusive culture that supports an incredibly diverse workplace – a key to advance our innovation and remain an industry leader. I started in this role in February 2023 and really enjoy working here.

For people who are looking to be in a similar position, what advice would you give to others in terms of helping them achieve their career goals?

Everyone I know who wants to work in diversity, equity, and inclusion cares deeply about people – that is so important, as is digging in and learning about what it really takes to create a diverse and inclusive workplace. It is not easy, particularly because you will make mistakes (we all do!). Having the courage to acknowledge when we make mistakes, work to learn and change from them, and move forward is critical. There is a reason we call this a journey: we are always learning and growing.

What are the most important skills that you need to do your job well?

Listening. Being open to being wrong. Humility. Courage. Caring. Tenacity. And I think for those who work in larger organizations, we must be organizational masterminds (or have one on your team!), so we can figure out where we can change things to make things better for more people. 

What do you find most interesting about your work? What is the most challenging?

The most interesting part of my work is learning about other people – their culture, stories, backgrounds, what makes them unique.

The most challenging part of my work is that change at larger organizations can take time – which calls for persistence and flexibility.

Are you involved with any professional organizations outside of the company? Volunteer work?

I am a member of several organizations of professionals who work in diversity, equity, and inclusion and learn so much from these brilliant people. I also love the arts – I sing in a choir and am a member of the board of The Pasadena Playhouse (the State Theater of California).