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 Karen Polcaro, VP Marketing at SpotOn Fence.

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

I grew up in Burlington, Massachusetts. When I was young, I loved the arts. I liked drawing and painting, going to museums, and studying all the different Impressionist painters. I knew that when I was an adult, I wanted to do something related to that.

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

I studied graphic design in college and landed my first job out of school as the graphic designer for a construction firm that built high-end performing arts theaters and biotech spaces. It was not the type of job I expected to get – I always thought I would work for an agency – but it helped me grow more than an agency would have. Since I was the only in-house resource, I had to figure out how to get things done, how to line up resources, how to execute the work, and how to get buy-in from stakeholders within the organization. It also opened my eyes to brand building and marketing. 

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

When I was at my first job out of college, my manager, who was the Director of Marketing, pushed me to do more than just graphic design. At first, it was being in charge of the company newsletter, it evolved into conceptualizing and writing anything I was to design (from brochures to web content). That led me to take more interest in brand building, and eventually, I went on to lead brand strategy at a boutique agency, and then from there to be a Brand/Product marketing manager at a series of companies that focused on selling products into the consumer retail space. 

As a Brand Manager, I focused on developing psychograph personas that changed the way we sold our products to retail buyers, resulting in groundbreaking retail placements for those companies. 

Fast-forward to today, and I am leading sales and marketing for SpotOn GPS Fence. When I joined SpotOn, we had not sold a single product and didn’t have a website. What we did have was some customer research, and with that, I launched SpotOn and helped build it into the business it is today. 

Since SpotOn invented completely wireless GPS fences and launched the very first one, not only were we a new brand with a new product, we were also a new category. We had to do a LOT of educating in those first couple of years. People didn’t understand what the product did or trust the technology that powered it. Leaning into testimonials and thought leadership allowed us to tell our story and gain consumer trust in the solution and in SpotOn as a brand. 

What is your current role and responsibilities?

Today, I am the Vice President of Marketing for SpotOn GPS fence. I lead all sales and marketing efforts. My team is responsible for forecasting sales, brand building, advertising, social media, and everything in between. My job is to grow and protect SpotOn’s brand, develop programs that ensure our target customers are well-educated through the buyer journey and product onboarding; and, of course, meet the company’s sales goals. 

We rely heavily on consumer feedback and insights to continually evolve our product and our marketing approach. We continue to leverage category education and customer testimonials as a core element of the marketing mix. And… since making the sale is only one small part of the customer journey, we focus heavily on what happens after a SpotOn GPS Fence is delivered. We want our customers to have the very best experience once they buy, so we provide everything customers need to be successful and have their backs with the best guarantee in the industry. 

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

Leading sales and marketing at SpotOn is my dream job! Growing a brand from the ground up has not only been exciting and extremely fulfilling, but it has also provided constant challenges that have helped me grow and kept the work exciting and engaging. I have always wanted to be involved in a company that provided a game changer for its customers– that is what initially drew me to SpotOn. Now when I read reviews of how our product has changed people’s lives for the better, it drives me to see what more our team can accomplish in this space.

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?

Find an industry or subject matter that you love and find a role within it. Have a passion for the subject matter, believe in the work you do, and be proud of the difference you make.

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

The most important skills I need to do my job are not necessarily skills but ways of approaching my work. Working in a direct-to-consumer business requires flexibility and adaptability. I am also always looking at data. Making data-driven decisions has driven success in our organization. Passion about the subject matter and about meeting our customers' needs has also been extremely important.

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

The most interesting is unlocking barriers to entry for the customers – what are the problems or pain points, what other products are they shopping for, what are the things holding them back, and what is their rationale for buying a SpotOn Fence? What will make them love the product? These things also represent the biggest challenges, which is why we take customer feedback so seriously. 

Another challenge is the unpredictability of a direct-to-consumer business in general. You can look at your sales trends year-over-year but there are so many other things going on in the world that will impact a customer’s decision. For instance, the economy, the weather, the platforms you use to advertise changing their algorithms, your competitors releasing a new product (or having a PR crisis) – all of these factors can positively or negatively impact your business. You have to be prepared to play offense or defense at any moment.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

Growing SpotOn to where it is today. When I came to the company, there were four other employees, and I was the only marketing person. Today we have brought two generations of SpotOn Fence to market. We have been honored by CES, NH Tech Alliance, South by Southwest, INC5000, and the American Business Awards. We have been featured in publications like USA Today and Forbes. We have a team of over 60 employees who all share the same passion for and dedication to growing SpotOn. 

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

Not at the moment, growing SpotOn and raising my family keep me very busy.
 

Q&A

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love to cook. I’m obsessed with trying to cook foods from different cultures. It is a family affair in my house – it is something we all enjoy and do together. A dog person, I also like spending time outside with my dogs – hiking, walking them in the woods, etc. And... I am always up for a good true crime podcast or show.

How do you manage stress?

Spending time outdoors or in the kitchen cooking. 

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

One, but I drink tea all day long.

Any book or podcast recommendations?  

Perpetual Traffic and This Old Marketing Show. I also love Strange and Unexplained.

What advice do you have for recent college graduates?

You are never the smartest person in the room. It doesn’t matter if you are in a board room or the grocery store – there is always an opportunity to learn from the people around you.

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).

Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Virginia Satrom, Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications at Onapsis.

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

I grew up in Massachusetts and I would describe myself as a very inquisitive and energetic child. I enjoyed school and loved playing team sports.

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

I studied Marketing & Psychology at University of Massachusetts Amherst. My first job out of school was working for a large cybersecurity company as an intern. I was hired full time as a channel marketer at that same company after completing my internship for a few months. 

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

Starting out in channel marketing gave me a tremendous advantage working in the cybersecurity space. Truly understanding how most technology and SaaS companies leverage their distributors, partners, and overall strategy partner ecosystem was invaluable to help me understand the broader organization. There was also a lot of opportunity to make my role what I wanted it to be from enablement bootcamps, to email marketing, to in-person advisory councils, and even virtual kickoff meetings specifically designed for our partners. Having that background, I was able to find a role at another cybersecurity company after moving to Austin, Texas focusing on social media. There I was able to hone my writing skills, launch an employee engagement app, serve as a core team member throughout a massive rebrand, and even dive into PR a bit. From there, I knew I wanted to gain some strong demand generation experience, so I landed at a company where I could focus on expanding in international markets. This led to taking on more responsibility for channel marketing and customer marketing. Here is where I grew to appreciate customer insights as an invaluable marketing resource. After building my career around those key functional areas, I had my sights set on a smaller company where I could use all of the skills I’d learned day to day as a marketing leader. Since then, I have been seeking out roles where I can be a ‘player-coach’ and use both my creativity and my organization to make an impact.

What is your current role and responsibilities?

My current role and responsibilities cover a few different aspects of the marketing department, including: our communications strategy, managing global PR with our agencies, proactive and reactive external communications. I also am directly responsible for our social media strategy and day-to-day execution, which is where I am able to be creative and experiment with new ideas and mini campaigns. My team also manages our brand, design, and website (which we recently revamped!) Finally, my team is also responsible for our paid and organic digital strategy including SEO, paid ads, and paid social. 

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

Like most children of my generation, I wanted to be a songwriter and pop star. (Or was that just me?) So, yes and no. Once I decided that marketing was my ultimate career path, I knew I wanted to be able to be creative, hands-on, have a true impact on an organization, and lead a team. I absolutely believe in manifesting and going after your goals until you make it happen. I see myself as a strong demand generation marketer which I typically have gravitated to lately, but have grown to embrace the communications and creative side again with my current role. I’m excited to do it all!

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?

One of the best pieces of advice that I ever received early in my career was saying ‘yes’ and raising your hand for new challenges and opportunities within your team and company. It is a delicate balance to make sure you are able to do your role and do it well, but always jump at developing a skill set. The best way to learn, for me, is by doing. Building your skill set organically helps you learn what you do and don’t necessarily enjoy doing, and also helps make you an invaluable resource at your company.

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

The most important skill in a smaller company is definitely the ability to pivot and shift priorities. It could seem like two ‘small’ things in the broad range of skills a person can have within marketing, but it is critical as a ‘player-coach’. Based on my start-up experience with companies of varied sizes, there is always a ton of work to go around with limited resources. Making sure you are aligned with the overall business goals and keep referring back to your priorities will help you not be overwhelmed and ensure you have the maximum impact with your efforts.

Another core skill that comes to mind is knowing when and how to take feedback. Marketing as a whole is one of those functions that unless you’ve done it, seems ‘easy’ or can be perceived as the ‘fluffy’ area of a business. Standing firm in your knowledge and insights when changes are proposed or saying that the battle is not worth fighting is a huge asset to do a job like this well. Bringing data to the table, whether it is A/B testing or lead metrics on a given program, is also something that I have prepared on-hand for any crucial conversations about priorities as well.

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

The most interesting and rewarding part of my work is being involved with our Customer Advisory Board. As I mentioned, being able to hear directly from and meet with customers is an invaluable asset to build your knowledge and also utilize those insights to form new concepts for campaigns and programs.

A very close second would be working with our Onapsis Research Labs team. The research that they do and the skills they leverage to help our customers is nothing short of impressive. Seeing how they incorporate their research into our products and showcase their expertise is one of my favorite things to do. We recently revamped a series called The Defenders Digest, which is always the highlight of my month.

Like many cybersecurity organizations, the most challenging part of the role can be finding the right balance between creating urgency and not instilling fear. We want to ensure organizations and the humans they support are protected, and we also want to make sure we aren’t ‘ambulance chasing.’ We always want to be helpful, not create fear.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

My proudest moment professionally has been doing three rebrands within my career. It takes a village and so much organization to pull it off and the pay off is so tangible. 

Another proud moment for me was the massive pivot my organization at the time had to do from in-person events to virtual events initially during early 2020. It really tested our team’s creativity given that in-person events were simply not an option. We developed rapid, emerging threat briefings that had a tremendous impact on our marketing goals and pipeline creation. 

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

Since I just recently moved across the country, I haven’t been as involved in organizations as I’d like to be. That being said, Cybersecurity Marketing Society is close to my heart and I am looking forward to getting involved with the local animal rescue shelters!

Q&A

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

My free time mostly consists of reading, writing, watercolor painting, pottery, and screen printing–to name a few. Traveling as much as I can is always at the top of my list too.

How do you manage stress?

To manage stress, I usually like to take a walk with my dog, do a cycling class, or meditate.

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

On a typical day, I have two shots of espresso first thing in the morning. If I drink more than that, the caffeine starts to use its powers for evil.

Any book or podcast recommendations? 

Most recently, I read The Final Girl Support Group and I Have Some Questions For You–I could not put either of them down. I also love Huberman Lab & Crime Junkie podcasts.

What advice do you have for recent college graduates?

You don’t have to have everything figured out right away. Find a place to land where you can learn and absorb everything in a role or industry that interests you. So many things will not go as planned, so being able to adapt and pivot will save you a lot of stress and anxiety (easier said than done!) I also highly recommend finding a mentor (formally or informally) that can be a resource for advice, recommendations, and networking.

Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Marisa Cunniffe, Director Software Engineering at Vestmark.

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

I grew up in Boston, MA.  As a child, I was curious by nature.  I loved to read and understand how things worked.  In elementary school, math was always my favorite subject.  In high school, I had the opportunity to take Computer Science classes and quickly realized that solving problems using code was something I enjoyed and excelled at.

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

In college, I decided to stick with coding and graduated with a degree in Computer Science.  I attended a college that required co-ops.  I was lucky enough to get a co-op opportunity in FinTech that turned into a full-time job once I graduated.  

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 worked in FinTech since college.  I started my career as a Software Developer.  After about 10 years of coding, I decided I wanted to take on more responsibility and began my journey into management.  I had always been drawn to making sure that the product we delivered to clients met their expectations.  As a manager, I was able to interact with more teams outside of Engineering and understand better the successes and challenges that the software brought them and our clients.  As the years went by, my focus started to move towards delivering Quality software and that led to more leadership opportunities with Release and Quality Engineering focused teams.  

What is your current role and responsibilities?

Today I lead Quality Engineering for Vestmark which encompasses supporting, testing, and releasing quality software products to our clients.

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 think the most important advice I would give is to trust your team and delegate.  When moving into leadership roles, you must admit to yourself that you can’t do everything yourself.  You need to have a solid team that you trust and delegate to them.

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

The most important skills I have found are patience and empathy.  The willingness to listen to others and see things from other points of view are important skills for anyone in leadership.  

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

I’ve always felt rewarded when our customers are happy with the software we provide to them.  The challenges can come from the same scenario when the customer is not happy, either because we introduced defects or other challenges they experience.

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

I am currently enrolled in the Executive IQ program at The Money Management Institute.  This is a great opportunity that is helping to increase my self-awareness and strengthen my leadership skills.

Q&A

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

In my free time, I like to spend time with my husband and kids.  Chauffeuring my kids to where they need to go, cheering them on at their games, and helping them with school is what takes up most of my free time.  Outside of this I enjoy traveling when I can, going to concerts and watching sports.

How do you manage stress?

When I’m feeling stressed, I like to take a long walk.  Either outside or when the weather isn’t cooperating, I’ll go to the gym.  This will usually clear my mind and allow me to re-focus.

Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Carisa Raucci, VP Clinical Operations at NuvoAir.

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

I split my time between northern Rhode Island and El Paso, TX. We moved a lot as a kid but I was deep into the sports scene, so I always felt like I had instant family wherever I went. I played soccer and basketball which kept me quite busy with travel and competitive leagues. I was always an overachiever and thought doing well in school was my best chance for success later in life. 

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

I was a biology and pre-med major in college and minored in kinesiology. I always knew I wanted to work in healthcare so I became an athletic training student in an effort to gain patient care hours but also stay in the sports world that I knew so well. That led me to an amazing internship and my first full time position with the Spurs Sports and Entertainment franchise. I was one of the equipment managers and athletic trainers for their AHL, WNBA, and NBA teams. 

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

Like many others, I took a very non-traditional path to where I am now. I spent about 15 years in the sports medicine setting doing direct patient care in a variety of places and settings around the world. 

I was always very interested in the why and the operations behind healthcare. After completing my PhD in Health Behavior and Health Education, with an emphasis on brain injury management, I was recruited to help start a multidisciplinary concussion center. This was a pivotal moment in my career, because I was tasked with building not only a practice, but a multidisciplinary team, from the ground up. It was in this role that I was pushed outside of my comfort zone and had to become the “jack of all trades”. I had to build community partnerships, oversee a multimillion dollar P&L, recruit world-renowned specialists, and navigate the insurance and compliance landscape. This moment was also pivotal for me as I began my journey down the path of providing telemedicine services for those in rural communities needing urgent access to care. I do credit my graduate work on helping me transition from a direct patient care path to one in operations and leadership. 

From that moment, I knew that telemedicine was going to be a vital component of US healthcare. My next position was with Iris Telehealth to really augment my understanding and responsibilities in the virtual care space. I was the 9th hire in that organization, responsible for clinical operations including licensing, credentialing, provider and client relations, compliance, Joint Commission accreditation, and clinical workflows and implementation for a variety of settings. This was another pivotal role in my career because once again I found myself learning as we were building. In a course of three years, we became the largest solely psychiatry telemedicine provider in the US. That level of scale is difficult to describe but also something I would recommend to anyone looking to get a crash course and deep dive into your field of interest. 

My next stop on my journey was with an AI company, Diligent Robotics. I knew I wanted more experience in the technology sector and what better way to accomplish that than working with autonomous delivery robots in the hospital setting? This was also an incredible journey for me as I was able to work side by side with some of the best and brighter roboticists in the world. This experience gave me a deep understanding of how product and engineering teams work to enable a level of sophistication and automation that I am passionate about leveraging in healthcare. 

This brings me to my most current position at NuvoAir, virtual based cardiopulmonary care. All of my past experiences have led me to truly understand the start-up environment where healthcare and technology merge at the center of the patient experience. 

What is your current role and responsibilities?

I am the Vice President of Clinical Operations at NuvoAir in which I oversee the clinical services including member experience and quality of care. I work hand in hand with our product and engineering teams to develop world-class care while leveraging technology and automation. 

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

I did not, for many years I thought I would go on to be a Sports Medicine physician. Throughout my experiences though, I learned that I could make a much bigger impact on patients, especially around high quality and access to care, in operations roles. It has been exciting and rewarding to follow the opportunities and meet amazing people 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?

I have a few thoughts on this: 

1. Don’t be afraid to jump in and learn as you go. It’s easy to say I’m not trained for that, or that is out of my comfort zone, but the reward for hard work and pushing yourself is so worth it! Be flexible and open to new situations as you never know where it might take you. Also, always be thinking about how your current skills can be translated into the job you want. 
2. Show up! One of the hardest things I’ve found is to continuously show up day in and day out. When times are tough, when you don’t have all the answers, when the budget isn’t there, don’t let that stop you. One of the best qualities in a leader is to continue to be there for your teams even if you don’t have all the answers. 
3. Find a mentor. Mentees are 5x more likely to be promoted than those without a mentor. Also, you are never too old or experienced to have a mentor. Find someone who has been in your shoes and will push you when you need it. 

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

Working for NuvoAir is energizing as it allows me to be at the forefront of innovative healthcare solutions. The ability to provide remote and personalized care to patients and leveraging technology to enhance cardiopulmonary services, is not only professionally gratifying but also contributes significantly to improving accessibility and patient outcomes. 

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

Helping scale a self-funded business from the ground up to one of the largest in its industry was my proudest professional accomplishment. We were able to seamlessly provide over 100,000 psychiatry visits annually in a very short ramp up period. 

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

I have been a volunteer for Siguiendo los Pasos de Jesus (SPJ) since the late ‘90s. SPJ is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which assists hardworking families who reside in the colonias of Juarez, Mexico. Each family has at least one working parent and yet still lack basic essentials. SPJ strives to build sustainable communities by supporting families with homes, jobs, education, medical and dental clinics, food, a market, a community center, a church, and a library.

Q&A

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I have three main hobbies. I enjoy renovating homes and would flip homes in another life if I could! Sweating pipes, laying cable, you name it and I love doing it. I also love college and pro football, baseball, and basketball and talking about it with others. My other hobby is collecting Lego. We have three generations in our family who are all avid collectors and builders.

How do you manage stress?

I love to be outside when I am stressed. A bit of fresh air and sunlight do wonders for me.

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

Zero! I’ve been caffeine free for about 8 months now, although I miss it every single day and have slipped occasionally too.  

Any book or podcast recommendations? 

I have a few professional book favorites: 

1. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell
2. Unreasonable Hospitality - Will Guidara
3. Good to Great - Jim Collins
4. Zero to One - Peter Thiel

What advice do you have for recent college graduates?

Find a great mentor. Studies show that those with reliable mentors do much better in their careers and are far happier and more confident.