Diva Tech Talk Podcast

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Patricia Howard, veteran instructional designer/developer, whose employers and clients have included General Motors Corporation,  AAA Life Insurance,  the Auto Club Group and MSX International. Patty came to the technology field by happenstance. “When I was a little girl, technology did not exist as it does, today,” she said. “I didn’t touch a computer until my senior year of college!”   She pursued a fine arts bachelor degree with a minor in business at The University of Southern Colorado, “..and had to write a paper for a finance class,” Patty said. “The system was DOS!” After college, she moved to Michigan, and her first roles were at a national historic landmark and nonprofit, Pewabic Pottery, as a tile presser, potter, mold-maker and technical design reviewer, checking and validating specifications.  Her intellectual appetite led her to explore technology and a friend “gifted” his 486 computer to her. Exploring her options, Patty left Pewabic and took short-term administrative

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Rebekah Bastian, Vice President of Community and Culture at Zillow Group, leading efforts focused on equity and belonging, social impact and cultural engagement. Rebekah was one of Zillow Group's first employees, moving from Microsoft in 2005. She has spent over 13 years leading product development and evolving into her current role. Rebekah originally started as a music major, but shifted, reassessed, and went back to school taking courses at her local community college. This led to math and physics. Her epiphany was that “[she] can do well at anything [she] works hard at.” Rebekah has been proving that lesson to herself ever since. She encourages others to “work hard at things you enjoy, are passionate about, and things you are good at.” She transferred to the University of Washington where she completed her undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and continued on to UC Berkley, for a masters in that field. She applied to Microsoft  and her work included development of the

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Nafisa Bhojawala, Studio Chief for Cloud Design at Microsoft Corporation. Nafisa, the daughter of an engineer dad, and an art teacher mom, grew up in India, and Dubai, UAE.  “We grew up, drawing, painting, working on embroidery; just basically making things! But I also loved the clean rules of math and physics.  I learned to appreciate how the world works around me.” When Nafisa chose her university major, she wanted to specialize in fine arts. But her parents persuaded her to “pick a useful profession.” She decided on architecture and emigrated to Chicago to study at Illinois University of Technology. She spent one year, before she realized she was hooked on design, “looking at problems, and solving them, even on a smaller scale.” She logically matriculated into the design school. Nafisa then discovered computer technology.  “I used it first as a tool, as a designer, but very soon I began running into these frustrating situations while using the computer,” which prompted her to thi

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Ford Motor Company’s Smart Mobility and Tech Engineering Leader, May Russell. “I loved mathematics,” May exclaimed, “but it’s not like I had access” living in Kuwait, from which her college physics professor father and civil engineer mother emigrated to the U.S. when she was in college.  “It’s beautiful but limited in resources. There was one bookstore in the whole country.” A self-described “reading nerd,” May “exhausted every single sci-fi book they had!”  She recognized her first “thirst for, and love of technology” through a “very aspirational” science fiction passion. She pointed to Isaac Asimov and his Laws of Robotics, and mentioned that, today, she still refers to those, in her work.  Her first computer science class at age 15, allowed May to innovate, using an Access database with a Visual Basic front-end, so that a video store owner could catalogue the entire inventory of VHS tapes. She became computer science valedictorian in her high school class. Matriculating, she

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Wanda Castelvecchi, National Practice Manager for Security and Enterprise Networking at ePlus, (https://www.eplus.com/), responsible for over $500 million, annually.    Wanda did not enter the technology industry in traditional fashion. In the mid-1980’s she was a law librarian, using Lexis (https://www.lexisnexis.com), and Westlaw (https://legal.thomsonreuters.com/en/products/westlaw) research databases before most attorneys became adept in them.  “I worked for a large law firm in downtown Richmond, Virginia, until my son was born,” she said.  During her maternity leave, the law firm closed. “So, I found myself as a brand-new Mom, with a brand-new baby at home, with no job.  I had to figure out how to make this work!” She became the “Renaissance Woman” at a smaller firm, doing reception and recruiting duties, working in the law library, handling billing, marketing and more.  That firm acquired their first computer. So, she evolved into becoming the firm’s internal computer expert.

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Monica Bailey, Chief People Officer at GoDaddy (www.godaddy.com). At 18 million global customers and 8,000 employees, the 22-year old company is an indisputable market leader, as the largest ICANN-accredited domain registrar in the world, four times the size of its closest competitor. Monica came to her role at GoDaddy “having seen a lot of things I love about the technology industry and having seen a lot of things that I didn’t want to repeat.” The daughter of a social worker mother and a residential builder father, Monica was raised in a “rough and tumble fishing town” on Washington State’s coast, populated by “amazing people” who “had to be as fierce as the ocean to survive there.”  She graduated from Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow School of Communications with a double major in psychology and communications, and a special focus on women’s studies. Early in her career exploration, she knew “I wanted to help people; I wanted to make an impact.” Fate intervened in l

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Scarlett Ong Rui Chern,  entrepreneur, founder/ CEO of Peerstachio.  Scarlett is the epitome of entrepreneurship:  courageous, persistent, agile in approach.  She grew up in a small town in Malaysia and left to pursue higher education in the United States. “I had one year of community college in Kuala Lumpur, and then transferred as a freshman into the University of Michigan (https://umich.edu/).”  As a 10-year old, Scarlett said: “I was interested in tech, especially the gaming field. I was always interested in the collaborative aspect of tech, the basis of what I am working on, now.”   Scarlett matriculated to the university, after looking for a sense of “community” among colleges. Everyone was friendly. However, “my first year was not a very good year. But I really believed in myself, although I was struggling to adapt to the whole situation,” she said. “Besides being an international student, I was a first-generation college student in my family. And I didn’t have family members

The Diva Tech Talk team was grateful to have the amazing experience of attending Grace Hopper Conference 2018. We highlighted many conference details, discussed the Abie awards, and shared the voice of attendees on the Episode 73 Podcast. If you didn’t get a chance to listen, please check it out here: http://www.divatechtalk.com/blog/ep73 There was so much material and insight that we had to create another article and episode for our listeners to stay with us on this journey. This podcast has a special announcement for our listeners. One incredibly worthy outcome of the Grace Hopper Conference and the AnitaB.org effort is the Top Companies report for women in technology. This is a national program that identifies key trends around the representation of women in the workforce. First launched in 2011, it pairs wonderfully with the conference “vibes.” Although there are many other female technologist benchmarking programs, this is the only one that measures technical employees using a rigorous, standardized defi

The Diva Tech Talk team was ecstatic to attend the 3-day 18th Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing #GHC18 (ghc.anitab.org) --- the world’s largest gathering of women in computer technology --  September 26 through 28, 2018 in Houston, Texas. The conference has taken place since 1994, with a yearly cadence since 2006. Named for U.S. Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, many continue be inspired by her work on the Mark I computer and creation of one the first industry compilers, that eventually led to the development of COBOL, still a relevant programming language today. Grace paved the way for many women to follow her in technical careers. The Grace Hopper Celebration convenes many thousands of women in computing in a single venue to discuss topics of interest, and share research related to women in technology. Students flood the halls to get exposure to tech companies and tech departments; and many engage in onsite career interviews. There are a variety of presentations, poster discussions, and meet-ups thro

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Stephanie Espy, Founder and CEO of MathSP (https://mathsp.com/) and STEM Gems (http://stemgemsbook.com/).  Stephanie shares a common goal with Diva Tech Talk (www.divatechtalk.com) to support the next generation of female STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) practitioners. Both of Stephanie’s parents are engineers and three of her siblings are connected to STEM. “Engineering and science are two main career paths my family has taken.” Stephanie was also influenced by “really fabulous teachers”as early as elementary school, extending through secondary education and college. After high school, Stephanie moved from Georgia to Massachusetts to attend MIT (www.mit.edu ). There she “thrived because of the community” and obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering.  Her penchant for bonding with others in her dorm, in her major and “with other women of color on campus” got her through the “difficult moments.” Stephanie successfully completed research projects an

Growing up in rural Canada, Lori completed her undergraduate BBA in marketing, through a scholarship as a star Division One Volleyball player, at Ohio University. She moved on to complete her MBA at Bowling Green State University,  with a minor in MIS (Management Information Services) and discovered that she was fascinated by data. “Having that understanding of how you run a business and putting it together with tech and data creates a holistic lens” on any endeavor according to Lori. Her career started at a “Big Four” professional services firms.  Her work was exciting and diverse. “I’ve had a chance to work with some of the best companies, either on process optimization, data analytics, or enterprise-wide implementation programs.  She received experience in a number of transformation projects. “One of the things I learned was really how to refine messaging, how you spoke with the executive-level team about the risks and challenges they could encounter and the value you can deliver.”    Lori also absorbed ho

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Kanika Tolver, Washington, D.C. native, Founder and Product Manager at BrandDMV Inc., (http://branddmv.com/), a digital transformation agency that creates Digital Mobile Visuals. With a fascinating career in our nation’s capital, Kanika has consistently focused on improving U.S. government effectiveness.  Along the way, she has developed impressive technology proficiencies, while consistently connecting those skills to improving the “human experience.”  Kanika is also a career coach, author and mentor. From high school, Kanika was fascinated by the interconnectedness of the world.  “Initially my mom wanted me to be a pharmacist,” Kanika said. “But I said ‘no’ I want to go into computers! It was fun, to me, to be on the Internet.”   Kanika went to Bowie State University (https://www.bowiestate.edu/ where she majored in computer science, with a focus on Internet technology, programming in CSS, HTML, and JavaScript.  “That’s when I started to say, ‘wow, I really love creating Webpages

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Christine Rice, formerly President of VisionIT (www.visionit.com), and now CEO/President, of its IT staffing division: VisionPro (http://www.visionproteam.com/). VisionPro has 20 offices throughout the U.S., and is also global with offices in Canada, Mexico and Brazil. As a child, Christine had not been partial to technology subjects. “I got involved through my siblings,” she said. Both her older brother and sister worked at EDS (Electronic Data Systems). While she was in high school, “hearing my sister talk about IT, and the projects she was working on,” spurred Christine.  When she graduated high school, she also worked EDS, while simultaneously attending Wayne County Community College in Detroit (www.wcccd.edu/), and then Central Michigan University in Midland, Michigan (https://www.cmich.edu/) obtaining her B.S. in business management. Christine’s first EDS position was as an orientation specialist and then she moved into employee relations/human resources. “Our job was to lower

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Monsoon Strategy Partner, Pam Metivier, Co-Creator of STEAMTeam ®5, a children’s series to get girls excited about STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math. Pam considers this not just a series but “the beginning of a movement,” that tells the stories of five girls who use science, technology, engineering, art, and math to accomplish their goals. The books are available on Amazon (www.amazon.com) or on their own website (www.steamteam5.com). Pam was always a tech maven. “As a child I always liked to take things apart.  I took apart my favorite Christmas gift: a Timex watch, when I was about 8,” she said. “And I’ve also been interested in writing my entire life.  So, I got a degree in technical writing” from Oklahoma State University (https://go.okstate.edu/). Pam’s early career focused on writing technical and design specifications. Her first job was as a senior tech writer at hospitality software company, Sulcus Hospitality Group.  “I started out writing manuals,” sh

Diva Tech Talk spoke with Eboni Mack, Senior Manager, Analytics, at GTB (www.gtb.com). In high school, Eboni originally had her eye on a thespian career, but instead decided to focus on communications studies in college (“the way people think and how they consume media.”).  During her college years at the University of Michigan (www.umich.edu), Eboni benefited from a public relations internship at Lapides Publicity Giragosian, a media internship at Fox 2 News (http://www.fox2detroit.com/), a writing stint at the Michigan Daily (https://www.michigandaily.com/)  and an internship at Radio One (https://urban1.com/radio-one/).  Post-graduation, her first job was as an account executive for AT&T (www.att.com). Simultaneously she went back to school for her MBA, with a dual concentration in marketing and management, from Wayne State University (www.wsu.edu).  Two years in, Eboni moved into a market analyst position, a role she held for four years.   She then shifted to MRM McCann (https://mrm-mccann.com/), a la

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Chris Rydzewski, tech veteran, serving as Executive Director for the Michigan Council of Women in Technology (www.mcwt.org). Chris did not originally plan a path in technology: “Ironically, I stumbled into it,” she said. Matriculating at the University of Michigan (http://umich.edu/ ), “I loved math and stats,” she said, “but I wound up with a degree in marketing.” Having lived in Texas for a while, Chris returned to Michigan and joined IT powerhouse Compuware (www.compuware.com) in the early 1990’s . “They had 5 lines of business, and were really big, at that time.” For eight years, Chris sold Compuware solutions, supporting the Rocky Mountain states and then the entire Midwest. Then she became an international product line sales director responsible for coaching direct and channel sales teams in South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Chris then moved to BMC (www.bmc.com) focusing, for 5 years, on sales to large Michigan-based corporations. She subsequently moved back to Compu

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Jennifer Charters, Chief Information Officer of Corporate Technology for Ally Bank (www.ally.com), one of the very first online-only financial institutions in the United States.  Jennifer’s technology fascination began in middle school. “My family purchased a VIC 20,” she said. “It basically looked like a keyboard, that you connect into your television.”  At first, Jennifer played with inbuilt pre-programmed applications but then began to create her own programs. In high school, she moved on to use Apple IIe (www.apple.com) computers and recognized “I had a knack for the logical nature of coding. It came easy for me.”  She matriculated to Michigan State University (www.msu.org) as one of “less than a handful of women” in the computer science program and also minored in psychology and business because “technology, just for technology’s sake, doesn’t necessarily make sense.  When you apply technology to a problem,” it does. In college, Jennifer was fortunate to obtain internships at I

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Holly Rollo, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of RSA (www.rsa.com ),a Dell Technologies (www.dell.com) company, offering business-driven security solutions for millions of users around the world and more than 90% of Fortune 500 companies.  Holly said: “you never know what’s in store,” since she did not originally set out to be a technology leader. The daughter of a Marine who was taught the value of determination and hard work at a young age, Holly’s journey began with a passion for investigative reporting. With an undergraduate journalism degree from Santa Clara University (https://www.scu.edu): “I had two job offers: one with a paper, and the other as PR person for a semiconductor company.” She chose the PR job and has no regrets. “What is amazing about marketing is that you’re constantly chasing a story. It’s a creative job. It’s a quantitative science job. It’s a technology job since marketing has gotten more technical.” As Holly got started, she “asked the dumb

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Jill Maiorano, Director of Strategic Engagements, Americas Division, at Cisco (www.cisco.com).  Topics ranged from management, strategy, to balancing home/family with a busy career. “I was not a ‘technology tinkerer’” Jill said.  “From a relatively early age, I decided to be in sales.” After graduating Eastern Michigan University, she felt “really blessed that I was able to find tech.” Her first tech sales job was with Allnet Communications, providing long-distance services to business customers. She was there a few years when Frontier Communications acquired the company, and was later acquired by Global Crossing Inc. (www.globalcrossing.com).  At Allnet, Jill progressed from frontline sales, to sales team management, to opening markets throughout Ohio (Toledo and Cincinnati), to management of the Midwest. Jill then joined the startup team at USN Communications, a CLEC, where she opened and managed 13 offices across Michigan and Ohio. “It ended with a phone call from the president s

Diva Tech Talk interviewed K. Melissa Kennedy, best-selling author, and Managing Partner/Global Innovation Facilitator at 48 Innovate (http://www.48innovate.com/) a platform for generating employee-driven problem-solving through nimble entrepreneurial practices in 48 hours.   Clearly a “change-maker,” Melissa owes her technology orientation to “good old Dad,”a network administrator, who “really exposed me and my brother to technology at an early age.” In high school, she “dabbled” in tech; but went on to graduate from the University of North Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications.  She worked for North Carolina State University as the campaign co-leader for an education bond referendum, winning $3.1 billion in higher education bonds --- “the largest higher education bond in U.S. history!”  NC State “serendipitously launched my career in more STEM-oriented” directions. She obtained her NC State master’s degree in marketing, with a focus on technology companies.  For Melissa, th