Tech in the Right Direction

A Journey to find a way after college

In this episode Jennifer Didier interviews Jennifer Murray. Jennifer Murray shares her journey from graduating college with a Marketing degree, navigating it through a technical job she received.  From there she found her purpose and started her own company.  
She discovered that small and medium businesses could create the same industry-leading employee programs by leveraging proven principles and program frameworks to increase employee engagement for the long-term.
She earned her BBA in Marketing from The College of William and Mary and attended the Poole School of Management at NCSU to earn her MBA. She is actively involved in RMSHRM as VP of Membership, mentors, and volunteers with Dress for Success and St. Mary Magdalene Church in Apex, NC.
Jennifer adopted a servant leadership style while leading and developing a team of sales professionals at Cisco Systems and working cross-functionally to launch Channel Partner training programs to hundreds of team members at both Cisco Systems and AT&T. She launched the first college hire sales program at Cisco Systems – immersing over one hundred recent college graduates in a multi-year training program in preparation for independent field sales positions. She and her partners believe that organizations of all sizes can create a strategic advantage to win and retain top talent.
You can reach Jennifer Murray on her website www.onboardwithus.com  Or by email: Jennifer@onboardwithus.com 

From Academia to Technology

Join Jennifer Didier as she interviews Lynn Letukas and Melissa Hortman. Listen as Lynn and Melissa share with us their journey from the world of Academia to their current place in the world of technology. 
Lynn Letukas:
For more than 17 years, I have dedicated my career to leveraging technology to build innovative programs, products and learning. Dynamic leader with expertise in learning and development, talent development, training delivery, scaling programs and products, and using data to drive and inform decision-making. Insights featured in: The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Atlantic, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, Business InsiderSpecialties: team leadership, learner success, education strategy, learning and development, user experience, data analytics, strategic planning, product management, product strategy, secondary/post-secondary education, assessment, edtech, learning management, credentialing. Reach out to Lynn Letukas on LinkedIn to find out more. 
 
 https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-letukas/
 
Melissa Hortman: 
Melissa Hortman, EdD is an experienced higher education leader and innovator who has expertise in leading digital transformation and accelerating academic research in U.S. higher education. Dr. Hortman is passionate about empowering faculty innovation and student resiliency to make higher education more agile and stronger during disruptions now and in the future.Dr. Hortman spent over 12 years in higher education working in student success and institutional transformation at community colleges, liberal arts, and academic medical centers. She has presented over 30 sessions in the past five years at regional, national and international conferences along with being featured as a keynote speaker as well as in various podcasts and blogs. Dr. Hortman is passionate about empowering faculty innovation and student resilience to make higher education more agile and stronger during disruptions now and in the future. As a “realistic visionary”, she will push the boundaries but make sure there is a practical plan for the future.
Dr. Hortman can also be reached on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissahortmanedd/
 

The Importance of Mentorship in Your Career Journey

This week's guest is Sarah Haggard, the Founder and CEO of Tribute. A peer-to-peer mentorship platform that enhances team collaboration, learning, and productivity by creating real-time access to knowledge sharing via micro-mentorship. Sarah is an innovative people and business leader who has led multiple start-up initiatives within her decade-long career in Product Marketing at Microsoft, raising $40M to scale her last business. She is an expert in P&L management, enterprise software, and GTM strategy. Sarah's tenacity and drive for results led to her being recognized as a turnaround expert and new business incubator.
Today we talk about Sarah's beginnings in the tech industry and what led her to found Tribute. We also talk about the importance of mentorship and how it can help shape your career.
Thank you for listening; we hope Sarah's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.

How to Keep Your Data Safe & Why Backing it Up is Critical

In this week’s episode, we welcome guest Madinah Ali, a 3rd generation entrepreneur and President & Co-Founder of SafePC Cloud, a company focused on data backup and recovery for midsize, enterprise, and government IT environments with an emphasis on cybersecurity. Madinah and host Jennifer Didier discuss the impact COVID-19 has had on the tech industry, the growth of remote work, the increase of cyber attacks during the pandemic and why so many people are having a newfound interest in data backup and recovery. As the Lead for the WIT Network in Atlanta, Madinah is a strong advocate for women in tech and is passionate about the serious retention problem we are seeing with women in the tech field as well as women being supported to feel confident in their abilities and education. Listen in to hear the advice Madinah has for those interested in going into the tech industry, and how she is working with the WIT Network to create a virtual mentor circle to empower young women and create change.

This is A Great Time for Women in Tech

Christine Bongard is the President of the WIT (Women in Tech) Network, and she is joining us in this week’s episode to discuss the amazing work her organization does. The WIT Network is present in over 30 countries worldwide and it is working diligently on encouraging women and girls to pursue careers in the technology sector, enable more women to attain leadership positions and support more female entrepreneurs in their professional endeavors. Christine talked to us about including more girls in the tech world through working with schools, creating work environments that are more welcoming to women and insisting on inclusion strategies. She emphasizes the importance of inspiring and coaching each other to gain confidence needed for a successful career in the fast-paced technology industry. Despite the long road that is still ahead, Christine is confident this is a great time for women in technology as companies are opening up and more opportunities are being offered to marginalized groups. Tune in to learn more about Christine's efforts and pick up on some great advice that she shared with our listeners.

MENtors that Make a Difference featuring Tom Tonkin

Our next guest on MENtors that Make a Difference is award-winning researcher and author, Tom Tonkin. Tom holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership with a focus on Leadership and Management and defines himself as a ‘recovering executive’. We discuss the fact that technology has outpaced our ability to acknowledge and accept it, and that we are experiencing a social revolution with women in the tech industry. Listen in to hear Tom’s perspective of how allies can support women in technology and how privilege plays into the discrimination so prevalent in the industry today.
Thank you for listening; we hope Tom's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.

Reasons For Not Joining the IT Industry?

Jennifer Didier has a wonderful conversation with Courtney Quinn, Senior Director of Career Change Marketing at CompTIA. As they reminisce gain wisdom in  the importance to Own it, Know it, and Grow it. These steps can help you set the stage for the next chapter of your career.  You should definitely Consider a career in the IT field. 
 Bio: Courtney Quinn is the Senior Director of Career Change Marketing at CompTIA, the largest trade association for technology professionals. Courtney has played a vital role in the organization's efforts to help over 2 million people earn tech certifications and gain the skills they need to succeed in the tech industry. With a strong background in both technical and leadership roles, Courtney is a valuable resource for anyone looking to start or advance their career in technology. Connect with her to know more about your potential to launch a tech career and how to get ahead in the industry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyquinn1/.
Passion areas:
Helping job seekers develop career transition strategies through the OWN IT, KNOW IT, GROW IT framework
- Transferable Skills (OWN IT) - Own the skills you have and make them your competitive advantage
- Financial Goals (KNOW IT) - Know where you want to go in life and how long it will take to get there
- Skill Building (GROW IT) - Grow the skills you need to take your first step towards a new career
Courtney thrives on Instilling confidence in job seekers about their ability to work in tech and achieve job satisfaction. Comtia.org 

A Journey from D.C. Politics to Tech at Microsoft

This week on Tech in the right Direction, we’re joined by Kalin McKenna who joined Microsoft in 2011 leading the marketing efforts for Windows Phone and Surface devices, and later transitioning to the AI and Sustainability Market Development Team. Listen in to hear about Kalin’s journey from working in politics to joining the tech world, and her thoughts on the employment, pay and culture gap in the tech industry, how the industry is moving forward, and how discrimination plays a role despite these positive changes.