Tech in the Right Direction

How Strong Will and Determination Can Lead to a Better Life

This week's guest is Cynthia Meinke, a Senior Account Executive with New Era Technologies - a global managed technology solutions provider. They are trusted advisers to more than 9,000 customers worldwide and provide a seamless blend of solutions that securely connect people, places, and information in a rapidly changing digital world. Cynthia passionately embraces partnering with her clients to deliver an exceptional customer experience with every interaction through high-velocity and elegant innovation to push revenue growth up while driving costs down through improved business processes and operational excellence.
Today we talk about Cynthia's career journey and how her early years in the foster system helped develop her into a strong-willed leader who wanted more in life. Cynthia saw that computers and technology could help her provide not only for herself but her family as well. She 'cut her teeth' early on by repairing various systems and eventually saw her opportunity in tech sales. Her career growth has led her to New Era, where she is a Senior Sales Executive. Listen to today's episode to learn more about Cynthia's remarkable story.
Learn more about New Era Technology here: https://www.neweratech.com/us/
Thank you - we hope Cynthia's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.

How to Develop Yours Skills and Lead with Strategy

This week's guest is Supriya Gupta, the General Manager of Recommendations and Head of Product at Credit Karma - a personal finance company helping individuals reach their financial goals. Supriya is responsible for personalizing the Credit Karma app experience for their 120 million customers. She has taken her department to the next level and their recommendation system now makes more than 35 billion model predictions every day. 
Today we talk about Supriya's career journey and how she went from working on defense satellites to now managing an entire team within Credit Karma. We also discuss the importance of combining technical skills with soft skills and how strategy is key to creating success. The discussion continues with the challenges women face in today's business world and how to facedown imposter syndrome to reach new heights.
Learn more about Credit Karma here: https://www.creditkarma.com/
Thank you - we hope Supriya's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.

Is Empathy an Important Aspect of Building a Successful Career?

Jennifer Didier sits down with Director of client Services as Clear Digital, Annie Raygoza.  Listen to their conversation as they go deeper into Annie's career path and the importance of being empathetic to the team around you. 
About Annie Raygoza 
Annie serves as the Director of Client Services at Clear Digital, a digital agency specializing in marketing and advertising for B2B brands. She dedicates her time to building client relationships, and as a result of that, her team has garnered a 90% client retention rate.
Active in the community, Annie sits on the board of the Silicon Valley chapter of the American Advertising Federation and works with other tech professionals working toward advancing leadership opportunities for women. 
As a woman in marketing, advertising, and technology, she understands the importance of representation and advocating for women in the field, and she consistently supports women of all career levels to find their confidence to reach their full potential.

Age Is Not A Factor

Join Jennifer Didier and Maggie Reed as they discuss joining the technology industry a little later in Life.  Faced with a health disability Maggie strives for the fullness of life through her career. 
Bio:
Maggie Reed’s journey as a working woman has been defined by her relentless pursuit of personal and professional growth, fueled by a thirst for knowledge and a readiness to adapt to new technologies. After overcoming a chronic illness that left her bedridden for over two years, she fearlessly re-entered the workforce at the age of 53, forging a successful career in Technology.
 Today, Maggie holds the prestigious position of Sr. Customer Success Manager & Engagement Lead at a Fortune Global 500 company.  In addition to excelling in her role, she actively mentors other women within the organization, and holds leadership positions on committees dedicated to advancing the causes of Women in the Workforce and Women in Technology.
 Passionate about promoting women's issues, Maggie leads discussions to find solutions for the challenges faced by women in the technology industry. Her unwavering commitment to gender equality and inclusivity serves as an inspiration to her colleagues and peers.
 
Reach Maggie at Pearlpower61@gmail.com and on twitter @pearlpower61
 

Building Confidence by Leveraging Your Skills and Reframing Them.

Jennifer Didier interviews Samantha Bufton on how she has leveraged her skills to assist her in building her career.  Her journey will take us from her arts and English literature start to COO of Poppulo. 
A little more information about Samantha Bufton:
Highly-accomplished business, product, and innovation leader adept at growing global business lines via sophisticated B2C/B2B, product, and technology strategies. Over 20 years of success driving transformational growth for organizations of all sizes.
Be sure to connect with her on LinkedIN.

Seeing Opportunity in Small Beginnings

Today Jennifer Didier is joined by Shannon Reedy from TeraKeet.  Shannon shares her journey from school up the ladder to help put in better practices for TeraKeet employees. These practices have helped TeraKeet to embrace Women in Technology and assist in bringing them work-life balance. 
 
More on Shannon Reedy:
Shannon Reedy
Chief Revenue Officer
Shannon Reedy is the Chief Revenue Officer at Terakeet, the Fortune 500's preferred owned asset optimization (OAO) partner for strengthening brand and consumer connections online. With a demonstrated history of leadership, data analysis, and results-driven business development, Shannon has helped Terakeet, as well as its global customers, achieve breakthrough performances. As CRO, Shannon guides Terakeet’s company growth and revenue-generating processes, including sales, marketing, and client success strategies, which have collectively driven 66% more revenue under her leadership.

A Serial Innovator’s Journey Through Tech

Arlene Harris is an award-winning innovator and founder of several companies including GreatCall, maker of the Jitterbug cellular phone and service now owned by BestBuy. Having grown up in a wireless family business, she started working with computers in the late 60’s and has spent the next five decades at the intersection of wireless and computing. Arlene share’s her journey through the Tech Industry, the struggles she’s experienced finding financing for her big ideas in addition to being one of few in her industry and where she is today. Her newest innovation, launching soon, is a family home management system called Rosy, a private console that will help families manage and support their multi-generational homes. Tune in to hear an inspiring story of a woman defying the odds while facing discrimination, and why she believes women are the future of tech.

Importance of Diversity

As Vice President of Product Management, Liz Ronco is responsible for Spiceworks Ziff Davis’ (SWZD) global product offering, including omnichannel marketing offerings and a comprehensive suite of B2B experiences that enable technology professionals to make the best decisions for their businesses. Liz joined SWZD in 2018 and quickly established new data-driven experiences and products to help businesses and technology providers make better decisions. She’s continued transforming SWZD’s product offering beyond data to optimize existing products and technology to build a product roadmap that maximizes value for end-users and brands - ultimately creating the framework for authentic connections between technology buyers and sellers.  
 
Today we talk about Liz’s leadership style, boundaries, and the importance of diversity in the tech world. 
Learn more about Liz HERE. (https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiceworks-ziff-davis/)
Thank you for listening. We hope Liz inspires you in your tech journey.