Tech in the Right Direction

How-to Envision Success and Accomplish Your Goals

This week's guest is Heather Doran, Chief of Staff for Business Applications Marketing & Global Industry at Microsoft. Heather is an enthusiastic leader with a proven record of implementing high-performing marketing, operations, and event strategies. She has an innate ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams to successfully develop a vision based on customer-focused insights and data that delivers results.
Today we talk about Heather's move into the tech industry and how she moved her way up through the ranks at Microsoft. We also talk about how women can find success and break down barriers in a male-dominated industry.
Thank you for listening; we hope Heather's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.

How to Build Your Confidence

This week on Tech in the Right Direction, we speak with Evelyn Sheahan, who has many roles at Microsoft, currently holding the role of Business Program Manager. Starting off in Graphic Design, Evelyn then got hooked on technology and the excitement that came with the industry. Listen in to hear how she feels working in a male dominated industry, the benefit of male mentors, and the importance of quality managers and leadership. Evelyn also shares how she has built her confidence and courage to stand up for herself and the benefits she has seen from it over the years.

Understanding Necessary Partnerships to Keep A Branding Agent Relevant

Jennifer Didier interviews Kerry Adams, Founder and Managing Director at Velvet Badger. Kerry shares about her journey to start Velvet Badger and how she has juggled the fields of broadcast, brand design, digital experience as well as content production. Listen as they highlight some of the challenges of the constant necessary learning of new software including AI and VR.
About Kerry Adams:
Kerry Adams is a seasoned professional with nearly two decades of experience in the fields of broadcast, brand design, digital experience and creative content production. Born with a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for visual aesthetics, Kerry's journey in the industry has been nothing short of remarkable.
Kerry's educational foundation was laid at the prestigious University of Lincoln in 2001, studying ‘Television & Film Design’. She honed her skills and developed a deep understanding of the principles that underpin creative work. With a thirst for knowledge and a strong academic background, Kerry set out on a career path that would see them become a trailblazer in the world of media and design. From crafting stunning visual identities for brands to producing captivating stories for a diverse range of media platforms, Kerry's work has consistently captivated and resonated with audiences.
In a constantly evolving media landscape, Kerry Adams continues to be a beacon of innovation and a trusted expert, leaving an enduring legacy of creativity and impact. Her journey from University graduate to agency founder in 2017 and peaking her Career aspirations in leadership today. A testament to her unwavering passion, dedication, and talent growth in the world of design.
Beyond their professional achievements, Kerry Adams is known for her commitment to excellence, her relentless pursuit of creative perfection, and her ability to inspire and lead teams towards success. Kerry remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in broadcast, brand design, and creative content production.

How AI and 3D Modeling is Changing the Apparel Industry

This week's guest is Whitney Cathcart, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at 3DLOOK. This AI-first technology company has built a patented mobile body scanning technology that measures fully dressed people with the highest precision of accuracy in seconds. Their fit-tech solution is allowing the fashion and apparel industry to catch up with modern times.
Today we talk about Whitney's move from the applications space into the fit-tech industry and how 3DLOOK is helping modernize fashion and apparel. We also talk about how women are becoming a driving force in technology and how staying curious can keep this drive going.
Thank you for listening; we hope Whitney's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.

Venture Capital Pursuit

Sit with Jennifer Didier and Jean Anne Booth as they discuss the world of Venture Capital.  After a great career and millions of dollars made, Jean Anne Booth come out of retirement for a corporate adventure that would change the life of loved one and those like her. 
As a serial entrepreneur, Jean Anne Booth has 30 years of experience in high technology. Her background spans from P&L business unit management to marketing; product definition; systems, software, and applications engineering; silicon development engineering; and operations and product engineering. Jean Anne was the founder of Luminary Micro, the creators of the Stellaris® microcontroller (MCU) platform and the first to market with ARM® Cortex™-M3-based microcontroller solutions. Luminary Micro was purchased by Texas Instruments in May 2009. Jean Anne left TI in November 2011 after serving as the General Manager for TI’s Stellaris family of products. Early in her career, Jean Anne worked with AMD’s embedded microprocessor products for 10 years in a number of management, marketing and engineering roles. Jean Anne holds a BSEE from the University of Texas and an MSCE degree from National Technical University.
Reach her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanannebooth/
Website: https://www.unaliwear.com/

Technology Certifications can give you a hiring edge.

Jennifer Didier speaks with Darshini Santhanam bout her road to success in the technology world. She shares extensively about the importance of certifications and how to know which are the best ones to move you to a better hiring position.
 
More about Darshini Santhanam:
A global leader with 17 years at Google and Microsoft, building and leading highly skilled international teams to solve skills gaps & knowledge barriers• Proven track record of turning complex problems into sustainable and measurable learning interventions ranging from impact at leading multinational corporations to the developer community at large, delivering award-winning work• Exceptionally-rated people manager with a mind for business; coach; sponsor of diversity initiatives; currently pursuing an Executive Masters in Change from INSEAD• An active member of women's organizations internally at work and in the industry, serving as a sponsor, mentor and coach• Passionate about lifelong learning, personal fitness, experiments in the kitchen and upcycling• Proud parent of two young children and two older dogs
 
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsanthanam/

Investing In Yourself to Create Future Opportunity

This week's guest is Jennifer O'Brien, the Founder of Accounting Business Solutions by JCS - a solution provider that focuses on the implementation, training, and technical assistance for accounting software.
Today we talk about Jennifer's career journey and how she dove headfirst into tech during the early part of her career journey. Jennifer's headfirst attitude developed because she knew she would see a return on the investment in herself. This investment in herself became a realization after Jennifer figured out that she could help small businesses with the accounting side of their organization, which led her to create Business Solutions by JCS.
Learn more about Accounting Business Solutions by JCS here: https://www.jcscomputer.com/
Thank you for listening; we hope Jennifer's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.

The Significant Impact Women Have on a Global Economy

This week's guest is Andrea Stevenson Conner, the Principal of Stevenson Conner Global Strategies - an organization that collaborates with game-changing, innovative leaders of regional/global nonprofit and for-profit organizations with missions for gender equity that seek significant impact extending to the 7th generation. Andrea is a consultant who knows how to build the team around critical initiatives and serves as an agent of change. She moves innovative initiatives forward from an idea, creates alignment of strategy, and focuses on team building with a global lens.
Today we talk about Andrea's experiences throughout the world and how they helped her develop her approach to making significant positive changes for women. Andrea also shares what she attributes her success to. We also talk about how women significantly impact the global economy and the influence they wield.
Thank you for listening; we hope Andrea's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.