Tech in the Right Direction

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.

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/
 

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.

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
 

Technology in the Trucking Industry

Jennifer Didier speaks with Rachel Meranus about how the products we all love get from one place to the next.  She shares about the industry itself and how women have been making an impact. 
More about Rachel Meranus:
Rachel Meranus, CRMO, Transfix
Rachel Meranus is the Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer of Transfix. Rachel has spent the last two decades leading marketing and communications across a variety of venture-backed B2B SaaS companies in the CommsTech, MarTech, and AdTech sectors. Rachel’s expertise lies in building high-performance marketing teams; establishing go-to-market strategies, processes, and infrastructure to create long-term scalable growth; developing cross-departmental alignment to drive opportunity and accountability across sales, customer success, product, and marketing; understanding the market and the customer through primary research; building differentiated, empathetic, and trusted brands; and managing multi-million dollar marketing budgets. 
 
She has built and led marketing teams most recently as CMO at Botify, an enterprise SEO technology company, CMO at Olapic (now Olapic by Social Native), a leader in visual marketing technology, CMO at MediaMath, a leader in AdTech, and SVP at PR Newswire/Cision. Rachel is a native New Yorker hailing from the Upper West Side who now lives in Montclair, NJ with her husband, two children, and a 15 lb cockapoo. When she is not marketing high-growth brands or acting as an Uber driver for her two teenagers, Rachel can be found swinging kettlebells or doing yoga.

Get to know Jasmin Guthmann

Jennifer Didier and Jasmin Guthmann talk about how building a team of networks to support working together.  This network can help you source solutions in marketing that can provide encouragement and opportunity.
Jasmin Guthmann bio:
 Jasmin Guthmann is a marketing trailblazer on a mission to translate complex technology into compelling stories and amplify Contentstack’s reputation as the leading Content Experience Platform (CXP) platform. She currently serves as the Head of Corporate Communications at Contentstack. With more than 10 years of experience, Jasmin and her team elevate the business and help usher in a new era of content management. 
She currently serves as the Vice President and Executive Board Member of the MACH Alliance, empowering brands to adopt best-of-breed enterprise technology ecosystems that provide never-before-seen business benefits. She is a fierce advocate of Women in MACH, constantly pushing the envelope on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) in the tech industry. Additionally, she is the host of a new Contentstack thought leadership podcast, People Changing Enterprises, where she interviews people who have transformed big businesses from the inside to share their secrets for success. Before Contenstack, Jasmin held multiple executive positions at Valtech and served as a marketing leader at BlackRock. 

Talking Technical Certifications

Join the conversation as Jennifer Didier and Radhika Narayana discuss the opportunity of technical certifications.
Bio for Radhika Narayana:
Radhika Narayana is Director of Cloud and Managed Services for enterprise solutions provider, Calian ITand Cyber Solutions, where she is responsible for the Managed Services Network Operations Center forcollaboration, network, datacenter and cloud services. She brings over 20 years of experience inenterprise solution design, installation and complex global infrastructures support, and she is highlycertified with Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Collaboration – 15670 (Emeritus) and ITILCertifications.Customer success and customer satisfaction drive Narayana. During her career, she has designed,planned, and executed several large Unified Communications and Contact Center deployments,migrations, and upgrades on new and existing telephony environments. Prior to joining Calian IT &Cyber Solutions, Narayana served as a Senior NOC Manager for General Datatech where she workedacross various managed services groups to standardize customer facing change management processes.Narayan holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communications from Bangalore University.