Tech in the Right Direction

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.

How to Lead with Confidence and Make Real-World Change

This week's guest is Susan Sanders, the Founder and CEO of Spinderok - an IT Consulting Firm focused on helping companies harness the power of Microsoft 365 to deliver the ultimate employee experience. 
Today we talk about Susan's career journey and what led her to become the Founder and CEO of Spinderock. We also discuss what it takes to be a leader in today's world and how we can help women forward in their careers. Listen to today's episode to learn more about Cynthia's remarkable story.
Learn more about Spinderok here: https://spinderok.com/
Thank you - we hope Susan's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.

The Accidental Entrepreneur

This week on Tech in the Right Direction we are joined by Ansley Fender, a serial entrepreneur, and Founder/CEO of Atlas. Ansley started out college as a classically trained violinist who had to switch her trajectory when she suffered a hand injury. In order to graduate on time, Ansley decided on a whim to major in Non-profit Management, and later attended grad school for public finance. When Ansley became a stay-at-home mom to her first born she found herself needing an outlet, so started bookkeeping and financial consulting for non-profits. This is where Ansley stumbled on a market where no one was providing services in her area, and thus her journey as an accidental entrepreneur began. Listen in to hear Ansley’s story and what she’s accomplished as a woman in tech.
Learn more about Atlas Solutions here: https://www.getatlassolutions.com/
Thank you - we hope Ansley's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.