Title: Chief Information Officer
Company: Vertiv
Age: 56
Education: Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Quantic School of Business & Technology in Washington, D.C.; Master of Computer Information Systems from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan; and Bachelor of Arts in liberal arts from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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A career in technology wasn’t my original ambition. It wasn’t until I started working that I discovered my love for technology. It began with an early role in engineering running backup tapes on the off shift. It was a very manual (and boring) process. So, I taught myself programming, and started to automate the backups to free up my time to work on more exciting projects. That’s when I decided to go back and earn my master’s degree in information systems.
I love learning! The field of IT is constantly changing and evolving, giving me ample opportunity to acquire new skills and knowledge. I also enjoy reading books on business, leadership, and health & fitness. This not only develops me, but also makes me a better leader. By constantly learning and developing myself, I have the knowledge to help others learn and develop.
In my personal life, I try to practice the philosophy of “reduce, reuse, recycle.” But there is always room for improvement. Regarding my role at Vertiv, I serve on our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) steering committee, where we continue to drive sustainable solutions and operations.
What I find most fascinating about this industry and IT is the rate of change. The number of new entrants, technology advancements and disruptive business models keeps me on my toes!
In addition to never having enough shoes, I believe you can never have enough garage space! I am an auto racing enthusiast and driver. I have attended dozens of races, from Indy, IMSA and Formula One, to the 24-hour race at the Nuremberg Ring (that was a great weekend!). As owner of the Mello Yello vintage NASCAR, I love participating in car shows and track events. On the weekends, you can find me hanging out at our car condo on the racetrack, speeding around in my Nissan GTR.
Before pursuing a career in technology, I studied biological anthropology. To learn the ossification and unique characteristics of the human skeleton, I have drawn every bone of the body and multiple views of the skull and teeth. An artist I am not, but with the help of an art-major friend, I was able to make it through that human osteology class. Those drawings are one of the only mementos I kept from my college days.
I asked my husband this one! He said my most admirable quality is my ability to listen. We have two ears and one mouth for a reason, to listen twice as much as we speak. In the wise words of the Dalai Lama, “When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.”
Diversity, equality, and inclusion is important to me as it produces better business outcomes, improves financial performance, and accelerates innovation. This is partially driven by diversity of thought and diversity of perspectives. But it’s more than that; it’s about humanity, acceptance and belonging. An organization should always strive to hire the best talent that also represents the greater workforce and their customer base.
I believe we have only scratched the surface with AI and IoT. These technologies continue to grow as the ideas and applications are endless. For most improvement, transportation. Although there have been substantial advances in supply chain tracking, safety and route-planning, the speed of planes, trains and automobiles has remained relatively constant for decades. Glimmers of change are on the horizon, with high-speed rail and the potential of Hyperloop and supersonic air travel.
I see a world driven by artificial intelligence and internet of things. Cashier-free stores, human-based-sensors and a virtual enabled-world will change life as we know it. Robots, autonomous vehicles, and personalized flying machines will be commonplace. This will all be accomplished with a green environment in mind. And who knows, maybe even space travel!