Ep 50: Linda Daichendt: Mobile Trailblazer on The Move

Diva Tech Talk was thrilled to interview busy Linda Daichendt, CEO and Founder of the Mobile Technology Association of Michigan (MTAM)  (http://gomobilemichigan.org ), CEO of Strategic Concepts Inc., executive producer for Michigan Mobile Musings (an audio broadcast focused on the connected technologies industry), and Board Member for the Michigan STEM Partnership --- a statewide, non-profit collaborative that positively impacts economic development by bridging gaps in educational STEM curricula.

Linda was not an early technologist.   “I loved technology as a child but I was discouraged from going into it.  It’s not that I wasn’t good at it. They automatically assumed I wouldn’t be good at it! I was encouraged to go into business, which I did.”   So, she started out as a marketing leader in the retail industry.  “I ran marketing departments for shopping malls and retail corporations for the most part” in her early career. Having worked as a senior consultant at Strategic Marketing Concepts Inc. in the 1990’s, she segued into leadership roles at notable retail giants Roberds Furniture and Appliances, Murrays’ Auto Parts, and BoRics. In 2002, she  formed a new MIchigan firm, Strategic Growth Concepts (http://strategicgrowthconcepts.com). The company provides Marketing and Operations consulting services such as marketing and business plan development, marketing plan implementation, media audits, media planning/negotiation, strategic planning, operational audits, systems planning, outplacement, and employee recruitment.

Along the way, Linda found herself falling in love with mobile technology, which was dramatically changing the face of the U.S. economy in the early part of this century.   In 2006, she became the national director of marketing for a country-wide chain of wireless retailers (Wireless Toyz).  “This was right before the iPhone launched,” Linda said. “I became fully entrenched and  learned everything I could about what was going on in the industry.”   After Wireless Toyz was acquired, Linda focused solely on Strategic Growth Concepts Inc., and added expertise in connected technologies to her consulting practice. “It set me on this new path. What I found was I  ended up doing a lot of education during what were supposed to be sales calls.   People didn’t really understand all the mobile and connected technologies that were out there.   It became obvious to me that we needed to get information out.  And as I was building up my  vendor relationships, I couldn’t find vendors in Michigan – that was a problem I wanted to solve.”   Finding no connected technology networking groups nor associations in Michigan to fill the gap, Linda decided to start one!

To date, MTAM is unique:  it is the only statewide trade association, in the entire country, dedicated to ‘connected technologies.’ It began by gaining the local (Michigan) rights to an international program called MOBILE MONDAYS, essentially meetups for those interested in mobile and all connected technologies. “There was a high demand for it.   Nobody else was putting out information on the topic.  Attendance was very, very high. We decided we were going to have to establish multiple chapters of Mobile Monday.” Beginning in Ann Arbor, Linda and her team took MOBILE MONDAYS to Detroit, and quickly to 2 other locations for a total, today, of four chapters across the state. After 9 months of fielding MOBILE MONDAYS, Linda saw many other needs that those interested in mobility had.  “There was need for referrals, access to training, and all these other things,” she said. So, the non-profit statewide trade association was born, and the four Mobile Monday Michigan chapters are now a subsidiary of MTAM.  MTAM helps everyone having interest in, or working with connected technologies, according to Linda.  Broad MTAM membership consists of “people who are providing connected technologies, and people in every  industry, utilizing the technologies.”

Moving far beyond the cell phone, MTAM is “about everything that ‘connected technology’ means ---  from IoT (Internet of Things) to autonomous vehicles to augmented (virtual) reality.” Having worked in the mobility space for a decade, Linda sees much positive upside in the field (“IoT is definitely something that is starting to capture the imagination of companies”) but also some challenges. “We have probably moved too fast in some areas,” she said. “Today, connected technologies are being used in every industry. But companies have not paid enough attention to security. We are taking all these devices into our homes and our businesses, and they are not as secure as they need to be.   And we are not educating people about how to update all those devices. Those are issues.  They put people in danger.”   

Linda is passionate about connected technologies because “I think it can change people’s lives. I think it can change our state’s economy, make it much more diversified. I think it can help Michigan attain a leadership role, nationally and internationally.”   She also noted that she and her Board have contemplated taking the association nationwide, in the future due to inquiries they’ve had from other states.

Linda’s personal leadership traits include:

• Constancy and tenacity (“I am tenacious.”)

• Dedication (“Work is pretty much all I do.”)

• Focus coupled with collaboration (“But I don’t always see the forest for the trees. So, I  often ask others for their opinions.”)

Linda stays current in her field by “constantly, constantly reading, listening to podcasts, watching videos, attending Webinars and attending events. It’s literally ‘information overload’ every single day. But things are changing so fast, there is no other choice.”   She recommends both THE MOBILE MARKETING HANDBOOK, by Kim Dushinski, and MOBILE MARKETING FOR DUMMIES by John Arnold & Michael Becker, for anyone who would like to begin their immersion in  Mobile Marketing specifically.  Linda is also a big fan of “hack-a-thons” which she defines as “creativity marathons.” To support diversification, she advocates hack-a-thons focused on women only.

Linda has frequently fielded a key question about her personal technology and nonprofit leadership: “They say ‘You’re a woman.  How did you get involved in leading this organization?’ Because I’m a woman, it’s assumed that I can’t possibly have the interest or the knowledge in technology! That assumption has always kind of fascinated me,” she stated. The good news to Linda is that “It’s not as noticeable as it used to be. There’s a lot more attention these days to the fact that there need to be more women and more minorities brought into technology. But there’s no doubt when I go into the room, it’s still going to be 20% or less women.”  

To help further the cause of diversity, Linda observed “We need to focus on bringing people along with us.”  To achieve that, Linda volunteers on the board of the Michigan STEM Partnership.  “I work on a lot of programs to bring women and minorities into technology.” Linda was fortunate, early in her career, to have a woman supervisor who emphasized how important it was to be a good role model and to groom other women for leadership. “That stuck with me. I have always felt it was very important. So, in every job that I have had, if I could have interns, I would try to make sure I could teach them something, give them responsibilities. Providing opportunities is something we should, all, be thinking about doing, on a regular basis.”  

Linda is eager to spread the message to parents and educators: “encourage young women to pursue technology in their education and their careers.”   She is thrilled that she is in a technology-driven role now.  “Somedays it drives me crazy. But I have said to many people, this is what I was meant to be doing. I have the potential to be able to change the world in some small way. I think girls, when they see the power of what technology can do and how they can use it, have the ability to become someone who can change the world.”

Please feel free to contact Linda Daichendt at linda@gomobilemichigan.org.

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Ep 49: Nicol Pasuit: Controlling the leap from Intrapreneur to Entrepreneur

Diva Tech Talk enjoyed interviewing start-up founder, and entrepreneurial leader, Nicol Pasuit, CEO of TechStak (www.techstak.com), a company created as a key intermediary bringing vital technology assistance to small and medium-sized U.S. businesses. 

Raised on a working farm in mid-Michigan as the only girl in a family of 8, Nicol was always interested in problem-solving and embraced a strong work ethic early in life.   She began her college education initially as a journalism major but quickly switched to audiology and speech sciences, where her first exposure to data, analytics and technology began.

Her job, while still at Michigan State University, was in the pediatric rehab and NICU departments at Sparrow Health Care.  After graduation, Nicol took an entry-level position working in “outcomes assurance” and referral management at Concentra Medical Centers (https://www.concentra.com/) while simultaneously pursuing her MPA (Masters in Public Administration) at Oakland University. “I was behind a computer all day long!” she said.  Promoted in 4 months, Nicol oversaw a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week, Concentra healthcare clinic, for which she had full profit and loss responsibility.  “Running the business: that’s where I found my strengths.”  Within several years, Concentra offered Nicol an expanded challenge, and she built and managed the company’s specialist services program throughout the Midwest, and then nationally. “That was a fantastic experience.  For 12 years, I traveled coast-to-coast, and led cross-functional teams throughout the country.”  Nicol grew as a strong leader, “building a high functioning, productive team” --- a majority of whom were women.  Nicol also led the development and project management of many operational tools and software.  It was “huge exposure to technologies and what we needed to support the daily operations of a large nationwide business unit.”

After one more major promotion, Nicol left Concentra in 2015, as it was acquired by Select Medical.  “I had an opportunity to take a next step, going from being an ‘intrapreneur’ to becoming an entrepreneur --- using my skillset of business development, product development, product management, and scaling business services across the country.”   Seizing that pivotal opportunity, Nicol founded TechStak.  “It’s one of those things where you look at the moment in time, and you have to be able to take a risk --- living in uncertainty.”    Among other things, since she has “self-funded” her venture, Nicol sold her car to take the plunge into the risky world of startups.

“I have to give credit to my husband,” Nicol said, discussing the genesis of TechStak. “He would talk to me about his technology business, and being able to land new clients.”  A light bulb popped over Nicol’s head: “There are so many small businesses (28 million in the U.S.)  that need technology. Every small business needs technology to function, and remain competitive.”   Nicol’s initial target market is 5.9 million small U.S. businesses with 10-499 employees.  “I came up with the idea of TechStak to help those companies find providers, like my husband’s company, to help them. They don’t know where to start.   They don’t know what questions to ask.   They need a way to connect to the right technology provider.  One size doesn’t fit all.”

Nicol has made it her mission to ensure that “those technology services that were only affordable for large companies” can found and used by small businesses.  “There’s no Angie’s List for technology,” she exclaimed. “But TechStak can connect these businesses to the right tech providers.”  The company’s 2017 goals include “being completely scaled up in Michigan, having the right number of providers on board and being able to have businesses connect to those providers.”  In 2018, Nicol intends to take TechStak out of state to the next new market.  “Our plan is to be dominating in the Midwest,” next year, she said.  And after that?  “How do we move east and southeast before we go west.”

TechStak relies on internally-created proprietary “matchmaking” technology, which Nicol continues to iterate to “change it up, using machine learning techniques” as the company grows.  Nicol’s initial key hires were in marketing, business development process-mapping, and database administration, supplemented by technology services firms, working under contract, to build out TechStak’s solutions. Like many entrepreneurs, when discussing her leadership and operational roles at TechStak, Nicol says: “What don’t I do?  I wear many hats.”  From the HR function to business development to service and product development, Nicol has been managing it all.  

Nicol characterizes herself as “a control freak.”  She credits her propensity for “being scheduled, and planning things” as contributing to high productivity.  “Having the big vision, but knowing what are the actions required to execute, to meet your goal,” she said, “is the secret.”    She also credits the fact that she is “very good at compartmentalizing things.”  She “shuts things off” at the end of each business day; and can “focus on which things need the most intention.”  She balances her family of two boys (“who I learn from every day”) and her supportive spouse (“also learning from him; I am trying to be a sponge”) by scheduling relentlessly and consistently.

Being a woman never slowed Nicol down as she pursued her career to date. “I have never been told ‘you cannot do something.’ There were high expectations, growing up.  If I want something, I am going to go after it.”  After TechStak is successfully launched and has met its growth goals, Nicol is interested in becoming a coach for other women entrepreneurs. “I am interested in helping other women build their businesses.”   

Outside of her company, Nicol is involved with Automation Alley, a nonprofit association (www.automationalley.com), and CompTIA (https://www.comptia.org/)  and its committee on advancing women in technology.  “They actually do a lot of talks about getting women engaged in tech.”  Her lessons/advice currently include:

●      “Ask questions.”
●      Be a good listener.   Listen to feedback.  “I watched other women in high positions, and observed their behavior.”
●      Connect with people who can help you.
●      “Step outside your comfort zone.  That will get you very far.”
●      “Surround yourself with people who bring different views, perspectives, talents, and who are smarter than you.”
●      “Find a mentor, someone who can help you navigate the waters, and be a ‘devil’s advocate’. You will be amazed.”

Please feel free to contact Nicol at her email address: npasuit@techstak.com.  

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Ep 48: Dusty Welsh: Connecting for a Cause

Diva Tech Talk was inspired by Dusty Welsh, co-founder of Cause Activators (http://causeactivators.com), a Web-based company that connects corporations/businesses with tangible nonprofit opportunities, making it easier for those organizations to support their local communities, and empower their team members to do good.  “For nonprofits, the value is clear,” she said. “You post your opportunities online, to be in touch with donors. For donors, the value is enormous savings of time and having a platform to cut through all opportunities, to clearly identify those that align with your business.”

Dusty is highly family-oriented.  As a girl, she was stimulated by her grandparents who were very active in key nonprofits like Meals on Wheels (https://seniormealsonwheels.com)  and their local community center. In college, Dusty began working with many large nonprofits like Leader Dogs for the Blind (http://www.leaderdog.org), and found her passion in life.  She moved to Colorado (“where I had the adventure of a lifetime”) and spent time there “doing a lot of nonprofit work.”  One of those nonprofits was a national wildlife center, where Dusty worked on community programs for children and conservation education, while she also sat on the Board of Directors.  “There I learned about politics; it was eye-opening for me,” she said. Subsequently, she returned to Michigan, (where she “saw a need to support Detroit in its resurgence”). Staying continuously close to her family, Dusty co-founded Cause Activators with her stepmother, human resources expert Dr. Mary Welsh. “I really just wanted to make the world a better place.  Before starting Cause Activators, I coached and worked with over 125 nonprofits, helping them operate almost like a business.”  

Originally, Dusty never intended to be a technology leader.   “Technology really became part of my focus when I realized that nonprofit organizations and business donors were coming together in a very antiquated way.”  She observed “nonprofits chasing businesses who were not aligned with them; businesses putting up firewalls to keep nonprofits at bay. I realized it was a very time-consuming process on both sides of the equation, and that technology could really bridge the gap and bring this process into the 21st century. Similar to what Amazon has done for shopping, Cause Activators has brought nonprofits and businesses, together.”

Prior to the company’s inception, Dusty acknowledged that there was existing task-oriented software, but stated that “there were not a lot of tools available, in the way of local community engagement, enabling a company to see all the opportunities out there.”  Sitting on the Board of Specs Howard School of Media Arts (http://www.specshoward.edu/), Dusty had expert resources and skills, at her fingertips, for Website development, as well as direct personal experience with crowd-sourcing fundraising since 2008.  “I took those and married them with the skills of my stepmother and we created the Cause Activators technology platform.”  

Launched in October 2016, that platform is based on “the same algorithms as a dating website, but we match companies and donors instead of guys and gals! It’s high level ‘matchmaking.’  We ensure that recipients and donors are matched on over 25 points of interest, hitting the goals of both recipients and donors.”  She designs and manages the front-end user interface of the Cause Activators system and additionally supervises the back-end development team for the platform.  She also is the company’s primary community engagement professional, working to capture as many requirements as possible to continually refine the system to address all the needs of this market.  Dusty is also “the face” of Cause Activators at conferences, events, prospect visits, customer sites and media interactions, where she articulates “a keen understanding of the challenges faced by businesses looking to get engaged” and deep understanding of the needs of nonprofits, themselves.

Dusty’s personal strengths include “a gift of gab;” having the ability to “motivate people;” and a strong skill in “connecting and uniting people around a common goal.”  With her heightened sensitivity to the needs of underserved populations, Dusty acknowledges that “it can be a heavy weight on your shoulders” when you examine social ills.   “Many nonprofit leaders face these as well.  But all we can do is offer our very best.”

As a female entrepreneur, Dusty said the #1 challenge she faced, like other women founders, is funding. Because Cause Activators is a true social impact enterprise, the difficulty is compounded. The company is less attractive to most traditional funders like venture capitalists, bankers or many “angels.”  To overcome this, she looked for non-traditional funding sources.   Cause Activators won a Michigan Woman’s Foundation Entrepreneur New Business Plan and Pitch competition in 2015, and received a technology grant.  The company has also gotten over $100,000 in pro bono tech support from various companies, and a $150,000 technology subsidy through the Microsoft BizSpark program. 

In addition to being resourceful, one key lesson that Dusty has learned along the way is “I always ask anyone and everyone for help.”  Additionally, her major leadership tips include:

●      Maximize your strengths.

●      “Surround yourself with key leaders who elevate your leadership abilities” and complement your team with strengths you don’t have.

●      “Learn to become a better listener.”   Step back and reflect what someone has said to you.   Take notes.

●      “It’s so important to be positive and encouraging….” to keep team members motivated.

●      Don’t be afraid of failing. “Each time, I’ve been knocked down, I gain more courage.” 

For entrepreneurs, Dusty’s strongest piece of advice is “I cannot stress enough the importance of doing the research to make sure you are developing something that the marketplace will want to buy.”

Dusty is passionate about the strong future potential of Cause Activators. “Helping one nonprofit at a time, we can only do so much.   But the Website can make impactful matches 24 hours a day, with 1000’s of matches a week, across the country.”  With ambitious plans to go nationwide, soon, Cause Activators offers current internships for university/college students. Please feel free to contact Dusty at her email address dusty@causeactivators.com or via Twitter @causeactivators 

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Ep 47: Jenny Coupe: Adaptability Personified

Diva Tech Talk was happy to interview Jenny Coupe, Senior Director, Americas Marketing at Akamai Technologies (www.akamai.com).  Jenny began life as an “Army brat” which meant that she moved 22 times in 18 years, forcing her to quickly adapt to new people, new circumstances and new venues. Constantly “exposed to different cultures, where gender was not a big deal,” Jenny’s father, an Army judge, encouraged her to “be who I wanted to be, irrespective of gender.”  In 5th grade, as an example, after Jenny had qualified to be part of her school’s baseball team, but denied team membership because she was female, her father said “Well, that’s not acceptable!” He intervened to ensure that Jenny joyfully played on that team as the singular girl ---- which made Jenny the first girl in the state of Virginia to play on a grade school baseball team.  To Jenny, “this sort of shaped me, in terms of how I approached the rest of my life.”

Jenny moved to Silicon Valley where she had family, and graduated from The University of the Pacific with a major in Political Science and Philosophy, but “was not really sure what I wanted to do.” She began with an entry-level position at tech industry giant, Silicon Graphics Inc. (www.silicongraphics.com), which she characterizes as having a “gender-blind culture.”  Jenny loved the Silicon Valley culture, “everything from casual dress to ‘gender-blind’ career opportunities to everyone having a ‘seat at the table’ and everyone’s opinion valued.”  She credits her “fantastic boss” during her first 6 years at SGI as instrumental in the development of her career, and skillset. At SGI, she moved into marketing, with the encouragement of her boss, who she then followed to healthcare technology pioneer WebMD (www.webmd.com), where she was employee #10.  There she mightily contributed as Director, Worldwide Corporate Marketing, as part of the team that took WebMD to IPO status. 

From WebMD, Jenny’s career grew exponentially. That early experience and her childhood of swift adaptation has afforded Jenny the opportunities to be Senior Manager, Worldwide Marketing at Peakstone Corporation; Senior Manager, Worldwide Marketing at IBM Corporation (www.ibm.com); Senior Manager, Worldwide Marketing at AirMagnet Inc., acquired by Fluke Networks (www.fluke.com); Senior Director, Worldwide Marketing at AirTight Networks Inc. (www.mojonetworks.com); Director, Worldwide Marketing at Nimsoft, acquired by CA Technologies (www.ca.com); Director, Worldwide Marketing at LogicLogic, acquired by TIBCO (www.tibco.com); Senior Director, Worldwide Marketing and Demand Generation at Nexenta (www.nexenta.com); and Senior Director, Worldwide Demand Generation and Marketing Operations at Tegile Corporation (www.tegile.com).  After Tegile, she migrated to becoming Vice President of Customer Acquisition at Soasta, Inc. now acquired by Akamai.

Jenny’s robust marketing career has also earned her many awards including the distinction of being named by Engagio to the list of the TOP 50 WOMEN IN REVENUE YOU SHOULD KNOW. And knowing Jenny is a revelation.  “The number one value I bring to the table is hustle,” she said. “I hustle 24 x 7. I think because I’ve done so many different types of roles, it has exposed me to a lot of different types of businesses. I come to the table with ‘been there, done that.’  I can come in, assimilate quickly, assess the situation, figure out what to do and what not to do. “

One of Jenny’s favorite quotes is from Sir Richard Branson: “If you get offered a job, but you’re not really sure how you are going to do it, just take it.  Figure out what you need to do, later.”  Jenny also values long personal career relationships highly. “The trust factor has allowed me to take risks that I might not normally take.”  Jenny concedes that she “tends to be attracted to ‘high risk/high reward’ situations. I think you should trust your gut. It all boils back down to personal relationships, and the trust factor that is going to make or break your job.”

As a technology marketing expert, Jenny says that the world of tech marketing has “certainly changed a lot” from the beginning of her career until now.  She sees the role of marketing in technology organizations as evolved from being a “soft skill” (“providing air cover, brand marketing” but nothing measurable) to one that has a “science behind everything that you are doing. You can now tie everything back to the business.”  She characterizes marketers as now being data scientists, which requires “marketing to be much more disciplined, more data-driven.”  Jenny is ecstatic about this since “it has allowed marketing to have a much more important ‘seat at the table,’ and much more input on the sales and marketing strategy.”  She is also an advocate for very closely aligning sales and marketing at every turn.  She discussed CRM tools, paid search tools, digital advertising, and the convergence of the “tech stack” as part and parcel of the marketer’s toolkit.

Seasoned leader Jenny is a big believer in diverse teams.  “I really encourage folks to build teams that are different ages, different genders, different cultures,” she said.  Jenny is highly enthused that Akamai Technologies “has a strong philosophy of just listening. I think leaders have to be open to new ideas, and have to be willing to change if that is what’s best for the business.”  One of Jenny’s favorite quotes comes from Silicon Valley veteran, Jim Clark: “Religion is death in a startup.”  In other words, “if you are wedded to one idea, and one way of doing things, you are not going to grow ---- as a business, or as an individual.”

Jenny recommends THE NEW MARKETING ALIGNMENT as a book that would be one of the ”important reads for anyone in sales or marketing,” and is also an inveterate reader of FAST COMPANY and INC. magazines.   “Everyone is learning lessons, regardless of who they are, what they are, and what they are doing.”  Jenny’s other great lesson is “Don’t forget to have fun.  Don’t be afraid to try it.  Try to minimize your regrets!”

Please feel free to contact at jennycoupe@me.com and on Twitter at @jennycoupe.  

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Ep 46: Rebecca Bray: Learning Every Day

Diva Tech Talk was excited to interview Rebecca Bray, Chief Sales Officer for nationwide technology and engineering recruiting/staffing company: Epitec (www.epitec.com). Like a few of the other “Divas” that we have interviewed, Rebecca did not start out intending to pursue a tech mission. “I just fell into it,” she said.

Rebecca graduated Central Michigan University with a marketing degree, and a concentration in logistics management, but it was a college internship at Epitec that inspired her 19-year current career.  During that internship, “where I was put in a closet, converted into workspace,” Rebecca scanned resumes into the company’s computer system.  Nevertheless, after graduating, “I decided to interview, back with Epitec. I figured it would be a good way to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up,” she said.  She has remained with the company, ever since, because “I love what I do. The opportunities that have been afforded to me have always kept me engaged, challenged and learning every day.”   In addition to her university degree, during her time at Epitec, Rebecca also obtained her ITIL certification (this is mastery of the set of detailed practices for information technology service management (ITSM) concentrated on aligning IT services with the needs of business).

Rebecca began supporting Epitec’s recruiting team, but the company gave her a plethora of chances to expand her professional repertoire.  “I have had various roles from recruiting to employee care to working on our IT teams to sales/new business development and account management. I’ve also had the wonderful opportunity, working with some of our customers, managing project work in both application development and in the infrastructure space.”  Looking for greater meaning in her work, Rebecca cited a project with Detroit Public Schools, establishing a helpdesk for families aimed at increasing student enrollment, as being one of her most rewarding accomplishments. 

Rebecca discussed milestones in her personal growth throughout her tenure at Epitec.  “There are a lot of things that you cannot predict,” she said in discussing projects. “It is how you respond. It’s how about looking at what you can do with what’s in your control.”  She also prides herself on having learned “how to identify obstacles, and how to remove obstacles.”  In her current role, with responsibility for a team of 50, she is thrilled to concentrate on challenging, inspiring and “growing our team.”  Focused on daily staff enrichment, Epitec celebrates each staff member’s personal, as well as career, accomplishments every year.  “Training and developing people takes a lot of understanding,” Rebecca said. “What is very hard for new managers is letting people try their own way.”  Giving people the leeway to fail, she believes, is “very important to let people develop and grow. We call it ‘recovery-oriented’. “

Key personal characteristics contributing to Rebecca’s success include patience and tenacity. “When I started, I looked very young.  Having credibility was a problem for me.”  To overcome this, Rebecca stressed that learning “who my audience was, and what their needs were,” was key. “The best thing I did was to be as prepared as possible.”

Additionally, “I don’t give up on things,” she said.  “I would say that I genuinely like people, and I’m interested in learning about people.”  Among the teams reporting to her is Epitec’s training and development group, which has created and manages a three-week onboarding program for Epitec staff.  One of Rebecca’s many challenges has been to address internal staff retention and motivation.  She constantly ponders “What’s going to motivate our staff, typically not the generation I come from or with whom I have worked.  It’s a new generation. So, overcoming challenges around different work expectations, different types of goal-setting, different types of reward and recognition programs,” are issues for her.

As an Epitec executive, Rebecca is also concerned with the looming large potential gap between the growing number of technology jobs, and skilled candidates to fill them.  To address it, she said “We are partnering with organizations like the Michigan Council of Women in Technology to drive more exposure to young girls and people about technology. We are also working with colleges around some internship programs, and have a robust internal Epitec internship program.” 

Rebecca shared some very pragmatic tips for other budding leaders:

1.     “Write down your goals.  I’m a big believer in writing them down, and looking at them, and reviewing them. It’s important to have them, reflect on them, and measure against them. And put a plan, together, on how you are going to achieve them.”

2.     “Be ‘recovery-oriented’ and move forward.  If you look in the rearview mirror too long, you’re going to hit the car in front of you.”

3.     “Invest in yourself. If you want to develop a solid career, it’s really up to you. You need to work at it.” 

Rebecca lamented that sometimes people don’t practice their skills.   She noted that, in sports, practice is key to success; and strongly advocates that this also applies to professional lives, too.

Realistically, to achieve balance, Rebecca noted that “being in the present” is important. “When I am with my family, then I’m engaged with my family. One of the rules that we have is not to be on our electronic devices when we are at the dinner table, whether at home or out!”  Conversely, “when on the flipside --- when I am at work --- I’m focused at work,” she said.  In her philanthropic life, Rebecca is very involved in a volunteer role with Vista Maria (www.vistamaria.org), a Michigan-based nonprofit which offers community-based programs including education, general and treatment foster care, youth assistance programs, independent living, transition services and after school programs for “at risk” girls.

Please feel free to contact Rebecca Bray at her email address: rjbray@epitec.com 

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