What I'm learning: That I love that intersection between technology and community. That software and the people that create it are changing the world. That I'm passionate about data science, AI and machine learning as it bridges some of my early career experience with data systems and business intelligence. My impact: I've worn many hats during this season of my career as a people leader in developer relations and ecosystems - cloud advocate, technical program manager, computer science speaker and mentor, community leader. I'm proud of the difference we make in people's lives whether they are planning a new startup, learning new skills in AI or building with the Microsoft Cloud.

What I learned: To never outsource creativity. That meaningful leadership requires a humble, growth-hacking mindset. My impact: Significantly contributed to the product planning of the Microsoft Edge web browser and its integration with Windows and Search (Bing & Cortana). Led a biz dev and demo-guru team that created Webby-winning web apps with innovative web standards (HTML5, hardware accelerated canvas, video/audio, various JavaScript libraries like create.JS, babylon.JS, and vorlon.JS, etc.) as well as cutting-edge, responsive web design.

What I learned: That I love working with people from around the world. That thoughtful digital platforms can augment and democratize our human potential. That engineering processes often make our products complex; I can uniquely add value by suggesting user-driven ways to make things simpler. My impact: Landed many of Microsoft's significant internal marketing & sales tools that empowered for worldwide workforce of thousands.

What I learned: Adaptability. The difference between attitudes and behaviors...and how important the influence and advocacy chains are. My impact: Various projects in data systems, business intelligence, process automation, and financial analysis for large software and financial companies.

What I learned: That I liked the technology part of my internship more than the finance part. My impact: Managed the MarketingLINK company-wide research and industry news web portal including its web design and development. In parallel, I authored primary research on index funds including the Russell 2000 as well as other “multi-manager” financial benchmarks.