5 Women Who Have Inspired Me In AI & Tech, and May Not Even Know It!

Happy International Women’s Day

Today I want to celebrate a collection of women who have inspired me, both personally and professionally. They aren't necessarily top social media influencers or the C-Suite in an organization, but they have made such and impact on my life. One of the BIGGEST lessons I have learned in my career, is that you are never alone. It just feels like you are sometimes. The best way to fight that feeling is to surround yourself with powerful, positive and inspiring people. I am honored to know these incredible women and I want to celebrate them today.

Francesca Lazzeri, PhD

Principal Cloud AI Manager at Microsoft - Adjunct Professor of AI and Machine Learning at Columbia University

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/francescalazzeri/

I met Francesca during my time at Microsoft when I was learning all about AutoML! She was so patient with her answers and helpful to those who needed it. I was inspired every time I saw her take the stage and speak with confidence about her experience and how I could learn from the challenges she overcame. She also taught me the art of learning by doing, just rolling up my sleeves and diving right in! I am so grateful for women like this who lead the way for the rest of us!

Joanne Garlow

Principal Engineer at NPR

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/joannegarlow/

In my time as VP of Technology at NPR, I worked with many incredible people. One name that stands out who represented hard work, discipline, and excellence is Joanne. She leads her teams with compassion and empathy, and stands her ground when she has something to say. She inspires me to be a better leader and friend to those I work with. She also showed me the power of being able to disagree with kindness and respect. It was really an honor working with her.

Grace MacJones

Azure Cloud Engineer | Podcast Host of #TechUnlockedPodcast | STEM and D&I Advocate | Speaker| Mentor

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/gracemacjones/

Grace and I have had the pleasure of sharing the stage a few times and she is one of the most impactful women I know. She is a genuine, authentic leader that implements her ideas, as opposed to just thinking about them. I really appreciate how Grace thinks about opportunities and goes after them, all while looking around and letting others join her on the journey. She has been an incredible connector and friend, she has helped me in ways she may never know. I am so grateful to know her! 

Belinda Black (she/her/hers)

Director Of Engineering at Bitly

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/belindablack/

Belinda and I do not know each other well, but our meeting changed my thinking in a critical way, and that is always inspiring. Belinda wrote to me when she saw that one of my job postings didn’t have inclusive language in it. How many times do we as hiring managers just copy and paste in a hurry to get the role up. She reminded me to be intentional, inclusive and remember the opportunity that I was offering. I think of her every time mindfully write my job descriptions. It also improved the quality of my candidates tremendously. Thank you Belinda!

Gwenna Kadima (she/her/hers)

Strategy & Consulting at Accenture | Workplace Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Champion

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/gwenna-kadima/

I recently met Gwenna during a /dev/color event. Though we don’t know each other well, she inspired me in the way that she engaged with everyone during that session. In the world of video and remote connections it is rare to see someone who cares about a topic and is able to engage and interact authentically with her community. She also reach out to me as we shared many common ideas and views and I don’t have enough good friends in this industry. Thank you! I am really looking forward to getting to know Gwenna more and working together on something amazing!

These are just a few of the incredible women who inspire me every day to work harder and be better. Thank you for the inspiration and I hope you know how very important you are to our community!

Know an incredible woman who has inspired you? Tag her or mention her in the comments, share the love and let them know that they matter!

Thank you for reading. ??

Uniquely,

Noelle

#uniquelynoelle #lovefluencers #