The Top 50 Women Leaders of San Jose for 2024 (Complete)

Women We Admire is pleased to announce The Top 50 Women Leaders of San Jose for 2024. In San Jose, it’s all about technology and innovation. The five most prominent industries are hospitality, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and professional services, particularly technical and scientific services. 

Additionally, as the largest city in Silicon Valley, San Jose is known for its high concentration of tech companies, including Adobe, Cisco, eBay, PayPal, and more. 

Starting with one of the most technologically advanced sectors on the planet, we honor Jill Bauman, the Deputy Chief Technologist for NASA. Bauman has dedicated her career to service of the agency leading the charge in science and technology related to air and space. 

A renowned leader in the tech space, we also extend honors to Denisse Weil Ross, the Global Head of Premier Partner Support for Meta, one of the largest information technology companies in the world. Having served in leadership roles at several other tech companies, Weil Ross brings nearly two decades of experience to her Meta role. 

Finally, we acknowledge the accomplishments of Natalie Han, the Head of Data Science and AI at Google. At the forefront of the AI revolution, Han’s expertise includes building data science teams, a deep knowledge of business analytics, and the ability to influence data-driven cultures. 

Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 50 Women Leaders of San Jose for 2024.

1.) Natalie Han
Head of Data Science & AI, Google Devices & Services, Google

Bringing over a decade of expertise to the forefront, Natalie revolutionizes the fields of Data Science and AI at Google Devices & Services, showcasing an unparalleled drive for innovation and excellence.

Her leadership has propelled growth and innovation within Google Home, significantly advancing product development, user engagement, and monetization. At the core of Google Home's success is her establishment of a data-driven culture, underpinned by robust data infrastructure, rigorous experimentation, and sophisticated AI/ML statistical modeling. Natalie's leadership in the integration of Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLM) into Google's products has not only showcased her innovative capabilities but also significantly influenced the adoption of GenAI across Google. She is a forward-thinking leader with demonstrated business impact and vision in steering AI-driven transformations.

Before joining Google, Natalie led groundbreaking AI initiatives at Intuit, enhancing its products and marketing strategies. Her team launched QuickBooks' first AI model for mobile, streamlining tax processes and expense management. Natalie led the development of deep learning models to offer personalized assistance and significantly enhanced user engagement with substantial cost savings. Natalie initiated Intuit's Marketing Intelligence Platform and developed advanced AI/ML models to personalize customer experiences with the Innovation Award. Natalie’s initiatives advanced Intuit’s AI to empower prosperity for small businesses.

At Linkedin, Natalie emerged as a trailblazer in AI/ML, filing over 10 patents and revolutionizing B2B sales intelligence. Her innovative AI/ML data products transformed territory planning and account prioritization, significantly enhancing LinkedIn's sales strategy. Natalie’s leadership in developing an award-winning enterprise churn mitigation product and her ability to foster strategic partnerships for LinkedIn Learning underscore her pioneering role and commitment to leveraging advanced technology for business success and customer satisfaction. 

Moving from Inner Mongolia to the U.S., Natalie's journey to higher education marks a significant personal milestone, being the first in her family to attend college. Her academic journey, highlighted by a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, where she received the Magnolia Award for outstanding international student leadership, and a Postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University, showcases over a decade of AI/ML research in brain MRI imaging. Her journey exemplifies remarkable personal and academic perseverance, highlighting her dedication to diversity in STEM and transformative contributions to technology. 

2.) Ileana Rivera
VP, IT, Collaboration and Corporate Services, Cisco 

Ileana Rivera is Cisco's Vice President of IT, Collaboration, and Corporate Services. She leads the company's hybrid work solutions and internal collaborative technologies for its 130,000 employees. Her team implements Smart Building technologies and deploys Cisco WebEx products internally (telephony, calling, Advanced Collaboration Environment, and the latest collaboration devices).  Additionally, her organization develops Intranet Experiences to improve our employee productivity and efficiency through our CEC Intranet, Directory, HelpZone, Device Portal, and Apps@Cisco. She also manages Cisco IT's business operations, such as Portfolio Management, Labor Vendor Management, Talent, Financials, and Performance Metrics. She streamlines, enhances, and scales the 10,000-person IT organization. Ileana has a team of over 200 staff and an organizational budget of $80M USD.

Ileana used to be the Chief of Staff (CoS) and Operations leader for Cisco's Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Digital Officer (CDO), where she partnered with executives on strategic alignment across organizations and acted as a liaison between IT and internal/external stakeholders. 

Before that, Ileana Rivera was the Digital Workplace Experience Leader for IT. She set the vision, strategy, and execution of Cisco's Cloud Office and IT Services Digitization for Cisco's global workforce. She led the strategic IT partnerships with Microsoft, IBM, Apple, Facebook, Lenovo, and other end-user service providers and vendors.  She also served as the IT leader/Regional CIO for Latin America where she managed all IT-related client interactions for the Product Sales and Services Sales organizations and the user community in Latin America, which brought in over $2.4B in revenue.   Before she joined Cisco, Rivera worked at TAOS Consulting as a Senior IT Management Consultant for the Office of the CIO Practice and led strategic and tactical engagements with CIOs and executive IT staff in the San Francisco Bay Area. She also has more than 13 years of experience in the life science/medical device industry. At Stryker Corporation, she held various roles in the areas of supply chain, operations, traffic, and information technology, including the role of IT Director. She was an active member of the Business and Technology Council, working to align IT goals and vision with business priorities and long-term strategy.  

Rivera was a Board Member of the Hispanic IT Executive Council for more than 8 years and belongs to Conexión, Cisco’s Latino Employee Resource Group, and Connected Woman, Employee Resource Groups that aim to advance, mentor, and support Latinos and women at Cisco.  Rivera has an engineering degree from the Mayaguez campus of the University of Puerto Rico, and a master’s degree in information systems from the University of San Francisco, California.  

3). Lisa Schuder
Managing Director, Deloitte 

Lisa Schuder is a Managing Director at Deloitte and a Deloitte Sustainability, Climate, and Equity Ecosystems and Alliances Leader. She is responsible for driving alliance relationships and solutions to deliver sustainable impact to clients and the planet.  

Throughout her over 30-year career, Schuder has been a leader in the areas of alliances, sales, and growth with experience in sales and marketing, managing executive relationships, ecosystem solution development, and practice building. Schuder spent three years as the global chief growth officer for the Deloitte Microsoft Technology Services practice, helping build and expand differentiated global capability and offerings across the Microsoft technology stack. She spent six years as the Deloitte Global Alliance Leader for Workday and helped the team exceed annual growth goals and gain external recognition as a leading Workday Services firm.  

During her 20-year tenure at Deloitte, she has also been responsible for initiating and building Deloitte’s relationships with some of the largest and most influential technology companies in the world, including Google, Meta, Oracle/NetSuite, and Adobe Systems. Before joining Deloitte, she held a successful career in sales, alliances, and corporate development in the enterprise software industry and started her career as a CPA.

4). Anne-Marie Vitale
Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Anne-Marie Vitale is a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she serves in PwC’s Office of the General Counsel in a forensic capacity working on the US Securities and Exchange Commission, US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and litigation-related matters. Previously, she was on tour in the National Quality Organization of PwC as the assurance learning and development leader. In addition to establishing the strategic direction for learning and development, she led PwC's efforts to leverage continuous professional education as a means to directly improve audit quality.

As an audit partner with more than 25 years of experience in the technology industry group serving emerging and multinational public companies in various business sectors, including semiconductors, computers, networking, software, and medical devices, Vitale has provided technical advice to both emerging and large multinational public companies on a wide variety of accounting and reporting matters. She also has extensive experience in public offerings of equity and debt securities. Before joining PwC, she worked at a multinational corporation that provided scientific, engineering, systems integration, and technical services.

Vitale is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the California Society of CPAs, and she’s a certified global management accountant. She also is on the board of directors of the Silicon Valley Directors’ Exchange, a nonprofit organization that provides a forum for education and current issues impacting directors of public and private companies. Vitale has an MBA with an emphasis in finance from the University of San Diego (US) and a Bachelor of Science in Combined Science from Santa Clara University (US).

5). Gina Coleman
Area VP, Securitas Security Services USA

Gina Coleman serves as the Area Vice President at Securitas Security Services USA, Inc., overseeing security operations and training for over 100 clients in the Silicon Valley area. With more than 25 years of experience in the security industry, she is a member of ASIS International, the leading organization for security professionals.

Coleman’s core competencies include leader development, operations management, and training. She is passionate about leading and growing high-performing teams that provide industry-leading service to partners. Her mission is to ensure the safety and satisfaction of clients, employees, and stakeholders while delivering innovative and cost-effective solutions. Additionally, she is committed to advancing the standards and best practices of the security profession and fostering a culture of excellence and diversity within Securitas.

Coleman started her career as a hospital corpsman in the US Navy. From there, she served as an operations manager or account m manager for several companies, before eventually rising to director of operations and then general manager for Allied Universal. She started with Securitas Security Services USA in 2018 and accepted her current position in 2023. Coleman graduated from Appalachian State University with an undergraduate degree in political science.

6). Ana Manrique
VP, Design, Data & AI, IBM

Ana Manrique is the Vice President of Design, Data, and AI of IBM, where she oversees the design of the company's on-prem and SaaS portfolio for data and AI. Manrique is a design leader with over 20 years of experience in creating and delivering user-centric and data-informed solutions for diverse media and software products. Manrique first got her start in 1999 as a digital designer at Time Inc. From there, she went on to Condé Nast, before eventually rising to senior creative director of branding and UX at Olapic, her most recent position before joining IBM.

In her previous roles, Manrique has managed, mentored, and coached teams of designers, developers, and product managers across different geographies and domains. She has collaborated with leading news organizations, such as the New York Times, BBC, and CNN, on the integration of Reuters' editorial and news delivery platforms. She has also supported the marketing and sales teams of Olapic, a pioneer in social media marketing, in creating integrated and custom campaigns. Manrique is passionate about empowering her teams, fostering a culture of curiosity, and delivering value to customers.

Manrique graduated from Columbia University with an MS in Strategic communications and from Parsons School of Design at The New School with an undergraduate degree in design and visual communications.

7). Melissa Hardaway
Global Chief Administrative Officer & Global CFO, KPMG

Melissa Hardaway is the Global Chief Administrative Officer and Global Chief Financial Officer for KPMG International and sits on the Global Management Team. KPMG is a global organization of independent professional services firms providing audit, tax, and advisory services.

Previously, Hardaway was the US partner-in-charge of risk management-tax, as well as the Americas risk management partner for tax. Before this, Hardaway served as the business unit partner-in-charge for the Bay Area tax practice, as well as a senior lead tax partner. She was admitted to the partnership in 2000 and has been with the firm for more than 30 years.

During her career with KPMG, Hardaway has served a wide variety of both privately held and publicly traded clients primarily in the technology industry. She has advised clients on various tax and business issues, including international operations, mergers and acquisitions, state and local planning, accounting for income taxes and regulatory compliance, and tax authority examinations. Hardaway has served as the lead tax partner on several Fortune 500 technology companies and has been a regular speaker at both external and KPMG events, particularly on issues dealing with accounting for income taxes. Hardaway graduated from The Wharton School with an undergraduate degree in economics.

8). Barbara Vaughan
Director, Maternal Child Health, Kaiser Permanente

Barbara Vaughan is the Director of Maternal Child Health at Kaiser Permanente. She is part of an amazing nursing and physician leadership team and staff, helping support and care for families in their pregnancy and childbirth journey. 

Vaughan is a native of San Jose, and in 2024, she will celebrate 25 years of working in healthcare that began as a new graduate of the RN program at Evergreen Valley College in 1999. She spent the first 20 years of her nursing career at HCA Good Samaritan Hospital, starting as a frontline labor and delivery RN, and then moving into nursing leadership in 2001. She now specializes in healthcare administration, perinatal services, and perinatal patient safety and quality.

Vaughan was honored to be recognized as the Extraordinary Nurse Leader of the Year out of all 15 Kaiser Hospitals in Northern California in 2023. Outside of her career, she enjoys traveling, pairing food and beverages, and spending time with her family.

9). Raquel Gonzalez
President, Silicon Valley & Hispanic-Latino Strategy Executive, Bank of America

Raquel Gonzalez is the President and Silicon Valley and Hispanic-Latino Strategy Executive of Bank of America, a North Carolina-based financial institution that provides personal and commercial banking products and services for individuals and businesses. In this role, Gonzalez works across the region to connect Bank of America's business lines to deliver integrated financial services to individuals, families, and businesses and leads the corporate social responsibility work in the region.

Gonzalez is an executive with extensive experience in financial services, including holding key senior leadership roles across various lines of business. With a proven ability to manage and motivate large teams across multiple markets and states, she is a highly engaged leader. She started her career at Bank of America as a sales manager and quickly worked her way up to the executive leadership team. 

Gonzalez graduated from Saint Mary's College of California with an undergraduate degree in management.

10). Devasena Rajamohan
VP, Software Development, Microsoft 

Devasena Rajamohan is the Vice President of Software Development at Microsoft. She is responsible for defining the product roadmap and delivering features and functions based on market needs. She collaborates with stakeholders such as user design, program office, customer success, and support functions to operate as one team with the common goal of helping customers run their businesses with high productivity.

Rajamohan is a development executive responsible for end-to-end (E2E) business, from strategic vision and product management to engineering. A result-driven leader, she has experience building successful products and leading large global organizations. Her role involves translating company priorities into a clear and actionable product roadmap, balanced with technical debt and other engineering priorities in the cloud transformation journey.

Heading a global team of over 500 talented engineers, she focuses on delivering high-quality Cloud solutions for the Sales Force Automation (SFA), Customer Service, and Utilities industry. She aims to create a rewarding and productive engineering environment for great work experience and career growth for all team members. Rajamohan earned an undergraduate degree in electrical and electronics engineering from the Government College of Technology, Coimbatore.

11). Irene Gonzalez
Regional VP, Finance, Flextronics

Irene Gonzalez is the Regional Vice President of Finance of Flextronics, the manufacturing partner of choice that helps a diverse customer base design and build products that improve the world. Through the collective strength of a global workforce across 30 countries and responsible, sustainable operations, Flex delivers technology innovation, supply chain, and manufacturing solutions to diverse industries and end markets. 

Before joining Flextronics, Gonzalez was a graduate research assistant at The University of Alabama. Before that, she was an aquatic toxicology and regulatory affairs consultant at REACH MONITOR. Earlier in her career, she worked with Arkansas State University Ecotox Research Facility as a research assistant.

Gonzalez graduated from The University of Alabama with a PhD in Biology from Arkansas State University with an MS in biology from Nanyang Technological University Singapore with an undergraduate degree in business managerial economics and from Missouri Valley College with an undergraduate degree in biology.

12). Hayden Brown
President & CEO, Upwork

Hayden Brown is the President and CEO of Upwork, the world's work marketplace that connects businesses with independent talent from across the globe. Having been at Upwork since 2011, Hayden is known for her bold leadership and her passion for the company’s mission to create economic opportunities so that people live better lives. That passion stems from her childhood years spent living in Kathmandu, Nepal, and she’s committed to building a sustainable, high-performing business that delivers on that mission in ever-bigger ways.

Before becoming CEO, Brown was Upwork’s chief marketing and product officer. In this role, she led the expansion of Upwork’s offerings to attract and serve sophisticated business buyers who could significantly benefit from Upwork’s global pool of talent. 

Previously, Brown led corporate development for LivePerson and held strategy and corporate development roles at Microsoft. She began her career as an analyst at McKinsey and Company after earning an AB in Politics from Princeton University. She has been named to Staffing Industry Analysts’ "40 Under 40" and "Global Power 150–Women in Staffing." Hayden is married with two children.

13). Carolyn Henry
VP, General Manager Americas Marketing, Intel Corporation

Carolyn Henry is the Vice President and GM of Americas Regional Marketing at Intel. In this role, she is responsible for Intel’s exciting marketing activations across Canada, the United States, and Latin America. She leads a diverse group of marketers across consumer, commercial, and gaming segments, as well as enterprise and data center marketing. 

Henry holds a BA from Connecticut College, a Master’s in Technical Communications from Northeastern University in Boston, certificates in marketing from Northwestern University in Chicago, and a certificate in poetry from Washington University.  

She is an active and passionate board member of the Silicon Valley Education Foundation focusing on STEM education for underserved young people in the Bay Area. She is an avid traveler, when the world permits, and enjoys learning new languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, and French. She lives and works in the Bay Area, California with her husband and young daughter.

14). Sandra Rivera
CEO, Programmable Solutions Group

Sandra Rivera Is the Chief Executive Officer of the Programmable Solutions Group (PSG). Rivera guides PSG as a standalone business focused on the development of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) that are used across the data center, communications, industrial, automotive, aerospace, and defense markets.

Before assuming her current role, Rivera led Intel’s Data Center and AI Group, where she guided the development of data center products, including Intel Xeon processors, Intel Max and Flex series graphic processors, Intel Gaudi AI accelerators, and FPGA products. Rivera also drove Intel’s overall artificial intelligence (AI) strategy and product roadmap. In 2023, Rivera was named by TIME Magazine as one of the industry’s most influential people in AI. From 2019 to 2021, Rivera was Intel’s chief people officer, leading the company’s human resources organization worldwide. She also led Intel’s Network Platforms Group from 2017 to 2019, driving the transformation of network infrastructure to Intel-based solutions.

Rivera holds a Bachelor’s degree In Electrical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. She sits on the Equinix board of directors and is a member of the University of California, Berkeley’s engineering advisory board.

15). Yiwen Li
Head of Venture & Strategic Investments of Bayview Development Group

Yiwen Li is a seasoned investor and operator with a successful track record of identifying and investing in emerging technologies while developing strategic partnerships to fast-scale the business.

Ms. Li is currently the Head of Venture and Strategic Investments at Bayview Development Group, a Silicon Valley-based private investment firm with diversified exposure to real estate, private equity, and venture capital. She is responsible for the company’s venture investment strategy and started the AI for Impact initiative. Before her current role, Ms. Li was the Principal of Alumni Ventures, responsible for end-to-end multi-stage investments focused on healthcare and blockchain. She was Director for Corporate Strategy and Business Development at Masimo (Nasdaq: MASI). She built an innovation pipeline in telehealth, and data analytics and led the business development in APAC and Europe. She was Director for Corporate Development at NantHealth (Nasdaq: NH), where she established the international business presence for the company. Ms. Li started her career at Capital Group in equity research and wealth management. 

Ms. Li serves on the board of Give2Asia, where she is the chairwoman of the finance committee and a member of the investment committee. She is an advisory board member for the Asia Society and an advisory board member of C-Sweet. Ms. Li is passionate about creating a diverse and multicultural business environment. As a champion for women's leadership, Ms. Li co-founded the “Asian Women Empowered” initiative with the Asia Society. She was recognized as one of the “Top 50 Women in 2019” and the “Most Inspirational Women in Web 3”. Ms. Li is also the author of one of the best sellers “Make the World Your Playground”, inspiring women to find their unique path. She is a frequent speaker on innovation and emerging technology trends.

Ms. Li holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics, a second Master’s from the University of Vienna, and a venture capital certificate from UC Berkeley. She received her bachelor’s degree from Beijing Foreign Studies University. She is a recipient of the European Union’s Erasmus Mundus scholarship. Ms.Li is fluent in Mandarin and German and has worked and lived in Europe, Asia, and the US.

16).  Shari Yocum
Partner/Principal, EY 

Shari Yocum is a Partner and Principal at EY. She first joined the company in 2016. EY exists to build a better working world, helping create long-term value for clients, people, and society and build trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform, and operate. 

With more than 20 years of experience, Yocum has successfully advised global companies on complex mergers and acquisitions, large corporate change initiatives, and HR transformations. As a practitioner of HR, Yocum spent several years working in HR COEs and as a client-facing HR Business Leader in large technology firms. Yocum is often cited in industry publications on Human Resources Strategy and Post-Merger Integration issues and she speaks regularly at industry conferences.

Previously, Yocum was a managing partner at Tasman Consulting, LLC. Before that, she was a director of HR mergers and acquisitions at Cisco Systems, Inc. Earlier in her career, she worked with Management Systems Associates as a product specialist. Yocum earned an MBA in global business from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and an undergraduate degree in psychology from North Carolina State University.

17). Luz Arbelaez
Senior HR Director, Core Diagnostics, Hematology Business Unit, Abbott

Luz Arbelaez is the senior HR Director of Core Diagnostics in the Hematology Business Unit of Abbott, an Illinois-based healthcare company that develops and markets medical devices in fields, such as neuroscience and diabetes. 

Arbelaez is a strategic human resources executive successful in shaping and executing long-range vision and strategy, aligning organizations to create value-focused cultures across multiple industries. A transformational leader, she is adept in building HR infrastructures and work cultures to support corporate vision and mission. Fluent in both Spanish and English, she serves as a catalyst for building and developing strong talent pools and introducing change management initiatives to elicit top performance.

With extensive global experience, Arbelaez specializes in HR acquisition integration, talent assessment, succession planning, and employee engagement. Open to international assignments, she brings a wealth of experience and expertise to any organization. She’s held leadership roles at The Hershey Company and HP. Arbelaez graduated from Inalde with an EMBA in business administration and management and from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana with an undergraduate degree in psychology.

18). Jennifer Testa
Regional VP, Sales, SAP

Jennifer Testa is the Regional Vice President of Sales of SAP. The mission of SAP is to guide customers as they transform for growth, efficiency, and agility, and Testa’s role is to support the overall success of global and local customers across SAP's portfolio of solutions and services. She leads teams focused on inspiring and evangelizing SAP within their large enterprise space, concentrating on growing their footprint with net new and dormant accounts. 

Testa’s passion for her work is centered around the innovation and transformation SAP delivers to customers, while never shying away from a soapbox to illuminate what makes SAP special for both their people and customers. She joined SAP through the acquisition of a mid-stage SaaS startup, Gigya, in 2017. Bringing along the startup DNA, she continues to thrive on "sophisticated scrappiness" to find new ways to continually improve how they support customers and foster a positive internal culture.

Testa started her career in 2004 as an account executive at Transware. From there, she went on to Translations.com, before eventually rising to senior account executive at Trancos Digital Publishing, her most recent role before joining Gigya as a senior account executive in 2013. Testa graduated from the University of North Carolina with an undergraduate degree in anthropology.

19). Denisse Weil Ross
Global Head, Premier Partner Support, Meta

Denisse Weil Ross is the Global Head of Premier Partner Support of Meta. She first joined the company in 2019. Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. 

Weil Ross is a big-picture program manager and project leader with extensive experience in sales operations, channel management, and business development. With a strong record of working with a sense of urgency, she excels in executing global, cross-functional, and complex initiatives and projects. Her skills include presenting to and working with all levels of executive leadership, earning her a reputation for performing well under pressure in fast-paced environments. She has a track record of accomplishments in both large, Fortune 500 organizations and small start-up environments, where wearing multiple hats is a necessity and ambiguity is common. Her natural curiosity and inquisitiveness allow her to distill information into its critical components and communicate it in the most cohesive and digestible format.

Previously, Weil Ross held high-level roles at Facebook, Ampersand, Veritas Technologies, Symantec, GlobalServe, Teach For America, and Wonderbox. She started her career as a seventh-grade math and science teacher for Teach for America and a program manager for BUILD, and she completed a business development internship for MTV Networks. Weil Ross earned an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and an undergraduate degree in psychology from UCLA.

20). Liliane Peters
Director, R&D Operations - Cloud & Software Services, Ericsson

Liliane Peters is the Director of R&D Operations of Cloud and Software Services at Ericsson.  Ericsson enables communications service providers and enterprises to capture the full value of connectivity. It is designed to help their customers go digital, increase efficiency, and find new revenue streams.

Peters is an experienced director of research and development with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and telecom industry. A strong information technology professional, she is skilled in service delivery, product lifecycle management, project portfolio management, business operations and digital transformation, and line management.

Peters joined Ericsson in 2000 as a project manager and worked her way up to her current role in 2015. Earlier in her career, she was a research director and senior research scientist for the German National Research Center for Computer Science. Peters graduated from RWTH Aachen University with a Doctor of Engineering in Electronics.

21).  Hillen Lee
VP, Sales, Procter & Gamble

Hillen Lee is the Vice President of Sales at Procter & Gamble. P&G is an Ohio-based consumer goods company that manufactures and supplies household, personal, and healthcare products around the world. P&G was founded more than 185 years ago as a soap and candle company. Today, they’re one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies and home to iconic, trusted brands

Lee is a seasoned global sales and marketing executive with over 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, strategy, and commercial leadership within the consumer goods industry. Currently serving on the Board of Directors for CGA, she has a distinguished career marked by significant achievements.

Lee led the M&A integration of P&G's largest acquisitions in history, spearheaded the entrance of new brands and categories into the Chinese market, and developed new capabilities for innovation in e-commerce and digital media. Her experience spans from working on the front lines, leading partnerships with some of the world's largest retailers' C-suite, to managing the P&L of major CPG categories and brands at the headquarters. Lee graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with an undergraduate degree in economics.

22). Joannie Fu
VP, Network & Edge Group (NEX) Execution Office, Intel Corporation 

Joannie Fu is the Vice President of the Network & Edge Group (NEX) Execution Office for the Intel Corporation. She first joined the company in 2000 as a senior buyer and team lead. Intel is a California-based multinational company that designs and manufactures products, such as microprocessors, motherboards, and storage devices for PCs and smartphones.

Fu is a strategic, collaborative, and operational-excellence-focused executive with broad international and domestic experience in the high-tech industry and a variety of functions, ranging from product development, factory start-up, and launch to manufacturing. She excels in combining technical and business acumen to reach clarity for complex decision-making, turn vision into action, and execute with urgency. Consistently making and meeting organizational commitments via disciplined collaboration of cross-organizational strategic efforts.

Previously, Fu was an operations compliance officer at Citigroup/Citicorp. She earned an MBA in internet marketing and e-commerce strategy from the University of California, Irvine - The Paul Merage School of Business, an MBA in eCommerce strategy in Asia from HKUST Business School, and an undergraduate degree in architecture and structural engineering from California State Polytechnic University-Pomona.

23). Monica Latimore
Talent Acquisition Partner, Kohl's

Monica Latimore is the Talent Acquisition Partner at Kohl's. She first joined the company in 2014. Kohl's business is built on a solid foundation of more than 65 million customers, an unmatched brand portfolio, industry-leading loyalty and Kohl's Card programs, a convenient and accessible nationwide store footprint, and a large digital business on Kohls.com and the Kohl's mobile app.

Latimore is a senior tech recruiter with experience in both agency and corporate environments. Throughout her career, she has successfully placed professionals ranging from high-volume to senior-level positions, all while managing multiple projects concurrently. Known for her ability to build strong relationships across complex matrixed environments, she is highly skilled in various Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Thriving in fast-paced and progressive environments, she excels in places that promote collaboration, teamwork, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Previously, Latimore was a senior resource manager at Experis, a division of ManpowerGroup, where she led the creation and delivery of services that enable clients to win in the changing world of information technology. Latimore earned an undergraduate degree in business administration from Skyline College.

24). Fiona Giuffre
Senior Director, Business Partner, Medtronic

Fiona Giuffre is the Senior Director and Business Partner at Medtronic. A global healthcare technology leader, Medtronic’s mission is to contribute to human welfare by the application of biomedical engineering in the research, design, manufacture, and sale of instruments or appliances that alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life. 

Giuffre is an HR executive with progressively responsible experience in global leadership roles within top-tier Silicon Valley technology and hypergrowth companies, as well as sports and entertainment brands, such as NetScreen Technologies, VeriSign, Inc., and NHL's San Jose Sharks. Throughout her career, she has led solutions to enable organizational growth, transformation, and change. Her focus on providing an engaging employee experience has consistently resulted in business success.

Before joining Medtronic in 2021, she served as vice president of people at Stellus Technologies, Telenav, and the San Jose Sharks. Giuffre graduated from Santa Clara University with an undergraduate degree in psychology.

25).  Jessica Ren
HR Business Partner, Site Lead, AstraZeneca

Jessica Ren is the HR Business Partner and Site Lead of AstraZeneca, a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines in oncology, rare diseases, and biopharmaceuticals, including cardiovascular, renal and metabolism, and respiratory and immunology. 

Ren is an HR professional passionate about building people and teams and adding value to organizations through partnerships with business leaders. With hands-on human resource expertise, she excels in coaching, employee relations, performance management, talent and leadership development, employee engagement, organizational design and succession planning, compensation, policy deployment, and compliance.

Before joining AstraZeneca, Ren was an HR business partner for Cepheid, where she provided impactful advice and guidance to all levels of people leaders on HR implications and people strategies that support current and future business strategies. She has also served as a reservist and food operation manager in the US Army for over eight years. Ren graduated from Thunderbird School of Global Management with an MS in global management and from San Jose State University with an undergraduate degree in international business.

26).  Penelope Thompson
VP, North America Solution Engineering, OneTrust

Penelope Thompson is the Vice President of North America Solution Engineering of OneTrust. She first joined the company in 2023. OneTrust is the trust intelligence cloud platform organizations use to transform trust from an abstract concept into a measurable competitive advantage. Organizations globally use OneTrust to enable the responsible use of data while protecting the privacy rights of individuals, implement and report on their cyber security program, make their social impact goals a reality, and create a speak-up culture of trust.

Thompson is a visionary and highly accomplished sales engineering executive with over 25 years of experience driving the sales of SaaS, CRM, analytics, machine learning, and business intelligence solutions. Throughout her career, she has consistently achieved business objectives while increasing customer engagement. In her most recent role as the VP of solution engineering at Salesforce, she increased the team's engagement on large deals by 100%, enabling the sales team to surpass 130% of the annual quota. She developed customized business development campaigns, drove the company's value proposition, and established and maintained productive relationships with key accounts.

Thompson earned an undergraduate degree in German from California State University, Chico. She also completed a partial master’s degree program, earning a Teaching of English as a Foreign Language Certificate. 

27). Teresa Marshall
VP, Globalization & Localization, Salesforce

Teresa Marshall is the Vice President of Globalization and Localization of Salesforce, the top CRM platform worldwide. Marshall drives globalization and localization-related efforts across Salesforce, including internationalization, localization management, and development of features designed to enable global Salesforce deployment. In 2009, she joined Salesforce as a senior localization manager and led all product localization through a period of intensive growth. Since 2015, Marshall has led both globalization and localization for Salesforce. 

Marshall started her career as a German linguist and has been working in localization for over 15 years. She has held program and operational management positions at several Silicon Valley companies, including leading the Google localization team. From 2010 to 2014, Marshall was an adjunct member of the faculty at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) and taught in the translation and localization management program of the Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation, and Language Education. From 2014 to 2016, she was on the Board of Women in Localization. 

An active member of the localization community, Marshall has been the organizer and cohost of the annual Localization Unconference in Silicon Valley since 2009. She graduated from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey with an MA in translation and interpretation and from Fremdspracheninstitut München with an undergraduate degree in translation in technology.

28). Emily Van Hoorickx
Managing Director - Wealth Management, UBS

Emily Van Hoorickx is the Managing Director of Wealth Management for UBS, where she leads a team that is dedicated to helping individuals develop and maintain a comprehensive wealth management plan, as well as working with corporations wishing to enhance the delivery of employee benefit plans. 

Throughout her career, Van Hoorickx has focused on equity compensation programs and financial planning for over 30 years. She is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), a Certified Equity Professional (CEP), and one of the select few advisors with the designation of Wealth Advisor. Additionally, she is a Corporate Services Financial Advisor, Corporate Stock Benefit Consultant, and a member of the Equity Plan Advisory Services (EPAS) group. Van Hoorickx maintains licenses for multiple financial instruments and securities registration in all 50 states.

In addition to her financial background, Van Hoorickx's education includes a degree from the University of California at Berkeley. She has studied in Turnhout, Belgium, and Oxford, England.  She is a founding member of both the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP) and The Global Equity Organization (GEO). She is a two-time past president of the Silicon Valley Chapter of NASPP and has also served as the Chair of Santa Clara University’s Certified Equity Professionals Institute (CEPI) twice. 

29). Lisa Neitzel
VP, Corporate Communications, Western Digital

Lisa Neitzel is the Vice President of Corporate Communications at Western Digital, an American computer drive manufacturer and data storage company. Neitzel leads the global media and analyst relations team. This team is made up of corporate public relations, products, and technology public relations, international communications, and corporate analyst relations.

Neitzel is a creative senior communications professional with a passion for building high-performing teams. As an intuitive leader, she builds collaborative relationships with cross-functional peers, engages stakeholders, and empowers teams to exceed objectives. With a record of success in high-pressure environments, she is skilled at creating compelling storylines for complex technologies and developing brand awareness across multiple communication channels. She is known for being positive, innovative, and a problem solver.

Previously, Neitzele served in several leadership roles for Voce Communications, an award-winning marketing and communications consultancy. As SVP, she led high-performing account teams with a priority on client satisfaction, team collaboration, and employee development. Neitzel earned an undergraduate degree in public relations and political science from San Jose State University.

30). Archana Narla
Senior Director, Engineering, Capital One

Archana Narla is the Senior Director of Engineering at Capital One. Narla is a seasoned engineering and business leader with extensive experience in delivering mission-critical software and leading globally distributed teams. She has a proven track record of leading transformational changes and delivering significant results for the business.

She has transformed organizations through mission, vision, strategy, technology, and skills alignment. This includes revamping technologies and architectures, such as cloud transformation, transitioning from monolith to SOA, re-platforming for scale and resiliency, and automating delivery pipelines. Before joining Capital One, Narla was a group engineering leader at Intuit. Before that, she was a principal software engineer at Symantec Corporation. Earlier in her career, she worked with Moonlight Systems as a senior software engineer.

Narla has been recognized with several Engineering and Operational Excellence Leadership awards, and she has led teams that won several Hackathon awards. She graduated from the University of Florida with an MS in computer science and from Osmania University with an undergraduate degree in computer science.

31). Anita Volta
Executive Director Benefits, Sutter Health

Anita Volta is the Executive Director of Benefits of Sutter Health. She first joined the company in 2022. Sutter Health’s integrated, not-for-profit system of employees, associated physicians, and volunteers supports more than three million patients in diverse communities across 22 counties. 

As an influential executive HR and finance leader, Volta brings people together to provide best-in-class benefits, operations, and services. She strategically designs programs from planning and resource gathering to tactical execution and measuring success. She identifies opportunities for improved processes to achieve efficiency gains while maintaining optimal output and prioritizing solutions. Her recent roles include moderator, emcee, and panel speaker at industry summits, such as being the virtual moderator of the DC panel of experts in 2022 and 2021, participating in the 2019 DC II symposium in New York, and presenting at the Pension & Investments conference in San Diego.

Previously, Volta led HR benefits at Intuit and HR operations at Micro Focus. She held high-level roles at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP. Volta earned an undergraduate degree in commerce, business/commerce from Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business.

32). Fran Dillard
VP & Chief Diversity Inclusion Officer (CDIO), Micron Technology

Fran Dillard is the Vice President and Chief Diversity Inclusion Officer (CDIO) of Micron Technology, a world leader in innovative memory solutions that transform how the world uses information. 

Before joining Micron Technology, Dillard was the executive corporate director of enterprise global diversity and inclusion and the executive director of missiles and fire controls at Lockheed Martin. Before that, she was the head of diversity and inclusion at Texas Instruments. Earlier in her career, she was a senior employee relations manager for JPMorgan Chase & Co. and a global HR business partner for Flowserve.

Dillard graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington’s College of Business with an MBA and from The University of Texas at Arlington with an undergraduate degree in public relations.

33). Jill Bauman
Deputy Chief Technologist, NASA

Jill Bauman is the Deputy Chief Technologist of NASA. For more than 60 years, NASA has been breaking barriers to achieve the seemingly impossible – from walking on the Moon to pushing the boundaries of human spaceflight farther than ever before. In this role, Bauman helped draft the Agency’s Technology Roadmaps. She reviews the center’s new technologies to determine mission-critical needs that may be filled by such technologies, initiates and reviews potential inter-center and external collaborations for low TRL technology investments, and assesses the center’s technology portfolio for strategic maturation planning.

Bauman served for three years as the branch chief for systems and project engineering at NASA Ames Research Center and spent three years providing technical direction to an engineering staff of nearly 40 and managing the systems engineering resources and capabilities required to formulate and implement successful space flight projects. Bauman then served for four years as the associate director of science for mission concepts, the directorate's focal point for new mission opportunities, and led the interface between the science, engineering, space projects, and new business directorates for all new mission concept planning and development. In this capacity, she was responsible for reviewing the technical, management, and cost elements of projects; analyzing project risk; determining system and subsystem technical readiness; identifying the resources required to formulate advanced mission concepts; and managing and providing technical direction to project teams. 

Bauman has a Master’s degree in Physical Oceanography from the State University of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook, in the Marine Sciences Research Center. She earned a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Institute for Terrestrial and Planetary Atmospheres, SUNY. During this time, she conducted her dissertation research in the Atmospheric Physics Branch at NASA Ames Research Center. During her residency at Ames, she became interested in space flight mission implementation and attended the International Space University in Barcelona.

34).  Alison Steel
Director, Growth Success, & Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Growth Sales & Customer Success, Adobe

Alison Steel is the Director of Growth Success and Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Growth Sales and Customer Success at Adobe. She first joined the company in 2015 as senior sales communications manager. Adobe is the global leader in digital media and digital marketing solutions. Their creative, marketing, and document solutions empower everyone – from emerging artists to global brands – to bring digital creations to life and deliver immersive, compelling experiences to the right person at the right moment for the best results.

Steel is an achiever, fizzing with creativity, positive energy, and business smarts, who gets her kicks from developing individuals, teams, and leaders to reach their potential. She excels at working in, and leading, cross-functional teams to plan, manage, and implement strategies and deliverables to support organizational realignment, culture development, high-profile and critical communications, business and process change, crisis management, and team identity.

Previously, Steel was a director at Centrify. Before that, she was a senior manager at Sonus. She volunteers as a Court-appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for Child Advocates of Silicon Valley and as a coach for ScholarMatch, where she provides one-on-one guidance to a first-generation student from a low-income background during the college application and financial aid process. Steel earned an undergraduate degree in media and business management with IT from The University of Manchester.

35). Jaimie Vargas
Senior Director - Head of Global Social Impact, Electronic Arts (EA)

Jaimie Vargas is the Senior Director and Head of Global Social Impact of Electronic Arts (EA). Headquartered in Redwood City in Northern California, Electronic Arts develops and delivers games, content, and online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices, and personal computers. 

Vargas is an experienced and passionate social impact leader dedicated to delivering equitable and sustainable outcomes for all stakeholders by leveraging people, profit, philanthropy, and products to achieve ESG goals. With employees, customers, investors, and communities demanding more in the business-society relationship, she finds inspiration in the intersection of these worlds and the opportunity to create transformational change. She loves to build – strategies, policies, programs, and partnerships – and has a proven track record of designing, scaling, and executing local and global initiatives to drive employee engagement, create shared value with philanthropic investments, and elevate the corporate brand.

Before joining Electronic Arts (EA), Vargas was a social impact and engagement consultant at Automation Anywhere. She also served as head of social impact for Synopsys Inc. and the director of strategic planning and communication for the University of California, Santa Cruz. Vargas graduated from Boston University with an undergraduate degree in English.

36). Catherine Côté
VP & Chief of Staff to the CEO, Onsemi

Catherine Côté joined Onsemi in March 2021 and currently serves as Vice President and Chief of Staff to the CEO. Onsemi is driving disruptive innovations to help build a better future. With a focus on automotive and industrial end-markets, the company is accelerating change in megatrends, such as vehicle electrification and safety, sustainable energy grids, industrial automation, and 5G and cloud infrastructure. 

Before joining Onsemi, Côté held leadership roles at Cypress Semiconductor in marketing and sales and as chief of staff to the CEO. She is a well-respected and passionate leader who drives cross-functional efforts, most notably through Infineon’s acquisition of Cypress in April 2020. Côté then became the head of engagement marketing, where she was responsible for digital marketing, channel marketing, and demand generation. Côté began her career at Future Electronics, where she held various roles in product marketing and asset management.

Côté earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from McGill University in Montreal, QC, and a mini-MBA certificate from Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business in Santa Clara, CA.

37). Nina Mushiana
Director, Vulnerability Management, Service Management, NVIDIA

With over two decades of experience in Information Security and Technology Management, Nina has established a solid reputation for driving notable advancements in security posture and operational efficiency.  At Nvidia, Nina's leadership of the Service Management office underscores her commitment to operational excellence and service delivery. Furthermore, Nina is actively engaged in driving innovation in AI and cutting-edge technologies at Nvidia, contributing to the company's leadership in these areas. Since its founding in 1993, NVIDIA has been a pioneer in accelerated computing. The company’s invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined computer graphics, ignited the era of modern AI, and fueled the creation of the metaverse. NVIDIA is now a full-stack computing company with data-center-scale offerings that are reshaping the industry.

Mushiana’s core competencies include vulnerability management, automation, and leadership. As the Director of Information Security at LinkedIn for the past 2 years, Nina played a pivotal role in scaling the vulnerability management program across various aspects of the infrastructure.

During her tenure, Nina spearheaded the development of LinkedIn's next-generation vulnerability management platform, introducing features such as asset inventory, security coverage, and compliance. This initiative resulted in automated workloads, proactive alerting, and an impressive 99.9% reliability rate. Additionally, she championed the development of an endpoint security management solution, significantly enhancing device security while improving user productivity.

In her prior role as Senior Manager of Information Security, Nina led a transformative journey by implementing automation and reshaping the operations team, which became the cornerstone of the information security framework.

One of Nina's significant achievements at LinkedIn was leveraging cloud computing to deploy one of the world's largest Azure Sentinel installations, resulting in a remarkable 98% reduction in detection creation time over a span of 10 months.

Prior to Information Security, Nina served as Senior Manager of Site Reliability Engineering, where she played a crucial role in enhancing LinkedIn's member experience through leadership in monitoring, next-gen Incident Management, DR, automation, and application development.

Throughout her career, Nina has demonstrated a consistent commitment to excellence, innovation, and driving positive change within organizations. Her passion for information security, coupled with her leadership skills and dedication to diversity and inclusion, make her a deserving candidate for recognition in the field.

38). Anjali Tewari
Director - Program Management & Strategic Initiatives (PLE), Workday

Anjali is a seasoned customer-focused program management and business process transformation leader. She has been recognized for expertise in customer-centric, business re-engineering and strategic program execution related to Supply Chain & IT / Business Process Transformation, New Product Introductions (NPI) & Cloud migrations while leveraging Change Management best practices at companies like Workday, HPE, Equifax, GE, Cox Communications and Genpact. At Workday, she leads a number of key long-term strategic initiatives to enable continuous improvement and cost savings in partnership with Finance, Workday, and Planning Infrastructure, Development teams, and Customer Support.

Her varied experience and learning agility have enabled her to leverage her transferable experiences across industries to drive innovation across Product, Engineering, IT Operations, IT Infrastructure Management, Sourcing, Planning, and Sales teams. Her unique approach to handling complex problems helped her win the Chairman’s (CEO) award at Equifax for driving process innovation and the HPE Global Ops Leadership Team award for leading the Q2C transformation for HPE’s first Storage and Compute SaaS offerings in 3-month concept to launch window.

Throughout her career, which prior to Workday also included leadership roles at HPE and Equifax, Anjali has been focused on using data-driven insights to design and implement new business processes to enhance customer experiences. She thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment where she can help build and support engaged teams and contribute to the success of the organization.

Outside of work, Anjali is a mother to two amazing young boys. She is passionate about empowering women and children with financial education, especially focused on women rebuilding lives after suffering from financial abuse. She holds a Master in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business and a B. Tech in Computer Science from the Institute of Engineering & Technology, Lucknow in addition to Agile, Green Belt, and LEAN certifications as well as being an AWS certified Cloud Practitioner. She is also actively involved in VIBE and the weGO council supporting Women and Veterans in Technology in her current and past organizations.

39). Ravneet Kaur Sahni: Woman Leader in Product & General Management
Head of Product, Intuit Commerce Platform

Ravneet Kaur Sahni stands as a beacon of leadership and innovation in the tech industry. With a career spanning two decades, she has left an indelible mark in product management, incubating and scaling multiple products into multimillion-dollar businesses. Her professional journey traverses tech behemoths like Microsoft, Facebook, Adobe, and Intuit, where she has spearheaded product development for personalized discovery experiences in consumer digital services, content platforms, and e-commerce/subscriptions.

Renowned for her strategic product vision and exceptional design solutions, Ravneet has a unique knack for fostering and scaling high-value partnerships. She has adeptly managed complex teams, both horizontally and vertically, building inclusive and diverse local and remote teams to drive results across strategy, business, design, technology, and operational enablement.

As the Founder and Chairperson of the Women in TPM group at Facebook and Adobe, and Women Site Lead, Ravneet is a champion for diversity and inclusion. A sought-after speaker at summits, keynotes, and demos, she actively volunteers for DEI efforts in software products and hiring. Her domain expertise encompasses AI-enabled e-commerce, innovative monetization models, ML-driven personalization, Customer Data Profile (CDP), and data-driven product analysis and decision-making.

Ravneet’s illustrious career is adorned with numerous accolades, including multiple awards for PM Excellence and recognition for shipping products at Microsoft, Facebook, and Adobe. Currently, as the Head of Product at Intuit, she leads the Commerce platform Product Management Org. Her leadership and strategic vision have been pivotal in enabling commerce across Intuit’s suite of products like TurboTax, Small Business Group worldwide.

Ravneet Kaur Sahni embodies the spirit of relentless pursuit of excellence, making her a testament to the power of leadership and innovation in the Silicon Valley Tech industry.  Ravneet earned a MS in Computer Science from University of Southern California in 2007,  with various executive-education courses during her professional journey. She lives in sunny California along with her husband and daughter.

40). Tara Green
Chief People Officer, Crusoe Energy

Tara Green is the Chief People Officer of Crusoe Energy. Crusoe exists to bring energy to ideas. They are the pioneers of clean computing infrastructure that reduces both the costs and the environmental impact of the world's expanding digital economy. By unlocking stranded sources of energy to power cloud and data center services, they are creating the climate-aligned future of compute-intensive innovation that reduces rather than adds to emissions.

Green is an authentic, inclusive people's champion, a strategic, data-driven leader, and a builder of high-performance executive teams. Before joining Crusoe Energy, Green was a vice president at Aurora. Before that, she was an adviser at Node.io. Earlier in her career, she was a senior manager at eBay and held multiple director roles at Google.

Green graduated from Ivey Business School at Western University with an MBA in general management, human resources, and international business and from Queen's University with an undergraduate degree in commerce.

41). Dr. Rebeca Burciaga
Faculty Executive Director of the Institute for Emancipatory Education, Lurie College of Education, San Jose State University

Dr. Rebeca Burciaga is the Founding Faculty Executive Director of the Institute for Emancipatory Education in the Lurie College of Education at San José State University and a Professor of Educational Leadership & Chicana and Chicano Studies. Her research is nested in the Nepantla (borderlands) of Education and Chicana/o Studies and focuses on the schooling experiences of Chicanx and Latinx students, families, communities, educators, and leaders from preschool through the profession. Her current work focuses on emancipatory and culturally sustaining approaches to school leadership. Dr. Burciaga’s areas of expertise include qualitative methodologies, critical theories (e.g. critical race theory & Chicana feminist theories), and critical pedagogies (e.g. testimonio). 

Burciaga earned her B.A. from UC Santa Cruz, an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles. She is a co-founder of the Institute for Teachers of Color Committed to Racial Justice and her research has been supported by highly competitive funding including the Spencer Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.

42).  Diana Pohle
Senior Director, Strategic Market Insights, Global Product Strategy, BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.

Diana Pohle is the Senior Director of Strategic Market Insights and Global Product Strategy of BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. She first joined the company in 2023. Founded in 1997, BioMarin is a global biotechnology company dedicated to transforming lives through genetic discovery. The company develops and commercializes targeted therapies that address the root cause of the genetic conditions that it seeks to treat, helping to better the lives of those struggling with rare genetic diseases.

Pohle has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation in her field, as well as in her local and global community. Her dedication to excellence, combined with her strategic vision, has significantly advanced industry standards and practices in the field of healthcare analytics and insights. Pohle's commitment to fostering growth and development within her teams has not only yielded impressive results but also cultivated a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration in her respective organizations through the years. Her contributions outside of the professional arena are even more significant, garnering respect and admiration from peers and experts for her passionate support of programs in support of vulnerable children and adults, education, and human rights, especially immigrants and refugees. Pohle's recognition as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of San Jose for 2024 is a well-deserved acknowledgment of her substantial impact in San Jose and the broader world community.

Previously, Pohle was a senior director of business analytics and insights at Myovant Sciences. Before that, she was a director of global competitive intelligence (neuroscience), global commercial development, and planning at Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Earlier in her career, she worked with LifeScan, Inc. as a senior analyst. Pohle earned a Ph.D. in Psychology and Consumer Psychology from Capella University, an MBA in marketing from the University of Phoenix, and an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Phoenix - Northern California Campus.

43). Kristi Melani
Chief Marketing Officer & GTM Strategy, TeleSign 

Kristi Melani is a technology professional with over 30 years of experience in the consumer, B2B, and B2C sectors. She currently serves as the CMO and Head of GTM Strategy at TeleSign, where she is responsible for all aspects of integrated marketing and the company’s go-to-market strategy. Melani’s extensive industry knowledge has helped TeleSign grow and thrive in a highly competitive market. Under her guidance, TeleSign benefits from innovative marketing strategies, a metrics-driven team, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. 

Her work has been recognized by various industry organizations, such as Ragan PR Daily, who named her one of the Top Women in Marketing in 2023, and more recently CIOLook, who named her one of the most iconic women leaders in marketing to watch in 2024. A core focus of Melani’s leadership philosophy focuses on mentorship both within and outside of TeleSign. Melani is a proud mentor to the Women Unlimited LEAD program, a 12-month leadership development program for women, which allows her to mentor mid-level managers for the shift to higher levels of leadership. She also led the launch of TeleSign’s Women @ TeleSign Employee Resource Group, a space, where people with similar identities can be together, share, and inspire, as a way to support belonging for underrepresented or historically marginalized populations. 

Before joining TeleSign, Melani led global teams at Anaplan, Poly (formerly Plantronics), and Alta Vista. Melani holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from San Jose State University.

44). Katia McClain
Partner, Steinberg Hart

As Steinberg Hart’s Managing Partner in Northern California and Chief People Officer, Katia McClain fuses her expertise in leading complex, innovative, and highly sustainable projects with her passion for championing an inclusive, people-focused culture across the firm. 

Over the last three decades, McClain has worked to create powerful environments that have a positive impact on the diverse communities they serve. She serves on the board of the San Jose Downtown Foundation, the board of the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, and is a founding member of AIA Silicon Valley’s Women in Architecture Committee. Born in Mexico City, McClain is a proud binational and bicultural architect.

She specializes in the architecture and design of housing and educational environments, focusing on the integration of people and culture within creative spaces.

45). Nora Crivello
President & CEO, WESTPAK, Inc.

Nora Crivello is the President & CEO of WESTPAK, Inc., a leading 100% employee-owned testing laboratory in California specializing in mechanical and environmental testing. With over 20 years in the testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) industry, Nora has become a recognized thought leader, leveraging her broad experience and expertise to drive WESTPAK's strategic growth.

As the Chair of the International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) Global Board of Directors, Nora plays an essential role in promoting product delivery through distribution standards worldwide. Her involvement extends to teaching, speaking engagements, and participation in key industry organizations, underlining her commitment to advancing the TIC field. 

Nora's educational background includes a Bachelor's in Biological Sciences from Cal Lutheran University and an Executive MBA from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business. She holds certificates as a Packaging Dynamics Professional and a Certified non-professional ESOP Fiduciary. In addition to her Board work for WESTPAK and ISTA, she served multiple terms on the Navigator Charter School Board, a top charter school organization in California. 

Beyond her professional life, Nora is dedicated to volunteerism in the promotion of educational opportunities for women and disadvantaged communities, as well as the rewarding journey of raising guide dog puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Her greatest joy is adventuring into nature with her husband and two teenagers. 

46). Maria Moreno
Director of Recruitment & Enrollment of Cristo Rey San José Jesuit High School & Corporate Work Study Program

Maria Moreno was born and raised in East Side San José. She is a sibling of eight and the first in her family to graduate from a 4-year institution. She was fortunate enough to have great academic and social support from the faculty and staff at her grade schools and credits them for graduating from the University of California, Davis. After a few years in healthcare and a short stint in sales, Maria began working as a coordinator for the Admissions Department at Cristo Rey San José Jesuit High School in downtown San José; a high school that provides students with a unique opportunity to become college ready and career prepared through their Corporate Work Study Program. 

Maria spent 5 years learning her role as coordinator while honing her ability to connect with local families to support them through a private school application process. Now as the Director of Recruitment and Enrollment for Cristo Rey San José, she continues to be a strong advocate for bridging the gap between circumstance and opportunity for local students in the community she was raised in. By opening the doors to the academic, professional, and faith formation opportunities offered by Cristo Rey San José, she hopes to help future students from her community find their full potential.

Maria Moreno identifies herself as a member of the San Jose, CA community with a vested interest in improving access to educational opportunities for students in the K-8 academic age group by connecting with families to support them through navigating new processes and connecting with other committed members who align with this value. Outside of her professional career, Maria Moreno enjoys weight lifting, hiking, snowboarding, skateboarding, golfing, watching sports such as UFC, basketball, and football, journaling, and avidly spending time with her family and friends.

47). Veena Gundavelli
Founder & CEO, Emagia 

Veena Gundavelli is a Silicon Valley-based Tech Entrepreneur with a passion for AI and Finance. She is the Founder and CEO of Emagia Corporation, a leading Fintech AI software company providing Autonomous Finance Cloud Solutions for large global companies. She is on a mission to empower finance organizations with frictionless, self-driving F&A operations that can drive exponential advantage. She is an innovator constantly focused on driving new concepts of modernization of enterprise finance processes. Emagia innovations include solutions that leverage a powerful combination of modern technologies such as AI, Machine Learning, Generative AI, Robotic Process Automation, Intelligent Document Processing, BlockChain, Payments, Cloud, and others to enable autonomous finance operations.

Under her leadership, Emagia has grown from a startup to an industry-recognized global leader in the Enterprise Fintech space winning several awards including the prestigious CNBC Top Global Fintech Companies 2023. Emagia Autonomous Finance Platform for Order-to-Cash focuses on bringing frictionless credit, e-invoicing, e-payments, collections, deductions, cash applications, and customer payment portals. Emagia’s award-winning AI Co-pilot has Gia, the world’s most advanced AI assistant trained for Order-to-Cash skills to perform over 120+ job functions and drive frictionless accounts receivables operations. Emagia platforms have processed over $950B in accounts receivables transactions in over 90 countries and are used by large companies like Unilever, Staples, Shell, Cognizant, and many others. 

Veenas’ Awards and Recognition include - "Top 50 CEOs in AI 2021”, and “Entrepreneur of the Year 2019" Finalist WIT Silicon Valley. Awarded "Innovator of the Year" by Women in IT Awards 2018. Awarded twice "TrailBlazer of the Year " Forum of Women Entrepreneurs (FWE).  " Women of Distinction in Technology" by Silicon Valley Business Journal. Served as honorary "AP Govt Special Representative for IT, USA". She is a Forbes Technology Council Contributor and is a prolific author and speaker in several forums - Shared Services SSON, NACM, ICTF, AI, Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Tech Forums.

She is also the co-founder of another Silicon Valley-based company Solix Technologies, an Enterprise Data Management Cloud software company that empowers hundreds of enterprises globally with AI-driven data archiving and data warehouse solutions. Veena is also the co-founder of Touch-A-Life Foundation, a social kindness platform company where she leads TAL Transformers Social Entrepreneurship Hub serving thousands of youth globally by nurturing the spirit of tech entrepreneurship for social good. Her philanthropic activities focus on helping the homeless and low-income family students globally. She has set up the “Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence” at Osmania University giving access to several thousands of low-income families and rural students for practical learning in AI. She is also passionate about promoting women and helping them advance in their careers. She has served in many women-related organizations such as WITI, TIE Women, FWE, TAL Women, and others. She serves on the non-profit board of NorthSouth Foundation, the largest spelling bee preparatory school in the US that provides thousands of scholarships to low-income family students globally. She has also served as Adjunct faculty at the University of California Davis Graduate School of Business. She is a Charter Member of TiE, The Indus Entrepreneurs Group. She has a Bachelor of Electronics and Communications Engineering from Osmania University and a Master in Computer Engineering from Santa Clara University. 

48). Almaz Negash
Founder & Executive Director, African Diaspora Network 

Almaz Negash, a prominent trailblazer in Silicon Valley, has been recognized as one of the 12 inaugural members of President Biden’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States. She has also been named one of Silicon Valley's 100 outstanding Women of Influence for her significant contributions to social innovation. In 2010, she founded the African Diaspora Network (ADN) with a mission to inform, engage, and activate Africans in the diaspora, fostering direct collaboration with social entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders. This collaborative approach aims to drive investment and uplift the lives of individuals across the African continent and in local communities.

Under Negash’s visionary leadership, ADN has become a pivotal platform for various initiatives. The organization is now home to The African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS), an annual event held in Silicon Valley that brings together influential minds and changemakers. ADN also spearheads programs, such as Builders of Africa's Future, Accelerating Black Leadership & Entrepreneurship (ABLE), and Impact & Innovation Forums. Negash is currently devoted to mobilizing Africans from the diaspora, encouraging them to explore innovative approaches for diaspora engagement that go beyond remittances and extend to sustainable investments on the continent.

Beyond her work with ADN, Negash serves on both private and nonprofit boards. She has also played a significant role in the UNECA High-Level Commission on Migration from 2017 to 2019. Furthermore, she served as an Executive in Residence at the Lucas School of Business, San Jose State University, in 2018 and 2019.

49). Natasha O'Keefe
COO, Bay Area Kids Dentist 

Natasha O'Keefe is a seasoned professional with 19 years of expertise in Dental Service Organizations (DSO). Her impressive career includes 17 years spent at Pacific Dental Services, one of the leading DSOs in the country. 

O'Keefe’s academic accomplishments are equally remarkable, as she holds an MBA cum laude. With her extensive experience and exceptional qualifications, she has consistently demonstrated her ability to successfully scale multi-site businesses, while driving growth in both the top and bottom lines.

Whether it be her proven track record in managing DSOs or her commitment to personal well-being and artistic expression, O'Keefe is an invaluable asset who continually adds value to both professional and personal spheres. Beyond her professional endeavors, O'Keefe leads an active lifestyle. Currently residing in Orange County, California, O'Keefe shares her home with her English Bulldog.

50). Dr. Pamela Contag
CEO & President of BioEclipse Therapeutics

Dr. Contag is an experienced senior executive for both public and private companies and is currently the CEO of BioEclipse Therapeutics. BioEclipse is a clinical-stage company with a combination cell therapy directed against refractory solid tumors. As CEO of BioEclipse, she was named in the top 100 most intriguing entrepreneurs of 2018 by Goldman Sachs and also ranked in the top 10 of the San Francisco Bay Area’s Women-Led Most Funded Life Science Companies of 2020. BioEclipse was also named one of the top five start-up companies in the world tackling ovarian cancer in 2021 and the top 70 startups in San Francisco in 2021. 

In 2020 she joined the advisory board of the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Mn and is an Advisor to the Editorial board of Life Science Leader Magazine. While serving as CEO of Xenogen, the company twice received the R&D 100 award for achievements in Physics, and Dr. Contag was named one of the "Top 25 Women in Small Business" by Fortune magazine. In 2011, Pamela was appointed by the White House to the Founding Board of the Startup America Partnership, an organization envisioned by the Case and Kauffman Foundations and The White House to identify, encourage, and celebrate all entrepreneurs. Pamela was a National Director of Springboard Enterprises, a National Business Accelerator. 

She received her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota Medical School in Microbiology and Immunology and completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship in 1993 at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She has written over 60 publications and has over 40 patents issued as an inventor.