Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are changing the world. Our leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, and are all doing their part to have an impact in their communities and at their workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their background and path to success.
What is your name and title?
Andrea Perdomo, Senior Project Manager of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Techstars.
Briefly (1-2 sentences) describe your current role.
My role is to ignite Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives across the Techstars Network. Every day, I work to achieve our vision to create a global entrepreneurial network that reflects the diversity we see in the world.
What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
Asking for what I want. I have adopted a mentality of hoping for the best and planning for the worse. What I have found is that the worst-case scenario is never as bad as you think.
What’s the number one challenge you face as a woman in your industry?
The societal perceptions of what success and a leader look like.
Do you have any mentors? What does mentorship mean to you?
Yes. Mentors to me are people that I can always go to for guidance during tough times and to celebrate the big & little wins. They are a part of my support system that helps me with my career and, more importantly, my mental health.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
Take risks. Be proud of what you know. Admit what you don’t know and ask for help.
What women inspires you the most? Why?
Maya Angelou. Her words of courage and radical compassion guide my day-to-day life. Maya called courage “the most important of all the virtues” and lived her life accordingly. She once said, “My life has been long, and believing that life loves the liver of it, I have dared to try many things, sometimes trembling, but daring still.”
Maya had many roles including poet, novelist, educator, producer, actress, filmmaker, dancer, mother, and civil rights activist and ultimately broke the long silence for Black women. Although she passed in 2014, her words live forever and inspire me every day.
Are you reading/listening to anything interesting at the moment? Please share your most recent favorite book or podcast!
Hidden Brain is one of my favorite podcasts. I love learning about the science behind human behavior. I am also reading The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz. It is a great book, I highly recommend it.
What is something coming up that excites you?
Hope. Over the last year, I have met inspiring people who are working hard every day to support underrepresented communities by creating access to opportunities.
I have hope that together we can create positive social impact worldwide that transforms the world, one great leader at a time.
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are changing the world. Our leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, and are all doing their part to have an impact in their communities and at their workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their background and path to success.
What is your name and title?
Heather Sittig, CEO and Founder of Relola.
Briefly (1-2 sentences) describe your current role.
As the CEO, I am responsible for executing upon all the strategic initiatives of the company, keeping clients happy and employees compelled, all the while providing meaningful returns for investors.
What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
There is no one big decision that helped me grow my career. Rather, my career is the result of making many smaller decisions all the time. Execution is key and deliberation is death. I’ve learned to listen to my advisors, trust my gut and take decisive action without fear.
What’s the number one challenge you face as a woman in your industry?
This is impossible to answer because I have no idea what it is like to be a man in my industry.
I can relate to the stories of female founders having limited access to capital, being held to a different standard and being inappropriately flirted with during pitches, meetings, conferences and business gatherings. In many ways, these are challenges that all women face in one shape or form, and are not particular to the tech industry.
I have attributes that may unfairly hold me back. I have advantages that may help me unfairly succeed. One thing I know is that life isn’t fair, but you can make the most of what you have every single day.
Do you have any mentors? What does mentorship mean to you?
I am quite fortunate to have numerous relationships with experienced people that I look up to, who I can reach out to for advice and who have a point of view that is unique to their experience and their character. In many ways, these individuals are my mentors and have helped me make tough choices, see alternative paths or provided support when I needed it most.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
Don’t be afraid, unless you are being chased by a bear.
Remember it’s hard to be human. Everyone is going through something difficult, so always be kind to yourself and others.
What women inspires you the most? Why?
Today, it’s gotta be Greta Thunberg. Holy moly, that girl’s got courage, guts and smarts. I want to grow up to be just like her.
Are you reading/listening to anything interesting at the moment? Please share your most recent favorite book or podcast!
When I need to chill out, I listen to Radio Lab or This American Life. I love that every story is a surprise. The only common thread is that the stories are esoteric and wonderfully produced.
What is something coming up that excites you?
The NIST Tech to Protect Final competition in May and the November elections.
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are changing the world. Our leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, and are all doing their part to have an impact in their communities and at their workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their background and path to success.
What is your name and title?
Madeline Duva, CEO of Fluxx.
Briefly (1-2 sentences) describe your current role.
Fluxx is a mission driven company, whose goal is to democratize philanthropy by creating the go-to grants management platform powering giving and impact in the world. As CEO, my role is to drive the strategy and lead this incredible team in achieving their individual and company goals.
What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
Not worrying about what other people think. I have always had a clear set of values. I have found that staying true to those values makes seemingly hard decisions easier. You will never please everyone.
Being clear about what is important to you, and making decisions based on what that means, means you never have to compromise who you are. At the end of the day, integrity is everything.
What’s the number one challenge you face as a woman in your industry?
Taking up space. As a woman, it was a hard thing to learn as we are taught to be “sugar and spice and everything nice”. When we speak up or have a strong opinion, it is often taken completely differently than it would be if a man had said it. It was a scary thing to do at first, but it is critical to speak up and voice your opinions.
Do you have any mentors? What does mentorship mean to you?
I didn’t grow up in the era of mentorship that I see today.
That being said, I had amazing parents and siblings who shaped who I am today. Additionally, as someone who loves to learn, many teachers from grade school to grad school left lasting impressions on me.
On the other end of that, I do a lot of mentoring. One, because I love it; and two, because I wish I had more formal mentorship when I was first in my career. To me, mentorship not only provides a sounding board and insights, but it offers a view of the forest for the trees. Often, you get caught in the details or the minutia of the day and it is super helpful to get perspective.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
Build your network from the point of view not of what someone can do for you, but how you can be helpful in return. I love connecting people that I think will benefit from that connection.
I get so much joy hearing, sometimes years later, how an introduction or feedback helped someone or really changed their trajectory. I believe in karma and the idea that if you help others, it will come back to you in surprisingly wonderful ways.
What women inspires you the most? Why?
That is a hard one! There are so, so many awesome women I look up to – some of whom I have admired from afar and others I have worked for, have worked for me or have been my colleagues.
If I had to pick one, it would be Ruth Bader Ginsberg. RBG is a total badass. She is fierce and speaks truth to power, and always has. She didn’t seek fame, she just sought justice. The tenacity she has displayed her entire life shows that you should never give up pursuing what is right.
Are you reading/listening to anything interesting at the moment? Please share your most recent favorite book or podcast!
I love podcasts– from Reveal, to The Daily, to This American Life to How I Built This.
Right now, I am also listening to Darren Walker’s book From Generosity to Justice. He is the President of the Ford Foundation. His personal story and the work they do at Ford is so inspiring to me.
Originally posted: March 27, 2020
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are changing the world. Our leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, and are all doing their part to have an impact in their communities and at their workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their background and path to success.
What is your name and title?
Olivia Khalili, VP of Global Social Impact at PagerDuty.
Briefly (1-2 sentences) describe your current role.
I lead PagerDuty.org with the goal to generate long-term value through integrating social impact into the business. PagerDuty.org is responsible for delivering 1% of product, employee volunteer time and equity to help nonprofits expand their impact and improve lives.
What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
Don’t wait to be asked, or for the job. I started this work 12+ years ago by spinning up a blog on mission-driven business, interviewing leaders and then publishing those interviews so others could learn with me.
This connected me to an incredible network in this field, gave me a living thought leadership portfolio, and brought visibility to a new model of business.
What’s the number one challenge you face as a woman in your industry?
Acceptance and respect for a style of feminine leadership that is rooted in empathy & curiosity and draws on intuition and intelligence.
Do you have any mentors? What does mentorship mean to you?
My previous boss and an exceptional, innovative and generous braintrust of peer social impact heads that lead with incredible integrity.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
Honor exercise and tend to your light. Discover what makes you special and powerful, and realize the world and business need more that.
Are you reading/listening to anything interesting at the moment? Please share your most recent favorite book or podcast!
Recently, I read Ruth Reichl’s “Save Me the Plums”, a delightful read about her years transforming Gourmet Magazine. I admired her joyous and non-self-conscious leadership style. A friend turned me on to the podcast Buddha at the Gas Pump, which consists of interviews with ordinary “spiritually awakened” people.
What’s something coming up that excites you?
We recently launched the PagerDuty.org Fund with a focus on Time-Critical Global Health. We are on a mission to help organizations provide essential medical care for everyone who needs it, when they need it most. I’ve been on an incredible journey learning about this space, from Community Health Workers to drone delivery, and am excited to deepen our work and partnerships in this new field.
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are changing the world. Our leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, and are all doing their part to have an impact in their communities and at their workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their background and path to success.
What is your name and title?
Laura Galbraith, Community Engagement Program Manager at Vidyard.
Briefly (1-2 sentences) describe your current role.
I run the community social impact program at Vidyard. I work to build and implement Vidyard’s social impact programming through a variety of different initiatives and programs. The goal is to introduce giving back through volunteering as a way of life and business at Vidyard. I work with other local groups and committees to help build a stronger community for all.
What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
When I was in university, I was painfully shy. I would purposely choose courses and classes where I didn’t have to talk or present. I knew I didn’t want this to continue to be a barrier for me in my life. Since then, I have tried to say yes to opportunities that would have sent me running before (presentations, workshops etc). Looking back now, I am glad I faced my fear.
What’s the number one challenge you face as a woman in your industry?
Instead of focusing on challenges, we need to focus on our responsibility to the next generation. We must continue to inspire the next generation of young women to pursue a career in technology and STEM fields. We must be there as mentors and role models to help break the glass ceiling
Do you have any mentors? What does mentorship mean to you?
I have different mentors for different areas of my life. Mentors can help push us personally and professionally. They can identify areas of growth needed in our life that sometimes we cannot see, and offer advice and lived experiences for similar situations. They can offer encouragement in situations and help us move toward our goals.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
Say yes to new challenges and risks. Put yourself out there. Some of my best decisions in my career, and life, have been the times I spoke up and raised my hand to take on something new.
Are you reading/listening to anything interesting at the moment? Please share your most recent favorite book or podcast!
A local podcast, Bossy Woman. It includes a lot of really great local content, but it also covers subjects that are universal.
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are changing the world. Our leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, and are all doing their part to have an impact in their communities and at their workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their background and path to success.
What is your name and title?
Lindsey Kneuven, Chief Impact Officer of Pluralsight and Executive Director of Pluralsight One.
Briefly (1-2 sentences) describe your current role.
Maximizing the power of Pluralsight’s people, technology and resources to democratize tech skills and revolutionize the way the world learns technology.
I am responsible for transforming the way nonprofit and K-12 organizations and their learners gain tech skills through management of the Pluralsight One social enterprise, partnerships, grants, product development and volunteerism.
What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
Working across sectors and roles within the social impact field has been transformative.
I have worked for an international humanitarian organization, both on the ground in rural Kenya and from the organization’s headquarters stateside. I have worked in the private sector in wealth management for a community foundation, a corporate foundation, a grant-making organization, as well as the first company to incorporate as a Benefit Corporation and then receive venture funding. I’ve also served on numerous boards.
The breadth of experience and exposure to the different goals, strategies and needs has exposed me to models that are shaping the future. It has better equipped me to lead with empathy while developing partnerships with diverse stakeholders and building to achieve humanitarian principles.
What’s the number one challenge you face as a woman in your industry?
I frequently face the misperception that the social sector and my role are based on emotion, caring and relationships, rather than strategy, expertise or data-driven decision-making.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
Develop mastery and apply the full force of your skills, passion and network to the problems you want to solve.
What woman inspires you the most? Why?
For me, it’s not about one woman in particular. I’m inspired by the unsung women and girls across our local and global communities who are overcoming tremendous odds every day to advocate for their rights and their access to education. They carve out the space to speak up and fight inequality and injustice so they can realize their potential and lead.
Are you reading/listening to anything interesting at the moment? Please share your most recent favorite book or podcast!
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and Afghanistan by Steve McCurry.
What’s something coming up that excites you?
Upcoming travel to visit our NGO partners. I love working alongside humanitarians and community members who are impacted by global challenges to solve big systemic problems.
Bay Area Companies Come Together to Distribute $22M in Funding in Response to the COVID-19 Crisis
Funding from 25 companies will go towards organizations responding to the crisis, with a focus on COVID-19 funds through the CDC Foundation, United Nations Foundation and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Funding will support vulnerable populations, nonprofits, and small businesses impacted as well as national and global public health response efforts
This is an unprecedented moment in time, with the pandemic requiring companies and sectors to stand together in an urgent, coordinated global response. We are proud to join forces with 25 other Bay Area companies to help drive an initial $22M in collective funding for organizations on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. Funds will support the evolving local, regional and global response efforts through several beneficiaries.
To align efforts, increase impact and encourage other companies to get involved, 25 companies–including many Pledge 1% members–are coming together to support the CDC Foundation’s Emergency Response Fund, the United Nations Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, or the Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Coronavirus Regional Response Fund.
Funding for the CDC Foundation’s Emergency Response Fund is meeting rapidly evolving response needs around the world. These funds will help communities and public health responders meet the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Philanthropic and private sector support is critical for use alongside government funding to address needs that arise in emergency responses where speed and flexibility are paramount to saving and protecting lives,” said Judy Monroe, MD, president and chief executive officer of the CDC Foundation. “That’s why flexible philanthropic and private sector support is imperative. We are incredibly grateful to see everyone coming together at this time to address the very dangerous coronavirus threat.”
Funding for the United Nations Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund will support the global public health response. These funds will directly support the World Health Organization’s work to help countries prevent, detect, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All of us have a personal stake in conquering this pandemic,” said Elizabeth Cousens, President & CEO of the UN Foundation. “And we can bend the curve if we take swift, smart action now. Contributions to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund will support the World Health Organization’s lifesaving work – and we are immensely grateful.”
Funding for the Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Coronavirus Regional Response Fund will support organizations in each of the 10 Bay Area counties. These funds will specifically support low-income individuals and families, nonprofit organizations and small businesses that are impacted by this crisis.
“We and our Bay Area community foundation partners are proud to lead this effort to raise funds and shepherd critical resources for those most in need in our region during this unprecedented global crisis. We are grateful that local companies are committing themselves to helping our communities. In such uncertain times, it is uplifting to witness the philanthropic and business sectors coming together to take powerful action,” said Nicole Taylor, Silicon Valley Community Foundation President and CEO.
We are incredibly proud and inspired by the many companies who have joined this initiative, including: Autodesk, Box, DocuSign, Cisco, Dropbox, GitHub, Intuit, LinkedIn, NetApp, Okta, PagerDuty, Palo Alto Networks, Postmates, Pure Storage, Salesforce, SAP, ServiceNow, Silicon Valley Bank, Slack, SurveyMonkey, Twilio, Workday, Zoom Video Communications and Zuora in this effort. We urge other companies to join us in supporting their local and global communities during this evolving crisis.
To get involved, visit the CDC Foundation’s Emergency Response Fund, the United Nations Foundation COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and Silicon Valley Community Foundation COVID-19 Regional Response Fund.
Originally posted: March 23, 2020
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are changing the world. Our leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, and are all doing their part to have an impact in their communities and at their workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their background and path to success.
What is your name and title?
Alia Daniels. Co-Founder and COO of Revry.
Briefly (1-2 sentences) describe your current role.
I am a socially conscious entrepreneur who found my niche at the intersection of entertainment, entrepreneurship and social impact as the co-founder and chief operating officer for Revry, a global queer streaming tv network.
As an advocate for inclusion for all underrepresented communities, the cornerstone of my personal mission is to create avenues for authentic representation in media and business.
What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
Saying yes to creating Revry. Not just from a career standpoint, but also from a purpose standpoint. I am now actively working in a place where I can help people feel seen and know they are not alone.
What’s the number one challenge you face as a woman in your industry?
The number one challenge I face as a woman in the industry is the same advice I gave below; not being fearful to speak up, then keep speaking louder until you are heard.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
Don’t be afraid to use your voice. If you’re ignored, don’t be afraid to say it again. Sometimes you have to be your own advocate.
What woman inspires you the most? Why?
Bozoma Saint John. She is, by her own admission, a total bad ass. She walks into every room and is 100% authentically herself. It is such a beautiful and aspirational thing that I hope to be able to do.
Are you reading/listening to anything interesting at the moment? Please share your most recent favorite book or podcast!
My favorite podcast right now is Pod Save The People. In this current political climate, I appreciate the view points of these super brilliant hosts. Plus I am a huge Brittany Packnett-Cunningham fan.
What’s something coming up that excites you?
I’m incredibly excited to see all of the inroads being made by women, people of color, queer folks and all the ways those communities intersect in both media and business. Seeing folks who were traditionally ignored finding themselves in positions where they can make actual change is so exciting and inspiring to me.
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are changing the world. Our leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, and are all doing their part to have an impact in their communities and at their workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their background and path to success.
What is your name and title?
Maggie Hureau, Head of Social Impact at Harry’s.
Briefly (1-2 sentences) describe your current role.
I get to lead the company’s social impact work and think about how we can do better in the world. Social impact here is comprised of two main areas. First and foremost, we donate 1 percent of sales — not profits or proceeds — to nonprofits that are helping us reach more men, and give them access to the mental healthcare they need. Second, I lead our high-five program where all full time U.S. employees get 5 paid days to give back to nonprofit organizations.
What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
The best decision I’ve made is to stay at an organization and within a role for nearly 5 years (which is long in the nonprofit space). It helped me gain a deep understanding of the CSR/social impact/philanthropy field. While it didn’t feel like it at the time, that investment has paid off amazingly in my current role!
What’s the number one challenge you face as a woman in your industry?
I have the unique experience of being a women with our social mission serving, for the most part, men. It’s been an interesting experience. I was definitely overwhelmed at first at how often I was approached about having a social impact program that served a population that experiences privilege.
At first, I found myself really trying to back up the why behind the work — men are 3.5x more likely to die by suicide, 22 veterans take their own lives everyday, etc. Particularly in the beginning, I found it really hard to prove I had the right to work in this space given I don’t identify as a man.
Do you have any mentors? What does mentorship mean to you?
I have plenty of mentors — all of which I’ve previously worked with. Mentorship to me means everything! Nearly every big decision I’ve made in my career was talked through, in great detail, with one of my mentors.
To me, the greatest value add isn’t around exclusive professional topics, but where personal life and work collide. For example, how to manage my mental health in a particular stressful work scenario, or how to balance my work and personal life.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
If you find an organization that you deeply believe in, with a manager that you can learn from, stay put and don’t look for the next quick opportunity for growth or a heightened role!
In other words, don’t chase a title or move on before learning everything you can from that manager or position.
What woman inspires you the most? Why?
I’m inspired the most by people who are deeply empathetic for others. The people in my life that have every reason to shut down and not connect, but instead continue to dig deep to pause and try to understand what it’s like in someone else’s shoes. Those folks are incredibly inspiring to me.
When did your company join Pledge 1%? How long have you been working on your impact program?
We’ve been donating 1% of sales for the past 6 years ,so we’ve been here since the beginning! I worked on our impact program as a nonprofit partner for 4 years and have led this program for the past 2 years.
Are you reading/listening to anything interesting at the moment? Please share your most recent favorite book or podcast!
I’m really excited to start reading For the Love of Men: A New Vision for Mindful Masculinity by Liz Plank! By the sounds of it, the book is incredibly relevant to the work we are doing in mental health for men.
What’s something coming up that excites you?
In addition to managing our social impact program at Harry’s, I also get to lead our social mission for Flamingo, our women’s brand! We’ve donated big in our first year. Now in our second year, we’ll lean in to our nonprofit partners more than ever and make a real impact on women and their relationship to their bodies. Stay tuned for more soon!
Originally posted: March 20, 2020