Untold Stories of Cyber Sheros

EVERY DAY IS A WOMEN’S DAY

The first Women’s “Day” celebration in the United States was back in 1909 in New York City.  72 years later, the Congress established the National Women’s History “Week” in 1981, and further expanded from a “Week” to a “Month” in 1987.

Today, March serves as the “Women’s History Month” honoring leaders, activists, and role models in our past and present times, and celebrating their contribution and achievements in their fields. 

I wonder why it took four decades to make “celebrating women” mainstream? Every day should be a women's day that is worth celebrating. Please join me in celebrating these exceptional women and hear our sheros' stories.

SHELLIE KRAMER, DISNEY STUDIOS

Shellie Kramer is a leader in Enterprise Cyber Program Management, IT Governance and Compliance.  With over 15 years of experience, Shellie held leadership positions at Disney Studios, Disney Streaming and Hulu, and led cross functional teams to execute and scale the cyber programs, and deliver business outcomes in the complex dynamics of merger & acquisition, integrations and fast-paced scaling environments.

• Why She Matters:  Shellie is a guru of process re-engineering, wrapping compliance, cybersecurity, and governance over acquisitions or as part of a company's venture into public readiness. She emphasizes on people in the re-engineering process to reduce risk, align strategic outcomes and contain costs in the rapidly changing environments.  

1. What is one sentence describing your leadership style?

• “I would describe myself as a transformational leader and change agent. I drive teams to innovate and think outside of the conventional boundaries and outside of comfort zones to solve complex cyber problems through engineering.”

2. Can you share a story or an event that has changed you or your view on women in cybersecurity?

• “There are not enough of us. Women in cybersecurity only represent 20% of the cyber workforce with less than 10% in CISO or CIO roles. While this number increases year over year, the cybersecurity domain is still very much male-dominated, and gender diversity is driven by a company's culture and generally political influence. As a mentor for women in tech and a mentee of other women in tech, I believe we need more marketing and investment in young women to drive awareness and advocacy into the cybersecurity realm. Cybersecurity by brand coupled with the low numbers of women in our space, in itself, can be intimidating, but it's really not. Women need to share more of their stories, expand their network to reach our younger generations, and offer opportunities for those wanting to start to learn regardless of where they are professionally or personally today.”

3. What is the one book - business, philosophical or cultural - that most shaped or reflects your leadership?

• “The one that I have read several times and incorporated in my day to day, is ‘Make Your Bed’ by Admiral William H. McRaven. Of the 10 principles he shares in his book, the top 3 that have most influenced my leadership approach and engagements are: 1. You can’t go at it alone; 2. Learn from Failure, it is a natural part of our growth; and 3. Don’t back down from the Sharks. Face adversity with courage, confidence, and strength. Command the room you walk in and overcome obstacles to achieve your goals.”

4. What is the one thing you do outside work that helps you perform optimally at work?

• “I encourage self care, and personally that's primarily exercising before I start my day. I practice a little bit of self care everyday and I encourage my team to always put self care first. As a mother of two teenage girls, who are also competitive athletes, a wife to an entrepreneur, a caretaker to two small dogs, and being an Asian American women leader in cybersecurity, the demand and burning out are real, so I make time for self-care. I wake up before my household to work out, have my first cup of coffee in quietness, and listen to my kids’ and husband’s stories of their day. I am a believer that to be an elite in what we do, operating efficiently and thoughtfully requires that we start with taking care of our mind and body first.”

5. What is the biggest gender difference you see, in terms of mentality or attitude, between men and women in cyber?

• “To lead a successful team, it is essential to have a combination of diverse skills, experiences, and perspectives from both men and women, race, and cultural backgrounds. Each skill and experience contributes to our success in an environment where collaboration, problem solving, and strategic thinking are highly encouraged. Our career in cybersecurity is rewarding and it can also be stressful sometimes.  Surrounding yourself with a diverse mindset is key in driving innovation and creative problem solving, especially in a world where technology advances at a faster pace.”

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SUSAN FITZSIMONS, EY

Susan Fitzsimons is a cybersecurity leader, and has led global teams at E&Y managing IT infrastructure and security operations over the last 27 years.  Her roles evolved and spanned into several areas from program management, operations management, infrastructure monitoring and security operations.

• Why She Matters:  Susan’s leadership style is a unique combination of democratic process and collaboration in nature. She rarely makes decisions without seeking inputs from teams.

1. What have you changed the most about your leadership style since starting out?

• “I’ve become far more practical through the years and have become much more aware of where I can make a positive impact.”

2. Can you share a story or an event that has changed you or your view on women in cybersecurity?

• “Only one?  🙂  Several years ago I was asked to be an Ambassador between information security senior leadership and local leadership in our low cost region in India.  My role was being an advocate, fostering a positive work environment and ensuring our Indian team’s needs are addressed.  The region had high attrition and low morale.  I led the effort to complete a market study on compensation after gaining support from our CISO, and made a positive influence on compensation improvement for the local teams.  Several Indian women personally reached out with comments ‘Thank you, I’m now able to send my younger sister to university’, and ‘I’m able to get my mother the surgery she needs.’  It was a very meaningful moment for me and the lesson I learned is that I can positively impact not only the retention and morale of the teams, but also their entire families across generations.”

3. What is the one book - business, philosophical or cultural - that most shaped or reflects your leadership?

• “One of the books I like to pick up and read periodically is Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s ‘Gift from the Sea’.  Anne was Charles Lindbergh’s wife and was a mother of five and she lost her first child when he was kidnapped.  The book is just perfect in its simplicity.  Anne had the same pressures that career women deal with today - the struggle to have it all - successful career, raising a family and the changes at the different stages of life.  She uses a lot of metaphors with sea shells and the sea.  I love how she says ‘the best thing a woman can do for herself is to spend time alone’. One of my favorite quotes is: 'Don’t wish me happiness, I don’t expect to be happy all the time...It’s gotten beyond that somehow.  Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor.  I will need them all.' In the fast-paced, high pressure environment that most of us operate in these days, I try to make wellness a priority and advocate for my team to do the same.”

4. What is the biggest gender difference you see, in terms of mentality or attitude, between men and women in cyber?

• “Empathy is a woman’s superpower!”

5. Who is your Cyber Shero and why?

• “I have been fortunate to have several good managers, both male and female, in my career.   The ones I admired most were the ones who did not hesitate to ‘put their boots to the ground’ and want to make a difference.  They showed they care through their actions everyday.  I have little patience for those who like to theorize from the ivory tower and make decisions without fully understanding the impact.”

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DIANA SCHNABEL, HEARST

Diana Schnabel is a seasoned cybersecurity practitioner with 20 years experience. She held various leadership roles at Hearst Technology Services, Sungard Availability Services and NYC Department of Education.

• Why She Matters:  Diana is passionate about the world of vulnerability and threat management. She has a unique perspective in managing cyber risk while working from both the enterprise and vendor sides.

1. Can you share a story or an event that has changed you or your view on women in cybersecurity?

• “I have worked in the cybersecurity field for 20 years. Starting out in my early 20s, I was quiet and kept my ideas to myself. I watched and listened.  I was often perceived as a secretary since I was usually the only woman in the room.  It wasn’t until a male colleague saw something in me and took me under his wing.  He gave me the opportunity to learn, grow, and be vocal.  It didn’t happen overnight.  I had to learn how to articulate effectively and be precise, and not to allow anyone to speak over me or dismiss me.  Women are usually viewed as bossy when they have opinions, but we just want to be heard like everyone else.  When I meet women in cybersecurity, I already know how far they’ve come along.  It’s important we keep lifting each other up and support each other.”

2. What is something in your life that you learned to be proud of?

• “I’ve learned to be proud of how far I’ve come.  I started out as a shy kid with a stutter and became a strong woman who won’t stop speaking until I know I’ve been heard. We’re all different, we all have obstacles to overcome, but it’s important that we don’t let them get in our way.”

3. What is the one thing you do outside work that helps you perform optimally at work?

• “Work life balance is very important to me.  I’m a single mom to two school-aged children and PTA Co-President at my daughter’s school.  When the work and parental duties are over (are they ever really over?), it’s important to shut off my brain and relax.  I love going dancing and listening to live music with my friends over the weekends.  This helps me recharge and get ready to tackle another week at work.”

4. What is the biggest gender difference you see, in terms of mentality or attitude, between men and women in cyber?

• “I have noticed that men will usually ‘ask forgiveness, not permission’. They are not afraid to ruffle feathers to do what needs to get done.  Women generally gather all necessary data, build a case, and present in order to get buy-in before actions.”

5. Who is your Cyber Shero and why?

• “It took me a while to answer this question because unfortunately, I don’t have a Cyber Shero in my personal life.  I have not been exposed to many women in the field and all of my mentors have been men.  I truly aspire to be a Cyber Shero to those coming after me, and want to encourage and get more women excited about cybersecurity.”

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SUMMER CRAZE FOWLER, TORC ROBOTICS

Summer Craze Fowler is a technology leader with 20 years of experience in cybersecurity and risk management. Summer was named the 2021 CIO of the Year in Pittsburgh, PA and one of the Top 25 Women in Cyber Security by The Software Report in 2021. Summer is currently serving on the Board for Brentwood Bank, and a Director on the board for PAWomenWork. She has been teaching a graduate level course in Cybersecurity Policy at Carnegie Mellon for the last 11 years.

• Why She Matters:  Summer is a visionary leader who fosters a culture of accountability and hopes to infuse a contagious sense of fun and positive energy for people around her.

1. What have you changed the most about your leadership style since starting out?

• “I listen a lot more than I used to - I also realize that rather than needing all of the answers myself, I work on honing the correct questions to help guide those who do know the answers.”

2. What is the one book - business, philosophical or cultural - that most shaped or reflects your leadership?

• “I absolutely love the book ‘Design of Everyday Things’ by Don Norman, and it shapes how I approach everything in cybersecurity from the view of the end user.” 

3. What is the one thing you do outside work that helps you perform optimally at work?

• “I always have a random personal goal that I am working to achieve - writing a children’s book, running a marathon, or designing a new shoe. It energizes me to stretch my abilities. My family and I also LOVE to travel, so I plan lots of adventures for us.”

4. How often do you catch yourself thinking about the different pieces of your identity in a day–to-day setting?

• “A really great executive coach once told me that leaders always have eyes on them. If you show up in the parking lot and slam the car door because you are irritated that your kid forgot his lunch box AGAIN, someone will see this and it potentially creates a ripple of bad energy. While I always want to be authentic, I am cognizant that as a leader it is my responsibility to bring consistency, positivity, and clarity to work no matter what my mood is that day!”  
• “When it comes to my identities as a wife, mom, friend, CISO, etc…I think that too much of my ‘me’ is defined by my work at times. But I have come to realize that this is how I weave my professional and personal lives, and it works for my family and me. Everyone’s pattern is different, but I believe in ‘weaving’ over the concept of ‘work-life balance’.”  

5. Who is your Cyber Shero and why?

• “I really admire Alex Shulman at EY and Swathi Joshi at Oracle. Alex is brilliantly analytical with a sky high EQ and really cool demeanor. Swathi is highly intelligent with a drive for results and innovation that is inspiring.”

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SAILAJA KOTRA-TURNER, BROWN-FORMAN

Sailaja Kotra-Turner is a global technology and information security leader. She held executive leadership roles developing and implementing enterprise security programs at Brown Forman, Brinker International, JCPenny and Texas Instrument. Sailaja is a hands-on leader, and started her career managing computing infrastructure for manufacturing businesses. She is also active in the local community and non-profit organizations, including teaching Telugu to children at University of SiliconAndhra.

• Why She Matters:  Sailaja is an inclusive leader, who focuses on results. She believes in diversity, whether it’s physical or emotional, to bring out the best results.

1. What have you changed the most about your leadership style since starting out?

• “I’ve mellowed out. A lot. I’m able to see and accept the gray areas of life and people better now than when I started out. This has been very helpful in developing a risk-based approach to security.”

2. What is something in your life that you learned to be proud of?

• “My persistence, aka stubbornness. It’s helped me stand my ground and be more confident about myself and my stance more than once, and it kept me going when the going got tough.”

3. What is the one book - business, philosophical or cultural - that most shaped or reflects your leadership?

• “Not a book per se. A verse from Bhagavad Gita. karmanye vaadhikaraste; maa phalaeshu kadaachana; maa karmaphala heturbhurma; te sangostvakarmani  Meaning: You have a right to action, but you are not entitled to the results of that action. Do not let the results be the purpose of your actions, and you won’t shy away from doing your duty.”

4. What is your productivity hack?

• “Accepting that I cannot do everything. It has taught me to prioritize better, and say no to tasks that are not of value.”

5. Who is your Cyber Shero and why?

• “Too many to name! Over time, I have worked with many women that I have been proud to call friends, coworkers, mentors, and advocates. Special gratitude goes to Marion Eberwine, Jessica Nemmers, Sonya Hammond, and Kelli Nelson.”

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MONICA KEENETH, INOVALON

Monica Keeneth is a cybersecurity executive with deep domain expertise in the healthcare industry, and has built comprehensive security programs for both public and private companies. She led diverse teams at Inovalon, DST Strategies and Bearing Point.  She also advises cybersecurity companies as a CISO Board advisor. 

• Why She Matters: As a strategist, Monica meticulously communicates and engages with business executives on highly technical roadmaps and security strategy. 

1. What is one sentence describing your leadership style?

• “I lead by empowering my team and building trust via supporting each other. When the team understands the goals, everyone can own a piece of the puzzle to enable the collective group to succeed.”

2. Can you share a story or an event that has changed you or your view on women in cybersecurity?

• “Individuals from diverse backgrounds often bring the most inventive solutions to the table, everyone with input should be given a voice when deciding the best course of action. In my experience, I’ve encountered engineers that have an incorrect perception that women are not as ‘technical’ as men, which is categorically untrue. In the cybersecurity space, technical expertise varies significantly by individual and even within an organization or technology stack.”

3. What is the one book - business, philosophical or cultural - that most shaped or reflects your leadership?

• “‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle. One quote by Eckhart that resonates with me while working in the cybersecurity space - ‘Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.’”

4. What is the one thing you do outside work that helps you perform optimally at work?

• “I try to take at least one international vacation a year and do not get authorization to work. Stepping away from work helps to reset your perspective and being away gives your team a chance to take the lead on items you would normally drive.”

5. What is your productivity hack?

• “Lots of coffee, just kidding. At times there can be a lot coming at you at one time, it’s important to be able to triage requests to keep priorities in order.”

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ADRIENNE JUETT, NOPSEC

Adrienne Juett is a data scientist, a researcher, and an astrophysicist. She has a postdoctoral fellow from NASA and a PhD in Physics from MIT.  She spent 13 years working for the US government, including developing war simulation models for the Department of Defense. 

• Why She Matters:  Adrienne is wicked smart, and has a unique ability to ground the truth based on data.  She uses engineering lenses to automate the algorithmic processes, and uses the data scientist lenses to transform data into insights.

1. What is one sentence describing your leadership style?

• “I like to empower my team to gain new skills and take on new challenges.”

2. What is something in your life that you learned to be proud of?

• “My mind. I have definitely suffered from imposter syndrome over the years but as I have grown and realized that lots of people do.  I learned not to discount my accomplishments and efforts.”   

3. What is the one thing you do outside work that helps you perform optimally at work?

• “I read a lot on technology advancements.  I find it interesting and I really enjoy it, since my job is to make new technology.  I’ve always liked to learn new things.”

4. What is your productivity hack?

• “Sometimes you just need to step away. When I get stuck on something, I will take a pause.  It allows me to reset and sometimes see things in a different way that allows me to find the path forward.”  

5. How often do you catch yourself thinking about the different pieces of your identity in a day–to-day setting?

• “More than I would have expected both personally and professionally.  I have teenage girls at home, so I do a bit of reflecting on my past and the experiences that have led me to this point.”  

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STACY MILL, BOARD MEMBER

Stacy Mill is a women advocate, and held various leadership positions at local and state governments, utility companies and non-profit organizations.  She was the Chief Technology Officer at the State of Kansas, a Board of Directors at the Utility Technology Council and Cloud Security Alliance. 

• Why She Matters: Stacy has an uncanny ability to unlock the potential of talent, and build trust across all levels of stakeholders.  Passionate collaboration is her secret sauce.  

1. What have you changed the most about your leadership style since starting out?

• “Listen more, Talk Less, Let leaders lead, guide with humility and compassion.”

2. What is something in your life that you learned to be proud of?

• “I learned to be proud of my journey from the backwoods of Kentucky where I left home at 15, was a single mother at 30, and didn’t leave my first job out of college until I was 40 because of the fear of failure. Now, I'm the CEO of my own company.”

3. What is the one book - business, philosophical or cultural - that most shaped or reflects your leadership?

• “‘It worked for me: in life and leadership’ by Colin Powell.”

4. What is the biggest gender difference you see, in terms of mentality or attitude, between men and women in cyber?

• “Women often cite the desire to make a difference and contribute to safety and security as key motivators, while men might be more attracted to the technical challenge or the competitive aspect of the field.” 

5. Who is your Cyber Shero and why?

• “Joyce Brocaglia, the Founder of the Executive Women’s Forum.  She built the first Cybersecurity Executive Women’s. The core mission is to engage, develop, and advance all women in the cybersecurity field. The EWF is committed to enabling women to achieve their professional and personal dreams.”

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Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the shero stories. Stay tuned with #ProactiveCyber blog series.