What are some tried-and-true processes that have helped you across companies, or that have stayed with you throughout your career?

One thing that really helped me with coding was learning a foreign language. When you’re designing something, you have to think about, “What am I trying to say? What am I trying to produce?” Learning another language trains your brain to hear something and then translate it into something else. And many times in programming that’s what you’re doing: “I need this button to do this. What code do I put in place to make that happen?”

Another area is communication. With technology being so prolific these days, having somebody who can speak about IT in approachable terms is valuable. It’s helpful when you’re speaking to executive management, when you’re speaking to customers and trying to sell a product. I don’t know that people talk about it a lot, but some of the best people in IT communicate very, very well.

Another thing is designing a product and thinking about it from the user’s point of view. I’ve seen people who can create wonderful interfaces, very sophisticated code, and often times they’ve created it in a way that’s not consistent with the mental model of the person using it. And so I think empathy is a critical skill set.

It seems like those things are all important not just as processes but for innovation, too. How do you encourage innovation and idea-sharing at Berkley Technology Services, LLC?

Over the last couple years, innovation has been an important focus at our company. I’ve participated in many workshops and brainstorming sessions, but what’s central to innovation at Berkley Technology Services and W. R. Berkley Corporation is that we’re all working on a variety of competencies. One example is reflective listening. In order to come up with the next great idea, you’ve got to be really good at listening to others. It’s not enough just to have some genius idea yourself; innovation comes through all interactions. It’s a mindset. I would say we’re all working to build competencies that help encourage innovative thinking and open-minded approaches.

One thing I’ve done to encourage innovation is start a “Women in IT” group with some of my colleagues. We bring in speakers who cover topics related to innovation and career development. We have a book group too. In a couple cases, we’ve brought in the authors to speak to our employees. One in particular you’d likely know is Erin Rollenhagen. I loved her book, Soul Uprising. We also have volunteer activities and a great mentoring program.

That women’s group is so interesting. Have you noticed a culture shift since that group started? Is that the goal of that group, or is it more to provide another resource for women to connect?

Well, certainly one of the goals is to support and encourage women to grow in their careers; and the group has made some strides in that space. These things don’t happen overnight, but I’ve seen a lot of the women who participate raise their hand. I’ve heard about women connecting who may not have connected otherwise, even across locations. And certainly I’ve seen participants get promoted — but I don’t know if that can be attributed to the group; they have a lot of talents that have helped them get there. I’d like to think the group helped in a small way.

The nice thing is that it’s provided a platform for women to shine. For example, I have a mentee who’s a fantastic artist. I am not a fantastic artist. One thing I’ve been tasked with is sending out the newsletter about all of the Women in IT events. I had it in a very organized bulleted list, the kind a non-artist would put together. She and I were talking one time and she said, “I have some ideas on how we could maybe do this newsletter differently.” I said, “OK, I’d be happy to send you the content and you can send me what you have in mind.” She sent back the most beautiful newsletter I’ve ever seen. Every month, well over 100 to 150 women look forward to seeing it because she has a different theme each issue. To me, that’s the exciting part: taking somebody who’s relatively new and helping them get involved and share their skills.

Tell me more about your relationships with your mentors and mentees.

Mentoring is very dear to my heart. I speak with my mentors on a regular basis, be it quarterly or a couple times a year. I’ve learned so much from them, and I appreciate the trust that we have. I think a mentor is important in a career, like how a coach is important on a sports team. I don’t think anyone can go at it alone.

One thing I’ve learned from all of the great mentors I’ve had is how to be a better mentor myself. To me, mentoring also means being an advocate or sponsor for your mentee. So not just teaching a particular skill set, but helping someone get to the next level — getting them in front of the right people so that they can get the visibility they need to get ahead. I’ve had a lot of different types of mentoring relationships. Sometimes the mentee has wanted to achieve a particular certification, or earn a degree. I try to make myself as available as they need me to be. It’s important that they feel they can trust me and that I’m there when they need me.

Outside of mentoring, and your leadership roles at Berkley Technology Services LLC, how do you share your time and talents?

I live in a historic home and am passionate about preservation, so I’m on the city’s Historic Preservation Commission. I’m in the process of writing a book about my neighborhood. This is the first time I’ve written about something other than IT, so I’m excited about this new experience.

I’m also a mother of two boys, and they certainly know how to keep me busy. I’m in a book club with some friends and neighbors, and it’s been fun to get out of my comfort zone and read books that other people choose.