How Identity Has Influenced a Head of Cybersecurity and Engineering at Commercial Insurance Company in Their Career

Honestly, it is challenging. My gender has definitely played a role in preventing me from getting promotions, equal pay to my male counterparts, and being considered for roles. That's the part that just sucks in the cybersecurity industry.

Women represent about 15% of the industry, and that number hasn't really changed in the last six years. We've just plateaued. I've been in meetings where I've been talked over, interrupted, and mansplained to. I've had to convince people I know what I'm talking about, and I've been dismissed by male engineers. That part really stinks, especially when I'm the only woman in the room, which is most of the time.

I recognized this with my sixth meeting of the day. I was like, "Wow, I've been in meetings all day, and I've been the only woman in every single one." So, as an underrepresented person in this industry, you will be the only one. You will be the person who represents.

I've been called a "diversity hire" and a "token hire." That's the ugly reality of being underrepresented in this white, male-dominated field. Now, I'm also very passionate about changing that. I've been working on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts since my teen years, so that's about 20 years now.

I'm very passionate about changing this and ensuring I continue to open doors for others. I want to make sure I'm not the only one. If I'm the first woman hired, I will not be your last.

My experience as a veteran has actually helped. Almost everyone who has hired me in cybersecurity, except for one recent hire, has been a veteran. They're all male veterans, and they've recognized that I know exactly what I can do because I'm a veteran. They know that if I could put up with deployments, active duty, and everything else, I can handle this.

They've been the ones who believed in me, and that has been absolutely transformative in my career. I'm really appreciative of all those fellow veterans who helped me. I also do a lot of work with veteran organizations since I got out in 2015, helping other veterans transition, as well as military spouses. I help translate their skill sets, which civilians don't always understand.

So, both aspects have definitely played a role. I hope one day my gender will stop being a factor in this industry. I'll leave on a positive note. I come from what's politely called an economically depressed background. My family were manual laborers who immigrated to work in the steel mills back east. My grandpa only made it to the eighth grade.

What's been amazing in the tech industry is that because of tech salaries, we get paid very highly. I finally understood financial stability several years ago. I've been able to help educate my friends and family who don't have that financial stability on what it means to have a budget. I finally figured out credit card points, things I didn't have access to growing up and just didn't know about.

We're talking about stocks, RSUs, and all these things that come with the tech industry that you don't necessarily learn about when you come from a lower-class background. I try to use everything I've learned to teach other people, especially underrepresented folks. Here's how you negotiate for a higher salary, how you leverage RSUs, and how you leverage shares and stocks. I teach people how to fight for their value and what they're worth when it comes to pay equity.

I appreciate that tech has opened many doors for me financially, in ways I never understood, having faced food insecurity, etc., when I was younger. I don't have to worry about that ever again, and that's been an amazing aspect. I'm very grateful for my career in tech, especially one as stable as it is. Even when the economy gets weird, in cybersecurity, I'll never be out of a job, and you won't either. Thanks for having me.