Colleague Spotlight: Celebrating Women’s History Month 2023
Women’s History Month is recognized every March in the United States. It started in 1981 as a week-long event and expanded to a month-long celebration in 1987. International Women’s Day (IWD) is a world celebration held on March 8 and was first observed in 1911.
Both events are a wonderful opportunity to honor brave, innovative, and inspiring women we know from history and may know in our lives. This month also serves as a time to reflect on some of the challenges women have faced throughout history, recognize the ongoing struggles for gender equality, and what we can do today to raise awareness and make meaningful changes.
I spoke to four colleagues who identify as women to reflect on what Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day meant to them. They are Kathy Smith, Philanthropic Advisor; Corie Leaman, Director of IT Nation Events; April Taylor, VP of Product Management; and Tanja Omeragic, Director of Technical Sales for Cybersecurity. I hope you’ll find meaningful insights from their thoughts and reflections.
Kathy Smith, Philanthropic Advisor
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
It is an opportunity to bring awareness to everyone about the value women can bring to the workplace.
Do you have a female role model that you admire?
My role model is a male. In the early 1990s, he was the first leader that encouraged me, treated me equally with male leaders, and coached and mentored me in my first leadership role.
What career achievement are you proud of?
Developing and cultivating my skills and being a “servant leader.”
My perspective: Personally, Kathy Smith has modeled this leadership style that I’ve adopted for myself – it focuses on the well-being and needs of the people being led. It’s an approach that emphasizes serving and supporting others than using authority to inspire and motivate them. It taught me that a leader’s role is to empower and enable their team members to achieve their goals and create an inclusive work environment where everyone feels valued and respected.
What are some goals that you hope to accomplish in the next year or few years?
I want to continue to share my experience with ConnectWise colleagues that want to grow their leadership skills.
What is some helpful career advice that you would share?
Do not feel like you do not have a chance to grow because you are a woman. Show everyone the value you can bring through hard work, dedication, and being a team player.
What is something meaningful that you learned while working at ConnectWise?
ConnectWise has always treated me as if I belonged and has given me the opportunity to grow my career.
Corie Leaman, Director of IT Nation Events
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
To me, Women’s History Month is a time to reflect on the amazing, world-changing accomplishments of women in history and how far we’ve come in the world. If we think back even just to the times of our grandmothers or great-grandmothers, it’s unbelievable to imagine what opportunities they had in their lives compared to what we have today. However, it’s also a time to remember that we still have work to do for true equality. We must continue to work and advocate for pay equity, family-friendly policies, equal representation in the workplace, anti-harassment and discrimination culture, and more.
Do you have a female role model that you admire?
I’ve become a big fan of Jacinda Ardern, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand. At just 37, she became the world’s youngest female head of government, leading her country through the pandemic while also publicly balancing the demands of motherhood—helping to normalize women’s experience in the workplace. I admire women who maintain their “feminine” qualities while killing it in traditionally male-dominated roles or industries. What women bring to leadership—empathy, collaboration, intuition, vulnerability, and more—are proven to make companies more successful.
What career achievement are you proud of?
I’m super proud of my team of women who are accomplishing great things for the industry. Through our work planning IT Nation conferences, we’ve prioritized spotlighting more diverse speakers and bringing more inclusive affinity groups to the event, like the Women in IT breakfast and the PRIDE meet-up. To my knowledge, we were the first in the industry to offer these types of experiences.
What are some goals that you hope to accomplish in the next year or few years?
I want to become a more intentional leader. Last year I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the ConnectWise LEAD program for growing our leaders. In addition to a great toolbox of management techniques, there was a lot of focus on self-assessment and understanding my own style. It gave me so much clarity about my strengths, weaknesses, and natural tendencies. This year, my goal is to intentionally apply that knowledge to be a better leader for my team and a strong asset for ConnectWise.
What is some helpful career advice that you would share?
I would encourage women to speak up and make their voices heard. Don't be afraid to share your opinion or ask a question. Diverse voices and perspectives are what is going to move the channel forward. Even after 11 years in the industry, I continue to struggle with the dreaded “imposter syndrome.” Still, it’s important for women to remember that they deserve their place at the table and are just as qualified as anyone else.
What is something meaningful that you learned while working at ConnectWise?
The power of community! We are all on a journey, and there’s no reason any of us should do it alone. My job is to bring people together and watch the magic happen when they connect with one another. The channel is a diverse and unique community, and the meaningful relationships I’ve built over the years with these people are ones that I know will enrich my life for years to come.
April Taylor, VP of Product Management
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
Women’s History Month is an opportunity to reflect on the amazing achievements we have accomplished and celebrate what women have done to make life better for others. There have been many accomplishments, large and small, and with a month of reflection, I get to learn about all the amazing women that make this month worth celebrating. I am grateful and humbled by the work of so many strong women. It is a reminder to me that we can accomplish anything together.
Do you have a female role model that you admire?
Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I admire her determination and unwavering focus. She always seemed so composed and confident in any situation. The challenges she overcame, professionally and personally, remind me that if you truly believe in something, nothing can stop you.
What career achievement are you proud of?
For me, it was presenting in front of thousands of people in the IT Nation keynotes. I grew up with a speech impediment and speaking in front of anyone was very stressful for me. Over the years, I have worked at putting myself in situations where I had to speak in front of groups to get over my fears. Speaking in front of such a large audience was a very proud moment for me. I worked for so many years to get there, and I did it.
What are some goals that you hope to accomplish in the next year or few years?
I want to get more involved in my community. I love the outdoors and animals, and I want to find a way to contribute more.
I want to complete a duathlon this year. I have gotten back into it with a family relay, and I want to do one on my own again.
I want to see the next round of our product leaders grow. We have an amazing team, and I want to help them reach their career goals.
What is some helpful career advice that you would share?
Do not be afraid to try something new. Your greatest learning comes from your mistakes.
What is something meaningful that you learned while working at ConnectWise?
We are better together. The times when I have worked on teams that span the company, I have seen us accomplish amazing things. We all have different experiences and perspectives and bringing that together creates excellent results.
Tanja Omeragic, Director of Technical Sales for Cybersecurity
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
International Women’s Day on March 8 has always been a huge celebration and appreciation day for women in Europe, especially in my birth country, Bosnia. Ever since birth, it was instilled in me that March meant empowering young girls to grow and continue building the framework for equality and success. I’ve always lived by the motto that every girl being told she is bossy should be told she has leadership skills. I was one of those girls.
Do you have a female role model that you admire?
My female role model was always my mother, Alma. As a career woman, she always fought to empower and mentor other women. After all, she created the strong woman and leader I am today. She taught me that I could do it all if I set my mind to it—I can be a wife, mother, leader, and grow my career. She taught me to be strong but also to continue being human and vulnerable.
What career achievement are you proud of?
My biggest accomplishment was a domino effect. It started with my drive to go back to school to study cybersecurity when my firstborn was three months old. From there, I got my first taste of tech with a global MSP, to working for a cybersecurity vendor, and now to ConnectWise. My leadership and business background has also helped shape a much bigger picture at ConnectWise. I’m lucky to have a leader, Zeshan Raja, that recognizes my strengths and pushes me to do bigger and better things.
My perspective: We can all learn from Tanja’s story about pursuing her passion and working through the challenges of changing her career and raising a child. She was motivated to protect her daughter from cybercriminals. She had an understanding set with her professors and a support system. She also learned the value of time management, teaching her daughter and the women around her that you can be a superhero and juggle many different things.
What are some goals that you hope to accomplish in the next year or few years?
One of my goals is to create a mentorship group for young women to encourage them to go into cybersecurity. I’m highly involved in my daughter’s school STEM program, but I would love to take that to local high schools as well.
What is some helpful career advice that you would share?
Don’t ever give up on your dreams. If someone tells you that you cannot do something, fight even harder to achieve it. It’s fine to be stubborn. I am stubborn because that helps with my drive and motivation.
What is something meaningful that you learned while working at ConnectWise?
I’ve learned that most people spend more time and energy going around problems than trying to solve them. I like to look for solutions. What’s even more incredible is that we have many more people that are passionate about solving problems at ConnectWise; we need to push them more.
Conclusion
I hope you’ll think about Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day as a time to recognize the important progress made in the fight for gender equality. Also, to acknowledge the positive steps and actions we can take toward a world where all women have equal opportunities and can live free from discrimination and violence.