What was your first job and what did you learn from it?

I have always wanted to be an astronaut. In fact, the only reason I pursued engineering was so that I could become an astronaut. With very little guidance from faculty or counselors, I felt that a well-rounded education in math, physics, and engineering would best prepare me for this path. After graduating from engineering school, I went to work for an aerospace company, again as a logical next step in the pursuit of my astronaut dream. As a female engineer in the mid-eighties, I had plenty of jobs from which to choose. I chose a job with an aerospace company, in a part of the country that would allow me to continue my hobbies of camping, hiking, and bicycling. The Boeing Company in Seattle, Washington was my lucky first employer.

My first job was less than ideal. In fact it was a complete bore. I worked as an acoustics engineer for the Boeing Commercial Airplane Company. With initial aspirations of designing the next generation of Boeing Aircraft single handedly, I ended up working on one minor pump tucked in the wheel well of the 767-300. Not only was I not designing airplanes, I was not even designing the pump. There was nothing for me to do in the first several months of my job. I remember calling home after two weeks and telling my parents I was bored to tears, and if the company did not give me something to do quickly, I would quit.

My work did get busier and more interesting. After one year in the acoustics staff, I moved to the customer engineering staff where I had more autonomy and much more customer interaction. This change greatly increased my job satisfaction. As in my personal life, I require variety, adventure, and people in my professional life. Whereas in school I found the engineering courses to be very interesting and challenging, practicing engineering on very focused projects nine hours a day was very stifling. Customer engineering provided me the variety and people interaction I required.

I learned two very important lessons from this initial work experience:

• You spend most of your time in life working. If you don't love what you do, do something else.
• This is a man's field I've entered and if I want it to be better for me, and my female colleagues that follow, I must do my part.

In my first job at Boeing I was put into an engineering bay with 200 other engineers. All male and an average of 15 years older than I. The attitudes though polite, were not encouraging and many times not accepting. I fought many battles, some small, a few large. Each one brought my colleagues and I into a better understanding of equality in the work place.

What inspired you to choose your current field or the position you currently hold?

While working at Boeing I applied to the astronaut program. Just as things started to get interesting, the terrible crash of the Challenger occurred. The entire world felt the sad affects of this incident. It hit me particularly hard because the entire astronaut program was closed down for several years. It would be many years before it started again. At that point, I decided that my astronaut dream was not meant to be and set my sites on other pursuits. Retrospectively, this was probably a rash decision. But when you are 25, waiting 10 years to achieve a dream seems impossible.

Since I always liked working with customers, I decided that I would move to the "other" side of the house, in business and marketing. After getting an MBA degree, I went to work for Microsoft in their marketing department. The software industry seemed a natural migration. Every job I have had with Microsoft has kept me running. The technology is fascinating, the work very challenging, my co-workers the best in the industry, and the company a laboratory for success, for women and men.

Why would you encourage other women or young women and girls to choose careers in your field? What advice would you give someone who wanted to choose your career?

Marketing technology has been an excellent career for me. It has allowed me to learn and play with the technology that interests me, while at the same time giving me the opportunity to use other skills that are often dampened in strict technical fields. When I worked as an engineer, the thrill for me was solving the problem. How thick does the support brace need to be? What is the exact angle for the best aerodynamic flow? The same is true today, though the problem is a bit different. How do I communicate the benefits of this technology so that the end user and the purchasing manager understand it? This is the delicate balance that a technical marketeer must manage. Having a technical degree and experience has opened doors that would otherwise remain shut or at least, harder to open. It is much easier to transition from a technical field to a less technical position, rather than vice versa.

What motivates or inspires you on a daily basis in your field or job?

Technology for technology's sake does not make a company successful. Connecting that technology with highly valued needs is the reason technology becomes adopted. This is the exciting role that a technical marketeer plays. My time presently is spent talking with customers, presenting to audiences, developing marketing plans, and coordinating efforts between the technical teams and the market. Being able to communicate this great technology to customers that really need it, is the most exciting part of my job.

What do you see as the single most interesting element of your work?

My professional dreams today are not as single-minded as they were. Today I pursue experience. The motto I live by now is "I would rather regret the things in life I have tried, than those I have not". At Microsoft I have had four jobs in four and a half years ranging from marketing to a specific industry sector, to product marketing for Internet development tools, to building product support services in Africa, India and the Middle East. In each role I am put outside of my comfort zone, to learn something completely new. Trying new adventures at work seems to be the theme for this part of my life. I am lucky that Microsoft has provided me the opportunity to do so many exciting jobs.

Why is your field or industry important to society?

The obvious answer is that the computer industry brings more knowledge to more people. But the computer industry's ability to provide knowledge is useless unless society feels a measurable result. The result I hope the computer industry brings to the world is more understanding and cooperation, not just knowledge.

People have always worked to increase communication channels. Whether it was building footpaths or roads, crossing a continent with railroad lines, or laying electrical wires below the ocean floors; we have always wanted to stay in touch. The computer industry is the communications vehicle for this part of history. We are building more robust, extensive, and accessible communication channels than ever before. For me, the reason that communication is so important is the knowledge and understanding that it brings. In ancient times, the tribe or village on the other side of the mountain was a threat because they knew so little about each other. Today, there are few places left in the world on which we can not gather information about the people who live there. With this information comes awareness. Awareness often produces interest. Interest brings study. Study reveals insight. And insight, hopefully produces understanding and cooperation.

What is your vision for your industry's or field's future? What are some of the exciting things to watch for in your field or industry?

The one area I am going to be watching with selfish interest is the development of hand held computer devices. When I bicycle around the world, I would love to have a way to easily keep in touch with family and friends, send in magazine articles and photos, and of course cry for help when in a desperate situation! Today these devices are in their infancy. Hopefully by the year 1999 the communication will be driven by satellites, the battery devices will be light weight and rechargable from any electrical socket worldwide; the screens will be full color displays, scanning in of photo and movies files will be simple, and the software will be reliable and supportable throughout the world.

What values are the most important to you and what do you value in others? How do you prioritize these values in your daily life?

My value system is quite simple: people, equality and choice. Every aspect of people as a group and individual persons must be valued in order for us to understand and appreciate life. I believe that only with views of equality will we have the patience to learn from one another. It is only through learning from each other that we will defeat ignorance and prejudice. Choice is a very special value for me. Life is about choice, the good ones we make and the bad ones. Accepting the responsibility, learning from, and continuing to make new choices brings the fullest life. People often tell me how amazed they are with how many different things I have done: teaching in Kenya, honeymooning in Burma, kayaking with whales in Alaska, climbing mountains, traveling throughout India by myself, bicycling across North America, etc.... The way I see it, I have simply made choices.

What do you think are the most important character traits to develop in order to succeed professionally?

Though it might seem that my path has been a successful one, I want to assure everyone that it has had it's wrong turns. The things I know now, the character I have developed, and the methods that I practice, have come through much trial and error. It is not an easy thing to discover how to turn your unique personality into tha of a successful businessperson. I have made many mistakes, and I will make many more in the future. However, the beliefs that I have tried to develop in myself, and the ones that I admire in others are quite simple: work smart and treat all of your colleagues fairly and with respect. Practicing these two beliefs has allowed me to be the most productive and have fun at work.

Who is your hero, mentor or person you most admire and why?

The people in life I most admire are "choice makers". The choices they have made are at a level to which I aspire. Sally Ride. Not only because she pursued my dream, but because she was brave enough to be a pioneer in a new world. She chose to fight the battles, she worked hard and smart, she did it with dignity, and she succeeded with humility. Civil leaders like Ghandi of India, Steven Biko of South Africa, and Dr. Martin Luther King from America, made the choice to change society's prejudices. True adventurers like Sir Edmund Hillary or Helen Thayer chose to work with nature to achieve personal goals. All of these people could have easily chosen to stay home, live within their comfort zones, and enjoy a peaceful life. But it is because of them that the world's knowledge is greater, more peace exists on the earth, and people are freer.

What is your favorite book and why?

Though I can clearly remember the first book that got me hooked on reading, ("The Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder), I did not discover the joy of reading until all my schooling was finished. As an engineer and physicist I spent all my time reading technical books. I am now discovering the classics and the great masterpieces. The books that have inspired me for various reasons are: "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy, for the shear masterpiece of the work; "Miles From Nowhere' by Barbara Savage, for giving me the idea to bicycle around the world; "The Last of the Mohicans" by James Fennimore Cooper for the adventure and "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand for the first non-compromising female character. However, the only book I ever read more than once is "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkein. My absolute favorite for the creativity and imagination.

What book would you recommend to someone who knows nothing about your field or industry but would like to know more about it?

A combination of books would be a good start. "The Road Ahead" by Bill Gates will tell you whether this type of technology interests you. Then read one of Tom Peter's books to see if you are ready to fight it out in the business world. It takes interest in those two areas to be able to enjoy technical marketing.

What technology has changed your life professionally or personally for the better?

First and foremost in my mind is the birth control pill. Though this technology is 20 years old and in dire need of an update, it has given me and many men and women in this world control over their lives. Can you imagine life without it? Presently 70% of all pregnancies in the US are unplanned. Imagine what that figure would be if we did not have the birth control pill.

What are your future goals?

I said that my dreams are not as single minded as they use to be. This is not entirely accurate. I do have a big dream towards which I am driving. In the year 1999, I plan to bicycle around the world for 2-3 years. The first leg of my journey will be from Prudoe Bay Alaska, to Tierra del Fuego Argentina. From there I don't know if I will turn Northeast or Northwest. Many people ask what I will do when I complete this journey. I have no idea! As with most big adventures, they change your outlook on life significantly. Who knows, maybe I will use my engineering mind to design a comfortable bicycle seat that I could then use my MBA to market to future long distance bicyclists!

What do you do to relax?

While not working, I spend my time between several main activities: traveling, reading, volunteering at the zoo, and enjoying my family and friends. Adventures are by far and away my favorite thing to do. These have taken me to India, Africa, Burma, Thailand, Alaska, many mountain ranges, and more. This year I am going on a 3 week photo safari in Zimbabwe and Botswana. On the weekends in the summer I usually am hiking, camping, or bicycling. In the winter cross-country skiing is a favorite pastime.

I am presently a member of the board of directors of Family Planning of King County. However, I wanted a more hands on type of volunteering. So this year I studied to become a docent at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. This role entails giving interpretive tours and lectures to zoo guests about the animals, plants and their natural habitat. If you haven't visited your local zoo lately, please make a special trip. You'll be amazed what you will learn from the animals and your kids!