What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
My first job was as an executive secretary. That position gave me a bird's-eye view of how a company works. It's a great perspective because it lets you see the details as well as the bigger picture.

Who is your hero, mentor or person you most admire? Why?
Someone said that a hero is not an extraordinary person but an ordinary person who does extraordinary things. I am in awe of everyday people who overcome hard circumstances to make a difference in their own life as well as in the lives of others.

One such person is Mrs. Bitkowski, my MBA roommate's mother. Mrs. Bitkowski was a stay-at-home mom who had six children under the age of nine when her husband passed away.

Young, without an extended family for support or any real work experience to fall back on, put herself through beauty school, started her own business and kept her family together through many struggling years. When I met her and her daughter Mary eighteen years later, the connection between them was palpable.

To see the product of her efforts - a strong, intelligent, motivated daughter attending the Harvard Business School - allowed me to understand the greatness OF Mrs. Bitkowski. She is a real hero to me.

What is your favorite book?
I'm a sucker for Sidney Sheldon - though nowadays I spend much more of my time with Dr. Seuss and the official Pokemon training manual!

What advances in your field do you envision over the next 10 years?
I see tremendously accelerating innovation and the ready adoption of new technologies. In the next decade, machine-2-machine transactions will become an everyday part of our lives.

What do you see as the single most interesting element of your work?
By far it is working with smart, motivated colleagues to make change happen - both within organizations and within individuals who are thereby empowered to make changes.

What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
No matter what I do in the world around me, my greatest accomplishments are my children, Brendan (age 5) and Elyssa (age 1). They give me a sense of fulfillment unlike any other I have ever known.

What was your greatest challenge and what did you learn from it?
My toughest challenge was not a single event but rather a series of tough, steep climbs. I chose a very unconventional career path starting from a secretarial school program through to my current position of Global e-Business Practice Leader with Deloitte Consulting.

Each step - from returning to school for an undergraduate degree (weekends, three semesters a year for five years), to starting my own business, to accepting a vice presidential position with a major brokerage firm, to Harvard for an MBA and then on to Deloitte Consulting as a practitioner and partner - required determination, motivation, and a healthy dose of opportunity.

This set of challenges taught me several lessons:

• It is never too late to follow your heart;
• Emotional commitment is more powerful than technical skill;
• Taking the time to develop goals provides much-needed motivation during tough times;
• We make our own opportunities.

Most importantly, my nontraditional approach to career progression taught me that the critical thing is not where you start but how you progress, and ultimately, how and where you make a difference.

What strategies do you use to maintain balance in your life?
My career, personal and community involvement all blend together. I do not work a predictable schedule - which requires greater planning on the one hand and provides greater flexibility on the other.

There are some weeks that are full with long hours and travel. There are others that keep me closer to home. At times I do email late into the evening, and at other times I do Chuckie Cheese early in the afternoon.

What advice would you give to young women who want to enter your field?
For those who are interested in the consulting profession, my advice is to go for it with all the passion and gusto you have. It is a field full of interesting, challenging work. It is a place where technical, operational and organizational skills come together to create positive, sustainable change. In consulting, no two assignments are alike - and that's a stimulus to constant creativity.

A second piece of advice, regardless of which field you choose, is to be mindful of the care and feeding that all aspects of your life require and deserve.