What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
My first job was being a "paper girl" with the Noblesville Daily Ledger at age 9. I learned valuable lessons in customer care (always put the paper on the center of the porch, carry dog biscuits, and provide exemplary service in rain, shine and snow). This meant that I had a wicked throwing arm and could always be assured of getting a warm cup of cocoa in the winter and lemonade in the summer at select client locations. I also learned the value of good financial management skills and strategic business development. I found that business is like war in many ways, and learned to stand up to bullies and to negotiate from a position of wisdom and strength. Also to keep my rubber band flipping skills finely tuned. I really believe these early childhood experiences with customer service and being entrepreneurial were extremely formative.

Who is your hero, mentor or person you most admire? Why?
One of my heroines is Gene Stratton Porter (1863-1924), an Indiana author, photographer, naturalist/conservationist and one of the first female filmmakers in Hollywood. I read her books as a child (grandmother's library) and was influenced by her independent female characters. I later learned that the books were largely autobiographical and wrote and published an article on Stratton-Porter and her photographs in Smithsonian Magazine. I admire this woman because she was such a strong, gentle and forthright individual. She lived and worked in an era that is in many ways similar to this turn of the century. She didn't make a big issue of her femininity or of women's rights that I could tell by her writing or her press. Yet, she didn't let cultural or social barriers stand in her way or keep her from achieving her business, personal and artistic goals.

What is your favorite book?
Currently it is "The Princessa: Machiavelli for Women" by Harriet Rubin

What advances in your field do you envision over the next 10 years?
As a software executive reading books like The Age of the Spiritual Machine, I get the sense that technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and nanotechnology are already radically reshaping our world in ways that will become more evident in the next five to 10 years. My hope is that our humanity and desire to collaboratively shape the world to be a healthier, saner, and more environmentally secure place than it is now will also shape changes in the way we live, work and interact with silicon intelligence.

What do you see as the single most interesting element of your work?
I love the absolute sense of adventure, innovation and exploration that I am finding in so many facets of building an Internet-based software company. We really are in the midst of a business and a cultural evolution. I take frequent delight in observing and participating [in] the creation of this new world.

What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
My continuing ability to learn and to be very curious about people and circumstances.

What was your greatest challenge and what did you learn from it?
My greatest challenge is learning to slow down and listen more carefully. I am continuing to learn from it both in my family and my business life.

What strategies do you use to maintain balance in your life?
I am passionate about exercise. I love to run with my husband, take time to cook with my daughter, and play with my grandson. With opportunities like that I guess balance becomes easier - but I can't say that I always achieve it. I take Pilates three times a week and have no trouble walking out of the office for an hour to go to my classes and stretch to and beyond my limits. I never work on Saturdays unless it is a real emergency.

What advice would you give to young women who want to enter your field?
Keep learning about technology, be willing to risk to learn something new. Be willing to say you don't understand. It takes a lot of great minds to build and deploy software - only some of them are coders. There is a growing need for leadership in managing technical change in business and society. Listen carefully to what both the young techies and the old techies have to say.