What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
I found my first job when I was fourteen. I was a salesperson in an antiques store in the town where I grew up. My biggest lesson was never to work in a store where you ended up spending your entire pay check every week. I know I spent far more than I earned!

Who is your hero, mentor or person you most admire? Why?
I most admire Nancy Goodman, my advisor in high school. She was a true advocate for me personally and students in general. I have always been fairly confident, but as a young person, the mentoring attention of an adult really can make a difference. I remember meeting with her on weekends to bolster my SAT scores. Needless to say, the school did not expect teachers to work these extra hours. Nancy died the year after I graduated. To me, Nancy's work ethic and dedication remain an example that I strive to match.

What is your favorite book?
My favorite book is "Newton's Telecom Dictionary." Just kidding! I love to read, so it's difficult to choose. However, the series of novels Doris Lessing wrote about a South African woman's journey from frivolity to social responsibility and independence from a patriarchal society stands out.  "Martha Quest" is my favorite of the series.

What advances in your field do you envision over the next 10 years?
I would predict that we will make real progress toward an economy that has overcome the technology vs. worker debate. Today, the popular perception of technology is that it results in layoffs and hardship to workers. I believe that over the next ten years, companies will better integrate technology with their workforce, thereby increasing efficiency and productivity. The general public will, therefore, appreciate rather than fear technology.

What do you see as the single most interesting element of your work?
The most interesting element of my work is advising clients as to how they can use privacy to grow their companies. Convincing an executive of the strategic importance of sound privacy practices is difficult, yet extremely rewarding.

What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
Sticking to the professional realm, my greatest accomplishment has been creating several mentoring relationships with young women in the technology field. It takes a great deal of time, but I believe that it is vital to nurture young professionals in this dynamic and competitive field.

What was your greatest challenge and what did you learn from it?
My greatest challenge was assisting the Clinton Administration in forestalling the passage of premature privacy legislation. Conveying the message that being pro-self-regulation does not mean that you are anti-privacy was often a tough sell. I learned a great deal from this effort. The biggest lesson was a reinforcement of the principle that an individual's position on a particular issue is often determined most heavily by where he or she sits.

What strategies do you use to maintain balance in your life?
I'm still trying to figure out how to maintain balance! One strategy that has helped me is simply leaving the office at the office. In the past, I would often worry about a work-related issue while I was eating a meal with friends. Not only was I being unfair to them, I was cheating myself out of a needed escape from the pressures of professional life. I'm much better at separating the different aspects of my life, but it's still a work in progress.

What advice would you give to young women who want to enter your field?
Go for it!! I have enjoyed my career so much and can't wait to see where I'll be 5 and 10 years from now. There are tough times, of course, but the dynamism of the technology field creates challenges that make it interesting and lucrative. The only real danger I would counsel against is self-doubt because the competition in this field is fierce. Too often, society teaches young women the wrong lessons about how much they can achieve. We all need to dispel those myths.