What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
In my first, full-time job, I was an executive secretary. I learned a lot about business, about relationships, about politics andŠ I think I'm still one of the fastest typist in my company today.

What is your favorite book?
I'm an avid reader and I tend to have two or three books in progress at any given time. Generally, I'll read a novel (just finished "The Journey Home," by Olaf Olaffson), a historical biography (working on Lincoln's memoirs) and a business book. I don't have one favorite book, but I appreciate the classics most of all - Steinbeck is a favorite author.

What advances in your field do you envision over the next 10 years?
I'd like to think that we'll finally realize the benefits of truly intelligent systems. My background in human factors engineering (the human-computer interface) and our early work in artificial intelligence makes this whole area a real interest of mine. I think many of the early concepts we had around engineering a highly intuitive and intelligent human experience will be realized (for the masses, not in isolated instances) over the next 10 years. Exciting stuff.

What do you see as the single most interesting element of your work?
I'm asked this question a lot. My answer has been the same for several years now: I love the diversity of my job and the diversity of the people who I am fortunate to work with every day. I spend much of my time with clients and "outside" the business and I really enjoy understanding the issues and challenges that they face. At the office, I interface every day with smart and creative people from every discipline: our senior technicians, our creative staff, our writers, our human factors engineers, our business development folks. It's great to balance my time in so many different areas while having the opportunity to work closely with people from a wide and diverse background Š they always challenge and inspire me.

What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
Hmmm. Personally, I like to think my greatest accomplishment is having raised my children to generally approach life with enthusiasm and optimism Š a strong sense of family, a positive perspective, and a sincere appreciation for others. I feel like I've come pretty close in teaching them those things (well, most of the time, anyway ;-).

What was your greatest challenge and what did you learn from it?
One of my greatest work challenges was going through the difficult process of trying to IPO our business, only to pull the offering after the market "crash" in our space in 2000. It was a real emotional roller coaster. I learned all the life lessons you'd expect: you don't know what you don't know; nothing's guaranteed; perceptions can matter more than anything; trust your instincts. Mostly, I learned that I learned a lot in the process and I can honestly look back with the knowledge that we gave it a "good run." It was fun. No regrets.

What strategies do you use to maintain balance in your life?
Well, I'm not sure I do a good job or even attempt to "balance" my life. That feels like a counter-intuitive approach for me with my personality. I'm a real high-energy, "over-the-top" kind of person and I approach my life (home, work, friends, family) with a pretty similar perspective: I put myself "out there" - I'm aggressive, I love doing all the things I do and I think I approach each with equal energy and commitment. I keep as few "lines" in my life as possible and try not to establish too many "hard" transitions from one part of my life to another. My only problem: I run out of hours in the day.

What advice would you give to young women who want to enter your field?
I'm fortunate to meet, work with, and know some amazing women in my field Š and their backgrounds range from creative to technical to sales and management. Regardless of degree, they have things in common: solid degrees or equivalent experiences; life experiences that may or may not be related to their field that somehow made them more rounded and better people; exciting jobs that may have paid less initially but really put them "in the heart" of something exciting; a perspective in their careers and lives that they are continually learning (formally and informally). And, they have strong communication and interpersonal skills. I'd encourage any person attempting to enter this field to seek out similar opportunities, find something that they really love doing, and make their commitment known. And, after all that, I think it's really healthy to have a solid perspective that it still takes time to gain meaningful experience.