Forty Over 40

Forty Women to Watch Over 40

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40 Over 40 Asks: 9Qs for Katie Rae, Managing Director at TechStars and Project 11

Welcome to the Forty Over 40 blog. Every week we spotlight one of our honorees and their thoughts on reinvention, mentorship and momentum…plus a peek into what makes them tick.

This week’s Q & A is with Katie Rae, Managing Director at TechStars and Project 11.

1. What was a pivotal momentum of reinvention for you?

In 2009, there was a big re-org at Microsoft and I came to a cross roads in my career. Did I want to stay at Microsoft and be comfortable, or reinvent myself and try something new. I took it as an opportunity to begin to following my own path.  I jumped in with two feet and became an early stage investor.  This led me to meeting lots of amazing entrepreneurs, mentors, and fellow investors.  Through the years I ended up founding Project 11 and Startup Institute and running Techstars.  I could not have picked a better path.

2. Who has been a valuable mentor or sponsor?

My husband has been my biggest advocate and cheerleader.  We have a true partnership. I know it sounds cheesy, but he has always pushed me to think bigger and do more.

3. What is your biggest goal right now?

I want to prove that you can intentionally make startup communities more vibrant and inclusive.

4. What time do you typically wake up? What do you do every morning?

I am an early riser, usually 5 AM. I love to sneak down into my kitchen and make a cup of coffee and get ahead of the day before the kids get up. I am a Newspaper junkie. I read about seven papers a day.

5. How did you feel on your 30th birthday? What were you doing at that time? 

I was pregnant and thrilled to be working at a startup.  I used to catch a quick nap under my desk. The programmers just thought I had been up all night.

6. How do you unplug? How often do you unplug?

I go Lake Champlain and swim with my kids and friends.

7. What was the last business book you read?

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

8. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?

If there is something to be done, do it.

9. What is your secret indulgence? 

Tequila

Check out Katie Rae full 40 Over 40 profile here!

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What 40 Over 40 Means to Me: Tracey Welson-Rossman

Screen Shot 2015-03-23 at 9.55.54 AMAs we are in the midst of the call for nominations for the 3rd Annual List of 40 Women to Watch Over 40 we took time to check in with some current honorees to find out what #40over40 meant to them. Today’s post is from Tracey Welson-Rossman, a 2013 honoree, Founder of TechGirlz.org and CMO, Chariot Solutions. Read and get inspired to nominate a woman who making in impact —  disrupting, innovation and forging new paths for women of all ages.

What did it mean to you to receive this honor? The award was a validation of the work I had been doing. It is not that I needed the validation, I was going to keep on the path I was and am on, but this award allowed me to take stock of what I had done up to this point and it was great to know others felt that what I have done had meaning.

What role models / mentors helped you reach this point? It sounds trite and worn, but my Mom and Dad. Specifically, my dad knew that I was going to be out in the working world even when I was little. He purposely brought home for dinner one night a woman who he worked with so I could see a woman in the working world. Remember this was at a time when it was still unusual to see a woman who was not a teacher, nurse or secretary. My mother has been incredibly supportive of everything I have done in my career. My own cheering section.

How can more women become involved in disrupting? Disrupting, or instigating, as I like to call it, starts by acting on your idea and not sitting on it until you feel there is a perfect time because there is never the perfect time.

You can find Tracey on twitter at @TWelsonRossman

y: TraceyWellsonRossman

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What #40over40 Means To Me: Diane Danielson, COO Sperry Van Ness

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We are thrilled to announce call for nominations for the 3rd Annual List of 40 Women to Watch Over 40! As we are looking forward to learning about more amazing women who are disrupting, innovation and forging new paths for women in front and behind them, we took time to check in with some current honorees to find out what #40over40 meant to them. The first in this series of posts is with Diane Danielson, a 2013 honoree and Chief Operating Officer for Sperry Van Ness Int’l Corp.

What did it mean to you to receive this honor?

While I personally was honored and enjoyed the fact that you were celebrating women in the prime of their years, the reaction from my company surprised me. I work in a male dominate industry (which of course I’m trying to disrupt with both technology and gender), but they were really impressed with this honor. Awards do matter. As more women move into leadership roles it’s a great differentiator to be rewarded at a key time in our careers, not just at the beginning and the end.

 What role models / mentors helped you reach this point?

My mentors and role models are my business girlfriends and peers. There are too many to list, but if they are reading this, they know who they are! They are women just like the others in the 40 over 40 list. This doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate the women who went before us. I am thankful to them every day I go into the office and take my place at the table. But, they had a different battle. My peers are the next wave. The sexism is more subtle, but still there, and the challenges are a little different. It’s our mission to not just be the token woman, but to even the playing field.

How can more women become involved in disrupting?

Disrupting is simply problem solving. Women are fabulous at that. Just ask a working mom! What helps is having awards like this to shift the public perception so that they too see women as disrupters and innovators.

Who inspires you? Nominate them here

Tweet: Help us celebrate #innovation at every age. 2015 nominations are open for Forty Women To Watch Over 40! http://fragile-line.flywheelsites.com/nominate/ #40over40

DianeDanielsonDiane Danielson is the Chief Operating Officer for Sperry Van Ness Int’l Corp., tweeting about , leadership, social media, and sometimes soccer. Follow her on twitter @DianeDanielson

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40 Over 40 Asks: 12Qs with Ruth Ann Harnisch

ruthannharnischWelcome to the Forty Over 40 blog. Every week we spotlight one of our honorees and their thoughts on reinvention, mentorship and momentum…plus a peek into what makes them tick.

This week’s Q&A is with Ruth Ann Harnisch, President of The Harnisch Foundation; Co-founder of SupporTED and former Emmy-nominated “recovering journalist”. The Harnisch Foundation, which has been dedicated to creative, progressive philanthropy since 1998, recently relaunched to shift their focus on advancing women and girls. TheHF is celebrating International Women’s Day with a week-long campaign called #NotJustAStat . Read more here: http://thehf.org/international-womens-day/

1) What was a pivotal momentum of reinvention for you?

I’ve had many pivotal moments. The most recent? We’ve reinvented the Harnisch Foundation, focusing on advancing women and girls. I became convinced that this is the most effective way to invest our philanthropic capital, working to create a world where all people are treated with dignity and everyone’s potential can be realized.

Other pivotal moments? Choosing to divorce when that felt like the ultimate failure…college dropout collecting a second honorary doctorate… taking a full year sabbatical to completely clear my professional palate. The pivotal moment that brought me to my career as a philanthropist was the closing of the Nashville Banner. I was stunned to find myself without a job for the first time in a quarter of a century. On the day I became unemployed, I kept my commitment to go to an at-home Small Dinner, one of the signature events of the International Women’s Forum’s first chapter, the Women’s Forum of New York.

When it was my turn to speak, I tried not to lose my composure as I told of my most unwelcome disemployment. One of the women I’d long looked up to, Ruth Cowan, then board chair of Pro Mujer, said matter-of-factly, “Of course you must now become a fulltime philanthropist.” And I heard myself saying, “Yes, of course I must now become a fulltime philanthropist,” as if it were the most logical thing in the world, which of course it was, and I did. That was 17 years ago. The pivotal moment not only changed the course of my life, it changed countless others because of the impact of the philanthropy that resulted.

2) Who has been a valuable mentor or sponsor?

I have so many to thank, starting with Buffalo NY Public School 72 Assistant Principal Dorothy Wolf who included me in the group of children who received the accent elimination coaching and declamation lessons that equipped me for my career in broadcasting. In my later years, the most important voice of wisdom has been my longtime coach Renee Freedman. For over eight years, our twice-weekly sessions equipped me for personal growth beyond what I could have imagined when we began. We ended the coaching relationship when we agreed to become partners in the founding and management of SupporTED, the coaching and mentoring program for TED Fellows.

3) What is your biggest goal right now?

To make the most of every moment of my aliveness – that will always be my biggest goal.

4) How did you get your first job?

I got my first job because I had connections. Under 40 readers may not recall a time when paper boys pulled wagons down residential streets to deliver the morning and afternoon newspapers. It was the first step to entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency for many a lad, but No Girls Allowed.

My Uncle Sibby, son of Sicilian immigrants and my mother’s scrappy younger brother, “knew a guy” at the Buffalo Courier Express. At age 16, I became the youngest of the crew of “girls” (adult women, most with grey hair) who did the accounting for the paper boys.

How did you jump to your second job? – I jumped on the NFT (Niagara Frontier Transit, aka the bus) and went to the Statler Hilton Hotel, where upon exiting the elevator on the top floor, I became Karin Kelly, Teen DJ on WYSL-FM, 103.3

5) What time do you typically wake up? 

I do not have a typical wakeup time. Throughout my broadcast career I worked every shift on the clock, including one challenging schedule where I did the sign-off news on the CBS-TV affiliate in Nashville around 1am, napped fitfully on the cot in the ladies’ room until 4, then rose to write and anchor the sign-on news in the morning.

My first thought each time I awaken is, “Where am I?” because the answer could be different every time depending on my travel schedule.

6) How do you unplug? 

I unplug by choosing to still my mind and remove myself from all distracting thoughts. How often? As often as necessary throughout the day and night.

6) What challenge / achievement are you most proud of? 

Stepping up to a leadership role as head of the Harnisch Foundation. Right now, I’m proud to be an Executive Producer of The Hunting Ground, the documentary on campus sexual assault that’s in theaters now. (Please go and buy a ticket to show how important this issue is!) I’m proud that the HF is the presenting sponsor of BinderCon, bringing hundreds of women writers together to amplify women’s voices and perspectives.

7) What was the last business book you read?

It’s not the last one, but it’s the one I insist that my clients read –  The Tools: Transform Your Problems Into Courage, Confidence, and Creativity by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels. These are the lessons in self-leadership that allow you to stop whining and start taking charge of your circumstances.

8) What cause do you most want to advance? 

I am working to help create a world in which diversity is a source of societal strength, all people have control over their destinies, all are treated with dignity, and everyone’s contributions are valued.

9) What song can’t you get out of your head?

I would NEVER do that to you! However…everyone who has ever been to the closing campfire of Spark Camp knows what song is stuck in my head. I now deeply apologize to all Campers for this, ain’t nothin’ but a mistake.

10) What is the best piece of advice you ever received? 

All you have is RIGHT NOW. Make the most of it.

11) What is your “keep me going” quote?

I WAS BORN FOR THIS MOMENT!

12) Who on the list of 2013 Honorees would you like to meet? 

Everybody says “all” as do I. But if pressed for one I’ll say Sallie Krawcheck.

Check out Ruth Ann’s full 40 Over 40 profile here!

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Forty Over 40 Asks: 7Qs for Mauria Finley, Founder and CEO at Citrus Lane

Welcome to the Forty Over 40 blog. Every week we spotlight one of our honorees and their thoughts on reinvention, mentorship and momentum…plus a peek into what makes them tick.

This week’s Q & A is with Mauria Finley,Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Citrus Lane, a fast-growing social e-commerce company focused on the $50B baby and kids market that’s backed by top-tier VCs Greylock and GGV Capital.

1. What was a pivotal momentum of reinvention for you?

It was a big decision for me to leave my role at eBay. I had been at PayPal/eBay for six years. I had a wonderful job with amazing bosses, but I was looking for a new challenge. I wanted the chance to create from scratch and build my own company. I had been thinking about becoming an entrepreneur for a number of years, but had never been quite ready to take the leap. When my second son was nine months old and finally sleeping through the night, I decided to go for it. And, that’s what led me to start Citrus Lane.

 2. Who has been a valuable mentor or sponsor?

I’ve been lucky to have a number of amazing mentors over the years. One who stands out is Stephanie Tilenius. I worked for Stephanie at PayPal and eBay. She took a chance on me several times, letting me tackle big challenges even when they weren’t in areas in which I had experience. In this way, I really grew as an executive and team leader. She pushed me hard to achieve, gave me blunt advice on things I could improve, and always made sure I knew she believed in me.

 3. What is your biggest goal right now?

 I don’t have one main, over-arching goal. I have goals for each part of my life. For work, I’m focused on taking Citrus Lane to the next level of growth. At home, I’m focused on being present with my four and seven year-old boys. As a wife, I’m trying to remember to use kindness in my thoughts and actions even when life is a blur of busyness. And, on the health side, I’m trying to be better about what I eat.

 4. How did you get your first job? How did you jump to your second job?

 I got my first job after graduating with a Bachelors and Masters in Computer Science from Stanford. I think people’s first job has a profound impact on how they see the world. My first job was as a product manager at Netscape working on the browser. It was a magical company and a special time – the beginning of the internet. I learned so much about how to build great software and about how software teams work. I also met a set of people that have gone on to be such important people in my life and network. My second job came directly out of the first one. The VP of engineering I worked closely with joined a startup, Good Technology, as the technical co-founder and recruited me two weeks later to run product management.

 5. What time do you typically wake up? What do you do every morning

 I wake up around 6:00am most days to exercise. I feel much better if I exercise each day. My team at Citrus Lane loves my “I had this idea while running” comments. Well, at least, I hope they do! I exercise early so I can be there for breakfast with my two young boys, get them ready for school, and get to work on time. Of course, I much prefer getting up early in the summer when the sun is already up, but in the winter, I’m out there running in the dark with a headlamp.

6. How did you feel on your 30th birthday? What were you doing at that time? 

 I felt much more anxious on my 30th birthday than I did on my 40th birthday last year. On my 30th birthday, I was getting close to changing jobs and was wondering if my long-term boyfriend was going to propose. On my 40th birthday, I looked around and realized my life was pretty awesome. I had two super-duper young boys, a wonderful husband (that same once-boyfriend who did, indeed, propose), an amazing company I was so proud to be create and a team I loved spending time with. Overall, at 40, my life is filled with friends, family, meaningful work, and happiness. When I think about my life, I realize that every decade is getting happier and happier.

 7. What is your secret indulgence? 

My secret indulgence is I watch one TV show before going to bed. After a busy day, dinner and bedtime for the boys, and endless work emails, I find it hard to fall right to sleep because my brain is still busy solving problems. But, if I watch a TV show, my brain turns off and I sleep well. Some favorites are Scandal, Good Wife, and Person of Interest.

Check out Mauria Finley’s full 40 Over 40 profile here!