Life and Work with Marissa Gifford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marissa Gifford. Marissa and her team share her story with us below.

Please kick things off for us with some background on Marissa’s story.
Marissa Gifford has more than twenty-five years of successful experience in both the technology industry and working with charitable organizations. While Reese was president of an organization named Tabernus, it was named as one of Deloitte and Touche’s top 50 Fastest growing technical companies in Colorado. The company was later acquired for more than 15x valuation. Reese’s impact on the technology market in Denver has been proven by her leadership efforts assisting in: the launch of one of Colorado’s most successful IPOs; company valuations that increased by more than 500% with her on the leadership team; companies yielding annual growth of more than 60%, and the ongoing sustainability of various programs Reese has launched. Her experience has served clients representing a variety of industries including technology, communications, financial services, utility, retail, healthcare, insurance, mining, and cybersecurity. Reese has worked successfully with some of the best known Fortune 500 including: Hewlett Packard, Seagate, IBM, Dell, Maxtor, Sony, Oracle, Newmont Mining, etc. Reese has had continued success running her own consulting company, providing cybersecurity consulting, and managing entire program implementations of many large cross-organizational systems. Organizations and boards that Reese has served on from a charity standpoint include: IDEAS Worldwide, In the Looking Glass, Colorado Edge Soccer, Coaches Aid/ASBN, the Denver Rescue Mission, and others not listed. When not working or volunteering, Reese can be found enjoying all of the outdoor activities that the great Rocky Mountains have to offer, celebrating her status as a newlywed, and loving life with her twin fifteen-year-old boys.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way? Any advice for women who are early in their careers?
Being a woman in technology during the late ’90s and into the early 2000s presented me with many challenges. The gender distribution at the time I entered technology was roughly 85% men to 15% women. It was rough and glorious all in one. I encountered many forms of sexual harassment and gender bias. Additionally, I had the added challenge of frequently being thought of as less intelligent, simply due to being a female.

The thing that kept me going was love for future generations, technology advancements, and making the world a better place through the work I performed. I have lots of advice for a woman who faces these challenges:

1. Look the part. If you show up to a meeting wearing jeans and a t-shirt, you will be taken less seriously. It’s just a fact.

2. Do your homework. Long after you have researched a company, have the job, and know what it’s about, you’ll be sitting in meetings with people external to the organization. It will pay off in dividends to know the background of those people and companies. You should know what they do and try to gather where they are going.

3. It is better to be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. Ask questions! If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t know what is being discussed, use my key phrase, “Help me understand….” Drive the conversation to a place where you feel safe and can openly converse without overstating your knowledge.

4. Don’t pretend to know more than you do. Everyone hates this trait.

5. Assume positive intent. No one wakes up and says, “I’m going to just ruin Reese’s day.” If you can try to look at conversations and situations from the other person’s point of view, it will pay off in dividends.

6. Honor yourself and others. Be ethical, straight forward, and don’t try to play people. You will have a much better reputation at the end of each day be able to look back on a career you love.

7. Donate and Volunteer. This is good for your heart and keeps your ego in check.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am the Vice President of Product Management for Mozilla. I am known for being honest and a straight shooter. The single thing I am most proud of is having my priorities in order. A long time ago I read a story that read something to the effect of, “There are five balls that you are continually juggling in life: Faith, Family, Health, Friends, and Work. Four of them are made of glass and one is rubber. If you let any of these drops: Faith, Family, Health, Friends, they will shatter like glass. You can try to put them back together, but they’ll never be the same. Work is the rubber ball. Give yourself the time and space you need to do good. Work has to be a priority and sometimes the very top priority. However, it is okay to take time away from work. It will bounce back.”

I’ve always remembered this and done my best to live by it. My team members appreciate that I’m incredibly flexible and insist that they prioritize their life in the same manner. This sets me apart from other leaders. I lead by example and, as a result, have many colleagues that I have known and worked with (off and on) for more than twenty years.

There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that a lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
Find a mentor who is different from you and has lots of experience. This person will be able to help you grow in ways you never expected. As I grew, I took on more than one mentor to help provide guidance for different situations. This has proved to be incredibly valuable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissaponikvar/

 

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