FELLOWSHIP AWARD RECIPIENT

q1 2012 wwlf fellowship award recipient

What is your role?

Senior Project Analyst

Where do you reside?

San Diego, CA

How did you get into the wireless industry?

I always had an interest in wireless because I wanted to be involved in developing or deploying leading edge technology. When I graduated from Penn State with a Mathematics degree, I began applying to large tech companies. I was fortunate enought to land a job with Qualcomm, as they were recruiting candidates with strong analytical and data mining skills.

How long have you been with your company, and what has your career path been?

I've been with Qualcomm for three and a half years. Thus far, I have been in a project analyst (and within the last year, a Sr. Project Analyst) role, but my responsibilities have been quite diverse during this time. I began working on a national network deployment project, learning the trade of site acquisition and managing more than 100 sites from site selection to contruction completion. I have been on a number of database implementation projects, as well as continuing to maintain and enhance these systems as priorities change. I've managed project and financial controls, supported financial budget submissions and forecasting, and have just begun learning supply and demand planning.

What has been your greatest challenge, being fairly new to the industry?

The greatest challenge I've faced in my career has been implementing process change in an environment where change management is not embraced and not all stakeholders understand or agree with the value of the proposed change. I've learned to seek advice from others that have managed similar implementation projects, as well as lobbying through the proper channels for support. During my time in this position, I have helped to successfully institute key controls on projects that have allowed processes to be streamlined, resulting in cost and resource savings for Qualcomm.

What valuable piece of wisdom have you learned from the wireless industry that you can share with our members that might help them in their career or personal lives?

I've learned the value of tapping into your network when challenges are presented. The wireless industry is very well connected, and it's always beneficial to have influential colleauges on your side.

What do you hope to gain by being a new member of WWLF?

I hope to gain a new network of professional women within the wireless and technology industries, as well as gain valuable insights and experience from an industry veteran through the mentoring program.

What are your other hobbies and interests outside of work?

I am a flex volunteer with Volunteer San Diego. I also enjoy poker, softball, hiking and football. To incorporate poker with my like for volunteering, I run the Qualcomm Texas Hold'em charity poker tournament.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years, I hope to be finishing or actively pursuing my part-time MBA. I would like to continue to work in the wireless and/or technology industry, moving into a management role in an Engineering and Operations organization. I am also getting married in August, to an engineer that I met while working on my first project for Qualcomm. Wedding planning has become an all consuming project in and of itself.