Articles
BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE
Q: What led you to join the Green Leaf team?
A: Green Leaf is actually my first job. I attended Penn State through a 2 Plus 2 program and I graduated with an Information Sciences and Technology degree. When I was looking for jobs, my academic advisor gave a referral from the CIO at one of Green Leaf’s clients. She arranged an interview session and Kevin (Bucher) reached out to me after to offer me a job. I will be here for two years at the end of February.
Q: What keeps you here?
A: I have various responsibilities for the reinsurance client I work on. I’m mostly in a BA role at the client, documenting business requirements, accepting criteria, etc. I am the middle man between the developers and the business to make sure that we have everything we need from the business and to make sure that the developers are acting upon it. I also do QA work once the development is done. I test them before actually sending them to the business for user acceptance and then test them again once it’s fully delivered to the business. I love what I’m doing there.
When I joined Green Leaf Kevin and Steve (Cammarota) were so welcoming. I think I am one of three employees that have recently graduated. At first it was really new, but everyone was so nice. A lot of Green Leaf employees are working with the same client; I work closest with Bill Emmert. Green Leaf is always encouraging of new skill development and I appreciate that.
Q: What are your area(s) of specialty?
A: I am also doing analytical work in Power BI. BA, QA, a mix of everything. But, within the client I am working majority as a BA.
Q: What aspects of technology are you most passionate about, and how do you see these aligning with your role at GL?
A: I’ve always been interested in an analytical role. I’m grateful I’ve found myself doing that. QA work and BA work of gathering requirements and talking to the business about their needs and how they want it to be done is something that really excites me. I wasn’t originally into development work as much as analytical work. My focus has always been on the analytical aspect. It’s fascinating how data can be analyzed and how you can get so many answers.
ROLE AT GREEN LEAF
Q: Can you share a specific goal for the project? What makes this especially important to you?
A: In general in goal is keeping the stakeholders happy and making sure they get what they need in a timely manner. I am one of their major points of contact; meaning if they have anything new they want to add to a Power BI report, for example, I am the one they reach out to. I need to talk to them to get the requirements, ask a bunch of questions, and document so that I can pass it on to the developer. I try to get as much information as possible.
Q: How have you seen your role evolve and how do you see it continuing to evolve? What are the key contributions you aim to make?
A: When I joined this client in February 2023, I started as a QA . I was a part of the QA team for about six months and I learned a lot about the project process. Everyone was so helpful and provided me with information and documentation that could help me learn even more. Then, I was asked to be a BA for the client. Even though it’s been two years, I am always learning something new about the project. Developing reports, presenting the data, every day is a learning experience. So that is how I get to evolve in a certain way, through learning more.
Q: Can you tell us about a personal philosophy or approach that guides your work in tech and in serving clients?
A:Building the communication bridge. I think I have been able to do my job well because of the rapport I have with the users. I constantly try to check in. They find it easy to reach out to me and they don’t hesitate to reach out to me even for the smallest things. I try to do that as much as possible.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP & LOOKING AHEAD
Q: In your opinion, what are the major trends that will shape the technology consulting industry in the next five years?
A: AI for sure. There’s no doubt that it is consuming all our lives, in a good way. It’s crazy for me to see how technology has evolved in the last 20 years. I am 25, so I lived so much of my life without much technological influence and now kids are just born with it.
I think AI and Machine Learning will take over in a much bigger shape in the next five years.
Q: What leadership qualities do you think are most important for driving innovation in the technology side of companies today?
A: You need to be flexible and adaptable. With the rapid pace of technology changes, if you’re stubborn, not open to new ideas or not able to adapt to the changing world, it’s not going to work. You need to be flexible to be more innovative. That’s the first rule of innovation. You cannot invent something without thinking outside the box, taking the risk, being adaptable or flexible.
Q: What’s a significant challenge in the tech space many are facing (or will soon be facing), and what, in your opinion, is a potential solution or approach to overcoming it?
A: The biggest challenge is AI and it could lead to people not having jobs. The pace at which we’re growing through technology is great. But people might not be needed anymore, and AI can do a lot of work by itself. I think using data ethically and misusing data, is going to be a big issue in the future too. Building guidelines around data privacy will be very helpful.
Q: With the rise of AI and data analytics, what ethical considerations do you believe tech leaders should prioritize?
A: Storing data in a secure manner. Building guidelines for how data needs to be used. Consent for use of data.
Q: How do you stay updated with the rapid changes in technology, and how do you foresee the evolution of the tech consultant’s role?
A: LinkedIn is a great resource for trends and stories from different parts of the tech world. Social media in general, blogs, more recently topics like AI. I try to complete courses. I am curious by nature. If I see something I don’t know about I usually start to research that. It’s become a part of my day to day.
Q: How do you tailor your advisory approach to help clients not just meet but exceed their technology goals?
A: Communication is the big factor. You cannot deliver what you do not know. At the end of the day, we as a team want to keep customers and stakeholders satisfied and that can only happen if you build that communication bridge.
Q: What skills do you think will be most valuable for the technology workforce of the future, and how can professionals prepare now?
A: Every person working in tech needs to:
- Be adaptable and flexible. You cannot work well in the tech industry if you aren’t.
- Pay attention to the details. Small things can make a big difference.
- Think out of the box. Tech gives us the flexibility to come up with innovative solutions. There’s usually not one answer to a solution. So, thinking out of the box, provide multiple solutions to get problems solved.
PERSONAL: INTERESTS AND HOBBIES
Q: If you could have dinner with any figure from the world of technology, who would it be and why?
A: Larry Page, Co-founder of Google. To find out how he did what he did. To come out with a search engine with that kind of impact, I would be curious to know how he knew this would create a difference in people’s lives. The way Google has progressed in the past 20+ years is very fascinating. They started as a search engine and now have so many products that people use on daily basis. People do not refer to any other search engine.
Q: What’s the one gadget or tech you can’t live without?
A: My phone. I should be fine without it but that’s the gadget I use the most every day.
Q: Can you share a personal success story or a particularly memorable experience from your career? What made it special for you?
A: When I first started doing BA work, I was having knowledge transfer sessions. I did a few of my tasks the first week. My then manager, sent an email to the team expressing that I was learning quickly and doing well, that was quite memorable for me. That was the first proper recognition for my work felt good and special.
That also made me appreciate and recognize others’ work. I thought that if it made an impact on me, I should do that for others.
Q: Outside of work, what’s a hobby or activity you’re passionate about? How did you become involved in it and why is it important to you?
A: I love reading. I’ve been reading since I was 8. It takes me to a different world. I think I am interested in the mystery/ thriller genre most. I read a lot in my free time. It gives me internal peace and clears my mind.
I also love listening to music. It’s very therapeutic to me, calms me down and sometimes makes me want to dance.