Her Story
About Athaliah
Athaliah McGee is a Scrum Master within a FinTech-focused technology delivery organization, where she guides teams building customer-facing digital retirement platforms that support family financial planning, budgeting, and debt management. Specializing in agile leadership, she has spent the last five years sharpening her ability to align cross-functional teams around enterprise priorities, translating high-level strategy into measurable outcomes for stakeholders and customers alike. Her decade of experience in financial services followed an earlier chapter in the fashion industry, where she worked as a visual merchandiser and category manager before transitioning into finance through customer service and operations roles at Fidelity — a shift that speaks to her broader career philosophy of embracing curiosity and growth over comfort.
Throughout her career, McGee has built a reputation for steady, values-driven leadership grounded in authenticity, transparency, and kindness, particularly when navigating difficult decisions that affect the people she works with. Her impact has been formally recognized through the Excellence in Action Award, given for her leadership of a six-month initiative that strengthened security features for more than six million customers. Beyond her core technical expertise in scrum delivery and stakeholder engagement, she brings a thoughtful, people-first approach to team coaching, helping colleagues connect their daily work to the broader customer impact it creates.
Outside of her professional responsibilities, McGee remains active in her community and industry circles. She is a member of Kahilla, a network dedicated to advancing gender and racial equity through coaching and mentorship, and she contributes her time to the Fort Worth Food and Wine Foundation and the Margarita Ball toy drive. A graduate of Northwood University with degrees in both business administration/marketing and fashion merchandising, McGee often credits her ability to move fluidly between the fashion and finance worlds as a defining thread in a career built on adaptability, relationship-building, and a continual willingness to grow.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Athaliah
01What do you attribute your success to?
I credit my success to the relationships I've built through networking, an ongoing sense of curiosity, and a willingness to pivot when opportunities call for it. The business acumen I developed in earlier leadership roles has also been instrumental in helping me navigate complex, cross-functional environments.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
A mentor once challenged me by asking why I was staying in my current group when I had the potential to make a greater impact elsewhere. That question stayed with me — it echoed my own earlier decision to leap from fashion into finance, and it taught me that once you become too comfortable, it's time to push yourself further and follow your curiosity to the next stage of growth. Don't just settle.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I'd tell them not to buy into the idea that this is a "boys' club" — if anyone says that, laugh it off. Major firms today have women represented in the C-suite, and you belong in the room for a reason. Lean into that, and put in the work.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The wave of layoffs as companies redirect resources toward AI and other priorities is one of the most significant shifts happening in the industry right now. While that transition can feel overwhelming, it also calls for adaptability — staying grounded in your personal values, leaning on your professional network for support, and staying open to finding new roles or fulfillment outside of work.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Authenticity and transparency go hand in hand for me, and I hold both close alongside kindness. When difficult decisions affect people who've poured their heart into their work, I believe there's always a humane way to honor that effort while still leading firmly and with empathy in the direction that's needed.
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