Candice Zelaya

I attribute my success to a lesson my grandfather shared with me at a young age: if you say you're going to do something, you have to do it - you have to follow through. That principle has carried through both at home with my family and at work, where people know they can count on me to deliver on what I promise. I've built my reputation on integrity, work ethic, honesty, and accountability, and these values have been the foundation of everything I do. My mentors have also made a tremendous difference along the way, pouring into my cup so I can pour into others. They gave me the confidence to use my voice and express myself, especially when I walked into rooms as the only woman there. They encouraged me to recognize that I bring value and that people are interested in what I have to say, particularly because I am the only woman in the room - people want to know how I got there and what I bring to the table. Despite the challenges of working in a male-dominated industry with limited female representation in leadership, I've remained determined, kept raising my hand, tapping on shoulders, and proving I'm capable. This mindset and dedication led to me being recognized in 2025 as one of the Top 100 Women in Security Technology by the Security Industry Association, standing shoulder to shoulder with C-suite women from companies like Microsoft, Google, and Apple - which is the feather in my cap and my highest career achievement.

The best career advice I've received from my mentors is that I have a voice here and I should use it. They told me that people are interested in what I have to say, and because I'm often the only woman in the room, people actually gravitate to that - they want to know how I got there and what I bring to the table. My mentors encouraged me to recognize my value and gave me the confidence to express myself and speak up, even in male-dominated environments.

My advice to young women entering this industry is to learn what you're doing and pay attention. Do your job with intent and purpose. Now is the time to make mistakes - if you get something wrong, that's okay, find out what's right and learn from it. I encourage young women to push for confidence, especially when they're surrounded by men who are technicians and have been doing this a really long time and might be grumpy or set in their old ways. Push to be better, say how you feel, be open to feedback, and if you have questions or you're not sure about something, let's talk about it. The best part of my journey is being able to mentor young women, because I didn't have that person along the way to guide me or hold their hand out for me. I tell the young project coordinators I work with to do their work with intent, learn from their mistakes, and build their confidence. I also show my daughters everything I've achieved, and they know I'm the only woman around doing it - they share my wins with me, and they can see that women can accomplish anything.

I think the biggest challenge in the security technology industry right now is that there needs to be more empowerment and encouragement for women leaders. The industry needs to promote women who want to be in senior leadership and executive roles, because that's where there's a huge market gap. If you have a woman with all the same credentials as someone else and you hire a man from the outside instead, it puts a damper on everything - not just for that one person, but for all the people coming up behind her. The challenge is to see the talent even when it's a woman, give her a try, and get more women into executive leadership roles, especially in a male-dominated industry like ours. While progress is being made, thanks to organizations that are bringing light to this gap by talking about it, publishing it, and bringing awareness, we still have work to do. But I feel like we're here now, we have momentum, and we're ready to be represented.

The values most important to me that carry over into both my career and personal life are integrity, work ethic, honesty, and accountability. Being a person of my word is something I've always carried with me - if I tell you something and give you my word, whether it's at home with my family or at work, I'm going to follow through with that and make sure it gets done. My grandfather always told me that if you say you're going to do something, you have to do it and follow through. I've taught my kids to have integrity and character, and I think it's equally important at work where people know they can count on me - if I say I'm going to support them or deliver something, they know they can expect that from me. At the core of everything I do is my family, which serves as my greatest source of motivation. I'm intentional about instilling these values in my children, and it's especially important to me that my daughters have a front-row seat to see that women can accomplish anything. They share my wins with me and see me as the only woman around doing what I do. My life is all about my family - we're really close, and I try hard to keep us connected by celebrating birthdays together and doing things inclusively as a family. That's what centers me and grounds me.