Her Story
About Caroline
As a Senior Account Manager at CIS (Center for Internet Security), I work cross-functionally internally and externally with product managers and customers who are in engineering teams building products, making sure that they're secure and up to industry standards. That can look anything like HIPAA, PCI, NIST, DISA, any kind of cybersecurity safety standard. They're the ones building tools such as Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Tenable, Nessus, anything you can think of that's like a co-pilot or AI - they're all built based on the security frameworks that our organization writes and distributes. We essentially go to Capitol Hill, they make laws, they make the standards that are like HIPAA or DISA STIGS, and then they build tools and programs based on those frameworks. The biggest challenge in my field is simply just keeping up with industry standards, because they're constantly changing, and technology is constantly changing.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Caroline
01What do you attribute your success to?
I have to say that it's probably my mom giving me and teaching me the ability to advocate for myself and trying to build resilience. I don't think I could have done that without her teaching me how to advocate for myself.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received was that your work-life balance is the most important thing out of anything else. Jobs will come and go, but your family, family is not replaceable.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say, be open-minded for diverse roles, because you don't know until you try. Be open to those new experiences. You might find something you love, and if you find something that you don't like, then you know that you can take that off your list and keep going. Because you can always change and adapt, and that's how we grow. And you certainly can change fields any step of the way. I've certainly done it. Although I've found my niche area now, and I do love it, you know, I'm not afraid to pivot when and if the opportunity opens.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say the biggest challenge is simply just keeping up with industry standards, because they're constantly changing, and technology is constantly changing.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say integrity is the first one for me - being honest and reliable, even when no one is watching. It helps build that trust, and you can truly feel proud of who you are. And then I would say respect and empathy. So, respecting yourself, setting those boundaries, and treating people with dignity, and expecting it in return. But having the empathy - that's gonna be understanding how other people feel and responding with care. It strengthens the relationships. Communication is a lot healthier and more productive when everyone in the room has empathy.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Indiana
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.