Deanna Hirsch
Deanna Hirsch is a technology sales executive with 25 years of experience helping organizations navigate complex digital transformation across networking, cloud, collaboration, cybersecurity, and AI-driven platforms. She began her career after earning a degree in communications, stepping into an entry-level sales role in the technology space where she quickly built a strong foundation in understanding enterprise systems, from collaboration tools like unified communications platforms to engaging strategically with senior executives such as CIOs and CEOs. Early in her career, she progressed rapidly from inside sales to outside sales and became a senior representative within five years.
Over the course of a 16-year tenure with her first organization, Deanna advanced into sales leadership, managing teams within healthcare and life sciences and developing expertise in solution selling, forecasting, and large enterprise account strategy. She later joined Cisco, where she served as a senior consultant focused on modern networking and digital infrastructure. After returning to an individual contributor role, she continued to expand her impact across enterprise accounts, later joining Amazon Web Services, where she worked across broad customer segments before specializing in healthcare and life sciences. Today, she serves as a senior account manager at Presidio, where she was recruited for her deep industry expertise and proven ability to drive client outcomes in complex enterprise environments.
Throughout her career, Deanna has been a strong advocate for women in technology and mentorship in the industry. She has contributed to initiatives such as Girls in Tech and volunteered in programs bringing technology education to students in underserved communities. Her professional approach is grounded in listening, resilience, and solution-oriented partnership-building, with a strong belief in speaking up, adapting to change, and continuously learning. Now working as part of a diverse, collaborative team, she continues to focus on helping clients achieve meaningful transformation while also supporting the advancement of women in technical and leadership roles.
• AWS Generative AI Foundational Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Western Michigan University
Bachelor of Science (BS), Business/Corporate Communications
• The University of Queensland
Study Abroad
• Women in Tech Group at Cisco
• Girls in Tech
• Girls in Tech - volunteered for inner-city schools tech day
• Unite for Her - cancer community
• Living Beyond Breast Cancer
• Breast Cancer Awareness speaking at Amazon
• Speaking engagements on being a working mother
• Speaking at Cisco about being a working mom with a child with autism
• FDA patient advocacy - spoke at FDA meeting to approve a drug
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to having the drive and not being afraid to speak up and share my ideas where I feel they would be useful, instead of sitting back and listening to men talk over me. I will speak up and challenge people. I've learned to figure out a way to partner with people and not just delegate, but have a team atmosphere so I'm not the only one carrying the burden, not just at work but at home. I have people - a nanny, my husband, my parents, my sister and siblings. I feel like the only way I could survive right now is by building that support system. I've also learned to be solution-oriented - if someone says no to me, I try to understand the why and keep trying to forge through. I won't take no for an answer. A lot of people can't do that - they don't have that mindset, but it's so important. Sales is about networking, and I network throughout my entire life - with family, friends, and work - and it just kind of evolves to different things.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I would give - and what I've learned along the way - is to learn to listen early on. Honestly, that takes you so far. I always had a hard time listening and would interrupt, but sitting back and listening to my customers and listening to my family, and not going against the grain on certain decisions I've made in my life - listening is the biggest thing I could learn in both my career and personally. Communication in general is key - with my customers, with my family. The other big thing is not sweating the small stuff. Earlier on in my career, especially in sales, you get a lot of rejection. Having to learn how to cope with that rejection, pick yourself up off the floor, and move on - even in my cancer journey, having to just pick myself up and just keep moving. Those are the things that you don't learn in college, you don't learn in grade school. You pick that up. That's an innate thing that people learn, and some people don't learn that.