Influential Woman · Technology
Dona Maria Jose
Senior Software Engineer, ClickUp
Dallas, TX 75126
Her Story
About Dona Maria
Dona Maria Jose is a Senior Software Engineer with 10 years of experience in backend and full-stack development, specializing in scalable backend architecture, API design, and building high-impact, customer-facing products. Her career has spanned continents and leading technology organizations, reflecting a strong foundation in both enterprise systems and fast-moving product environments. She holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from The University of Texas at Arlington and began her journey with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science in India, where she also gained early industry experience before moving to the United States to further her education and expand her global perspective. Throughout her career, Dona has worked across fintech, enterprise platforms, and consumer-facing products at companies including Visa, Microsoft, Dropbox, Slack, and ClickUp. Her path has been shaped by intentional transitions—moving from fintech at Visa to product innovation at Microsoft, where she gained end-to-end ownership experience building solutions from the ground up. She later joined Dropbox to focus on customer-facing product development, contributing significantly to early-stage development efforts on Dropbox Replay across both backend and frontend systems. At Slack, she deepened her expertise in backend systems and real-time architecture, and she now thrives at ClickUp as a Senior Backend Engineer, working in a fast-paced startup-like environment focused on scalable APIs and core product infrastructure. Beyond her engineering work, Dona is a passionate community leader, mentor, and advocate for women in technology. She is the creator of Show Your Worth Circles, a cohort-based leadership development program inspired by her mentor’s book, designed to help women build confidence, articulate their value, and grow intentionally in their careers. The program runs in small, high-impact cohorts of 6–7 participants over 10 weeks and has expanded internationally after a successful pilot, including cohorts in cities across the United States as well as globally in regions such as Africa and Bangalore. In addition, she actively contributes to organizations like AnitaB.org and serves as a Google Women Techmakers Ambassador, dedicating her time to mentorship, leadership development, and creating inclusive spaces for women in tech to thrive.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Dona Maria
01What do you attribute your success to?
I’d attribute my success to a combination of consistent hard work and dedication, along with the strong support system around me. My family, my husband, my mentors—and even my mentees—have all played an important role in my journey. It’s truly been a collective effort, and that support has been essential in helping me achieve what I have in my career.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to speak up a lot. Earlier in my career, there were times when I had ideas and I just kept quiet, thinking maybe it's a dumb idea, it's not worth anything. And then minutes later, somebody would say the same idea and they'd get applauded for it. When I told my mentor about this, she told me that I have to speak up, whatever the small idea it is, just speak it out. That's something I always tell my mentees as well. Trust your gut and just blurt it out. Maybe it is dumb, maybe it's not, but 90% of the time, it's a great idea when you have it. It's just that you self-doubt yourself. So try to get rid of that self-doubt mentality, and you could go a long way in your career with that.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
One thing I always emphasize to my mentees and friends is to start networking early. It’s not something to think about only when you need help or reach a certain stage in your career—it’s something you should build from the very beginning, even as a student. Networking has played a huge role in both my personal and professional growth.
At the same time, I encourage people to shift their mindset. When you meet someone, don’t just think about what you can gain from them—also consider what you can offer. Meaningful relationships are built on mutual value. When you focus on contributing and supporting others, you naturally gain a lot in return.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
One thing that’s very important to me is being dedicated to whatever you take on and staying committed to your commitments. If you’ve said you’ll do something, make sure you follow through. Of course, things can come up—that’s completely understandable—but it’s important to communicate clearly if there’s a delay or a change. Being transparent and staying true to your commitments is something I deeply value.
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