Her Story
About Hanna
I started my professional journey with a BA in Spanish Education, but my career took me in a different direction. I worked as a general manager at a cupcake shop in Iowa right out of college, where I learned invaluable leadership skills from an incredible female owner who invested in her young leaders. After realizing small-town Iowa was too limiting, I moved to Kansas City and fell in love with the coffee industry, spending about five years working my way up to general manager positions at some of the city's most well-known coffee shops. I became deeply passionate about the art of coffee roasting and building community with regulars. After 17 years in the service industry, including roles managing restaurants, I made a pivotal transition to tech when NoTraffic, an Israeli startup, landed in my lap. I didn't think I was qualified and wasn't sure I could sit still for eight hours a day, but this past year has been the happiest of my career. As office manager, I've discovered the role is so much more than I expected. I support HR, operations, onboarding, and have taken ownership of complex processes like RMA management with mentorship from our VP of Supply Chain. I recently helped plan our annual company meeting in Scottsdale, which received the most positive reviews in the event's history. Every day I'm learning from some of the smartest engineers and growing in ways I never imagined, all while contributing to a mission that's literally saving lives and keeping people safe on the roads.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Hanna
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Believe in yourself. Find your voice and use it. Don't be afraid to use it. I'm a big fake-it-till-you-make-it kind of person. Get yourself a seat at the table, make sure that you are seen and heard and know that you have value, no matter what it is. Women in tech are severely underrated and there's not enough of us. I think women are afraid to get into tech because they don't feel like their voices are going to be heard. We're always seen as the caretakers and less of the engineer minds, but we need to show that we're out there, we're just as capable and competent, and our brains can work in similar ways. We have all the skills we need.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Women in tech are severely underrated. There's not enough of us. Even in our company, we have maybe only 30% women. Women are afraid to get into tech because they don't feel like their voices are going to be heard. We're always seen as the caretakers and less of the engineer minds. The challenge is being able to show that women are out there, we're just as capable and competent, and our brains can work in similar ways. We need to let people know that we have all the skills we need. As a woman specifically, I think it's important to be seen as a capable, competent person and to have our voices heard at the table.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
At my true core, I feel like servant leadership is where I come from. I'm very much a 'let's link arms, let's get this done together' type of person. I'm never going to just sit back and dictate. I'm always on the ground working with people. I have a find-a-way mentality where I love to take any task on, carry it on my back, and just figure things out. I love being someone's first point of contact for any questions they may have, understanding how it feels to be the new person or someone who's not as familiar with everything. I think supporting people, helping communication, and bridging gaps where I see them is really important to me.
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