Lexi Paynter

A big part of it is just hard work. I put in long hours, I study outside of work, and I'm constantly learning. I am competitive by nature, and I want to be the best at what I do. There's also something to be said for being a woman sitting in a room full of mostly men. That drives me too in a really positive way. I want to take up space, I want to be heard, and I want to show up in a way that makes it easier for the women coming up behind me. I also have an incredibly supportive wife who is truly my champion. She pushes me when I need it and listens to me when things get difficult. That kind of support at home makes everything else possible.

Honestly, just go for it. That's the best advice I've ever received, and it came from a mentor at a point where I really needed to hear it. I came from a music background, so as I started moving my way up in IT, I had major imposter syndrome. I felt like I needed to check every box before I could even raise my hand. And I think that's something a lot of women relate to. We hold ourselves back waiting to be ready, while others just go for it regardless. My mentor called that out directly. She reminded me that you don't have to meet every requirement to be the right person for something, you just have to be willing to put yourself out there and bet on yourself. That stuck with me. It's shaped how I approach opportunities now, and how I lead.

I would tell them to get involved with local women's organizations that are championing and working to provide opportunities for women. These are really great places to meet like-minded people, and you're going to need your people as you navigate this world, right? So I think it's really important to create a really strong foundation in these organizations.

The biggest challenge in operational spaces like the ones I lead is the human side of AI adoption. As work becomes more agent-driven, there's a real and valid concern about what that means for people's roles. I don't shy away from that. I tackle it head-on. The way I see it, that responsibility falls on leaders like me: making sure my team has the skills and training to move into what the next wave actually looks like. Whether that's managing and governing the agents themselves, or transitioning into more engineering-focused roles, I want to be the kind of leader who brings people with me through this change, not one who leaves them behind it. And honestly, that's where I see the opportunity too. The leaders and teams who get ahead of this, who treat AI enablement as a people strategy, not just a technology strategy, are going to have a serious competitive advantage. We're at this inflection point where IT Operations is becoming less about keeping the lights on and more about actively building the systems that run the business. That's an exciting place to be, if you're willing to lean into it.

At my core, I really care about creating environments where people feel supported and have room to grow. I'm passionate about championing women and diversity in IT, and for me that looks like opening doors, advocating for people, and making sure the right voices are in the room. Especially right now with everything shifting toward AI, I feel a real responsibility to make sure modernization doesn't come at the expense of the people doing the work. Reskilling, creating pathways, making sure people aren't just left behind. I genuinely believe layoffs shouldn't be the default outcome of innovation.

And on a personal level, I'm passionate about mentorship and about taking up space as a woman. It's a big part of why I started Northshore Women in Business. I believe the right community can completely change someone's life, and that's what I want to help facilitate.