Lisa Brown

I attribute my success to being empowered early in my career by a gentleman who brought me on as a contractor when he was building a new company. When he asked me what I would request as pay, I quoted something lower than the other candidates, who were all men. He told me, 'Young lady, don't prostitute yourself. All of these guys came in here and they wanted XYZ, and you're asking for this. No, I'm gonna give you this.' That was my story of how I became empowered to say that I am just as good as the guys. That gave me the confidence to continue to stay in the business, tread the industry, learn as much as I can, and build my knowledge as well as my skills. It grew into a career, and it's still going. I'm a lifelong learner - I keep up with technology and stay involved because we must be involved in technology. The more that I stay involved, the more that I learn. I'm passionate about humanity, education, and passing it forward. I'm in this to excel humanity and human continuity, to move them forward and not leave them behind.

The best career advice I ever received came from a gentleman who brought me on as a contractor when I was bidding on a project. He told me I stood out because I was a little lady with all this knowledge about technology, which was very rare to see a woman have that type of knowledge and even want to be a part of technology. When he asked me what I would request as pay, and I quoted something lower than the other men who had come in, he said, 'Young lady, don't prostitute yourself. All of these guys came in here and they wanted XYZ, and you're asking for this. No, I'm gonna give you this.' That advice empowered me to know my worth and understand that I am just as good as the guys. It gave me the confidence to continue to stay in the business, tread the industry, and learn as much as I can, building my knowledge as well as my skills.

What I would say to another woman entering this industry is, one, know your worth. And two, don't underestimate the value of your perspective. Many times as women, we are most likely overpowered by the men in the room, and sometimes when they speak, they make it seem like we are not relevant. But we bring so much more to the table because women are very relevant, and believe it or not, we're more powerful than we give ourselves credit for. Some of the strongest innovation comes from people who can connect systems and people and operations and real-world consequences together. I tell women to be empowered, know their worth, and understand the value of their strength, and always be resilient.

The biggest challenge in my field right now is that it's male dominated. As women in technology, we are often overpowered by the men in the room, and sometimes when they speak, they make it seem like we are not relevant. But the reality is that women bring so much more to the table and are more powerful than we give ourselves credit for. Beyond the gender dynamics, I see that most industries are in a growth spurt or rapid expansion for profit, but I'm in it to excel humanity and human continuity, to move people forward and not leave them behind. The challenge with AI specifically is that it's a technology very different from what we've been transforming through because it has a rapid speed that once it's in a workflow, it can create huge problems, huge risk, and huge liabilities. We're seeing this across industries with lawsuits and insurance companies tightening their regulations and requirements.

The values most important to me in my work and personal life are humanity, education, and passing it forward. I'm passionate about humanity - that's what it really comes down to. I'm passionate about education and about making sure we move people forward and not leave them behind. Most industries are in rapid expansion for profit, but I'm in it to excel humanity and human continuity. My passion is to stabilize organizations and help them navigate AI technology responsibly. I'm a forever teacher, learner, and mentor because you can't teach if you can't learn, and being a mentor to young people who look up to you or are excited about what you're doing and the things you're bringing to the community is part of the human connection to me. I live a holistic lifestyle, and my grandchildren really inspire me to do the things I do - the crafts, the business planning - to make a way for their future.