Traci Terranova
Traci Terranova is a legal operations and project management leader based in the New York City metropolitan area, currently serving as a Senior Project Manager at Cognizant Technology Solutions. In her current role, she works as a consultant embedded with Johnson & Johnson’s global legal organization, where she supports enterprise legal transformation initiatives, including the implementation of the Litify platform to improve matter and spend management. Her work focuses on aligning legal, technical, and operational functions to drive efficiency, process improvement, and scalable system adoption across complex global environments.
Traci brings more than 20 years of experience across law firms, pharmaceuticals, and corporate legal operations. She began her career in litigation and mass tort at firms including Dentons and other boutique practices before transitioning in-house to Merck, where she supported the animal health legal team. Over more than a decade at Merck, she advanced through multiple leadership roles, ultimately serving as Director of Legal Operations. Her tenure included leading major enterprise initiatives such as a global SAP Ariba deployment during the COVID-19 pandemic, managing cross-regional teams across North America and Latin America, and overseeing legal process improvements, contract management systems, and pro bono program operations.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish from Villanova University, where she was involved in student government and international study programs. She is also completing an Executive MBA at Fairleigh Dickinson University and has been selected for Wharton Executive Education’s Chief Technology Officer Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Throughout her career, Traci has been recognized for her leadership in legal transformation, including receiving a Merck Circle of Excellence award, and is known for her expertise in legal operations strategy, enterprise system deployment, supplier management, and large-scale process improvement initiatives.
• Villanova University - BA
• Merck Circle of Excellence Award
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to strong mentorship, including guidance from Alan Harburg and other female mentors, along with my technical expertise and commitment to hard work on large-scale projects. I’ve also benefited from strong partnerships with organizations like Ernst & Young and SAP, as well as effective team leadership.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve received was from a mentor who suggested pursuing a graduate degree while my children were still in kindergarten, so I could continue advancing my career without long-term interruption.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering my industry is to maintain interests and activities outside of work to build confidence and avoid burnout. It’s also important to develop strong technical skills and fully understand the systems you work with. Finally, I encourage actively seeking out and offering allyship with other women to foster support and growth.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in my field include burnout, ongoing corporate restructuring and hiring freezes, and the complexity of breaking into legal operations. At the same time, there are strong opportunities for those who develop deep technical expertise and are able to lead enterprise-level deployments and strategic partnerships.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are allyship for women, strong teamwork, technical competence, and resilience. I also place a high priority on maintaining balance through self-care and engaging in interests outside of work.
Locations
Cognizant Technology Solutions
Madison, NJ 07940