Vanessa Abernethy
Vanessa Abernethy is an enterprise cybersecurity sales professional whose journey reflects resilience, determination, and a deep commitment to personal growth. Originally from Venezuela, she immigrated to the United States more than twenty-five years ago and chose to dedicate her early adult years to raising her daughter before beginning her professional career. Entering the workforce later than many of her peers, she started in higher education admissions and business-to-consumer sales while continuing her own studies in psychology. As a Black Latina woman navigating the technology industry as an immigrant and English-as-a-second-language professional, Vanessa faced significant cultural and professional barriers, yet remained focused on building a meaningful career through persistence, continuous learning, and a strong work ethic. Today, Vanessa is a respected leader in enterprise cybersecurity sales based in Salt Lake City, Utah, recently stepping into an Enterprise Account Executive role with SHI International following more than three years with Red Canary, a Zscaler company. Throughout her career, she has earned recognition for her strategic relationship-building skills, customer-focused approach, and ability to connect organizations with technology solutions that strengthen and protect their environments from evolving cyber threats. Her experience includes positions with NICE, LiveVox, and Strayer University, where she consistently demonstrated leadership, exceeded performance goals, and developed a reputation for delivering exceptional service and trusted guidance to enterprise and global clients. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Vanessa is passionate about representation, mentorship, and encouraging others to pursue opportunities despite obstacles or limited access to networks and resources. Vanessa previously served with the Black in Tech Leadership Committee at LiveVox and remains committed to creating space for women, immigrants, and people of color within the technology industry. Recognized as one of Utah’s Influential Women for 2026, she continues to inspire others through her example of perseverance, kindness, and dedication to helping both clients and communities thrive.
• Capella University
Bachelor’s Degree , PSYCHOLOGY
• Salt Lake Community College
Associate of Arts - AA, PSYCHOLOGY
• Women in Tech (LinkedIn group)
• Latina Women in Tech (LinkedIn group)
• Zumba Instructor for Community Health and Wellness
• Children's Service Society
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to, first and foremost, my mindset. If you don't have the mindset that you want to be better and be successful and win at what you do, then nothing else is really going to matter. It's not about doing things because I have to - like because of my daughter or my family back home - that's not who I am. Honestly, I feel it's just mindset. If you have the right mindset, people are going to come to you, they're going to gravitate towards you, and they're going to want to help you and want you to succeed. I feel like it's a combination of everything - it's who you are, where your mind is at, and who you know. And who you want to help as well. Just pay it forward. If I have someone helping me, I want to help somebody else. That's how I live my life - just be kind to others and be kind to yourself, and continue to learn. That way, when that opportunity presents itself, you know you're ready, instead of just trying to get ready and then you fail because that's not where your mind is at. If you want your life to be better, then work at it every day. That's what I feel - that I am where I am today because I changed my mindset, and I started learning, and I started preparing myself every day, and trying to believe in myself, and networking, and just doing everything the right way. So when that opportunity presented, which it did, then I was ready.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is: don't take anything personal. Put your head down and work on yourself, learn your role at work, and be kind to others. Don't gossip, and remember that work ethic is everything - you're getting paid to do a job. Working remotely has been the best thing ever because you're not distracted by everyone talking and getting pulled into drama. The advice was to not wait for everybody to tell me what to do - just be proactive, be driven, and learn on your own. If you don't know what you're supposed to do, ask questions. Be honest with your time at work and be kind to your coworkers and customers. This has been the greatest thing for me because it creates a really peaceful and positive environment around work when you're not distracted or getting into dramas. You don't want to be hating your life just because you don't enjoy work or your coworkers. That advice really helped me.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Being kind to others and paying it forward are core values for me. If I have someone helping me, I want to help somebody else - that's how I live my life. I believe in being kind to yourself and continuing to learn. In my work, I focus on providing exceptional customer service and quality care, being there for my clients for anything they need. I want to provide that high level of comfort that not a lot of vendors will do. Health and wellness are also very important to me personally - I was a Zumba instructor for 15 years, something I did for the community because I've always loved health and wellness. I still do weightlifting every day and occasional hiking. I also care deeply about children and quality childcare - I worked for Children's Service Society, a nonprofit focused on making sure children are safe and have quality care while parents are at work. That's something I'm very passionate about.