In honor of Women’s History Month, we are bringing back our Women in Tech series, which celebrates women in STEM careers who are experienced leaders in the tech industry. Gender diversity in the technology workplace is still far behind other industries. At 3D Cloud™ by Marxent, we continue to advocate and support outstanding women who push the industry forward. So, grab yourself a coffee, pull up a chair, and meet —-

Jo Anne Brenzo.

Thank you for meeting with us, Jo Anne. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? What is your background and current role?

I started at Marxent as an intern while in my last semester of college. I spent my first eight years in project and account management roles and the last two in partner success.

What sparked your interest in working in the tech industry?

Starting at Marxent as an intern was by chance, but I’ve stayed here, in tech, because I love the exposure to the people I work with. There are so many different skill sets and backgrounds that come together here; it’s fascinating and fun. Watching people work through complicated things that have never been done before is really special.

What steps did you take to become the Director of Partner Success?

I worked really hard for eight years! After being involved with many accounts from start to go-live to maturity as a PM, I got a pretty intimate understanding of what makes a project successful (and not), which helped qualify me for the success role.

What has been your biggest challenge while being Director of Partner Success?

Remembering to implement repeatable processes or solutions vs. slipping into that scrappy, do-whatever-it-takes start-up mentality. Sometimes you miss parallels or patterns when you’re in the details of a project, but at this point, most of the issues we solve are not unique, and we have proven best practices that really do scale, even across industries.

What has been your biggest project while working in your role?

In my current role, defining an effective health criteria that can be scaled to all verticals and app types.

How do you differentiate yourself from others?

This isn’t unique at Marxent, but I try to avoid over-complicating things and be thoughtful about how I can help make others successful, whether it’s co-workers, clients, or our end-users.

What are your tips for thriving both personally and professionally?

Do what you say you’re going to do so your co-workers and clients trust you; even the little things matter when it comes to follow-through. Anticipate client needs before they do so they know you’re invested in their success. Spend time getting to know the people you work with.

Anticipate client needs before they do so they know you’re invested in their success. – Jo Anne Brenzo, Director of Partner Success

Looking at the hottest technology in retail right now, which one stands out to you and why?

3D room planning and automation. I loved planning my space when I was furniture shopping myself and still enjoy it now, especially when a client’s products are my style. Automation will be an exciting complement to room planning because I could rely on machine learning to make suggestions when my design know-how falls short, or I want more inspiration.

How can the broader community support women in tech?

I think bringing awareness to roles outside of engineering. Being ‘in tech’ can sound intimidating, like you’d need a math or science background. I got lucky and fell into this through an internship; I probably wouldn’t have sought out a ‘high-tech’ career.

What is your best leadership advice?

I think it’s important for leaders to make people feel trusted, safe to take risks, and be accessible. I’ve been fortunate to have leaders like this, which gives me the confidence to make decisions or ask for help when I need it.

 

Thank you for your time, Jo Anne. We appreciate the opportunity to hear your story and personal experiences.

Keep an eye out for the next Women in Tech feature, and if you would like to participate, shoot us a message on LinkedIn