We’re closing out 2019’s Featured Members with a fanfare! Read on to learn more about December’s Featured Member, Emma Holland, and see why her leadership team has deemed her “the people’s champion.”
Meet Emma Holland
How did you learn about PDXWIT and what keeps you coming back?
In 2014-ish, I had just started my first role in tech at OpenSesame as their “Office Wrangler.” I was training under folks in their Partnerships, Sales, Community Management, and Content departments to work on operations projects (that startup life). The incomparable Sarah Nanbu suggested a PDXWIT Happy Hour and I signed up! It’s been happily ever after ever since.
Can you give us some background on your career in tech? Did you intend this career path?
I never considered a career in tech and now I’m a product operations manager that specializes in Agile methods. My “Office Wrangler” role was supposed to be temporary while I healed from an injury in my primary field: performing arts. I still perform professionally in Portland, but the tech community caught me and I became enamored with people’s authenticity.
I had an internal referral to OpenSesame, which I now understand goes a long way in this town! As they were an eLearning-focused SaaS company, I began learning whatever I could to “upskill” into my current role. I was recruited away from OpenSesame to work in corporate “community,” then hired later at a startup to launch a new company presence in Portland. Thinkful was small at the time and had a lot of focus on employee professional development which allowed me to have peer mentors and leaders train me in product. Today, my official title at Thinkful is “Synchronous Programs Operations Manager” — this is a Product role on our Education Operations team that works to scale the way our product runs, to best aide our clients, educators, and support team.
The people of Portland are who supported me to become who I am today — and regardless of what company I work for, I always look to be engaged to give back to that community.
What is a passion or activity you pursue with dedication?
As a proudly queer woman, I serve on the leadership team of Out in Tech, a national nonprofit based in New York, and create opportunity for event partnership in Portland. I'm also an event co-leader for PDXWIT’s quarterly Diversity Dinner. This round table discussion brings into question spaces where non-homogenous identities are at risk, shares perspective without fear of retaliation, and provides resources to implement new people-centric practices in your workplace. I staunchly believe that no one should have to modify themselves or assimilate into modern, able-bodied, cis-hetero, androcentric, white-privileged eurocentrism and late stage capitalism in order to get a wage!
I care fiercely about organizational equity and inclusion in the workplace and for product users. About to launch new branding? I’m the person who raises their hand in the all-hands meeting to ask if the colors are in accessible ratios. I have no problems with the hard questions, such as (during an acquisition) "What actionable practices will the new parent company take to address diversity, equity, and inclusion respectively each business quarter?" If a large company can't provide the data that they'll use to promote pay equity or their plans in the case of identity-based disparity in wages, I'll research and provide data fueled arguments for change. The Head of People Operations at my current job once told me that I am a “people’s champion” — and I can think of no higher honor.