Meet Deana Solis

What called you to volunteer with PDXWIT? 

I’ve spent most of my career as an only woman or only Asian on my team, but while I had been aware of that condition, it rarely felt like a source of pain. More commonly, my general social anxiety and introversion were amplified when I surrounded myself with people who looked like me. I struggled with the sense that true belonging was a luxury. I calibrated my thinking to accept that I could achieve it only to the extent I was willing to work hard and erase parts of myself. 

When I registered to attend my first PDXWIT happy hour event I was leaning into the discomfort of networking. What I found when I arrived was a welcoming community of exceptional people who shared purpose. Volunteering would be my way to stay connected and live in that purpose while relieving myself from the requirement of small talk. 

What is your day job and/or another passion of yours (besides PDXWIT)? 

As a Cloud FinOps Engineer by day, I build a practice of making cloud cost visible and optimizing infrastructure investments. It’s a role that simultaneously draws from skills in technology finance management, cloud architecture and governance. I am an active member of the FinOps Foundation community and contribute to the body of knowledge in this evolving field. 

What has been your favorite PDXWIT project, initiative, or event you have participated in as a volunteer? Why?

I count too many meaningful events to name a favorite but it started with this. Before I joined as a PDXWIT volunteer, I participated in its mentorship program. I signed up both as a mentor and a mentee. While I didn’t find a match with a mentor, I learned more in the interactions with mentees about my own leadership style and connection to purpose than I ever expected to gain from having a mentor. When I signed up as a volunteer I knew I wanted to help make this program sustainable as it scales. 

What is something people may not know or expect about you?

I have a 50cc orange Vespa and that makes me feel like I'm on vacation every time I ride it around my neighborhood.