Making Bold Decisions and Taking Risks in Your Career — The Journeys of 3 Women Leaders

Annie is a VP of Engineering at Waymo, an autonomous driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they are going. Prior to Waymo, Annie was a VP of Engineering at Nauto, an AI powered automotive data platform that is improving the safety of commercial fleets today and the autonomous fleets of tomorrow. Before Nauto, Annie was VP of engineering at Yahoo responsible for the multi billion dollar Web Search and Search Advertising business. Annie has a CS BA degree from Berkeley and MS degree from CMU.

As CTO of Getlabs, Claire leads product, design, and engineering bringing over 25 years of experience as a technology leader. She has helped over a dozen companies grow and scale to deliver impact-driving products and services, including Carbon Health, Udemy, Netscape, Napster, and Nextag. Claire was named in the Forbes CIO Next List in 2022, recognizing 50 top tech leaders who help shape the future of business and drive game-changing innovation. She is a Limited Partner at Operative Collective.

Claire lives in Palo Alto with her husband and two children, and their family dog. If you walk with Claire anywhere, be prepared to stop for babies and dogs. She loves making conversations with them!

Lisa Gelobter is the CEO and Founder of tEQuitable. Using technology to make workplaces more equitable, tEQuitable provides a confidential platform to address bias, discrimination, and harassment.

Lisa has worked on products that have been used by billions of people and pioneered several Internet technologies, including Shockwave, Hulu, and the ascent of online video.

Previously, at the Obama White House, Lisa was the Chief Digital Service Officer for the Department of Education, and prior to that she served as the Chief Digital Officer for BET Networks at Viacom.

Lisa has been named one of Inc.'s 100 Women Building America's Most Innovative and Ambitious Businesses, Fast Company’s Most Creative People, and serves on boards for: the Obama Foundation, Times Up, and The Education Trust.

Lisa is one of the first 40 Black women ever to have raised over $1mm in VC funding. She is also proud to be a Black woman with a Computer Science degree. Go STEM!

Arezoo Riahi is the first dedicated Head of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity (EID) at Waymo, an autonomous driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they’re going.

In her role, Arezoo is responsible for driving and executing a holistic EID strategy, helping Waymo continue recruiting, hiring and championing diversity. As a subject matter expert, Arezoo works closely with the executive team to build Waymo as a company where everyone belongs.

Prior to Waymo, Arezoo led the diversity and belonging programs at Autodesk, where she evolved employee resource groups, designed inclusive hiring training, and launched global mentorship programming. She was also responsible for developing Autodesk’s diversity analytics, launching the company's diversity dashboard to understand trends and hot spots, and leading diversity communications. Prior to Autodesk, Arezoo also held roles in the nonprofit sector, notably serving as Director of TechWomen, an initiative providing professional development to women across the globe, and working with the U.S. Department of State.

Arezoo holds a Masters in Public Policy from The University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from The George Washington University.