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Meet 4 of the Women of DOMA

For International Women's Day we would like to introduce you to some of the women of DOMA

March 05, 2020

DOMA is proud to have so many women within the DOMA family. They inhabit roles at every level and within every department. From entry level technical positions to leadership roles in cybersecurity and everything in between, women make a huge impact at DOMA. The variety of skills and perspectives they bring to our team are invaluable in our success. 

International Women’s Day is right around the corner on March 8th and with that in mind, DOMA would like to honor the day by introducing you to 4 of the women at DOMA. They will share a little about their careers and offer some honest advice about the challenges that women face when pursuing a career. 

About Sequoyah Van

Sequoyah is one of our PMR Program Supervisors. The PMR Program makes an impact on veterans’ lives by expediting medical claims outreach for the Veterans Administration (VA). In her role as a supervisor she serves as the first point of contact for CSR leads and staff when questions arise on business procedures, unique scenarios or other business process issues. Additionally, she handles day-to-day planning, operations, and team performance. Consequentially, her job requires her to be incredibly hands-on in helping her team deliver quality service under tight deadlines. If that weren’t enough, she also on our DOMA Gives culture committee and has been integral in coordinating employee-led volunteering and fundraising efforts. 

Sequoyah Van

Sequoyah Van

PMR SUPERVISOR

What made you want to work in the field that you are in today?

 

I wanted to become more knowledgeable. I wanted to be able to directly influence corporate goals and the growth of the company. I thought joining the management team would help my ideas and voice be heard and I could be the voice for others as well.

What is the part of your job that you find the most fulfilling?

The ability to directly influence and help others. I find the most fulfillment in helping others whether it’s a process/work-related task, advice, aiding in their growth, a simple laugh when someone looks down, A “Hello” with a smile or just lending an ear. It gives me a sense of achievement to know that I made someone better, their day better or their work-life better, no matter how big or small.

What advice would you give a woman looking to enter your field?

Master emotional intelligence. Situational Leadership is important, take time to learn each team member. Communicate clearly & be transparent. Listen more than you speak. Be confident and fair. Work hard! Never stop learning. Do not fear failure but be terrified of regret.

Who is the woman you look up to the most?

MICHELLE OBAMA! Do I really need to say why?

She is inspiring! The way she stands in support of her husband, supports women’s choices, her elegance, and her BRAINS. She’s an advocate for healthy living and fitness. Most importantly, She proves that no matter how influential your husband is, you can still SHINE and not live in his shadow.

What challenges do you think women still have in the workplace today?

Although I haven’t experienced this personally. I think women are promoted less often than men in the workplace although they may have the same skills as their male coworkers.

Sequoyah Van

PMR Supervisor

About Lisa Escobar

DOMA’s Systems Support Technician Lisa is making a daily difference in how smoothly DOMA runs. DOMA has built an unparalleled development team focused on cloud application development delivering all aspects of the requirement gathering, design, development, testing, and deployment. Lisa’s role focuses on problem solving – she is responsible for quickly solving hardware and software issues for both internal staff and external customers. Her agility and exceptional problem solving skills are key in meeting customer expectations and delivering high quality and consistent outcomes. 

What made you want to work in the field that you are in today?

 

I have always had a passion for technology since I was young and I enjoyed the challenge of fixing things.

What is the part of your job that you find the most fulfilling?

When I am able to fix someone’s issue and seeing their reaction of happiness/gratitude.

What advice would you give a woman looking to enter your field?

Always continue to learn new things and don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.

Who is the woman you look up to the most?

My mother. She has worked so hard to give me the life I have today and no matter what obstacles she faced, she always found a way to make it work.

What challenges do you think women still have in the workplace today?

I feel that finding a good work-life balance is still a challenge for women today.

Lisa Escobar

Systems Support Technician

Lisa Escobar

Lisa Escobar

SYSTEMS SUPPORT TECHNICIAN

About Marti Jones

DOMA’s Compliance Analyst Marti helps keep our team in line with all the Security and Compliance challenges a growing business faces. She is key to our ability to successfully bid contracts, protect customer financial and personal information, and build trust with our customers. Without her vigilance, DOMA could be at risk – from both regulatory fines and lawsuits regarding information compliance. Her eye for detail and strength in championing regulatory compliance have helped DOMA build a great reputation for integrity. She expresses this value in everything she does, including serving on the DOMA Driven committee where she supports our Employee of the Quarter and Impact Award programs. 

Marti Jones Compliance Analyst

Marti Jones

CISA Compliance Analyst & Privacy Officer

What made you want to work in the field that you are in today?

 

I did not know that I wanted to go into Information Technology Compliance / Analyst work until a friend, who was the head of HR for Monarch Bank, contacted me and said they were looking for an Information Security Analyst (ISA) for the IT department. My business career had been in accounting, human resources, internal auditing, and bank security, so the idea of making this leap was exciting and intimidating. Shortly after I started at Monarch, my manager asked me if I would be interested in taking his spot in a week-long Certified Information Security Management (CISM) training class. I LOVED the class and was hooked on information security. I lost my job when Monarch was bought out by Towne Bank which turned out to be a good thing as it allowed me to come to work at DOMA as the IT Compliance Analyst.

What is the part of your job that you find the most fulfilling?

It’s fulfilling when I study a new regulatory rule (or an update to an existing rule) and get to help ensure that DOMA is compliant with relevant laws, policies, and regulations. (Yes I’m a geek,  and have been since before geeks were considered cool!) DOMA is required to be compliant with several regulatory laws and IT standards so I have to be knowledgeable about HIPAA, HITECH, PCI-DSS, NIST SP800-53r4, NIST SP800-171, GDPR, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 9001-2015, CCPA, and soon DoD’s CMMC. (I know, a lot of acronyms, I’m showing off 😊)

What advice would you give a woman looking to enter your field?

You have to be thick-skinned, to not take push back to implementing rules and standards personally. You also have to find a way to be sensitive to the business manager’s need to get work done and balance that with protecting the company from regulatory non-compliance which can lead to fines and penalties. You have to be able to teach and explain why something has to be done, not just telling people to do it because it’s a regulatory rule.

Who is the woman you look up to the most?

First my mom. She started working outside the home when all of my friends’ moms stayed home to raise their families. She always said, “Marti, you can be anything you want to be.” For you younger folks, those were the days when women’s “jobs” were to be teachers or bookkeepers until they got married. Second is the recently deceased Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician. Talk about a woman who took on the (supposedly men’s) world of science!

What challenges do you think women still have in the workplace today?

Women still have to face the challenge of being taken seriously. I work in a male-dominated field (IT) and it’s tough to break into it. But even when I worked as a Financial Manager or HR Manager, I was often the only woman at the table. If we’re competitive we’re often looked at as “difficult”. If a man is competitive he’s considered a “go-getter”. It’s gotten much better since I started in the job market, but there is work to do to get women on a level playing field with men.

Marti Jones

CISA Compliance Analyst & Privacy Officer

About LaBarbara Vann

DOMA’s Human Resources Manager LaBarbara makes a powerful impact on how we build our team. She is in charge of recruiting and screening potential hires as well as addressing the concerns of employees. However, her role encompasses so much more than just the hiring process and addressing grievances. She is a huge part of our culture team and leads the DOMA Driven committee as its mentor. She drives employee success through personal development programs, helps our team take advantage of their employee benefits, and is instrumental in helping people grow at DOMA. 

What made you want to work in the field that you are in today?

 

The field chose me.  I’ve always been very detailed oriented, a natural leader, found the value of structure and guidelines, and loved to help people. Given my skill set and natural traits, I’ve thrived in the Human Resources field.

What is the part of your job that you find the most fulfilling?

Helping employees navigate and overcome challenges.

What advice would you give a woman looking to enter your field?

Maintain your composure.  In HR you’re confronted with a myriad of issues, successes, challenges, opportunities, and obstacles.  Through all of this, you must maintain your composure, and have a safe place you can go to process your thoughts and recharge when needed.

Who is the woman you look up to the most?

My grandmother and mother. I have seen, firsthand, both of these ladies impact, support and help hundreds of people, while still managing to take care of their family first.  They have shown me how to live my life so that my successes will help others succeed, and more specifically, to help another woman succeed.  Through their example, I know how to be a trailblazer and path maker to help others find and fulfill their purpose.

What challenges do you think women still have in the workplace today?

There are 3 prevalent challenges that I believe still exist for women in the workplace today, across America: (1) Not being valued or looked at as equal by men. (2) Not being compensated equally with their male counterparts. (3) A woman’s desire to be a mother and professional being held against them.

LaBarbara Vann

Human Resources Manager

LaBarbara Headshot

LaBarbara Vann

Human Resources Manager

Celebrating our Female Team Members

DOMA firmly believes in the equity and value of women in the workplace. Sometimes this translates to small things, like ensuring feminine products are always free and available in our bathrooms or providing a comfortable, private space (that isn’t a bathroom) for working mothers to pump during the day. At other times supporting women in the workplace requires a deeper look at policies and procedures that could unfairly impact them. This means ensuring that women have direct input in the development of policies that affect them such creating an accommodating dress code or defining leave procedures that keep family in mind. Making the workplace an equal playing field can be disruptive, but DOMA is serious about empowering our team through our culture and policies. 

About DOMA- Powered by Tech, Driven by People

DOMA Technologies (DOMA) is a software development and digital transformation company whose mission is to change customer lives by lightening their workload through faster and more targeted access to their data. Since 2000, our team of 200+ experts has helped businesses navigate all aspects of the digital world. We are a dedicated strategic partner for the federal government and private sector clients at every stage of their unique digital transformation journey.

Director of Communication

Author:

Danielle Wethington
Director of Communications
DMT@DOMAonline.com

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