A Proud Sponsor of Texas Innovation Day
If you’d like to learn more about our City of Kyle 311 implementation, share your email below!
We’ll send you videos and PDFs for your review.
Archives: Blog
This is the custom post type for catconsult blog
Stephanie Perrin’s Rise to Vice President of Delivery
Stephanie Perrin joined Catalyst in November 2022, and in just a few short years, she has made her mark at the company, rising to her new role as Vice President (VP) of Delivery.
Her initial venture in the technology field started with her first job out of college, working for CBS College Sports. In the role, she was doing press releases and working with HTML and CSS for website updates. After working in the industry, she got her master’s degree in digital communications while also working at the university’s communications department. After graduation, she began to work for a string of consulting companies, gaining her footing in project management (PM).
She joined Catalyst in 2022 as a senior PM and quickly moved up into the project management office director position. Over her time at Catalyst, the project management team has expanded, with the addition of business analysts (BAs) and change management training leads. Perrin has had to navigate this growth while making sure the team is supported.
In addition to managing the team, Perrin oversees how Catalyst runs projects, from methodology and structure to technical guidelines and managing customer relationships. Internally, she also thinks about how Catalyst can make things more efficient, both for the client and for the company.
Her most memorable project at Catalyst has come from establishing more structure and process at the firm. “I have helped build out a framework for how we run projects in our methodology, which did not exist before. Now, we have more structure, baseline requirements, and templates.” This structure has not only helped Catalyst’s clients, but also “helped with the experience of our internal teams because people know what to expect.”
She attributes her success and preparation in her current role to her background. “Technical frameworks helped me be a better PM when I moved into a project management role, but also knowing how to build trust with clients. I think my background was both of those things, which helped me understand the importance of client relationships and stakeholder management.”
For those aspiring to a similar career path, Perrin stresses the importance of being a problem solver, building a relationship with a client, and understanding a business beyond the knowledge of technology.
In her new role, Perrin is looking forward to continuing to grow and empower her team. “I’ve always really believed in the philosophy of servant leadership. Trusting and empowering your teams to do their job is a really big part of having success in consulting and any kind of leadership or management role.”
With Perrin as VP of Delivery, she remains committed to empowering the people around her and driving impact for Catalyst. With a strong vision for the future, Perrin is ready to guide Catalyst to its next stage.
Reflections from South Florida Innovation Day: Advancing Government Services with Smart Solutions
Reflections from South Florida Innovation Day: Advancing Government Services with Smart Solutions
Last week, Catalyst had the opportunity to participate as a sponsoring vendor at the Carahsoft/Salesforce South Florida Innovation Day. It was an energizing event filled with thought-provoking discussions, hands-on technology demonstrations, and meaningful conversations with government leaders seeking to modernize their services.
Key Takeaways: The Future of Government Innovation
AI’s Expanding Role in Public Service
One of the dominant themes throughout the event was the increasing role of AI in government operations. Panels such as AI & Government: The Smart Revolution and Future-Proof Government: AI, Agentic AI & AgentForce highlighted how AI-driven tools are transforming public sector services by streamlining workflows, enhancing data-driven decision-making, and improving citizen engagement. Attendees showed strong interest in how AI can eliminate redundant citizen inquiries—something our AI-powered Intelligent Assistant effectively addresses by automatically pulling citizen records and guiding users to the right resources without repetitive steps.
The Need for Seamless Integrations
We engaged in many discussions about the challenges agencies face when integrating technology, particularly with ESRI/GIS systems. This was a major concern raised during Q&A sessions, and we were excited to showcase how Catalyst has successfully integrated ESRI with service request management and work order systems, a critical capability for agencies needing accurate, location-based service requests.
Unified Citizen Portals: A Growing Demand
A common frustration voiced by agency leaders was the lack of a consolidated portal where citizens can access multiple services without navigating through disjointed platforms. The No Wrong Door: The Future of Integrated Services breakout session emphasized the importance of providing citizens with an easy, centralized way to engage with government services. This aligns directly with Catalyst’s Next Level Citizen Engagement solution, which offers a single, AI-enhanced, web and mobile portal for service requests, status tracking, and communication.
Catalyst’s Role in Driving Innovation
Our booth was a hub of engaging conversations, where we showcased key features that help municipalities and agencies modernize their citizen engagement, including:
- AI-Based Intelligent Assistant for natural language recognition, auto-translation, and image recognition to improve self-service experiences.
- Flexible multi-channel request intake for no-code configuration for agents, web, and mobile interactions.
- Integration with GIS and work order systems for seamless data synchronization to improve service delivery and avoid redundant dispatches.
- Citizen engagement through web and mobile as self-service portals and apps to keep citizens informed and engaged.
Moving Forward: What’s Next?
The conversations at Innovation Days reaffirmed that governments are actively looking for solutions that are not just modern but also practical, intuitive, and easy to implement. Catalyst remains committed to working alongside agencies to ensure their digital transformation efforts result in meaningful, efficient public service improvements.
If you attended South Florida Innovation Day and would like to explore how our solutions can support your agency’s modernization efforts, we’d love to connect. Reach out to us to schedule a demo and see firsthand how Catalyst is revolutionizing citizen engagement.
Let’s build the future of government together!
Bryon Martin Promoted to Chief Technology Officer
Bryon Martin’s story at Catalyst Consulting Group is a testament to the power of innovation, dedication, and a deep understanding of client needs. Starting with Catalyst as a mobile application developer in 2018, Martin has recently been promoted to the role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO), bringing with him over 30 years of IT expertise in roles from developer to technical architect.
His journey began with a pivotal project: developing the City of Chicago’s 311 mobile application. “That project was a defining moment,” Martin recalls. “It showcased our ability to tackle complex challenges and deliver impactful solutions.” This success laid the foundation for his leadership, as he applied the lessons learned to subsequent projects, ensuring Catalyst’s solutions consistently met and exceeded client expectations.
As CTO, Martin is focused on scaling success and navigating the evolving technology landscape. He is particularly excited about the potential of AI. “AI presents incredible opportunities to enhance our solutions and deliver even greater value to our clients,” he explains. However, he also stresses the importance of a balanced approach, combining cutting-edge technology with proven methodologies.
“At Catalyst, we’re committed to understanding our clients’ unique needs and delivering solutions that drive tangible results,” Martin says. “My goal is to ensure we remain at the forefront of innovation while maintaining the trust and confidence of our clients.”
For aspiring technology leaders, Martin’s advice is clear: “Develop a broad understanding of different technologies and always prioritize the client’s needs.” He emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and a pragmatic approach to innovation.
With Bryon Martin at the helm, Catalyst Consulting Group is poised to lead the way in a rapidly evolving technological world, delivering innovative solutions that empower clients to achieve their goals.
Revitalizing Team Collaboration
During the pandemic, like many organizations, Catalyst had adapted quickly to a remote work environment. In doing so, the company tapped into a much broader talent pool across North America. This shift brought in top talent from various regions, resulting in a stronger, more diverse team.
However, as the world reopened, so did the opportunity to bring these exceptional individuals together in person, which Catalyst embraced. Last week, Catalyst brought one of its teams—who support the custom development portfolio for the Washington State Patrol—into Chicago for collaborative sessions. These inperson meetings were not just an opportunity to share ideas but a way to elevate collaboration to the next level. The team engaged in strategic whiteboarding sessions, refined key initiatives, and built rapport. The energy that came from being physically present in a room together was unmatched.
The Benefits of In-Person Engagement
While the company’s remote operations had proven effective, in-person sessions offered unique advantages by fostering enhanced communication through dynamic conversations and non-verbal cues that made discussions more productive and solutions more accessible. Strategic planning sessions benefited from spontaneous brainstorming, encouraging innovative problem-solving. These gatherings also strengthened client engagement by enabling focused discussions on improving portfolios and service offerings, building a solid foundation for future success. Additionally, being physically present fostered stronger interpersonal relationships, with team-building activities and shared moments boosting morale and longterm productivity.
Catalyst ensured that work travel to Chicago was both productive and enjoyable, providing a seamless balance of work and leisure. The team engaged in a range of activities after productive workdays, including savoring the city’s culinary delights, which offered opportunities to relax, connect, and recharge. The Chicago office was equipped with top-tier technology and comfortable meeting spaces to facilitate seamless collaboration, while thoughtful accommodations and convenient transportation options ensured that staff could focus on their tasks without distractions.
Bringing the team into Chicago wasn’t just about meetings and work sessions; it rejuvenated collaboration, connection, and creativity. Catalyst looks forward to hosting more of these in-person engagements to continue growing, delivering excellent results across teams, and strengthening client relationships.
Together, Catalyst proved to be stronger—both virtually and in person—and Chicago served as the perfect place to make it happen.
Washington State Patrol Celebrates One-Year Anniversary of Groundbreaking Firearms Background Check System
Catalyst Consulting Group is proud to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Washington State Patrol’s (WSP) centralized Firearms Background Check (FBC) system. This milestone marks a year of significant achievement, where technology has played a crucial role in enhancing public safety
and operational efficiency across Washington State.
Over the past year, the FBC system has transformed the process of conducting firearm background checks, managing over 600,000 checks annually with newfound consistency and accuracy. By unifying data from federal, state, and local sources through our innovative “Federated Query” system, WSP has been able to close critical loopholes and significantly reduce processing times, enabling law enforcement agencies to focus on what matters most—keeping our communities safe.
The system’s impressive 40% auto-adjudication rate, surpassing the initial goal of 25%, has led to a 15% reduction in staffing needs and a substantial increase in daily processing volumes. Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) can now process up to 300 checks per day, a significant improvement from the previous 50, thanks to the seamless integration of retail POS systems and the digitization of standard forms.
This anniversary is more than just a celebration of a successful system launch; it’s a reaffirmation of our commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to solve complex challenges. We are honored to have partnered with WSP on this journey and look forward to continuing our work to support public safety initiatives across the nation. As we reflect on the past year, Catalyst remains dedicated to innovation, collaboration, and the continuous improvement of solutions that make a tangible difference in the communities we serve. Here’s to a year of success and many more to come.
Catalyst Consulting Group Wins 2023 Salesforce Partner Innovation Award for Education
The Catalyst team is honored to announce we have been awarded this year’s Salesforce Partner Innovation Award for the “Education (Consulting)” category. Our team is being recognized for its research-driven implementation of Salesforce Marketing Cloud for the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). The award will be presented at Dreamforce in San Francisco, California on September 11, 2023.
This marks Catalyst’s fourth Partner Innovation Award win, previously taking home honors in the Public Sector category in 2019 and 2022, and Transportation in 2020.
This award-winning engagement exemplifies Catalyst and Salesforce’s shared commitment to driving innovation in education. Focused on Arkansas’ statewide Reading Initiative for Student Excellence (R.I.S.E.) campaign, Catalyst leveraged Marketing Cloud to deploy customized emails and text messages to nearly 170,000 Arkansas families. This mass outreach aimed to direct parents and caregivers to the R.I.S.E. website for early literacy resources.
In partnership with the ADE and academic researchers, Catalyst systematically tested how different communication strategies influenced family engagement with the R.I.S.E. website. Key findings showed adding text messaging, beyond just email outreach, increased click rates to the website by over 6 percentage points. The research also revealed gaps in digital access correlated to economic disadvantages, underscoring the importance of accessible means of communication, like texting.
“Government technology takes many shape, and our various Partner Innovation Award wins over the years reflect such possibilities.” said Arvin Talwar, Founder and CEO of Catalyst. “It’s an honor to contribute to an initiative centered around something as critical as early literacy and sparking a love for reading.”
We thank the ADE for the opportunity to work together, and we send our gratitude to Salesforce for the recognition. This win speaks to the nimbleness and innovation we as a small business bring to the Salesforce Partner ecosystem!
Can’t Get This from a Textbook!
Today we are celebrating National Intern Day! Our Catalyst 2023 summer interns have proven to bring enthusiasm, eagerness to learn, and fresh perspective to our workplace, and we are happily recognizing their value and contributions to our team.
Our 6 interns span a variety of functions within our organization.
Introducing our Catalyst 2023 Summer Intern Team:
- Sam Summers – Marketing and Branding Intern
- Jeremy O’Connell – Financial Analyst Intern
- Kayla Schroeder – Marketing and Design Intern
- Cara Verzoni – Market Research Intern
- Andrew Smith – Software Engineering Intern
- James Dempsey – Software Engineering Intern
At Catalyst Consulting Group, our team members actively learn from one another, regardless of years of experience and titles. This National Intern Day, we realized an opportunity to support the crucial role that mentorship can play in shaping the careers of young professionals.
With our continual growth, we have prioritized onboarding experienced leaders who can apply their knowledge, expertise, and strategic thinking to provide valuable guidance and mentorship throughout our organization. Our most recently hired senior leaders, Denise Horton, Adrian Buckley, and Stephanie Perrin, have filled our director-level team. As they have come into their roles, we have witnessed their efforts to progress the growth and development of their respective practices, as well as our young talent.
This week, our intern team prepared a series of interview questions to lead a conversation with our directors and receive advice as they embark on their careers. We also wanted to hear from the interns – what they have learned, what took them by surprise, and what they are looking forward to in their upcoming post-grad careers. They have given us some thoughtful insight into what their time with our team has taught them. In this feature, we are sharing some of their insights and recapping our director-intern conversation that encouraged personal development and nurturing confidence.
Beginnings and Futures – When You Were in My Shoes.
Our intern team prompted Denise, Adrian, and Stephanie to reflect on their own careers – their paths that brought them to Catalyst, what they have learned along the way, and if they felt there were pivotal, game changing decisions that ensued career, or life lessons.
What I needed to do within my career itself, and within my position at every company I’ve been at – something that was really beneficial for me and what my career now is molded after – is being really comfortable with ambiguous situations where you don’t know exactly what you’re supposed to do, or what’s the best course of action, or how to handle a situation, or where someone hasn’t told you step-by-step instructions for how to do your job.
Reflecting on their beginnings, their college-aged selves, evoked some laughter, and Denise summed it up, “Well, my career started at a crossroads of just not really knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up.”
Although our interns have their sights set on their nearing career aspirations, our directors intimately know what career pivots and redirections feel like.
Considering where her career began, Stephanie shared that she most importantly learned that “there weren’t always instructions, or everything wasn’t clear cut.” She now knows the confidence that she lacked early on and encourages our interns to get outside their comfort zones to foster that necessary confidence.
“What I needed to do within my career itself, and within my position at every company I’ve been at – something that was really beneficial for me and what my career now is molded after – is being really comfortable with ambiguous situations where you don’t know exactly what you’re supposed to do, or what’s the best course of action, or how to handle a situation, or where someone hasn’t told you step-by-step instructions for how to do your job.”
“If you’re proactive and can make something out of the ambiguity, that’s where you can go even further that just the confines of your role.”
This is something that Sam Summers has experienced first-hand in his internship. He provides, “In the classroom a lot of my learning is done by the book or notes teachers have already mapped out ahead of time. What I have realized on the job is there is no rubric or “perfect way” to do a job. Often it requires creativity and new twists on collaborative ideas.”
As for those critical career decisions, the ones that were game changing?
Adrian weighed in, “I think throughout your career, if you’re lucky, you’ll get somewhere between three and five big opportunities to do something special. If you don’t recognize it and you don’t jump on it, you might not see those opportunities in your career again.”
“You might feel very uncomfortable taking that chance and doing it, but I think you have to take those chances to be successful and do something that you love.”
Denise recalls such an opportunity that she was given, a risk.
“I left a job that I absolutely loved, people that I absolutely loved working with, and took a huge leap of faith to go to a company where I knew I was going to be a very small fish in a really giant pond, but it was well worth it.”
She valued the opportunity and believed in what the future could bring with the new offer. Her instincts were spot-on.
Ultimately, Denise says, “I learned so much. I had so many awesome experiences and it led me to the role I have here at Catalyst.”
A New Classroom
A universal, instrumental piece of advice for our interns? Be curious and be committed to learning!
We’re proud to say that our interns have proven that this is a strong priority of theirs.
I have a stronger grasp on asking good questions. In both the classroom and the workplace, there are going to be people around me with more expertise, and maximizing the guidance I can get from them will help me to grow my skills.
Our intern team noticed there are a significant number of differences between the typical classroom learning and what they have learned on the job. Jeremy O’Connell noticed the biggest difference for him as a Financial Analyst Intern is, “…the actual hands on and interaction with live data.” Since coming onto the team, Jeremy has been given the opportunity to dive right into the material he has been studying at school by getting hands-on experience.
Adrian emphasizes the importance of being curious, “In our industry, whether you’re on the marketing side or whether you’re a developer, it moves so quickly. There’s so much happening all the time that if you’re not curious, if you’re not going to look to learn, you’re going to get left behind.”
As our team’s software engineering interns, James Dempsey and Andrew Smith, have embraced not only curiosity, but also mentorship and their new workplace learning environment.
As a result of his internship, James provides, “I have a stronger grasp on asking good questions. In both the classroom and the workplace, there are going to be people around me with more expertise, and maximizing the guidance I can get from them will help me to grow my skills.”
Andrew echoed Adrian’s advice, reflecting, “Being a software engineer requires the skill to be able to learn new technologies while completing your tasks. I use completely different languages and frameworks here at Catalyst compared to school, but having the skill of being able to learn on the job has helped me tremendously.”
Our Catalyst interns have gained confidence. Kayla Schroeder, our Marketing and Design Intern, says, “I have experienced what it feels like to work hard and diligently to meet deadlines and communicate thoroughly with those around me. I also feel that I have become more confident in myself while being supported by a great team!”
Such confidence is paramount according to our director team. Lacking confidence is not foreign to our senior leaders, as they all recall instances where they benefitted from mentorship and advice on honing your role and skillset.
“It can feel like there’s so many people who know so much more than you do, but, when you’re working with clients, you are the expert to them. So, go in with a certain level of confidence in every situation. Then, if you pair that confidence with also being competent at your job, that’s when you feel like you really grow and become a really good employee,” Stephanie shared.
Denise’s secret to gaining confidence? It may seem unconventional or unique. She suggests, “Take an acting class or take an improv class, because there is no better way to get comfortable in your own skin. You’re going to have to present and talk in front of people and feel uncomfortable.”
(Looks like we’ll be adding that to our next intern program agenda!)
As Their Internships Conclude
Whether it was logistical day-to-day advice, such as learning how to prioritize and break down their workloads into manageable sized tasks, checking email first thing in the morning, or more strategic advice on understanding a company’s plans for the future, our director team provided impactful mentorship in their interview. Celebrating National Intern Day not only recognizes the place internships have in our organization, but also the importance of mentorship in the workplace.
The intern team has expressed what such mentorship has meant to them, and we’ll close with their words.
“Catalyst taught me so much about the culture I should look for in my next job. Everyone at Catalyst was so welcoming and willing to help, which helped me feel at home here!” – Cara Verzoni
“I think what surprised me most was the level of communication from top to bottom. In class, they made it seem like there was a direct division between levels, but, since working here, the top of the command chain is always available to talk or ask questions.” – Sam Summers
“I was surprised at how friendly and welcoming the “real world experience” workplace could be. As a college student, we are always told that the “real world” is so overwhelming and serious, but I was very happily surprised at how welcoming, kind, and understanding everyone is here at Catalyst.” – Kayla Schroeder
As their time as interns is coming to an end, we are encouraged by all they have learned and feel strongly about their potential. Interns, we hope you take a moment to reflect on your achievements and the progress you’ve made. Your futures are bright, and we’re happy to be a part of your career stories!
Celebrating 31 Years In Business During AAPI Heritage Month
In May 2023, Catalyst Consulting Group celebrated 31 years in business. Officially over 3 decades of revolutionizing organizations’ abilities to best serve their operations and their constituencies, our 31 years of experience has taught us a thing or two. We sat down with our founder and CEO, Arvin Talwar, to recap what the 31st anniversary has meant to him, specifically during May’s observance of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. As an Asian-Indian American, Talwar’s heritage classifies Catalyst Consulting Group as a minority-owned enterprise. However, the minority-owned-business categorization was never Talwar’s leading value proposition or opening selling point. In fact, he prefers the contrary – that the diverse identities of those at Catalyst, including his own, are of latter consideration to their qualifications, work ethic, and character.
Our conversation took us back in time – pre-Y2K, when Catalyst was awaiting the technology boom, a time when Talwar had multiple ongoing business ventures.
When considering his heritage and its place in the identity of his business, he provided, “When I started out in business 30 odd years ago, everybody was trying to do the right thing. But they were driven by business value and not just by what I believe would be to pander to a certain community. They would really say, let me get the best of breed. If it happens to be with a minority business, better yet.”
However, the tone shifted in the mid-90s, when Corporate America was compelled to take the public sector’s lead in developing viable minority and women-owned enterprise supplier programs. Large companies realized benefit in highlighting their strong cadre of suppliers that were owned by minorities and women entrepreneurs. Quickly, such supplier programs became a priority for the boardroom, purchasing departments, as well as marketing.
Talwar recalls the first opportunity in which establishing his business as a minority business enterprise was of interest. He had developed a strong relationship with a large consulting firm, and Catalyst was included in one of their proposals. After our team won and had landed the opportunity, a question was posed. “Aren’t you a minority business enterprise?” And Talwar recalls saying, “John, what’s that?”
It was a bonus for the partnering firm to partner with minority business enterprises. Talwar said that the experience led him to a sales channel that he hadn’t previously realized.
He recalls, “We then started seeing an aggressive transformation in Corporate America. Back in the late-90s and even early-2000s, Corporate America figured out that having a thriving minority and women-owned business supplier program was good for business.”
It was then that Talwar was inspired to develop an idea of his, one that would merge several components of his background and expertise. This business idea became Castlerock Group. With Corporate America more focused on viable minority suppliers and the trend toward strategic sourcing, Castlerock Group identified suppliers that competitively “made the cut” of strategic sourcing and were potential acquisition targets. Castlerock Group was equipped to acquire non-minority suppliers as well as support minority professionals with their expertise and capital. With this endeavor, Castlerock Group was able to support suppliers in contracts with large companies of Corporate America, such as Ford Motor Company, Ameritech, Eli Lilly, among others.
As time progressed, Talwar decided to direct all his attention to Catalyst Consulting Group, but the experience with his other endeavors provided him with perspective and wisdom as it relates to consideration of heritage in the workplace. Being a minority-owned business provided an advantage to Catalyst without our leadership initially realizing or recognizing its significance, which ultimately is very
telling of the core values at Catalyst. What is most important to our team is not based on what you identify with, but the qualifications you possess and the quality of your work.
While being categorized as a minority owned business, Talwar did not want this to be the reason his company received work. The hard work and dedication of our team is what gets the jobs and builds the strong reputation we have today. Talwar went on record to say, “I would shy away from even saying Catalyst was an MBE until it was absolutely necessary to say so. And my thinking was, if they’re going to hire my firm based on credentials, qualifications, references, the fact that we were an MBE was a collateral benefit.”
Respectfully, this month does hold quite a bit of significance for our team. Throughout his career and since founding Catalyst, Talwar has noticed changes in the business environment and has found new ways for his heritage to have an impact on his work.
It is with this respect that we wish to acknowledge and reflect upon the history and celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. We hope you join Catalyst in honoring the rich heritage, resilience, and contributions of the community throughout history. Let us celebrate those of AAPI heritage who have overcome adversity to make such a lasting impact in society.
Ultimately, the pride with which Talwar speaks about his company and what he has built with his team is rooted in the dedicated and hard-working individuals of the past and present at Catalyst. It is the merit and integrity of our work and those who make our team what it is – not filling quotas or percentages – that fuels his pride. At Catalyst diversity and inclusion are not buzz words and quotas to meet, but instead the celebration of differences beyond heritage. Differences in voices and perspectives, experiences and ideas – it is what enhances the melting pot that we’ve achieved at Catalyst.
Here’s to our 31st year in business!
Women of Catalyst
Thank you to the following women of Catalyst for participating in our round-table discussions hosted in the month of March for Women’s History Month: Nikki Smith, Joy Billington, Ola Chmiel, Janet Gamber, Soofia Khan, Maribel Lopez, Anna Mlodzianowska, Sowjanya Nalluri, Divya Nunna, Allison Plazyk, Amelia Smith, Saikal Asylbekova, Kara Taylor, Tiffany Tsang, Denise Horton, and Stephanie Perrin. Their thoughtful discourse informed the piece below!
Celebrating Women’s History Month at Catalyst has meant taking the time to look inward to the incredible women that hone crucial roles on our team. We are proud of the growth that our firm has embraced in recent years. This growth has resulted in the representation of women at Catalyst increasing by roughly over 5 times in the last 10 years.
At Catalyst, we like to say that we are an employee-first company. Embodying an employee-first environment in our remote workplace entails many considerations. One consideration? Taking stakes in our team members’ lives, encouraging them to voice their perspectives, cultivating idea-sharing, growth, support, and inclusion. This Women’s History Month, we’ve turned to the women of Catalyst. We’ve discussed their careers, the many paths that have led them to our firm, their motivations, and the approaches and perspectives that they deploy on our projects.
The women of Catalyst are Business Analysts, Project Managers, Solution and Technical Architects, Software Engineers and Developers, and so much more beyond these titles. They are mothers, sisters, and aunts. They are first generation Americans and immigrants. They are musicians and performers. They are motivated, insightful, highly accomplished, and dedicated.
In our discussions this month, we’ve delved into what it means to be a woman in tech, how to ensure that the technology we build best serves everyone, how providing solutions to the public sector resonates with their values, and how to encourage the next generation of women in STEM.
A Pivot
Many women at Catalyst found themselves working in tech after a career change, a pivot. Divya Nunna, Salesforce Solution Architect, has been with Catalyst for nearly 3 years. Yet, prior to pursuing Salesforce certifications, she was a financial analyst, CPA, with an MBA, working for Goldman Sachs. Saikal Asylbekova, a Business Analyst, and Sowjanya Nalluri, Salesforce Developer, similarly come from a banking and financial services background.
Team members, Soofia Khan, Tiffany Tsang, and Anna Mlodzianowska also have found themselves in tech after career pivots. Soofia, Salesforce Administrator, was planning to attend dental school when she learned more about Salesforce through extended family members. Tiffany, Salesforce Business Analyst, previously worked for a nonprofit organization, Action for Children, aiding low-income families with Childcare Assistance Programing. She now applies this experience to Catalyst’s public sector projects, notably our work with the City of Chicago’s DFSS. Anna, who is originally from Poland, has a degree in architecture. She shared that her career switch has been the best decision and it has improved her life tremendously. She serves our team as a Software Engineer.
We support training opportunities and promote mentorship from within, giving these women who made a career pivot a network to support them as part of the career change.
While many women on the team have recently stepped into the tech arena, our team also has welcomed several industry veterans, including team members Janet Gamber, Stephanie Perrin, and Denise Horton, who’ve all joined our team within the past year. Their seasoned implementation expertise is and continues to be an immense asset to our team.
Ameilia Smith and Maribel Lopez found their way to Catalyst after working for our client and partner, the City of Chicago and/or their vendors. Maribel provided she was the only Latina, and one of the few women in an IT leadership position at the city.
“I was the only Latina in an IT leadership position when I was at the City of Chicago, if you can believe it. There were very few of us (women) in IT. So, we always had this sort of sisterhood, we looked out for each other,” Maribel shared.
The sisterhood that Maribel recalls is the type of friendship Catalyst aims to foster within our team.
And for one woman of Catalyst – Ola Chmiel – her venture into tech began at Catalyst as an intern. Excitingly, she joined us again after graduation and recently celebrated one year of full-time employment with us.
In an article from the UN, celebrating International Women’s Day, it was reported that women represent less than one third of tech sector employees globally. In reflection on the numbers and the stereotypes that hold girls back from pursuing careers in tech, the women of Catalyst provided the advice they have for their younger selves. Their thoughts?
I let a lot of expectations that other people had for me, the path that I was supposed to take based on those things, the image that I wanted to project of myself – I let that get in the way. If something is interesting to you, pursue it. It doesn’t matter who else finds that thing interesting. Don’t let these kinds of preconceived notions of what is acceptable or what types of people go into one area or another influence where you want to go.
Embody resilience. Be committed to learning. Exercise confidence and use your voice.
Allison Plazyk, Senior Software Engineer, recounts the discouragement she felt surrounding the pursuit of a career in computer science, dating back to her time in college at MIT. After nearly a dozen years into her professional career, she realized that this is what she wanted to do all along.
“I let a lot of expectations that other people had for me, the path that I was supposed to take based on those things, the image that I wanted to project of myself – I let that get in the way.
Hey, we are in a very male dominated world. We see it in a lot of our meetings. Don’t be afraid to say what you want it to say….don’t be afraid to voice your opinion.
If something is interesting to you, pursue it. It doesn’t matter who else finds that thing interesting. Don’t let these kinds of preconceived notions of what is acceptable or what types of people go into one area or another influence where you want to go,” Allison Plazyk.
Many of our conversations proved to offer a similar theme around confidence. In several discussions, many women recognized that they are repeatedly the only woman in the room or on the call.
“Hey, we are in a very male dominated world. We see it in a lot of our meetings. Don’t be afraid to say what you want it to say….don’t be afraid to voice your opinion,” said Amelia Smith.
Leverage Empathy
When it comes to building technology that meets the user where they are, building technology for people who look like us, the women on our team have got it right! Leverage empathy.
Throughout their careers, the women of our team have engrained how to best serve a client’s needs over the years.
Kara Taylor, Technical Architect, provided, “I always want to design the best solution possible from a technical standpoint, but you can’t put the cart before the horse. Just because a solution is technically the best way an architect thinks it can be, it doesn’t mean that it meets the clients’ needs. Developers and architects almost always think within their technical restraints, but oftentimes we forget about the users’ constraints.”
To the Future Women in Tech
It’s important to believe in yourself. It doesn’t matter if you’re in grade seven, grade eight, or if you’re sitting here at Catalyst, just know that you can do anything.
When it comes to thinking about the future generations of women in STEM, the many mothers on our team first think of the affirmations and words of encouragement that they instill and express to their own children.
Joy Billington, Salesforce Business Analyst, and Denise Horton, Salesforce Practice Leader, are both mothers to two daughters. While Joy’s daughters are in grades seven and eight, and Denise’s daughters are in the thick of choosing college majors and career paths, their mothers’ advice is in accord.
“It’s important to believe in yourself. It doesn’t matter if you’re in grade seven, grade eight, or if you’re sitting here at Catalyst, just know that you can do anything,” says Joy Billington.
Many of the women on our team shared who their role models have been throughout their lives, and so many of these role models were women – their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, former managers and teachers. We can’t help but look to the women of Catalyst as role models for excellence in our firm as well as in our industry. We wish you all “Happy Women’s History Month!”
Recent Comments