**You have a fascinating career, how did you find your way to it?**
Sports kind of chose me. I knew I wanted to create software and do creative problem solving with technology, but everyone has to start somewhere. I started at a company called STATS LLC in Chicago where I worked primarily on the SportVu player tracking team, specifically for the NBA. At that time, player tracking was in its infancy for the NFL and it felt like a natural next step. I took a job with the Chicago Bears in 2014, transitioned to the Atlanta Falcons in 2018 and have been here ever since.
**Why did you want to make the move to the NFL?**
Being born and raised in Chicago, my role with the Chicago Bears was my most proud moment of my career. Not because of the market that comes with the Bears, but because that was the job that allowed my husband to be a stay-at-home dad (or as he calls it, a "Domestic Engineer"). It was the job that made my Grams (my role model) the most proud. Specifically, because I was working in a traditionally male dominated industry as female.
As one of the first female mechanics at IBM, she spent her entire life breaking ceilings like these. She told me a story once that they used to make the women in the field wear skirts and panty hose while crawling under massive newspaper printers at the Tribune Tower to fix or replace parts, until she finally said to a manager, "This makes no sense."
She aided in navigating and changing gender norms in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Needless to say getting a job with an NFL football team (a sport which women weren't even allowed to play when I grew up) made her _very_ proud. I hope I can do the same for my daughter.
**Speaking of your daughter, what advice would you give to women who want to pursue a career in sports while also pursuing a family life?**
The question I get asked the most by young women is how to navigate having a family while working in sports. My honest answer is that it's something the industry is still figuring out. For a long time, women have felt pressure to choose between advancing their careers and starting a family in ways that men often don't have to think about. I hope organizations continue moving toward stronger maternity and paternity leave policies and cultures that support both parents.
On a personal level, my advice is to invest in yourself and your skills so that your value is clear wherever you go. And remember that imposter syndrome is just a thought; thoughts are not facts. If you're in the room, it's because you earned the right to be there.
Sports need talented people in every area — technology, analytics, business, medicine, coaching, scouting — and there is absolutely space for women to thrive in all of it.