Comcast Women Discuss Women’s History Month and Life at Company

Comcast and other companies across the U.S. are celebrating Women’s History Month.

March is Women’s History Month, and Comcast is taking the opportunity to celebrate some of the women in our company by showcasing their views about the role of women in technology and other important topics. Watch the video and read some of their comments below to learn what Women’s History Month means to them, the best piece of professional advice they’ve received, and their experience in the media and technology industry.

What does Women’s History Month mean to you?

"I see Women’s History month as a dedicated period for the celebration of women’s achievements and contributions, but also as an opportune time for both men and women to come to the table and strategize on promoting ongoing female empowerment. Today we have data that shows that true female inclusion in the workplace adds tremendous value on many levels, enabling companies to be much better corporate citizens."

– Beverley Decaires, Senior Director, Network Engineering

"When I think back to history class in school, the women that I learned about while growing up were few and far between. It is refreshing to have women recognized for what they do for the world today and what they have done throughout time. It is a great for my children, both my daughter and my son, to see this recognition."

– Marie Robinson, Executive Director, Product Management, Strategic Planning & Development

"I look at women in technology who helped shaped the world that we live in today, like Ada Lovelace and Radia Perlman, and I can’t wait to see what’s next! Women make history every day, and I see Women’s History Month as a wonderful way to celebrate and highlight talented, selfless and dedicated women and their professional and personal achievements."

– Holly Bazemore, Director, Elastic Cloud Strategy & Deployments

"As a former athlete,- I think about Billie Jean King and her famous battle of the sexes match that helped drive Title IX to increase women sports programs, to many of my peers and mentors who are female leaders who have given me guidance over the years, to my grandmother who helped raise 7 kids while working and managing her household. It’s examples like these that have helped to shape the opportunities that are available to me today and it’s great to stop and celebrate their accomplishments."

– Tricia Barnes, Sr. Manager, Marketing, Greater Boston Area

What’s the best piece of professional advice that you’ve received?

"Always question the rules of the game. Just because the rules are explained to you one way, doesn’t mean you have to play that way or that they can’t be changed. There’s always a choice between playing by the rules, making your own, or not playing at all."

– Pam Selle, Software Development Engineer

"A mentor once told me "be yourself. If you try to be anything but, it will be recognized for what it is. You will lose people’s trust, confidence and most importantly, respect."

– Holly Bazemore, Director, Elastic Cloud Strategy & Deployments

"New role, new expectations. Do not assume the same skills that brought you this far are going to get you to the next level. Also, remember that feedback is a gift, especially when you use it!"

– Sissy Abraham, Vice President, HR Systems & Technology

What’s the most memorable project that you’ve worked on?

"One of the most memorable projects I have worked on, and continue to work on, is OpenStack, an open-source, free platform for cloud computing. To me, working on an open source project means community, development and transparency. You can access and edit the source code, collaborate with others to make changes to the code, and give back to the community."

– Shilla Saebi, Community Development Lead, Engineering

"During my time at Comcast, I worked on a single-page web application for web video which is now deployed on X1 to customers. Experimenting with the behavior of the browser engine was really interesting, as well as optimizing for a unique environment."

– Pam Selle, Software Development Engineer

"I have had many, but certainly as one of the first engineers (and first female engineer) that designed and built out the core infrastructure of the first Comcast HSD network in 2001 - being a part of that project was an extreme honor and privilege."

– Beverley Decaires, Senior Director, Network Engineering

"My most memorable project with Comcast has been Project Cavalry, which was a bandwidth reclaim program to enable other great products and services within Comcast. It spanned several years, as we reclaimed various channels and also encrypted our basic channels. The program introduced new processes and procedures for automating the customer experience for order and fulfillment and deployed significant volume of video devices driving volumes through self-install. There were different challenges along the way that allowed for a lot of learning and even a lot of fun too."

– Marie Robinson, Executive Director, Product Management, Strategic Planning & Development

What do you think makes Comcast a great place to work?

"Without doubt, the people. I have had an opportunity to meet a wide range of people at Comcast at various levels and locations across the organization. I always marvel that we are a company with ambition and heart, something that we do not brag enough about."

– Sissy Abraham, Vice President, HR Systems & Technology

"I love being on the bleeding edge of technology and love to be a part of a company that breaks the norms. There are also lots of opportunities for career growth and the work I am doing is valued. I am lucky to have the opportunity to work with many bright, innovative and smart people at Comcast in a very transparent and collaborative environment."

– Shilla Saebi, Community Development Lead, Engineering

"Comcast is a great place to work because not only do we strive for greatness in the products that we offer; it also provides its employees with the tools to be successful and to grow professionally."

– Joanne Gray, Sr. Manager, Quality Assurance

What is the most exciting thing about being a woman in media and technology today?

"Historically, when I think about the media & technology industry I’ve always thought it was male dominated industry. After being in the industry for 16+ years, I know realize that there is just as much opportunity for women as there are for men. Opportunity is limitless."

– Tricia Barnes, Sr. Manager, Marketing, Greater Boston Region

"I love working in technology because it is a constantly evolving industry that is changing daily. I am excited about learning new things, facing challenges head on and bringing in my diverse viewpoints into the mix. It's inspirational for me to engage with like-minded people who are passionate about the impact we have the potential to make."

– Shilla Saebi, Community Development Lead, Engineering

"For me, it is exciting to see more women joining the field and being able to work side by side with them. Having a more diverse team enables us to innovate and to catalyze change in our industry. Imagine what the Xfinity experience will look like in 2 years, 5 years, 10 years. We are shaping that right now."

– Holly Bazemore, Director, Elastic Cloud Strategy & Deployments

"The most exciting thing about being a woman in in this industry today is being apart of how the technologies that we build is changing the world around us."

– Joanne Gray, Sr. Manager, Quality Assurance

Comcast women across the country are celebrating their work and introducing themselves on social media using #AskMeWhatIDo. #AskMeWhatIDo was inspired by the desire that many women have to connect with one another and showcase their professional endeavors. Learn more about the campaign in the original post on LinkedIn by Kristen Dudley, Senior Manager, Talent Recruitment, and feel free to join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by uploading a photo of yourself and telling us what you do using #AskMeWhatIDo.

Go to the Women in Cable (WICT) website and the Women's Network Twitter Feed to read about how WICT and the Women's Network are recognizing Women's History Month.

Tell us about a woman who has influenced you and how you're investing in our future women in tech.