“I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in another life.”
- Maya Angelou
Happy International Women’s Day! This historic day has been observed since the early 1900s, with the United Nations adopting a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace in 1976. Since the emergence of Women’s History Month in 2011, this day — March 8 — has become immensely popular around the world and seeks to recognize the accomplishments, struggles, and voices of women everywhere.
One of the official missions of International Women’s Day centers on women in tech, with a mission of celebrating digital advancement and championing the women forging innovation through technology. As a tech company, we are wholly committed to supporting, recruiting, and advocating for the women who work with us, the women who work in our industry, and women everywhere.
To celebrate today, we gathered personal reflections from some of the many women who help Omnitracs thrive. Here’s what they had to say:
Lakshmi Kuchipudi
Senior Data Scientist
Omnitracs provides me with a platform to innovate without fear, be a thought partner to technology companies in the DFW area, and quench my intellectual curiosity. The work-life balance also helps me continue as an architect of my family.
International Women’s Day provides another opportunity to celebrate and pay tribute to the various women who display reservoirs of strength and grace while wearing a myriad of hats across various spectrums of society. Personally, I want to keep striving further to be the best role model my child can have.
Cyndi Brandt
Vice President of Sales Enablement
Working at Omnitracs has been very rewarding as a woman — this is truly a company where you are respected for your knowledge and experience. It is refreshing to work in a company that understands diversity is key to success.
Transportation and technology — that’s typically a double negative when it comes to women in this space. But I’ve found that it’s actually a differentiator for me personally in my 20-year career in tech and transportation. My gender first made me stand out, but the extra punch was customers and prospects knowing that I understood their business on a deep level because of the time taken to submerse myself in it. Establishing expertise, combined with not looking like everyone else in the room, has allowed me to create and develop a very powerful voice.
The face of the tech industry is rapidly changing with more women and people of color entering the space. I truly believe that tech has become one of the best and fastest levelers of the work playing field.
Kimberly Smiley
Director of Marketing
Working at Omnitracs and in the technology sector gives me the opportunity to contribute to the mobilization of the female perspective in an industry still underrepresented by women.
International Women’s Day is about celebrating the unique contributions and achievements of women in our country and around the world. It’s another chance to effect change in areas that will propel women forward in both their professional and personal lives.
Carisa Husak
Senior Director of Global Solutions Engineering
Working as a woman at Omnitracs has allowed me to grow in my career professionally by experiencing different jobs within different departments — all while building and growing a family. Since 2003, I have worked as a consultant, customer support leader, senior project manager, and lastly as Senior Director of the Global Solutions Engineering team. All of those different roles and experiences have provided me with a 360 degree view on how our customers utilize our solutions and how our solutions impact our customers’ success.
In 2011, I married a fellow Omnitracker, Robert Husak. In 2013, 2015, and 2019, we were blessed to have three beautiful girls. I am thankful that Omnitracs has supported me with the work-life balance I need in order to grow as a woman professionally and personally.
International Women's Day to me is all about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy, and action. Unity and support of one another is important for all human beings all over the world — regardless of gender.
Nancy Lopez
Lead Generation Supervisor, Latin America
Transportation is typically a man’s world — that´s what popular knowledge says. For me, it has been very important to have the opportunity to lead a business development team in a company focused on logistics and transportation solutions, where we believe in gender equality, zero discrimination, human kindness, and sustainability.
It´s important for me to balance my personal and professional life, especially because I’m a mother of two teenagers.
Meeraf Mulugeta
Associate Technical Support Specialist
I appreciate International Women’s Day for celebrating the women who have overcome many obstacles to achieve a fundamental human right. The tech workforce is very male dominant. I can see the disparity, but I can also see how far we have come to achieve equality. This day allows us to highlight the gender disparity while celebrating one another.
Sindhu Thottan
Principal Product Manager
Omnitracs and the tech industry have allowed me to bring my perspective as a technologist and as a woman to work. I am blessed to work in an industry that excites and inspires me. As a mother of two girls, I am also able to model what a woman in technology looks like.
Even though I work in a progressive, technologically advanced, and socially diverse community, International Women’s Day is a reminder of what women around the world have undergone for equal rights. It’s also a time to reflect on how far there still is to go.
Linda Garcia
Senior Facilities Specialist, Omnitracs Mexico
Working at Omnitracs has been a wonderful experience in my life. I have grown professionally and at a personal level, and always with brilliant challenges and in constant team development to be a part of world leaders. International Women’s Day is the memory of our rights so that all of us together can build a society with equality, integrity, and ethics to make a better world.
Jenny Tsao
Director of Demand Generation Marketing
I believe that International Women’s Day recognizes how women are celebrated across our culture today. It’s also a reminder of where we still want and need to go. A recent study revealed that only 20% of women are employed today in the tech space.
I’m proud to be a part of Omnitracs, where our leaders and colleagues recognize the importance of gender diversity in the workplace. After all, having mentors and role models with a range of experiences and perspectives is critical for growing and maintaining talent.
Lydia Mortensen
Data and AI Lead Program Manager
International Women's Day is a time to celebrate the amazing progress women have made toward gender equality. I am grateful to Omnitracs and for every single courageous female who has made it so my generation and beyond have the opportunity to show that the world is a better place when women have the chance to lead and create.
Change is fundamental to growth and improvement.
Carmen Gills
Accountant
To me, International Women’s Day highlights the progression of women in and outside of the workforce. Working at Omnitracs has allowed me to be involved in the Women’s Employee Resource Committee, which has been amazing, as we are able to come together as a community.
My favorite part is that not only are we able to support the women at Omnitracs, but we also volunteer with Truckers Against Trafficking and Girls, Inc. — both of which are catered toward girls and women of all ages.
Thank you so much for reading through these reflections. We couldn’t be prouder of the innovative initiatives the women at Omnitracs bring to our company every day. Read more about how we’re supporting our female team members through our Women’s Employee Resource Committee, and be sure to support female-centric organizations, like our valued nonprofit partner Women in Trucking!