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WITI Women | Vanessa DiMauro

WITI Women Survey Questions and Responses:

1. What was your first job in technology?

My first job in technology was at Technical Education Research Center (TERC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I was a researcher on a National Science Foundation funded project called LabNet. LabNet eventually became the largest online community for science and math teachers around the world in the late 1980's. Through the LabNet project I developed my professional focus on online communities. As I was building them before the advent of the web, we were just breaking the most fundamental ground on the potential impact of communities on professional collaboration in education.

Five years later my focus shifted from educational communities to business-to-business communities. There I built the Cambridge Information Network community (http://www.cin.ctp.com). CIN grew to over 4,200 Information Technology executives from around the world.

And now, I am taking my next and perhaps biggest leap into the early stages of a startup company: Joining a small team of former colleagues, building new sets of business to business communities linking producers of artisanal products.

2. Who has been your most significant mentor? Why?
Dr. Shahaf Gal and Dr. Richard Ruopp. Shahaf is one of the foremost researchers in the purposeful use of technology for education. He taught me how to think about the implications of technology and to push on traditional or easy answers to socio- technical puzzles. Dick Ruopp, who recently died of ALS, taught me how to take professional and personal risks. Dr. Ruopp was the president of Bank Street College and also the president of TERC.

3. What has been your greatest challenge and what strategies did you use to overcome obstacles?
Finding a work-life balance. I have not yet overcome that obstacle as I have very little balance yet, but I am trying. I believe this to be a big challenge in my life because it is important- it is critical- to slow down sometimes. It helps bring clarity of thought and makes everything a bit more enjoyable.

Vanessa DiMauro answers these questions:
1. What was your first job in technology?
2. Who has been your most significant mentor? Why?
3. What has been your greatest challenge and what strategies did you use to overcome obstacles?
4. Who has been the most influential person in your life? Why?
5. What lessons have you learned that would be valuable to women beginning their careers in technology?
6. What new technology do you believe will have the most positive impact on the world in the next 20 years? The most negative impact?

On the lighter side:
1. If you could have dinner with any 2 people (living or not), who would they be?
2. What was the last book you read? What books do you love to recommend?
3. If you were to choose a different profession, what would it be?
4. What is your definition of success?

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