HER Story: Carrie Cobb-Do what you love
HER Story: Carrie Cobb – Do what you love, the rest will fall into place
When we look at those who've reached the heights we aspire to, we often wonder about their journey, hoping for a formula to follow or some valuable insights to gather. In many ways, Carrie Cobb embodies these aspirations: an impressive career, a significant role at an organization that does important work, and remarkable leadership abilities. Yet, becoming a Chief Data Officer was not her objective; rather, it was her love of math and statistics that ignited her journey in the tech industry.
"I simply knew that I loved math and statistics," Carrie affirms. "I thought that if I chose an area of study that I loved and could spend all day studying, then everything would fall into place."
As it turns out, she was spot on, rising through the ranks by following her passions.
For women in the rapidly evolving tech industry, the takeaways from Carrie’s story have never been more relevant. Her journey stands as a testament to the power of embracing one's interests and uniqueness, the importance of mentorship, and meeting challenges with boldness and resilience. If there is one thing we can take away from Carrie’s story, it is that investigating and investing in what makes you come alive will put you on a path to developing the skills, relationships, and experiences that make you uniquely valuable.
Choosing a path of passion
The greatest value of a picture is when it forces us to notice what we never expected to see.
– John Tukey
This favorite quote captures the allure data science has on Carrie. He points out the value of seeing things that we never expected to see in math or just in life in general, she explained. He truly understood data – its structure, patterns, and what to look for. Because of this, he was able to come up with some great innovations.
A major catalyst for Carrie’s career in data science was her involvement in K12 conferences, where she had the opportunity to engage educators and demonstrate how this type of innovation is possible with the integration of technology into classrooms.
This experience ignited her passion for the intersection of creativity and data science, a passion she carries with her to this day.
Courage: an essential element for growth
Carrie attributes much of her success to an act of courage early in her career. During a Women In Tech event, Carrie encountered a speaker who emphasized the importance of sponsorship and encouraged attendees to consider someone specific to ask for sponsorship.
I took the time to reflect on the skills and knowledge I lacked, the career path I was interested in, and the type of leader I aspired to be, she recalled. One senior leader stood out as an attractive candidate, not only for his wealth of knowledge and experience across tech roles, but also for the way he calmed the storms, elevated voices, and led with authenticity and care.
Unsure how to ask, Carrie was resourceful, asking for advice from her People and Culture partner. In retrospect, Carrie recognizes the significance of this step of courage: the leader became her coach, sounding board, and advocate for career growth. His guidance illuminated unseen opportunities and challenged her to grow. He also promoted her work when she was not in the room.
Carrie recalled many other occasions where raising her hand was met with overwhelming willingness to guide, support, teach, or provide opportunities.
I am where I am because I was bold enough to ask for help, to ask for sponsorship, she claims. Had I not been, I would have missed out on so much!
Your uniqueness is your core differentiator
There’s clearly a lot to be said about following your passion and finding career allies. But how did this perceptibly gentle, soft-spoken woman make it in the fast-paced, somewhat ruthless, and historically male-dominated tech industry?
She leaned into the very qualities that made her different. In the end, said Carrie, your uniqueness is your core differentiator, making you indispensable and valuable.
This understanding took years to unfold – like most of us, there were moments and seasons of self-consciousness and uncertainty. But over time, Carrie recognized her power and influence as a quiet force and the value of her reflective nature.
Carrie’s ability to observe, cultivate relationships, and build coalitions emerged as her core strengths, which in turn enabled her to create tightly aligned paths toward common goals where each person understood their role. She’s also learned the importance of forming diverse teams that contribute completely different expertise, perspectives, and skillsets. As a result, teams thrive under her leadership.
Seek out brilliant people that support you and challenge you, Carrie advises. Find people with the skills that balance yours.
Leveraging skills for the greater good
Today, Carrie’s role as Chief Data Officer at Blackbaud provides her with the opportunity to use her skills and talents to help the social impact sector change the world. She sees generative AI and its democratization of AI consumption as one of the most exciting technology trends of our time and is a strong proponent of trustworthy AI.
It’s our collective responsibility to begin deep and meaningful engagements around the wider ethical and socio-economic challenges of AI, said Carrie. We as women in the technology profession have an opportunity to spark debate, challenge assumptions, and expand our conversation to impact our future in the use of AI systems.
To this end, she is particularly proud of her contribution to Blackbaud’s Intelligence for Good® strategy, which commits to developing AI systems that are accessible, powerful, and responsible.
In seasons of chaos, find the beauty of the moment
Asked about the most impactful lesson of her professional career, Carrie pointed to an aspect of her personal life: her experience as a military spouse. Deployments and relocations were challenging, but also brought incredible people and opportunities into my life, Carrie recalled.
In moments of change or uncertainty, she learned to find the beauty in the moment. This simple reframe makes it possible to find your way through the chaos and uncertainty, she said. Much like in military family life, there is nothing but change and uncertainty in the tech industry. Embrace it, find its intrigue.
Community is a primary source of that beauty for Carrie, both in her personal life and in the workplace. She learned that asking for and accepting help has been both difficult and incredibly influential not only for her, but for the next generation.
My kids have this group of amazingly strong women who have been role models to them, that they can count on and share their lives with, reflected Carrie. All because I either accepted or asked for help. Seek that out in your community, your workplace, or in The WIT Network, she recommended.
As parting advice, Carrie encourages aspiring women leaders to work for a company where you will be surrounded with people that you respect, admire, and can learn a lot from. And consider who you can approach to be your sponsor: Especially in a community like The WIT Network, all you have to do is ask and people will help you!
Carrie’s authentic leadership is a compelling reminder of the significance of pursuing passions, seeking mentorship, embracing uniqueness, and fostering a strong sense of community. With her insights as a beacon, we can reflect on how we are leveraging our unique assets and those of the people around us to learn, grow, and bring greater value to the world of tech.
HERstory is The WIT Network’s series where we share interesting and inspiring career journeys of women in our community. We welcome the opportunity to tell your story or someone you would like to nominate. Reach out to women@thewitnetwork.com if you have a great HERstory we should consider.