Juliana Vida ─ Shifting the mindset about technology and data.
October 21, 2020 • 2 Minute Read
Updated October 2022
Juliana Vida
Senior Advisor
McChrystal Group
(Previously — Chief Technical Advisor -
Public Sector
Splunk)
Courage under fire in the business world often means leaders willing to take bold moves. For a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who then became a Naval aviator and flew helicopters, this expression has a whole different meaning. Juliana Vida had a brilliant 24-year Navy career and parleyed it into an eight-year senior IT policy leader at the Pentagon, ultimately leading her to the role of U.S. Navy deputy chief information officer. Today she is in the high technology industry, advising and evangelizing for software and data giant Splunk with the U.S. public sector. One of her key assignments is to shift the mindset of federal agencies, including the military, about technology and data as mission accelerators. She is a one-of-a-kind person and one you will want to follow! Meet this IT Wondrous Woman™, Juliana Vida!
Our 10 Questions for this IT Wondrous Woman.
Fun Facts
1. What’s the one thing that your business colleagues don’t know about you?
My boyfriend and I were crowned “King and Queen of Hearts” at my 7th grade Valentine’s Dance at Conestoga Valley Junior High in Leola, PA.
2. Before the pandemic, how many air miles/KMs did you fly annually?
75,000 miles annually.
3. What is the most adventurous food you have eaten and what city/location did you eat it?
Vegemite in Darwin, Australia. Disgusting. Close second was fresh prawns boiled alive in a glass bowl of hot oil tableside in Hong Kong. Delicious.
Your Career
4. What are the top two experiences, achievements or failures that shaped your journey as a successful leader?
Survival Evasion Resistance Escape (SERE) School, where aviators learn how to survive capture and POW camp. During the “resistance” phase I was waterboarded for not giving up classified information. They threw me back on the ground, next to a guy who was a bully and didn’t care for women. He whispered, “that was impressive. Thanks for taking one for the team.” At that moment, I knew I had more fire in my belly and more guts than I ever thought.
A failure. I was almost kicked out of the Naval Academy for a conduct violation. Fortunately, my academic record and taking personal responsibility saved my ass. This near ruinous failure helped me keep perspective as an Officer when punishing a Sailor who screwed up. It made me a more compassionate leader and human being.
5. Did you have a mentor in the early part of your career and, if so, what is the biggest lesson you learned from your mentor or influencer?
My first Navy Career Counselor. I joined the Navy as an enlisted Russian linguist. I excelled in language school. She saw my potential and suggested I apply for the Naval Academy to become an Officer. I balked, said I wasn’t smart enough, hadn’t been a varsity athlete in high school, etc. She helped me see all my strengths that I didn’t, and encouraged me to apply. I got in on the first try. I learned that when others we respect point out superpowers that aren’t apparent to us, we should listen and believe. I do this now with others whom I mentor and advise.
Walking In Your Shoes
6. What is one piece of business or career advice you would give to your younger self?
Have the confidence to take more risks. Though I had supportive parents, teachers and friends, no one really pushed me hard. It wasn’t until my 30s that I heard things like Wayne Gretzky’s famous quote – You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. I wish I had pushed myself harder, earlier. I would have strengthened that muscle and spent less time questioning my own adequacy at all stages of my career.
7. As a leader, how do you remain a resource for people early in their careers?
I bring my authentic self to meetings and conversations, sharing personal stories or feelings that show my own weakness or failures. This immediately breaks down any barriers younger people might see when they look at the successful person I am today. They see me as they are, human with warts and all.
Today’s Business Environment
8. What is the most interesting project you have worked on in the last few years?
Earlier this year I was the emcee for our annual GovSummit in front of a live audience of about 2,500. I had already prepared a full-day’s script to introduce speakers, comment between sessions to keep them flowing, that kind of thing. Just two days before the event, the keynote speaker became ill and I stepped up to fill in. I had so little time to get comfortable with his speech, but it was so exhilarating!
9. What skills are you currently developing or refining (in yourself) that will make you a more successful leader in the digital economy?
I continue to work on my public speaking as a member of our local Toastmasters group. With the world having now shifted to reliance on digital engagement, and without the benefit of body language or physical proximity and gestures to fully interact with others as you can in person, verbal communication will be more and more important.
10. What is your greatest business challenge today?
Driving a mindset shift about technology and data being relevant and critical for everyone in an organization, well beyond the office of the CIO or IT department. I use storytelling to get these messages across to audiences of all kinds, and that is usually effective. But I, we, have a very long way to go until all business and government leaders and workers are as digitally literate as today’s world requires them to be.
