A Microsoft PM tracks her story from aspiring astronaut to apprentice to SDET to PM to UX student
Dana Badeen
The geek in question
Dana Badeen
The job title
Program Manager, Engineering Innovation (Windows Server)
So, Dana. What did you want to be when you grew up?
When I started college at the University of Michigan, I wanted to be an astronaut. After two years in the Aerospace program I realized that the chances of actually getting into the Astronaut program are worse than getting struck by lightning! And even if you get into the program, you only have a one-third chance of making it to space.
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He’s a legend among Microsofties: the dude on the Segway wearing a glittering gold helmet. I’ve been stalking him for months, collecting sighting reports from breathless ‘Softies who’ve seen him at Target, seen him on 40th, seen him in elevators! And finally FINALLY, I tracked him down. Meet Stephan, aka The Golden Helmet.
A top speed of 12.5 mph!
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God, I love it when Microsoft gets weird. WTF comedy is my favorite brand of ha-ha.
Video: A Cowboy meets a Microsoft Program Manager?
Think you can always tell the difference between designers and devs? THINK AGAIN!
Suzanne Hansen
The Geek in question:
Suzanne Hansen
The job title:
Program Manager, Non-Professional Tools
How did you get here?
Well, I was doing my master’s degree at University of Victoria, working on an open source project for Eclipse and other very non-Microsoft things. Some people from Microsoft Research came by campus to look at student projects, and mine was slightly different because I was looking at how novices learn how to program.
I’d applied once to intern at Microsoft and didn’t even get an interview, and I’d thought to myself, “Fine. So that’s how it’s going to be.” But apparently the Microsoft Research team remembered my student project a year later when John Montgomery (my manager) was forming the Non-Professional Tools team, and I was called in.
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All eyes are on Rob Bernard, Microsoft’s new chief environmental strategist, as he tries to green up the company, its products, and the world. In an interview, he discusses energy alternatives, the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Tool, and software’s green potential.
By Fred Albert
November 30, 2007
Rob Bernard hopes to promote Microsoft’s eco-friendly accomplishments and encourage future achievements.
On November 1, Rob Bernard became Microsoft’s first chief environmental strategist, responsible for overseeing the company’s environmental policies as they relate to operations, products, and global leadership. A 10-year veteran of the company and a 42-year-old father of two, Bernard most recently served as general manager for ISV Relationships, a role he held for three years before assuming his current post. He spoke with Inside Track’s Fred Albert.
Inside Track: Why did you want this job?
Bernard: I think there’s a significant opportunity for Microsoft to show how software can help companies, consumers, and governments around the world address environmental challenges.
Inside Track: Do you think software’s potential in this regard is misunderstood?
Bernard: Not so much misunderstood as not obvious. We have [made] some great power management enhancements and improvements to Windows Vista and also to Windows Server. And so we have an opportunity and an obligation to help our customers really understand the great work that we’ve done and use these features to improve their power management or IT infrastructure. In addition, software can provide huge insight into inefficiencies in operations that often result in increased pollution and poor utilization of resources such as water and energy; so I can simultaneously drive down my operational costs and my pollution levels.
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