Microsoft

Principal Technical Program Manager

Sista Circle: Black Women in Tech

Sista Circle: Black Women in Tech is an international community that unites Black women in tech related professions. Women connected through online conversations and local meet ups for fellowship and networking.  We partner with small businesses to provide authentic experiences and to promote businesses and organizations that unite communities.

Founder and Community Builder

Freelance

- Speak at various events and focus on topics that include diversity, Black Women Experience, college preparations, high school success, career development, how to navigate the tech world, and soft skill development. 
- Speaking engagement have include Stanford University, HBCU Innovation Conference, Silicon Valley African Film Festival, Building Futures Now, University of California - Berkley, and many more.

Speaker and Workshop Leader

Twitter

Strategic partner and trusted adviser to Distinguished Engineers: 
- Deliver end to end program/project management excellence for critical cross functional projects
- Serve as an Air-Traffic-Controller and Impact Partner for leads to identify and fill blockers 
- Partner with distinguished engineers to operationalize solutions 
- Go to "Get ish done" person who leads with empathy, active listening and solution based strategy while prioritizing work place culture and co-worker safety
- Mentor to program managers and operations professional

Chief Of Staff

Senior Program Manager, Data & Privacy

Facebook

Project Manager

Airbnb

Leading various projects within the legal, finance, and compliance organizations

Project Manager, PMO

Compliance Project Manager

NetApp

- Lead projects and programs designated for NetApp's first Finance and Operations Program Management Office
- Work with a powerful groups of 35 other project and program managers on cross functional projects and programs 
- Specific managed projects include internal tool enhancements that benefit the Order Management and Global Trade Compliance teams

Program Manager - Finance and Operations Program Management Office

Grown Up Truth

- oversee all content development, content curation, and lead business initiatives for the publication. 
- Develop workshop curriculums
- Lead Speaking Series engagements for high school students, college students, and human resource organizations to better understand the Millennial experience.
- Manage Grown Up Truth social media accounts
- Keynote speaker at various events about career development, my personal experiences, and tips/tricks on young professional lifestyles

CEO and Founder

- Managed internal programs and projects that specifically influenced the Quote to Invoice Organization.
- Led the SKU Reduction project that analyzed 6,000 internal SKUs the better understand our SKU database and the SKU lifecycle process.
- Developed and designed an organizational curriculum to effectively onboard new team members and educate current team members on detailed organizational information. The curriculum also visually described the quote to invoice process from creating a quote to invoicing clients. 
- Led a cross functional team to develop a tool that would successfully function. More than 100 NetApp team members use this tool in their daily activities and due to an environment upgrade, the team and I had to ensure its functionality. By documenting each business case and testing each business case within the testing environment, the tool still worked post environment upgrade.

Program Manager - Quote To Invoice

- Led diverse projects and programs within the Engineering Organization
- Developed and implemented a New College Grad Program that supported first year engineers to understand NetApp culture and business acumen
- Co-created all New College Grad program curriculum documents and all monthly session topics for the program.
- Managed the Engineering Digital Signage Program: Worked with a cross functional group of finance, marketing, and facilities leads to indentify third party vendor for digital program that showcases Engineering highlights and important internal communications on all monitors across every Engineering building and facility worldwide. 
- Worked with the planning team on PLM, an Engineering conference for all Engineer directors worldwide.  
- Managed summer intern by developing intern curriculum and leading him through NetApp.  Evaluated intern at the end of the program.  
- Designed internal website for my team.

Engineering Program Manager

- Junior Program manager on the NetApp/IBM N Series account.
- Provided and managed all documentation for business relationship
- Led subgroups within the relationships for new product launches and shipment.

GSP Program Manager

Stanford Student Enterprises

*Oversee development of major publications
*Update online website
*Manage sales team
*Facilitate graphic layouts
*Maintain relationships with external companies within the Bay Area community

Managing Director

Strategy & Operations Leader, with 10+ years of experience solving technology problems across engineering, legal, compliance and regulatory spaces for global organizations – such as Twitter, Facebook, Airbnb, and Netapp. Trusted adviser to C-Suite executives, with highest level of integrity, emotional intelligence, and management of confidential information. Pragmatic people leader, with 6+ years of experience leading diverse teams and critical company wide cross functional programs to streamline operations, prevent / manage risk, and grow revenue.

Sometimes conversations about leadership get… weird and cringe.

So here’s 15 years of therapy and career coaching in under 20 words:

Be strong enough to lead when necessary, and humble enough to follow when necessary.

In work.
In love.
In friendship.
In life.

The same rule applies to networking — know when to take the mic, and when to make space for others.

Flexibility wins. Every time.

Stay hydrated. 
Stay lotion-ed. 
Mind the business that pays and supports you. 

Image of my strongest reminder of this lesson who is probably aware that I will follow her to the ends of the galaxy and back.

Lexi B

Tech Leader, Professional Speaker (booking for 2025)

No alternative text description for this image

Well this is interesting...

I have recently learned that my masterclass this evening has been part of a phisming expedition.  If you have received an invite from alleged me in the last hour, please delete it from your calendar.  I do not believe in using people's contact info without permission.  This is against my integrity in every way.  

This sender on this invite is "learn with tok".  In my Keke Palmer voice, "I don't know this man!" Please DO NOT CLICK ANY LINKS ON IT. 

But the masterclass is still on! If you would actually like to join, please use the link in my comments for registration :) 

Stay hydrated.
Stay lotion-ed. 
Mind the business that pays you.

The Skill That Changed My Career

I’ve spent my entire career trying to learn, un-learn, and re-learn what it means to be “professional.” 

I’ve copied and pasted behaviors from people I didn't admire but were considered the "leaders" of that room— sometimes it worked, sometimes it got me in hot water.

If someone asked me, “What’s the one skill that’s shaped your career?” my answer would be simple: Lunching Up and Down.

When I was a new college grad, I started asking established professionals to teach me how to do this. I wasn’t looking for training on the day-to-day work. I wanted the playbook on how to build a career. I didn’t want to just be a worker. I wanted to be a career woman.

And through the years, I’ve had incredible people offer to take me to lunch or grab coffee and share the kind of honest advice that doesn’t get said in a meeting room. 
They taught me how to understand people 
How to read the text between the text
How to recognize that when someone says, “That’s fine,” it might actually mean, it’s not fine at all

That’s why Lunching Up & Down matters.

It’s not just about networking. It’s about decoding power, building trust, and learning how to move through rooms with confidence and humanity.

And now, I’m teaching this skill.

Join me next Thursday, October 23 for my next Lunching Up & Down Masterclass featuring Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer, PhD, MBA, SPHR, BCC, USA Today bestselling author and internationally recognized expert in human capital strategy.

🎟️ Register with link in comments! 

Careers aren’t built only through hard work — they’re built through conversation, courage, and connection.

Straight Off The Press: 

I’m excited to announce the launch of my new webinar series, where I bring influential corporate leaders to share how they practice “lunching up and lunching down” and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

So what does this mean?
Lunching up is reaching out to leaders above you for guidance and alignment.
Lunching down is engaging with those earlier in their careers to understand their perspectives and needs.

When practiced together, these conversations break down barriers, build trust, and create the kind of collaboration that drives results faster than any meeting ever could.

Join us for the very first session on Thursday October 9 at 4 PM PT, where Amy Lessinger, former CEO of Remax, will share her experiences and insights on making this practice part of leadership and career growth.

📅 Register here with the link below! 

Let’s turn lunch into one of the most powerful leadership tools we have.

Lexi B, Karen Fleshman, Esq. and 33 other attendees

View event: Lunching Up and Down with Amy Lessinger

Thank you to everyone who joined my first “Lunching Up and Down” masterclass with the incredible Amy Lessinger last night!

So many gems were dropped 

Amy is truly a master at networking, relationship-building, and creating authentic connections with people across every level of an organization.

One of my favorite moments? When Amy shared specific, timeless ways to start conversations with leaders that actually lead to connection not small talk.

This was just the beginning! We have four more masterclasses coming up in the Lunching Up and Down 2025 series, each featuring different powerhouse guests.

✊🏾Follow me to stay in the loop for the next LIVE conversation.

For those who attended I’d love to hear from you:
What was your favorite takeaway from last night’s session?

A special shoutout to Dr. Cheryl Wood for hosting and bringing her signature energy to the space.

Stay hydrated.
Stay lotion-ed.
And always mind the business that pays and supports you.

PS: As my team continues to resolve the phishing issue involving false invites, I want to express my sincere gratitude and apologies. If you received an invite but didn’t register — that message did not come from me or my team. Thank you for your patience and continued support.

#LunchingUpAndDown #Leadership #Networking #CareerGrowth #WomenInBusiness

🎓 The University of Mastery

I will always be a student in the University of Mastery. Ever since I was little, I never had one specific career goal. I wasn’t the kid who said, “I want to be a doctor,” or “I want to be an astronaut.”

But I did know one thing: I wanted to be really, really good at something.
Maybe that’s why I love documentaries — I’m fascinated by how things (and people) are made. Some of my greatest inspirations, both those I’ve met and those I haven’t, are people who are masters of their craft. 

People who understand their subject matter expertise down to the deep, dark corners of their soul. In the early stages of me career, I would find those people at my workplace who knew their expertise well and (most importantly) knew how to execute it and how to encourage people along the way.  My list of corporate masters is deep. 

What makes these people masters isn’t just talent. It’s their humility to work harder than anyone in the room. Their commitment to always remain a student of their craft. And their willingness to bring others along for the journey.
When you’re a true master, you do all three simultaneously.

I watched a video of Ruth Carter recently, explaining her process of turning ordinary clothing into storytelling. But what really moved me was how she spoke about her career journey. She isn’t just creating costumes. She’s creating meaning. She understands the human experience so deeply that her art becomes a mirror for everyone else’s.

That’s what mastery is about — connecting deeply, learning endlessly, and lifting others as you climb. And that’s the heart of this masterclass series: learning how to communicate across levels, share wisdom generously, and build relationships that make mastery possible.

Join me and Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer, PhD, MBA, SPHR, BCC. this Thursday, October 23, for the next Lunching Up & Down Masterclass.

🎟️ Register here: https://lnkd.in/gKRfPQV8

Because you can’t master the work until you master how you connect with the people doing it.

If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to lead through connection and not hierarchy, this conversation is for you! 

I’m sitting down with Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer, PhD, MBA, SPHR, BCC, a USA Today bestselling author, executive coach, and global expert in human capital strategy. With 30+ years of C-suite experience, Dr. Cynthia has taught leaders across industries how to challenge limits, invest intentionally, and unlock potential — in themselves and in others.

We’re talking about:
1. What it actually means to “lunch up and down” and how to use that practice to build trust and get work done faster.

2. How to reframe leadership to focus on people, not just process.

3. The habits that help leaders create alignment, connection, and momentum across every level of an organization.

This one is going to be good. You’ll leave with insights you can use the next day.

Thursday, October 23 at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET
Free + Virtual Masterclass
Registration Link in Comments

Bring your notebook, your questions, and your curiosity. Let’s talk about what happens when leadership gets human again.

#Leadership #CareerDevelopment #HumanConnection #LunchingUpAndDown #LexiB #ProfessionalGrowth #Negotiation #Masterclass

🎉Today’s the day 🎉

The first Lunching Up and Down conversation goes live and I couldn’t have asked for a better guest to kick things off than Amy Lessinger.

Amy is a powerhouse in leadership, strategy, and transformation — a former President of RE/MAX who has led through change and built high-performing teams at every level.

We’ll talk about:
- How to build meaningful relationships up and down in your career
- How to grow and keep those relationships as your career moves
- How to stay grounded while growing into new levels of leadership

If you’ve ever been in a season of growth, this conversation is going to speak to you.

LINK IN COMMENTS
#LunchingUpandDown #Leadership #Transformation #WomenInLeadership #ProfessionalGrowth

Our first Lunching Up and Down masterclass was fantastic! Are you joining us for episode 2 next Wednesday with Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer, PhD, MBA, SPHR, BCC. 

Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer is a USA Today bestselling author, executive coach, and internationally recognized expert in human capital strategy. With over 30 years of C-suite experience, she helps leaders and organizations challenge limits, invest intentionally, and unlock potential. She’s the creator of the Now, Near, Next career framework, the Human Capital Investment Strategy (HCIS) business model, and the 7-Minute Pivot daily practice for meaningful change.

We will be deep diving into Dr. Bentzen-Mercer's own experience with lunching up and down. She will be sharing how a leader from her early career days actively lunched down with her and how that relationship transformed her career.

View event: Lunching Up and Down with Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer

Lunching Up and Down with Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer

Visibility does not equal income.

You can have all the followers, likes, and stage time in the world and still be underpaid, underutilized, and overlooked in the rooms that matter most.

Because visibility only opens the door (sometimes). 

Relationships determine whether you’re invited to sit down.
That’s what Lunching Up and Down is all about - learning how to build authentic, strategic relationships at every level.

With peers who sharpen you.
With mentors who guide you.
And with the people coming behind you who remind you how far you’ve come.

If you’ve ever felt like your hard work isn’t matching your paycheck or opportunities, this conversation is for you.

Join us this Thursday, October 23, for our next episode with Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer, PhD, MBA, SPHR, BCC, USA Today bestselling author and expert in human capital strategy.

Because being seen is nice… but being valued is the goal.
#LunchingUpAndDown #CareerGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #Networking #Visibility 

Register HERE and share with your networks: https://lnkd.in/gKRfPQV8

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