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Sarina Hothi
Chief of Staff
Sarina Hothi is a seasoned Senior Program Manager with a robust background in driving impactful engineering security and IT initiatives.
She has a proven track record of fortifying company infrastructure and leading successful cross-functional teams to achieve project milestones within budget and timelines.
Sarina's expertise lies in security enhancements, strategic planning, and agile methodologies which have consistently delivered impressive results.
Her skill set includes mergers & acquisitions, program & project management, vendor selection & negotiation, risk assessment & mitigation, and team leadership.
She excels in communication & stakeholder engagement, compliance (PCI, SOX, SOC 2), candidate sourcing & onboarding, and utilizing PM tools like Confluence and Jira.
With a background in organizational development and dental hygiene from University of San Francisco and University of the Pacific respectively, Sarina brings a diverse educational foundation to her role.
Her previous roles include Chief of Staff at Gitar, involvement in the Partnership Committee at Hackfest, and holding key positions at prominent tech companies like DoorDash, Uber, and Google.
Throughout her career, Sarina Hothi has honed her leadership and project management skills, making her a valuable asset in driving successful IT and security initiatives.
Highlights
Today, I had the privilege of attending the Day of Shecurity conference, an event dedicated to empowering women in cybersecurity.
I wanted to share some key moments that resonated with me:
👩💼 Keynote by Marisa Fagan:
- One powerful takeaway was the reminder that "language opens up second chances."
- I found myself nodding along when they discussed surviving toxic work environments, layoffs, and the importance of vulnerability in a male-dominated industry. Burnout and isolation were also highlighted, shedding light on challenges many of us face.
🌟 Secure my AI w/ Charlotte Siska
- Key Takeaway: As exciting as the AI explosion 💥 is, the quest for effective mitigations amidst increasing attack vectors is a greater challenge.
- The need for user safeguards and the realization that even genius engineers can inadvertently create vulnerabilities. Ensuring AI system alignment emerged as a critical strategy for risk reduction.
Reddit, Inc. Privacy & Security Panel:
- There is power and benefit to not having a traditional engineering / security background. You’re able to provide insight that others might not be able to see.
- There was a great discussion on the importance of bringing conscious awareness to gendered feedback and speaking up against leadership shortcomings was highlighted, but acknowledged the challenges it may pose.
🚺 Lessons from Women Cybersecurity Leaders Panel:
- A particularly resonant moment was when Lisa Hall shared her experience of being told she "talks very youthful." Her response, "I just talk like I'm from California." As a California girl, I genuinely felt that. This moment served as a reminder to stay true to ourselves amidst societal expectations.
- The discussion on imposter syndrome also struck a chord, emphasizing that our unique perspectives are valuable contributions, regardless of others' expertise in the field.
The conversations throughout the day, including those with Becca Rosenthal, Rona Michele Spiegel & Karen A. were truly inspiring and thought-provoking.
Events like Day of Shecurity remind me of the importance of community and support. #Shecurity #WomenInCybersecurity #DiversityandInclusion
Who's going to Day of Shecurity - April 2024? I hope to see you there!
