Rosanna Garcia

There's a shortage of women in science, technology, engineering and math. And there's still a 17 percent gender gap in pay in all of legal (and 18 percent at Big Law). But within the legal technology community, there are many women with thriving careers.

In her effort to inspire girls and women (and men) everywhere, Monica Bay recently interviewed Rosanna Garcia, 55, CEO and co-founder of Vijilent, an artificial intelligence company in legal tech. Garcia is based in Raleigh, N.C. Vijilent has been chosen for the second round of the LexisNexis Legal Tech Acceleration Start-ups program, led by Lex Machina CEO Josh Becker.

Education: Doctorate of Philosophy in marketing, with a minor in complex systems, Michigan State University, 2002. MBA, University of Rochester, New York, 1988. Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, and Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1984.

Did you consider a career in science, technology, engineering or math? In my junior year in my chemical engineering program, I realized I was more of a “people person” than a lab rat, so I looked for jobs where I could combine people and technology. I ended up focusing on new products and innovation in marketing during my MBA program. Now I get to work in the best of both worlds—high-tech and marketing.

Your first paid job? McDonald's. My first full-time job with my engineering degree was at Pacific Gas & Electric in California.

Current job: Vijilent delivers intelligent online people search and social media discovery for the legal industry. As CEO, I conduct all strategic planning for the company. I'm also as associate professor of marketing at North Carolina State University, where I also hold the title of Chancellor's Faculty of Excellence in Innovation + Design. At N.C. State, I work with our students, especially women, to start their own companies.

“First seat at the table.” As a Hispanic woman in engineering in the early 1980s—and now as a Latina Ph.D in business—I've had a lot of first seats. I forget that I'm first at doing something, because gender and nationality should not be a factor.

First obstacle and how you overcame it: As first in my family to attend college, I didn't know about financial aid or the support available to minorities in colleges. Once I got to campus, I sought out the programs to support first-generation college students. Basically, I asked for and accepted help.

Most flagrant sexism you personally encountered and how did you address it? I made an appointment to meet with a venture capitalist. Before it started, I went to bathroom to wash my hands, but it was under construction, so I used the kitchen sink. There were no towels so I let my hands drip dry. When the VC entered the room, I apologized for not shaking his hand because they were wet. His reply was met with a grin and “That's O.K., I like it wet.” I was flabbergasted, but decided to ignore the statement. (There is a time to pick your battles and this was not one of those times).

More upsetting was an experience during a pitch scrum for a start-up competition. In my practice pitch, I noted that one of my competitive advantages was being a woman. The male director said, “You can't say that. If you do, you won't win the competition. You need to play by the rules.” The director and the female co-director didn't do anything to change the rules of the game. The rules of the game need to be changed, not women!

Secret to your success: Believe you can do anything—and then don't give up.

Your most important mentor. Abbie Griffin, a professor of marketing like myself, who also is a chemical engineer. Griffin received her Ph.D from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology—she's a powerhouse when it comes to new products and innovation. She was a great cheerleader for me when I was working on my Ph.D. She helped me get my first academic paper published.

Advice for young women: Ask for advice, and then actually follow the advice (if it makes sense for you). Advocate for yourself, as many times no one else will.

Dress codes? I personally love professional with a flash: a pencil skirt and jacket with one piece of fantastic jewelry; or statement shoes or a fancy neck scarf or wild earrings. Something to make people know you are confident and are your own person.

Balancing tips: Take time out for yourself everyday whether it's to sit and drink a glass of wine, meditate or exercise. A good book is always a great way to unwind as you get lost in someone else's story.

Five favorite technology tools:

Favorite vacation venue: I love Amsterdam. It's a beautiful city with open and curious people. A city that uses boats and bicycles for their daily commute is just magnificent.

Your mantra: Work hard, play hard.

Favorite quote: “The journey is the reward”—Chinese Proverb and Steve Jobs circa 1980s. His book definitely influenced my life.

Compiled by Monica Bay, a fellow at CodeX: The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics and a freelance journalist and analyst.

Rosanna Garcia

There's a shortage of women in science, technology, engineering and math. And there's still a 17 percent gender gap in pay in all of legal (and 18 percent at Big Law). But within the legal technology community, there are many women with thriving careers.

In her effort to inspire girls and women (and men) everywhere, Monica Bay recently interviewed Rosanna Garcia, 55, CEO and co-founder of Vijilent, an artificial intelligence company in legal tech. Garcia is based in Raleigh, N.C. Vijilent has been chosen for the second round of the LexisNexis Legal Tech Acceleration Start-ups program, led by Lex Machina CEO Josh Becker.

Education: Doctorate of Philosophy in marketing, with a minor in complex systems, Michigan State University, 2002. MBA, University of Rochester, New York, 1988. Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, and Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1984.

Did you consider a career in science, technology, engineering or math? In my junior year in my chemical engineering program, I realized I was more of a “people person” than a lab rat, so I looked for jobs where I could combine people and technology. I ended up focusing on new products and innovation in marketing during my MBA program. Now I get to work in the best of both worlds—high-tech and marketing.

Your first paid job? McDonald's. My first full-time job with my engineering degree was at Pacific Gas & Electric in California.

Current job: Vijilent delivers intelligent online people search and social media discovery for the legal industry. As CEO, I conduct all strategic planning for the company. I'm also as associate professor of marketing at North Carolina State University, where I also hold the title of Chancellor's Faculty of Excellence in Innovation + Design. At N.C. State, I work with our students, especially women, to start their own companies.

“First seat at the table.” As a Hispanic woman in engineering in the early 1980s—and now as a Latina Ph.D in business—I've had a lot of first seats. I forget that I'm first at doing something, because gender and nationality should not be a factor.

First obstacle and how you overcame it: As first in my family to attend college, I didn't know about financial aid or the support available to minorities in colleges. Once I got to campus, I sought out the programs to support first-generation college students. Basically, I asked for and accepted help.

Most flagrant sexism you personally encountered and how did you address it? I made an appointment to meet with a venture capitalist. Before it started, I went to bathroom to wash my hands, but it was under construction, so I used the kitchen sink. There were no towels so I let my hands drip dry. When the VC entered the room, I apologized for not shaking his hand because they were wet. His reply was met with a grin and “That's O.K., I like it wet.” I was flabbergasted, but decided to ignore the statement. (There is a time to pick your battles and this was not one of those times).

More upsetting was an experience during a pitch scrum for a start-up competition. In my practice pitch, I noted that one of my competitive advantages was being a woman. The male director said, “You can't say that. If you do, you won't win the competition. You need to play by the rules.” The director and the female co-director didn't do anything to change the rules of the game. The rules of the game need to be changed, not women!

Secret to your success: Believe you can do anything—and then don't give up.

Your most important mentor. Abbie Griffin, a professor of marketing like myself, who also is a chemical engineer. Griffin received her Ph.D from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology—she's a powerhouse when it comes to new products and innovation. She was a great cheerleader for me when I was working on my Ph.D. She helped me get my first academic paper published.

Advice for young women: Ask for advice, and then actually follow the advice (if it makes sense for you). Advocate for yourself, as many times no one else will.

Dress codes? I personally love professional with a flash: a pencil skirt and jacket with one piece of fantastic jewelry; or statement shoes or a fancy neck scarf or wild earrings. Something to make people know you are confident and are your own person.

Balancing tips: Take time out for yourself everyday whether it's to sit and drink a glass of wine, meditate or exercise. A good book is always a great way to unwind as you get lost in someone else's story.

Five favorite technology tools:

Favorite vacation venue: I love Amsterdam. It's a beautiful city with open and curious people. A city that uses boats and bicycles for their daily commute is just magnificent.

Your mantra: Work hard, play hard.

Favorite quote: “The journey is the reward”—Chinese Proverb and Steve Jobs circa 1980s. His book definitely influenced my life.

Compiled by Monica Bay, a fellow at CodeX: The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics and a freelance journalist and analyst.