#empowHER50 – Kate Maxwell

Kate Maxwell has never seen leadership as a title—it’s a responsibility to lift others while forging bold new paths. Whether in defense, education, or tech, she has consistently turned barriers into bridges and used her platform to unlock opportunity at scale. 

Her journey began as a software engineer supporting U.S. Defense and Intelligence missions, where she was often the only woman in the room. As a result of her own experiences, she became a fierce advocate for the underrepresented, raising her voice for women, veterans, and the LGBTQ+ community in spaces not always built for them. That conviction about using her platform and privilege for good would come to define every chapter of her career. 

Kate joined Microsoft in 2020 as the Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft’s Worldwide Defense & Intelligence industry team. In that role, Kate led the company’s efforts to support allied defense organizations in digital transformation and cloud adoption. Her leadership earned her Microsoft’s prestigious Pinnacle Club award, as well as global recognition, including Technology Magazine’s #1 Woman in Tech in the world distinction in 2023. 

Today, as the Industry Lead for Worldwide Education at Microsoft, Kate leads a global team responsible for industry strategy and business capture serving customers across the K–12, higher education, EdTech, and academic research verticals. Her team’s mission aligns with the broader Microsoft mission: to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Every day, the Microsoft Education team works to bridge the digital divide and deliver solutions to education customers that help personalize learning, increase institutional efficiencies, accelerate innovation & discovery, and prepare students for success in an increasingly tech and AI-enabled world. 

Despite her many industry & technology successes, for Kate, the most important impact has always been the human one. “Be brave, lead boldly, and lift others. That’s how we create a ripple effect of empowerment that transforms lives and reshapes what’s possible,” she says. That ethos fuels her work both inside and outside of Microsoft. 

Kate is a mentor to dozens of diverse technical and business leaders, a keynote speaker inspiring audiences on a global scale (katemaxwell.com), and a champion for policy change to support and elevate underrepresented demographics. Through her nonprofit work with TechPoint Youth, her Maxwell Scholarship for Women in Computing and Engineering, and her advocacy at all levels of government, Kate continues to change the game and open doors for the next generation of changemakers. 

Kate Maxwell isn’t just shaping the future of education and public sector innovation—she’s ensuring that the future belongs to everyone. Her legacy is one of courage, community, and a commitment to making sure everyone can realize the fullness of their own potential. 

About #empowHER50 campaign

This campaign celebrates women leaders at Microsoft, past and present, who have been instrumental in democratizing access to technology, opportunity, and growth. By honoring their contributions over the last half-century, this campaign highlights stories of resilience, innovation, and inclusivity. Through digital spotlights, a commemorative coffee table book, live recognition events, and more, the campaign inspires collective action toward achieving equitable societal goals. To learn more about empowHER50, please visit https://womenincloud.com/empowHER50 

To learn about Microsoft 50th celebrations: https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-50/  

/by

#empowHER50 – Jacqui Miranda

Jacqui Miranda has spent over two decades transforming leadership in the digital economy—not through volume, but through values and voice. 

As the Head of Asia Corporate Segment at Microsoft, Jacqui leads strategies that accelerate AI adoption among mid-sized enterprises across the region. But for her, transformation doesn’t begin with technology—it begins with access. “Technology without access is privilege,” she says. “With access, it becomes power, shared power.” 

That belief has shaped a large part of her 26-year career. From co-developing AI transformation strategies tailored to the needs of local businesses to championing inclusive skilling through Singapore’s Women in Tech GenAI x Digital Leaders initiative, Jacqui has helped over 200 digitally mature companies embrace not only innovation but equity. 

As Chair of Microsoft Asia Pacific’s Women Council and Co-Chair of its Allyship D&I Council, Jacqui drove inclusive leadership across borders. She led listening circles, launched allyship campaigns, and mentored women and minority talent at every career stage—all in partnership with leading institutions like United Women Singapore, Dell, National University of Singapore (NUS), and Adobe. Her team’s work was shortlisted for the Asia Women in IT Awards – DEI Category in 2021. 

Her advocacy goes beyond corporate walls. A certified Blackbelt Coach and member of the Singapore Institute of Directors, Jacqui continues to mentor rising leaders and champion inclusive governance. She’s taken the stage globally to speak on bias in AI—including at the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, where she joined 500+ leaders from 50 nations to discuss “Tech as a Vector of Inclusion.” 

Jacqui’s approach is rooted in three core strategies: cultivating inclusive leadership through allyship, mentoring emerging talent with honesty and intention, and supporting public-private partnerships that bridge the digital divide for underserved businesses. It’s this intentionality that makes her leadership resonate—from boardrooms to bootcamps. 

About #empowHER50 campaign

This campaign celebrates women leaders at Microsoft, past and present, who have been instrumental in democratizing access to technology, opportunity, and growth. By honoring their contributions over the last half-century, this campaign highlights stories of resilience, innovation, and inclusivity. Through digital spotlights, a commemorative coffee table book, live recognition events, and more, the campaign inspires collective action toward achieving equitable societal goals. To learn more about empowHER50, please visit https://womenincloud.com/empowHER50 

To learn about Microsoft 50th celebrations: https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-50/  

/by

#empowHER50 – Shannon Huffman Polson

Shannon Huffman Polson has always met resistance head-on. As one of the first women to fly the Apache helicopter in the U.S. Army, she learned that flying—and leading—means turning to face the wind, not away from it. “When you take off in the Apache helicopter, you turn to face the wind,” she says. “Making change, we have to do the same thing. Turn to face the wind, and the resistance will help you rise.” 

That ethos has powered her through every chapter of a remarkable career—from the military to Microsoft, from public libraries to national leadership programs. After earning her MBA and working in enterprise at Microsoft, Shannon redirected her focus to community impact. In Winthrop, Washington, she led a $6.5 million capital campaign to replace a tiny, outdated trailer with a new public library that now serves as a digital and educational lifeline for a rural community grappling with poverty and isolation. The project, launched and completed through a pandemic and economic downturn, has transformed the region’s access to learning and connection. 

As founder and CEO of The Grit Institute, she wrote her book The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience and Leadership in the most male dominated organization in the world, through that, Shannon now equips executives, military leaders, and students alike with the tools to lead through purpose, pressure, and complexity. Recognizing a growing mental health crisis among youth, she redesigned her institute’s leadership curriculum for high school and college students, delivering it through a blended model of digital training and in-person community facilitation. With its first deployment at a Boys & Girls Club in California, the initiative marks a new chapter in scaling access to character-based education for the next generation. 

Her advocacy doesn’t stop there. She continues to support veterans, champions educational reform in underserved regions, and is helping to co-found a new school that prioritizes both academic excellence and economic inclusion. 

Across each endeavor, Shannon uses technology as a lever, not a substitute, for human potential. Her belief is simple: tools are powerful, but it’s the people who wield them with courage and clarity that truly change lives. 

From cockpit to classroom, Shannon Huffman Polson shows us that leadership is not just about rising. It’s about facing the wind—then lifting others with you. 

About #empowHER50 campaign

This campaign celebrates women leaders at Microsoft, past and present, who have been instrumental in democratizing access to technology, opportunity, and growth. By honoring their contributions over the last half-century, this campaign highlights stories of resilience, innovation, and inclusivity. Through digital spotlights, a commemorative coffee table book, live recognition events, and more, the campaign inspires collective action toward achieving equitable societal goals. To learn more about empowHER50, please visit https://womenincloud.com/empowHER50 

To learn about Microsoft 50th celebrations: https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-50/  

/by

#empowHER50 – Snigdha Bora

In the foothills of Himalayas, Nainital, a young girl’s love for computer programming ignited a lifelong journey. That girl was Snigdha Bora—today, a seasoned engineering leader at Microsoft with more than two decades of transformative impact. Guided by values of respect, integrity, family, and a love of learning, Snigdha has built her career not just on innovation but on inclusion, mentorship, and mission-driven leadership. 

From her earliest days as a developer on Microsoft’s support web systems, Snigdha has approached every role with purpose. She led the development of intelligent support services and helped launch Azure’s management portal. Later, she revolutionized Microsoft’s financial data systems by migrating them to the cloud, unlocking new levels of scalability and access. She also modernized the company’s global supplier payment systems, ensuring timely and compliant payouts for developers and creators around the world. 

Her engineering leadership continued with the rollout of Viva Connections and the co-creation of the Places mobile platform, both instrumental in shaping hybrid workplace engagement. As Microsoft transitioned to a DevOps model, Snigdha guided her teams through major cultural and technical shifts, helping them stay agile, resilient, and future-ready. 

Currently, Snigdha leads tenant governance and security, building AI-powered tools that simplify enterprise administration while strengthening security and compliance. Her work enables global organizations to scale with confidence—and with care. 

But for Snigdha, impact is measured by more than just code. 

“True impact isn’t just about what you build—it’s about who you build it with, and how many others you empower to lead after you,” she shares. That belief has shaped her enduring commitment to access and equity. She’s an eight-year hiring champ, a recurring Grace Hopper Celebration reviewer, and a strong advocate for neurodiverse and veteran hiring pipelines. She mentors multiple employees at any given time and supports youth through the VOICE program, PTSA, and school sports teams. 

Snigdha is also a vocal champion for Responsible AI, ensuring transparency, fairness, and accessibility are built into every solution from the start. Her leadership helps steer the next wave of ethical innovation. 

Being recognized in #EmpowHER50 is a reflection of her core mission: to not only build impactful systems, but to create pathways for others to lead, thrive, and belong. 

Snigdha Bora builds with brilliance. But her legacy? That’s in the lives she’s empowered to rise. 

 About #empowHER50 campaign

This campaign celebrates women leaders at Microsoft, past and present, who have been instrumental in democratizing access to technology, opportunity, and growth. By honoring their contributions over the last half-century, this campaign highlights stories of resilience, innovation, and inclusivity. Through digital spotlights, a commemorative coffee table book, live recognition events, and more, the campaign inspires collective action toward achieving equitable societal goals. To learn more about empowHER50, please visit https://womenincloud.com/empowHER50 

To learn about Microsoft 50th celebrations: https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-50/  

/by

#empowHER50 – Claudia Martinez

If access opens the door, Claudia Martinez builds the architecture that invites people in—and ensures they thrive once they arrive. 

As a global leader in AI marketing and a force for inclusion in tech, Claudia Martinez has spent her career designing systems that bridge potential to purpose. Her superpower? Transforming access into belonging, and belonging into leadership. 

During her tenure at Microsoft, Claudia mentored more than 20 professionals—with over 80% retained for more than five years, many advancing into leadership roles or finding purpose-aligned paths across disciplines. She didn’t just coach careers—she catalyzed transformation. At 20+ recruiting activations, she inspired over 1,000 professionals through storytelling, visibility, and direct access to opportunity. And as a Copilot Champion for Marketing, Claudia supported the enablement of more than 3,000 marketers—making AI not just a productivity tool, but a catalyst for creative confidence and inclusion. 

Claudia’s philosophy is simple, but radical: Talent is everywhere. Opportunity should be too. 

That belief fueled her work building blended, diverse teams—integrating full-time and fractional talent to unlock innovation across race, gender, and career backgrounds. Her partnerships with women-led organizations created pathways for caregivers, creatives, and career switchers to enter tech, lead boldly, and redefine what value looks like. 

Today, at SAP, Claudia continues to advance this mission—ensuring that AI is designed not only for scale, but for equity. She champions inclusive enablement strategies that demystify emerging technologies and make innovation approachable for all. 

Her leadership embodies the quote she lives by: 
“Belonging should never be the reward for fitting in—it should be the foundation we build from. I design systems where access is intentional, brilliance is recognized without translation, and people rise by becoming more of themselves.” 

For Claudia Martinez, inclusion is not a trend—it’s a strategy. A system. A promise. 
And in every role she’s held, from Microsoft to SAP, she’s built that promise into reality—brick by inclusive brick. 

 
About #empowHER50 campaign

This campaign celebrates women leaders at Microsoft, past and present, who have been instrumental in democratizing access to technology, opportunity, and growth. By honoring their contributions over the last half-century, this campaign highlights stories of resilience, innovation, and inclusivity. Through digital spotlights, a commemorative coffee table book, live recognition events, and more, the campaign inspires collective action toward achieving equitable societal goals. To learn more about empowHER50, please visit https://womenincloud.com/empowHER50 

To learn about Microsoft 50th celebrations: https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-50/  

/by