#empowHER50 – Karen Fassio

When you skill a generation, you don’t just empower people you create ecosystems of opportunity that ripple for decades. 

For over 30 years in tech and 24 at Microsoft, Karen Fassio has been a force behind some of Microsoft’s most pivotal programs—quietly shaping the tech industry by connecting people, purpose, and progress. 

Her journey began with an invitation from a circle of women to join Microsoft, where she made it her mission to get people skilled. That rallying cry sparked the launch of game-changing initiatives like TechNet Subscriptions, the 2000 Windows Global Certifications program, and SMB licensing offers tools that empowered countless professionals and expanded access to technology on a global scale. 

Karen’s impact only grew from there. She became a founding force behind BuildFor2030, amplifying solutions aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and co-founded Women in Cloud, helping unlock over $500M in economic access and creating career pathways for more than 5,000 women in AI and cybersecurity. 

Beyond Microsoft, Karen continues to lead with intention. She serves on the board of the Black Channel Partner Alliance, architects’ go-to-market strategies for AI startups, and heads the Microsoft Alumni Network for the Pacific Northwest, ensuring inclusive innovation doesn’t stop at the exit badge. 

“Being part of #empowHER50 is more than an honor it’s a legacy. It’s a bridge between generations, ensuring my granddaughter sees the women who shaped the industry and the path she shares with them 50 years from now.” — Karen Fassio 

Karen’s legacy is rooted in skilling, storytelling, and strategic generosity. She doesn’t just prepare people for the future she helps them build it, lead it, and thrive in it. 

#empowHER50 honors her extraordinary blueprint: one that elevates women, enriches communities, and ensures everyone has a seat and a voice at the table. 

 
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/  

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#empowHER50 – Gena Goh

When we unlock access through ecosystems, innovation doesn’t just scale—it transforms communities. 

Gena Goh has made it her mission to activate technology as a force for impact—by amplifying the voices, solutions, and talents of others across Microsoft’s global partner ecosystem.  

In 2020, she launched the #BuildFor2030 Initiative, a movement that enabled startups and partners to co-innovate with Microsoft in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Through hackathons, marketplace spotlights, and targeted campaigns, Gena helped elevate hundreds of partner solutions that empower customers to become more energy-efficient, manage climate risk, and improve digital accessibility with AI.  

But Gena’s impact goes far beyond driving tech innovations. She understood that access isn’t equal—so she changed the equation. By advocating for Microsoft to sponsor partner-led community organizations, she helped drive digital skilling and professional development initiatives that reached thousands of women. Her leadership has created pathways that are inclusive, measurable, and lasting. 

“As we navigate the changes of the AI era, let’s keep creating pathways for access and opportunity, and enable communities to adapt, benefit from these new capabilities, and thrive.” — Gena Goh 

Gena’s approach is grounded in three strategies: create momentum behind a purpose, build a platform that enables access and innovation, and tap into partners and community to expand impact. She doesn’t wait for change—she builds the systems that make it possible.  

And today, Gena is focusing her attention on enabling teams and organizations to be at the forefront with cy

bersecurity solutions and stay protected. 

Gena’s legacy is one of activation and amplification—turning collaboration into outcomes and partnerships into power. By opening doors, she’s helping women and innovators around the world walk through them—and thrive. 

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/  

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#empowHER50 – Regina N. Johnson

When we center people, we redefine what growth looks like. 

That belief sits at the core of Regina N. Johnson’s work at Microsoft and in the world. As Senior Manager supporting Partner Engagement, Regina builds pathways, not just programs. Her focus is clear: help small businesses and underestimated entrepreneurs scale with power, clarity, and visibility. 

“Real innovation starts by listening. When we center people, we unlock the kind of growth that transforms communities. One story and one entrepreneur at a time.” — Regina N. Johnson 

At Microsoft, Regina serves as a liaison to external organizations that empower small business owners that are Microsoft partners. She supports strategic initiatives within the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program through capital access, technical enablement, skilling, and community-led partnerships. Under her leadership, efforts working with various organizations have driven a 30% increase in partner revenue and market engagement, while deepening representation in emerging markets. 

One standout initiative: a multimillion-dollar channel investment that supports high-growth Black-owned businesses. From tailored coaching to strategic messaging, the impact is measurable with partners reporting a 40% increase in customer engagement and stronger alignment with Microsoft’s ecosystem. 

But for Regina, numbers are just the beginning. What drives her is the people behind progress, including the founders who dared to dream and the changemakers rewriting the rules of possibility. 

Her work extends beyond Microsoft. She’s the founder of Wonder, a storytelling platform that uplifts the lived experiences of changemakers; the founder of Strata, a consultancy solving complex organizational problems; and a doctoral candidate at Columbia University, researching entrepreneurial resilience and learning strategies for long-term success. 

Regina’s leadership is a powerful reminder that real systems change begins with listening, and thrives through trust, investment, and shared purpose. 

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/  

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#empowHER50 – Dr. Felicia Guity

Creating equitable systems isn’t just about tech adoption—it’s about access, intention, and transformation. 

 
Throughout her 18-year career at Microsoft, Dr. Felicia Guity redefined what leadership looks like in a global tech ecosystem. Fueled by a deep belief in access, equity, and action, she built programs that didn’t just scale revenue—they empowered lives. 

From her early days supporting mainframe users to becoming a visionary sales leader, Dr. Guity has always understood that technology is most powerful when it’s personal. At Microsoft, she led the creation of the Global Delivery Incentive System—the company’s first scalable, cloud-based channel rewards platform. Designed with cultural sensitivity at its core, the system enabled real-time payments across BRIC countries via kiosks, debit cards, and merchandise—uplifting frontline workers while driving genuine software adoption. 

Her work didn’t stop with systems—it transformed education. In Microsoft’s Education Division, Dr. Guity championed low-cost tech for underserved communities, partnering with initiatives like Intel’s One Laptop per Child and advocating for digital literacy in classrooms across New York, Chicago, and beyond. 

“When access meets intention, transformation begins. That’s where real leadership lives.” — Dr. Felicia Guity 

Today, as a global executive at Coursera, Dr. Guity continues her mission: making world-class education accessible to all. She teaches Black Leadership courses, mentors rising changemakers, and invests in programs that blend digital skills with purpose-driven growth. 

Dr. Guity’s impact is global, personal, and lasting. She has shown the world that real leadership doesn’t just scale businesses—it unlocks human potential, one door at a time. 

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/  

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#empowHER50 – Michelle Thomas

When technology becomes a tool for access and inclusion, it doesn’t just change systems—it changes lives. 
 
Michelle Thomas is a visionary leader who has spent her career bridging the digital divide to ensure no one is left behind. As President and CEO, and a proud graduate of Spelman College—the #1 ranked HBCU—she brings a powerful perspective on empowerment, equity, and community-building through technology. 

 
At Microsoft, Michelle played a pivotal role in advancing the AI for Good & Government Initiative, convening national, state, and local leaders to address societal challenges through innovation. Her leadership of the largest AI for Government event in the U.S. catalyzed high-impact collaborations and secured key digital transformation contracts, proving how AI can serve communities at every level. 

Michelle’s commitment to inclusion extended through her work as Director of Microsoft’s Accelerate Atlanta and Miami programs, delivering digital skills training, job access, and economic opportunity to underserved populations. Backed by over $1 million in investment and partnerships with nonprofits and corporate allies, these efforts directly impacted communities of color, low-income residents, and those disproportionately affected by the pandemic. 

“Empowering the future means using technology to create access, opportunity, and inclusion—so no one is left behind in the digital age.” — Michelle Thomas 

Her advocacy continues through MichelleFThomas LLC, where she drives diversity initiatives, supports students with LinkedIn and Microsoft Learn trainings, and elevates women in leadership as Vice President of Charlotte Women Executives. Whether mentoring rising professionals or partnering with leaders like Carla Harris, Michelle’s work is rooted in purpose, connection, and access. 

Michelle’s legacy is built on empowerment through education, opportunity, and collaboration. By championing inclusive access to technology, she is reshaping what’s possible—for individuals, communities, and future generations. Her story is a call to action: when women lead with vision and heart, the future gets brighter for everyone. 

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/  

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