#empowHER50 – Sherlaender “Lani” Phillips

True leadership goes beyond authority—it’s the art of seeing people, elevating potential, and delivering impact with heart. Lani Comments: “True leadership goes beyond authority—it’s the art of seeing people, elevating potential, and delivering impact with heart.” 

Throughout her career, Sherlaender “Lani” Phillips has been on a mission to reimagine what leadership looks like—making it more human, inclusive, and accessible to all who aspire to grow, lead, and make a difference. 

At Microsoft, Lani brought this mission to life as the executive sponsor for Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) and the Black Partner Growth Initiative (BPGI). In these roles, she championed systemic change that opened doors for the Black community within the company and across its partner ecosystem. It wasn’t just strategy—it was legacy work. These initiatives, born of intention and empathy, continue to drive opportunity today. 

Beyond Microsoft, Lani extended her impact by backing communities that needed support, visibility, and capital. As an executive sponsor for the Black Channel Partner Alliance, she helped forge pathways to funding, mentorship, and community for underrepresented entrepreneurs. She also co-founded the Women Executive Channel Advisory Network (WECAN), creating a haven for senior women across tech to lift one another through peer mentorship, development, and strategic advocacy. 

One of her most innovative contributions was rethinking mentorship on a large scale. With Modern Mentoring, led by Lani Phillips, she transformed executive insight into a movement, hosting genuine conversations about resilience, equity, and growth that resonated with thousands across various industries.  

“When people are given access, support, and belief, they unlock their full leadership potential,” she shares. This philosophy has informed how she builds teams, drives results, and cultivates breakthrough performance. Lani comments: “When people are given access, support, and belief, they unlock their full leadership potential,” she shares. This philosophy has informed how she builds teams, drives results, and cultivates breakthrough performance. 

Now, as Founder & CEO of FullCircle Leadership Group, Lani is scaling this work further. Her signature program, FullCircle Elevate: The Emerging Leaders Experience, empowers rising talent and front-line leaders to lead with self-awareness, intention, and strategic execution all while inspiring trust, cultivating strong relationships, and driving transformative results. The outcomes speak for themselves, accelerated promotions, confident leadership, and a ripple effect that empowers teams and strengthens culture. Lani comment: Her signature program, FullCircle Elevate: The Emerging Leaders Experience, empowers rising talent and front-line leaders to lead with self-awareness, intention, and strategic execution all while inspiring trust, cultivating strong relationships, and driving transformative results. The outcomes speak for themselves, accelerated promotions, confident leadership, and a ripple effect that empowers teams and strengthens culture. 

For Lani, this work is more than professional—it’s a personal calling. Because when leaders choose to open doors for others, they ignite potential, shift trajectories, and ultimately transform lives. Lani comment: For Lani, this work is more than professional—it’s a personal calling. Because when leaders choose to open doors for others, they ignite potential, shift trajectories, and ultimately transform lives. 

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 – Patti Thibodeeau

Because when you protect the stories of the past, you lay the foundation for a more inclusive tomorrow. 

Patti Thibodeau didn’t set out to work in tech. Her journey began in museums and historical archives—quiet spaces that valued preservation and storytelling. But a bold decision to apply for a role she didn’t think she’d get—Archivist at Microsoft—changed her course and gave new meaning to her mission. 

“I thought, there is no way I’m going to get this job, but I have to at least try,” she recalls. That leap of faith brought her to the heart of one of the world’s most innovative companies. For the past two years, Patti has worked not only to preserve Microsoft’s history but to elevate the stories that define its culture, breakthroughs, and people. 

As Microsoft’s Archivist, Patti leads efforts that go far beyond dusty files. She curates exhibition programs for major events, contributes to milestone celebrations like Microsoft’s 50th anniversary, and collaborates across teams to ensure that innovation is remembered with heart and intention. Her mantra? “Build longer tables, not higher walls.” It’s a reminder that history—and access to it—should invite more voices, not fewer. 

Outside Microsoft, Patti is just as active. As a board member of the Seattle Archivists group, she mentors emerging professionals and partners with GLAM (Gallery, Library, Archive, and Museum) organizations to foster inclusion and accessibility in storytelling. Her advocacy ensures that historical preservation isn’t only about the past—it’s also about who gets to shape the future. 

To Patti, being part of the #empowHER50 campaign is an opportunity to spotlight the quiet impact of archivists: the ones who keep our collective memory alive. “Every moment is history in the making,” she says. And her legacy? To be remembered as a compassionate, unbiased steward of stories, who empowered others by preserving theirs. 

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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 – Michele Plaia

In an industry long dominated by men, Michele Plaia has never been one to shrink from the challenge. Early in her career at HP, she rose from the call center to outside sales, often finding herself one of the only women in a room of 10,000. That grit became her signature, driving a career defined by resilience, advocacy, and a passion for ensuring that the future of technology is both ethical and inclusive. 

Today, as a Modern Work AI Senior Specialist at Microsoft, Michele is shaping a $300M+ business in manufacturing, helping enterprise customers adopt AI, activate Copilot, and transform their workplaces for the next era of digital collaboration. Her leadership journey spans over 16 years across industry giants like AWS, Rockwell Automation, and ServiceNow, where she’s driven enterprise cloud strategies, pioneered blockchain solutions, and mentored countless leaders along the way. 

At the heart of her mission is democratizing AI—ensuring that this transformative technology doesn’t just serve the few but uplifts the many. Michele has personally led over 200 Copilot enablement sessions for manufacturing customers, championing real-world AI use cases across HR, operations, communications, and customer service. Through targeted upskilling programs, she has equipped more than 16,000 professionals with AI literacy, prompt engineering skills, and ethical frameworks that ensure responsible usage. 

“We must lead the charge for ethical, equitable AI—and bring others with us,” Michele says. This philosophy shapes her approach not only with customers but across Microsoft’s own communities. She actively trains partners on how to co-create Copilot solutions, while sharing AI prompt libraries across the Indigenous, HOLA, Women at Microsoft, and Manufacturing Culture Club communities—helping accelerate adoption in spaces where voices have historically been left out of innovation conversations. 

Her impact extends beyond the office. As a founding board member of the XX Project and partner of The Female Quotient and Brand Innovators, she’s worked to amplify women’s leadership globally. She also leads AI literacy programs for the Boys & Girls Club and NYC community alliances, helping the next generation of women and youth see themselves as creators of technology, not just consumers. 

Michele’s journey has never been easy. She’s faced discrimination, been told to “play the game,” and pushed back every time—choosing instead to rewrite the rules and create spaces where authenticity and innovation can coexist. At Microsoft, she pours that courage into culture-building, serving as a key member of the Manufacturing Culture Club and mentoring five professionals to rise with confidence, clarity, and purpose. 

Her legacy is one of bold disruption, fierce inclusion, and a belief that when technology is built by all, for all, it becomes a true force for good. 

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 – Talisha Padgett

Talisha Padgett believes AI isn’t just about technology—it’s about transforming mindsets, workflows, and relationships to ensure everyone, everywhere, can participate in the AI-powered future. 

For Talisha Padgett, General Manager of Marketing Technology and AI at Microsoft, the journey of AI transformation is not a sprint—it’s an evolution that starts with people. With over a year of hands-on experimentation in AI for Marketing, Talisha recognized a critical gap: while the technology existed, true transformation requires enabling every marketer to engage with AI confidently, responsibly, and daily. 

That realization led to the creation of the Marketing GenAI Center of Excellence (COE)—a strategic hub designed not just to build AI solutions, but to democratize their access across Microsoft’s global Marketing teams. “AI transformation takes time as you change mindsets, prove new possibilities, and form new working relationships,” Talisha shares. “My goal is to empower marketers with the power of AI and technology, through easy-to-use and understand solutions.” 

The COE is more than a tech initiative—it’s a cultural shift. By aligning Marketing, Engineering, Responsible AI (RAI), and senior leadership, Talisha’s team ensures AI solutions are not only technically sound but ethically grounded, business-relevant, and accessible to all. Her leadership has turned the COE into an engine of sustained innovation, enabling marketers at all levels to become daily AI practitioners, not just observers. 

Talisha’s approach centers on collaboration, responsible AI, and upskilling—engaging cross-functional teams to ensure diverse perspectives shape AI solutions, partnering closely with Microsoft’s Responsible AI team to build models on fair, unbiased data that promote equitable outcomes, and driving AI literacy across all levels of marketing to empower every marketer to confidently adopt and innovate with AI as part of their daily workflows. 
 

For Talisha, the mission is clear: AI should not be a privilege of a few but a tool that transforms work, fuels innovation, and opens doors for everyone. As the Marketing GenAI COE scales into FY26 and beyond, her leadership ensures Microsoft’s AI journey is not only inclusive and responsible but a model for the industry. 

Talisha’s story is a testament to the power of collaboration, empathy, and intentional leadership in driving not just AI adoption but an AI revolution that leaves no one behind. 

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 – Jill Tracy

For Jill Tracy, leadership has never been about titles or accolades—it’s been about building bridges. Bridges between cultures, between people, and between what is and what could be. “Leadership is about courage, compassion, and the unwavering belief that change is possible,” Jill says. “Leadership fosters ripple effects that can transform lives. I strive to build bridges of understanding, empower voices, and foster a world of peace.” 

From her humble roots in the Chicago suburbs to executive boardrooms at Microsoft, Jill’s life has been a testament to that vision. As a first-generation college graduate, she began her journey as a Rotary exchange student in Brazil, where she first witnessed global inequities—and the resilience of communities rising to meet them. That experience shaped a calling. She later served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay for three years, igniting a lifelong commitment to justice, access, and dignity for all. 

Armed with degrees in Spanish and Communications from Marquette University and an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, Jill joined Microsoft, where she spent 21 years helping to transform the global digital landscape. From pioneering billion-dollar channel strategies that drove $1B+ in cloud revenue, to leading high-impact initiatives across Latin America and Asia, her leadership became a blueprint for scalable impact across markets and communities. 

But her influence didn’t stop at business metrics. Jill has mentored girls in STEAM through DigiGirls and Girls Who Code, led Girl Scout troops for over a decade, and championed youth education by bringing students into Microsoft R&D labs to witness innovation firsthand. Through her service with Rotary International, she continues to support women in tech, mentor leaders, and advocate for sustainable development and disease eradication efforts around the world. 

Now, as CEO of United Planet, Jill is aligning her life’s work with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals—empowering youth, advancing global collaboration, and sparking ethical leadership. Her current pursuit of a PhD in Leadership & Change from Antioch University reflects her belief that transformation requires both scholarship and heart. 

Jill Tracy’s legacy is defined not by personal success, but by the lives she’s lifted along the way—and the communities she’s helped unite through empathy, innovation, and purposeful service. Her story reminds us that true leadership isn’t about power—it’s about the power we give others to lead. 

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-5

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