#empowHER50 – Letty Cherry

Some leaders speak the loudest in a room. Others move entire organizations by seeing what no one else can—and mobilizing everyone to act on it. That is Letty Cherry in Action. 

When Letty Cherry joined Microsoft 16 years ago, she didn’t know she’d be crafting narratives that would help define some of the company’s most pivotal moments—from reimagining the future of Xbox to making AI more accessible to everyone to leading global communications through a pandemic, to orchestrating Microsoft’s historic 50th anniversary celebration. 

Her path into tech wasn’t traditional. With a background in psychology and public relations, Letty’s earliest roles ranged from marketing and communications in the airline industry, running Marketing and TV production for an entertainment company and helping a commercial hardware company shift to consumer software and devices. But the constant thread was always the same: curiosity, adaptability, and a gift for connecting dots others didn’t see. 

Throughout her journey, Letty’s superpower remained clear: the ability to see patterns, connect people, and catalyze large-scale change. 

And that’s exactly what she’s done—again and again. 

That superpower—pattern recognition—became the foundation of her career. Letty made her mark early in Xbox, helping expand its narrative beyond core gamers to embrace entertainment and broader audiences. She later stepped into emerging tech domains, shaping Microsoft’s early communications in AI, Quantum, Bing, and Edge. But it was her leadership during the COVID-19 crisis that became a defining chapter. 

As the world shut down, Letty stepped up. Working across 109 countries, she helped architect Microsoft’s internal and external pandemic response—from employee communications and health policies to launching vaccination clinics and delivering oxygenators to employees in need. “It was the most career-changing, awful, and inspiring experience that let me help make a difference when so many were suffering,” she recalls. “What mattered most was showing up with care and consistency.” 

“The ability to recognize patterns and bring people together to act on them—that’s where real transformation begins,” – Letty Cherry. 

Today, as GM of Image and Culture, Letty is a connective tissue across Microsoft’s people and storytelling systems. Her work spans global communications, social media, cultural engagement, issues management, and initiatives like the #MS50 campaign. That milestone moment, which she helped lead, was a study in orchestration—balancing pride in legacy with a vision for the next 50 years. Her contributions helped Women in Cloud to launch #empowHER50 campaign to celebrate and honor past and current women powering Microsoft’s trillion-dollar market shift. 

Letty’s influence extends beyond her title. She mentors women and talent across industries, helps them find their voice, and creates pathways where others only see walls. Her strategy? Lead with trust, speak with honesty, and never hoard the knowledge. 

She doesn’t just shape culture—she enables it to grow, reflect, and scale. 

For Letty Cherry, transformation doesn’t begin with a podium. It begins when someone dares to ask, “How could this be better?”—and then invites others to build the answer. 

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 – Sandra Jacobson

When you build quietly and relentlessly, you leave behind more than impact—you leave infrastructure. 

In 1983, Sandra Jacobson joined Microsoft as one of fewer than 300 employees—and one of the very few women in systems and product management. Over the next 31 and a half years, she helped architect some of Microsoft’s most foundational programs, laying the groundwork for the global partner network, technical certifications, developer tools, and software training systems that continue to scale opportunity today. 

Her fingerprints are on more than 40 product launches, from developer toolkits and programming languages to strategic initiatives like the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) program, which she defined, developed, implemented and MCP became a global benchmark for IT excellence and career growth. She defined and launched programs that empowered millions of IT professionals worldwide—including the first Partner Referral Tool in 30 languages, the global expansion of Microsoft Training Centers, and the Software Advisor licensing programs that helped small businesses grow smarter. 

Whether building out Microsoft’s global certification framework, creating online partner enrollment platforms, or designing the first career pathways for Microsoft Solutions Partners, Sandra always held one truth close: “Without people who are respected, who care, who support each other and the goals, a company cannot succeed.” 

Sandra’s legacy is a powerful testament to collaboration and perseverance. As Microsoft’s longest-tenured woman employee at the time of her retirement in 2014, she opened doors—then built systems to ensure others could walk through them with confidence. 

Her spotlight reminds us that true impact isn’t always loud—it’s often foundational, sustained by decades of work that lives on in the people, programs, and partnerships it empowered. 

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 – Aliesha Pulliam

Don’t just wait for the perfect opportunity-sometimes you have to create it. 

Aliesha Pulliam’s journey through Microsoft is a study in reinvention. She began as a Premier Field Engineer for Dynamics 365, solving technical challenges for Public Sector and DoD customers. But she quickly saw that the real barrier wasn’t technology—it was adoption. So, she built bridges. Through workshops, training, and storytelling, she transformed implementation into impact, ensuring customers not only received Microsoft solutions but also embraced them. 

Her ability to connect technical insight with human experience laid the foundation for her next act—Executive Communications. Blending engineering with performance, Aliesha redefined what it means to lead with voice, presence, and purpose. 

But her most powerful work emerged outside the boardroom. As Chief of Staff for Blacks at Microsoft (BAM), she launched a Coding Academy in partnership with NSBE Jr. and Howard University. The goal? Equip K–12 students—many from underrepresented communities—with access to fun, scalable coding instruction. Aliesha designed a volunteer-led curriculum that could be replicated across Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), igniting pathways to tech for the next generation of innovators. 

“You don’t have to wait for the perfect opportunity—sometimes, you have to create it,” Aliesha says. “Empowerment isn’t just about breaking barriers; it’s about building bridges so others can cross them too.” 

Now an emcee, actress, and speaker, she continues to champion inclusive storytelling and leadership, proving that technology and creativity aren’t separate lanes—they’re a powerful intersection. 

Aliesha Pulliam is a bridge-builder in every sense: connecting communities to code, customers to clarity, and young minds to boundless possibility. 

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 – Suma Uppuluri

When you build with purpose, what you leave behind isn’t just technology—it’s legacy. 

For over 26 years, Suma Uppuluri has quietly shaped the backbone of Microsoft’s digital evolution. From optimizing the Windows kernel in the early 2000s to leading business-critical engineering for HR, CELA, and Finance systems, her work has touched nearly every corner of the company’s global infrastructure. But ask Suma what she’s most proud of, and she won’t talk about systems or code—she’ll talk about people. 

“True impact isn’t just measured by what we build,” she says, “but by the people we empower along the way.” 

Suma’s Microsoft journey began as a young engineer fresh from Kansas State University, driven by her love for STEM and a dream to join one of the world’s most influential tech companies. Her contributions to Windows, engineering efficiency, and Microsoft’s enterprise solutions have been foundational—but it’s her leadership, mentorship, and human-first approach that have had the most enduring ripple effect. 

As a Principal Group Engineering Manager, she not only leads high-performing teams but creates cultures where engineers of all backgrounds feel seen, supported, and set up to thrive. She mentors early-career talent, champions inclusive hiring, and instills a growth mindset in those around her. 

Outside the office, Suma channels her energy into community service, supporting Sophia Way and volunteering in local schools—all while hiking through the forests of the Pacific Northwest, recharging in nature’s quiet brilliance. 

Suma’s legacy isn’t just in the systems she’s helped build—it’s in the people she’s empowered to keep building. 

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 – Jane Boulware

When women rise with intention, entire ecosystems rise with them. 

Jane Boulware wasn’t expected to go to college—let alone become a Corporate Vice President at Microsoft. But from the very beginning, she chose to defy expectations and dismantle limitations, both internal and systemic. Her story is not just one of personal success; it’s a testament to the ripple effect of intentional leadership. 

Throughout her career, Jane understood that the biggest barriers aren’t always external. “Often, the loudest voice limiting and minimizing me was my own. Feeling unsure and alone is still too common—not surprising when there are so few sheroes to guide us,” she reflects. That insight became her mission: to show up, stand up, and lift others as she climbed. 

At Microsoft, she led by example. As Vice President of Devices, she built a team where women managers outnumbered men—an industry rarity. Many of those women are now senior executives at leading tech companies. Her mentorship extended well beyond her org chart, guiding 27 rising leaders and serving as executive sponsor for Career & Professional Development. 

But Jane’s leadership didn’t end with a job title. As Board Chair of the Bellevue Boys & Girls Clubs, she helped keep the doors open throughout COVID, ensuring thousands of youth had food, tech access, and tutoring support. She authored the book WORTHY to help women rise above fear and failure, donating 100% of the proceeds to scholarships for youth. 

Now, as CSO and CMO of The Gottman Institute, Jane is guiding groundbreaking AI innovation in emotional intelligence, bringing humanity to the heart of technology. She also coaches and sponsors leaders through initiatives such as WECAN, a collective accelerating the advancement of women into the C-suite. 

“Show up, stand up, and lift up—because success isn’t defined by what you achieve, but by helping others achieve more than they thought they could and would,” Jane affirms. 

Her legacy is one of action, courage, and radical generosity. Because when women rise with purpose, they build bridges strong enough for others to cross. 

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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