#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/  

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#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/  

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#empowHER50 – Leona Dotson (Locke)

When service becomes strategy, and purpose meets precision, impact becomes inevitable. 

For more than two decades at Microsoft, Leona has embodied the quiet power of servant leadership elevating underrepresented communities, reshaping partner ecosystems, and creating enduring pathways for women and youth to thrive in tech. 

As Director of Go-to-Market Benefits & Partner Engagement, Leona has played a transformative role in empowering women- and Black-owned cloud and services partners across the globe. Through her leadership of the Black Partner Growth Initiative and partner engagement with organizations like Women in Cloud and the Black Channel Partner Alliance, she has driven programs that expanded Microsoft’s ecosystem and amplified economic opportunity for thousands. 

Her leadership philosophy is simple but profound: “Lead with purpose, serve authentically, and embody a spirit of peace and gratitude.” 

From leading the team that designed the AI Cloud Partner Concierge program to orchestrating over 1,3100 global events that redefined Microsoft’s regional marketing and operations strategy, Leona’s work is a masterclass in scale and soul. Her efforts have reached thousands of strategic partners over the last several years, boosted partner satisfaction, and unlocked millions in reinvested impact. 

But her legacy stretches far beyond business metrics. 

Leona co-founded Blacks @ Microsoft (BAM) within the Customer and Partner Solutions division and spent five years nurturing the High School Intern Program mentoring over 120 students, several of whom are now Microsoft employees. She’s a fierce advocate for STEM education, endowing the Leona H. Dotson Women in STEM Scholarship and championing lifelong access to learning through the Educational Advancement Foundation and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. 

Whether mentoring young professionals, leading ERGs, or uplifting communities through organizations like The Greater Seattle Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, The Seattle Chapter of Jack & Jill of America, and the College Success Foundation, Leona’s commitment is unwavering: to leave every space more inclusive, more inspired, and more equitable than she found it. 

Her story is a blueprint for what happens when leadership is led by heart, and legacy is built not just in what we create, but in who we lift along the way. 

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 – Karen Bergin

There are moments in a career when purpose and precision align so perfectly, they create something larger than impact—they create infrastructure. For 23 years, Karen Bergin has been engineering such moments at Microsoft, where giving is no longer a gesture but a global operating system for change.  

Bergin doesn’t talk about charity she talks about access. Not as an afterthought, but as a blueprint. In 2022, she spearheaded the global expansion of Microsoft’s Employee Giving Program, transforming a US centric effort into a worldwide platform across 80+ countries. Since then, employees have contributed over $500 million, volunteered 2.5two million hours, and supported more than 3650,000 nonprofits. In her hands, generosity became both system and standard scalable, sustainable, and deeply human.  

“When compassion becomes code and generosity becomes infrastructure, we don’t just scale impact—we rewrite the blueprint of corporate purpose,” Bergin reflects.  

But Bergin’s legacy is not just written in metrics it’s embedded in moments of crisis and community. As the leader behind of Microsoft’s Disaster Response program, she has mobilized over 150 tech-enabled relief projects in 30 countries combining cloud infrastructure, digital tools, and volunteer expertise with breathtaking speed and empathy.  

And when the crisis subsides, she builds again. Her Change Agents and Nonprofit Advisors initiatives bridge the skills divide between Microsoft employees and thousands of nonprofits around the world ensuring access to AI, cloud technology, and strategy isn’t a privilege, but a promise.  

Outside Microsoft, she lends her voice to the arts as Chair-Elect of ArtsFund, where she champions equity in creative expression with the same urgency she brings to tech.  

Bergin’s work is a quiet revolution evidence that systems don’t change by chance, but through vision, design, and heart. She didn’t just help redefine giving at Microsoft she redefined what it means 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-50/  

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#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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