#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 2.5 million hours, and supported more than 50,000 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 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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#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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