#empoweHER50 – Mercedes Agodio

Opportunity can change a life—but only if young people know it exists.  

Mercedes Agodio has spent the past decade ensuring that underserved youth have access to career pathways in STEM, using technology as a bridge to inspire, educate, and empower. 

Through her work with the Rotary Club, Mercedes revitalized the Success at Work program, integrating technology to expose young people to careers in tech. She focused on youth within the Harris County juvenile justice system, where many had never considered futures in STEM. By introducing them to real-world applications of technology, she helped them see their potential and opened doors to new possibilities. 

Her partnership with Kai XR brought Metaverse Training curriculum into the program, immersing students in cutting-edge design and career exploration. Inspired by their newfound skills, many sought guidance on turning their interests into lasting careers. Mercedes and her team ensured these students had the resources, mentorship, and industry connections needed to take the next step. 

“When students are given access to technology, they don’t just learn—they discover new possibilities. With the right support and resources, we’re proving that dreams are within reach for every young mind.” — Mercedes Agodio 

Mercedes’ impact comes from her three key strategies which are leveraging technology for hands-on learning by giving students real-world experiences to spark interest and build skills, bridging industry and education by connecting students with companies and professionals who can guide their journeys, and finally, providing tailored career resources and support which ensures young people have mentorship, tools, and opportunities to turn aspirations into careers. 

Mercedes’ work is more than just opening doors—it’s about ensuring that students have the tools to succeed once inside. By fostering a culture of curiosity, resilience, and opportunity, she is helping create a generation of diverse, tech-savvy leaders who will shape the future of innovation. 

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 – Stacy Tatem

Technology has the power to transform lives—but only if access and opportunity are shared.  

Stacy Tatem has made it her mission to break down barriers, foster mentorship, and champion ethical AI adoption to ensure that no one is left behind in the digital revolution. 

Her journey began in 2008 at Microsoft, stepping into the tech industry during a global financial crisis. With a background in finance and the challenges of being a single mother, she quickly learned the power of resilience, mentorship, and seizing every opportunity. Working on ERP deals and cloud strategies, she saw firsthand how partnerships drive progress and how upskilling fuels innovation. 

“My mission is to empower others through mentorship, creating access to skill-building and community.” — Stacy Tatem 

A fierce advocate for women in tech, Stacy has advised Women in Cloud, helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses, and played a key role in Cybersecurity Woman of the Year, amplifying the voices of women in cybersecurity. Now, as a Global Ambassador for the Council on Responsible AI, she is shaping the future of ethical AI and cybersecurity while empowering women through Empressa AI, an innovation venture dedicated to inclusivity. 

Her story is a testament to the power of mentorship, collaboration, and shared success. Stacy’s journey proves that when we lift others, we create a legacy of impact—one that paves the way for the next generation of leaders in tech. 

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 – Miri Rodriguez

When technology reflects the biases of the past, it limits the possibilities of the future.   

Throughout her career at Microsoft, Miri dedicated herself to democratizing access to technology, mentorship, and career opportunities for women. She worked across AI, skilling, and leadership development, ensuring women—especially those from underrepresented backgrounds—had the visibility and resources to thrive. But her mission took on new urgency after a life-changing diagnosis. Facing the reality of systemic inequities in healthcare, leadership, and technology, Miri emerged with an even stronger commitment to breaking barriers for women in AI and business. 

“We can’t wait 134 years for gender parity. AI should be a force for equity, amplifying women’s voices, expertise, and leadership—now.” — Miri 

At Microsoft, she plays a key role in advocating for responsible AI with storytelling across the Public Sector Industry. She also champions mentorship and skilling programs, helping women navigate and lead in tech. Her impact extends beyond corporate initiatives-Over the last couple decades, she has become a visible advocate for women’s representation in technology and business leadership, pushing for systemic change within the industry. 

With Microsoft’s support, and a visionary team behind her, Miri transitioned to her next bold endeavor: founding Empressa.ai, the world’s first AI-powered networking and career platform designed to drive gender equity. Empressa is now reshaping how women connect, gain visibility, and monetize their expertise—bridging the access gap that has long hindered career progression. 

As CEO of Empressa.ai, Miri reshapes how women connect, grow, and lead through the world’s first AI-powered platform for career equity. 

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 Topping Cone

Democratizing access to technology is more than just a mission—it’s the key to unlocking innovation, opportunity, and progress.  

Karen Topping Cone has dedicated her career to expanding global access to technology, ensuring that enterprises, entrepreneurs, and underserved communities can harness its power to drive meaningful change. 

Karen’s journey began with IBM World Trade, where she played a role in opening IBM’s first offices in Russia and China during a time of historic global transformation. She later took on a leadership role at Gartner, which included launching gartner.com in 2000 to broaden access to technology research and insights. In the wake of 9/11, she spearheaded an initiative to provide open access to Gartner’s disaster recovery research, ensuring that businesses and communities had the knowledge they needed in a time of crisis. Under her leadership, Gartner expanded to over 100 countries, democratizing access to vital technology expertise. 

At Microsoft, Karen led the Worldwide Financial Services Industry, advocating for cloud adoption at a time when regulatory concerns threatened innovation. Recognizing the hesitancy of financial institutions and regulators to embrace the cloud, she co-founded the Financial Services Cloud Advisory Council, bringing together 14 of the world’s largest financial institutions. With support from Microsoft product, legal and corporate affairs teams, Karen and her CTO, Sean Foley, provided objective education and expertise on how cloud computing could enhance security, scalability, and accessibility. Their work led to global regulatory updates that enabled financial institutions—both large and small—to adopt cloud technologies, democratizing financial innovation and accelerating Open Banking initiatives. 

Today, Karen continues to drive change as a board director and venture partner at Mastersfund, supporting women entrepreneurs in launching and scaling groundbreaking companies. One such company is Fyrii, an early-stage company accelerating Open Banking adoption through highly secure API integration, orchestration, and standardization, reducing costs and time-to-market for financial services innovation. 

“Democratizing access to technology empowers us to harness the combined potential of the world’s human population with AI computing models and data analytics that are key to unlocking our toughest problems and addressing essential questions we never knew to ask.” — Karen Topping Cone 

Karen’s success is rooted in three key strategies: leveraging evidence-based results to demonstrate how expanding access to technology benefits businesses and underserved communities, investing in early-stage innovators by funding and mentoring high-potential startups to drive widespread adoption of breakthrough technologies, and building strong alliances and partnerships that create industry-wide collaborations to scale opportunities, ensure sustainability, and promote inclusive growth. 

By expanding access to technology and empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs, Karen is proving that innovation thrives when more voices and perspectives are included. Her work is a testament to the power of technology to not only transform industries but also to create a more equitable and connected world. 

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 – Juhi Saha

Access to opportunity shouldn’t be a privilege—it should be a pathway.  

Juhi Saha has dedicated her career to breaking down barriers and ensuring that companies of all sizes, particularly those led by underrepresented founders, have the resources, knowledge, and connections they need to thrive in the Microsoft ecosystem. 

At Microsoft, Juhi built and led the Pegasus Program, an exclusive initiative designed to accelerate the growth of high-potential software startups to participate in cloud marketplace opportunity ($85 billion by 2028) by providing direct access to Microsoft’s sales channels, strategic partnerships, and cloud benefits—resources typically reserved for the most established players. By unlocking these opportunities, Pegasus helped startups scale faster, increasing their market reach and impact. 

Now, as CEO of Partner1, a WBENC-certified minority- and woman-owned enterprise, Juhi continues her mission beyond Microsoft. She launched two accelerators—Ignition and Maximize & Multiply—helping over 300 B2B software and services companies navigate the Microsoft ecosystem, leverage cloud marketplaces, and tap into co-sell opportunities. These programs have enabled startups and scale-ups to unlock millions in non-dilutive benefits, accelerate sales velocity, and grow annual recurring revenue (ARR) by double or triple-digit percentages. 

“Access to opportunity shouldn’t be a privilege. It should be a pathway. My mission is to break down barriers and equip companies with the tools, knowledge, and connections they need to scale, thrive, and succeed in the Microsoft ecosystem.” — Juhi Saha 

Juhi’s work is essential for underrepresented founders to have access to the financial and strategic resources needed to succeed. By simplifying complexity, bridging knowledge gaps, and amplifying opportunities, she is reshaping access to growth in the global tech landscape. 

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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