Jo is a Principal Technical Program Manager who works for the Oracle National Security Region—a unique division of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for which you need a US Government Top Secret clearance. Her team is building a new class of cloud for the mission-critical systems that protect America. It’s what gives Jo her sense of purpose—something she wasn’t sure she would find again when she left the Air Force.

"There isn’t a career tool that connects the dots between being a B52 Weapon System Officer and being a cloud computing program manager. But as it turns out, helping the government protect their information and move to the cloud has given me as much purpose and job satisfaction as I’ve ever had."

After eight years of marriage, Daniele and Taize decided to start a family. Through in-vitro fertilization, life blessed them with their daughter, Rafaella, who is now seven. “As an LGBTQ+ family, we understand our role is to spread a message of pride. Our family, friends, and co-workers see what we’re building with our family and are learning it’s not better than anyone else’s—it’s just different.”

Taize and Daniele are champions of LGBTQ+ equality at Oracle. “So far we have gender-neutral restrooms in Brazil, HRC Award recognition in Mexico, three new OPEN chapters across the region, and special recruitment programs for LGBTQ+ students,” Taize says. “I’m very proud to see my leaders and top management team in Latin America not only be aware of LGBTQ+ inclusion, but also actively engaged in our actions.”

As a child Mari represented Japan in the Junior Olympics for swimming, but her life took a sudden turn when she suffered a cerebral infarction in her sleep, leaving her left arm and leg disabled. With this setback, Mari had to rethink how she would live the rest of her life.

That’s when she found her love of fly-fishing and sailing. A long period of intensive practice and preparation led Mari to the incredible achievement of winning the Silver Medal with the National Paralympic Sailing team as well as the Global Fly Fishing Championship in the female category. “When I was competing, I would close my eyes and visualize my friends and family’s reaction to me winning a medal—that gave me strength to keep going.

Mari now uses her experiences to inspire others in challenging situations. As an Oracle Development Consultant, she helps employees with mental training, finding strength, positive psychology, and resilience.

Mona was blazing her trail as a successful sales account manager when she was nominated to attend the 2019 Oracle Emerging Leader Summit in Amsterdam. She was excited for the opportunity to represent the women of Saudi Arabia on a global stage.

“I’ve always been aware that people have an inaccurate perception about the Saudi workforce—especially Saudi women,” Mona explains. “So I’ve always wanted to correct this and show the world just how capable Saudi women are.”

By the time Mona returned she had set her sights on a new career goal: starting Saudi Arabia's first ever Oracle Women’s Leadership (OWL) community. “I had a strong urge to highlight the real image of the Saudi woman and show that we are talented, ambitious, and hard working. We are constantly looking for opportunities to develop ourselves, just like any other women around the world."

Olympic Trials finalist Montez, an Oracle account executive, knows what it takes to succeed on the field—and in his career.

“One of the biggest things that I've learned is that failure is part of success,” says Montez. “Most people only look at the highlights in life. But the story and the lessons learned come from being knocked down and building yourself back up.”

Montez’ winning attitude is continuing to help him succeed in the corporate world. “Oracle gives us an opportunity not only to understand who we are as a person, but to learn different tools that you would never have access to. If you’re willing to open your eyes and learn, the world is yours.”