7-Second Resume Statement
Growing up mixed-race, I learned how to effectively communicate across cultures and interests to find common ground. These finely tuned communication skills enable me to bring cross-functional groups together around strategic goals.
Bio
Catherine Gillespie-Vargas is Director, Advisory Services, responsible for advising on end-to-end design and implementation of more inclusive and equitable talent practices. At Grads of Life, she brings experience in product development, client management, DEI and Design Thinking to the work along with her passion for racial and economic justice.
During her time at IBM Watson as a product manager, she led deployment of IBM Research technology to develop the first customer-facing cognitive computing product from alpha to beta, in under 9 months. She attended MIT Sloan for her MBA and focused her time there designing and advocating for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives in the school and working in social entrepreneurship.
At MIT, she was awarded the Seley Scholarship, recognizing leadership, community contribution and academic achievement. Personally, she enjoys dancing, hiking, and having good conversation.
