Next up in our exploration of Data Gumbo team members, we welcome Anna Brown, Director of Knowledge Transfer. In case you’ve missed previous iterations in this ongoing series, get to know our team better by reading about Product Manager Dinika Byrappa, Associate Solutions Consultant Henry Le and Director, Commercial, Jack Gibbs.
Anna Brown comes to Data Gumbo after numerous years in Education. Most recently, Brown was the Director of Special Education K-12 and District Assessment Coordinator for the Meridian World School District located in Round Rock, Texas. In this role, she worked to shape the future direction of programming by collecting, analyzing, and interpreting student data to ensure services provided met students with special needs and state and federal compliance guidelines. Welcome Anna!
You’ve made quite the pivot from the public education sector to a high-growth startup company. Can you talk about the surprising similarities and/or differences you’ve found in these contrasting work environments?
Transitioning from the classroom to an administrative leadership role in the educational arena many years ago required me to gain an extensive knowledge and understanding of Adult Learning Theory in order to effectively train adults. At Data Gumbo, the educational methodology is the same however the content and subject matter is much different. I am a lifelong learner with a passion for educating others and I welcome the challenge of learning new content and developing curriculum to meet the needs of various target audiences!
Joining a high-growth startup company like Data Gumbo is exciting! I was part of the grassroots efforts to develop and implement the Special Education program at Meridian World School. The dedication and team effort it takes to build systems and processes from the ground up can be challenging, but extremely rewarding as I worked to shape the future direction of the program. I look forward to working with the teams at Data Gumbo to design and implement training programs internally and externally that promote consistency, effectiveness and productivity.
Collaboration is a big part of your role as you work directly with Data Gumbo’s partners, customers and employees to design, build and maintain our data knowledge transfer capabilities. What are the biggest obstacles in creating an overarching strategy that translates for such diverse audiences?
Open communication with precision is crucial to ensure our partners, customers and employees are informed, trained and enabled for success. Data Gumbo’s core values and focus make certain all efforts are aligned to keep us true to what we do best. Our teams are empowered to be solution-oriented and take initiative, which creates opportunities for me to identify gaps in knowledge transfer throughout the customer journey, create unique learning experiences and continuously diversify the enablement program.
How would you describe the smart contract life cycle for those that know nothing about it?
Would you enter into a contract with someone you don’t trust? Probably not. You would need assurance in knowing the agreement will be honored and smart contracts provide a solution to that exact problem. Smart contracts are simply a set of rules that automatically execute terms of a contract. It formalizes the relationship between counterparties and assets without the need for intermediaries.
Thanks to payment automation, contractors and suppliers can get paid faster for services and products delivered per agreements, thus freeing up working capital. It also means that owners/operators pay only for what is actually delivered or executed. Smart contracts supply trust to commercial relationships and ensure transparent transactions.
What are the most common issues our customers face with an awareness mentality of technology?
Data Gumbo’s purpose is to change the way the world does business. Many of our customers acknowledge they must strategically reposition themselves in a digital economy, but change can be challenging! Digital transformation impacts culture, processes and technology used at a business. We support our customers in the learning process to adjust and embrace organizational change management.
What areas of digital transformation and emerging technologies do you find fascinating and why?
Virtual instructional design technologies have emerged exponentially during the pandemic and will only increase offerings in the future to transform the way we learn. The emerging eLearning trends such as microlearning, artificial intelligence, gamification and video-based learning feature strategies that deliver high-impact and immersive learning experiences that capture interest and promote retention.
In applying a global lens to business challenges, can you identify priorities for process improvement and transformation initiatives?
Various factors pose challenges for businesses as they innovate, change operating business models and leverage emerging technology. Offering engaging, effective training at the speed of business requires expeditious design and the delivery of educational material that can be adapted to reflect business decisions.
What’s your favorite thing thus far about being on the team at Data Gumbo?
The people! Technology doesn’t change or improve a business, people do, by leveraging technology. I am surrounded by creative, innovative, dedicated and brilliant people who share the same passion and enthusiasm to deliver transactional certainty for tomorrow’s industrial leaders!
