Silicon ValleyJune 14, 2024 | Hyatt Regency San Francisco, Burlingame CA

Jill Stanghellini is Senior Manager Workplaces/Executive Assistant to the CEO, President and CFO at Hippo Enterprises. In her role, Jill doesn’t simply assist three executives – she empowers, emboldens and encourages them to be their best and truest selves, creating incredible value for the business along the way. And Jill isn't merely the connecting thread between three of Hippo's busiest executives. She's also the leader of the company’s global facilities team, supporting offices and employees in Palo Alto, Austin, New Jersey, Israel and Poland, while also managing the complex build-out of Hippo’s new Oakland location and coordinating global "back-to-work" efforts in the face of rapidly changing COVID-related regulations. On top of that, in 2021, Jill juggled all these priorities while Hippo transitioned from a private company to a public one. She is the best kind of strategic partner: One who makes you shake your head in awe and hope you’ll someday be able to do the job as flawlessly as she does.

Bharti Kalia, Executive Assistant at Maxim Integrated, has spent just over one year supporting the company’s Executive Director. In this short time, this rookie has played an integral role in keeping things for him—and the company in general--running smoothly. Bharti has developed a fantastic rapport with team members in a short time, and she is known for always being approachable, no matter the request! When Maxim experienced a reduction in staff, Bharti extended her support to other business groups in the company’s center in India, taking on responsibilities outside of her regular duties. Therefore, it’s no surprise that she has become the most sought-after company resource among several departments. Last year, the company conducted an India engineering day, where top executives from headquarters showcased their departments’ creative work. Bharti was a significant team player on the event’s organizing committee and went above the call of duty, taking a keen interest in the event while showing initiative, enthusiasm, and commitment. Colleagues appreciate her friendly nature and innate desire to help. She has jumped into budget management, scheduling for multiple events and executives, negotiating, and conflict management without prompting so she can learn more about the company. She assists the HR team with interviewing candidates, keeps the employees’ meal cards updated, works well with vendors, and has been essential in the company’s COVID-19 safety efforts. All of this in just over a year? Yes, and among the many reasons Bharti has been named Rooke of the Year.

To most of the 30 professionals Diane Fulgar assists every day, it’s difficult to imagine the amount of time and energy required to keep things running smoothly. But somehow, she does it all, and seemingly with great ease. Diane has been an administrative professional for more than two decades—five years with Alliance Insurance Services. Recently, Diane was instrumental in pulling off a big office move and was the lead in everything involved, including ensuring each employee had the necessary equipment to conduct business, overseeing and managing all aspects of the new space build out, onboarding of new employees, and the actual move—all while handling her day-to-day responsibilities. Thanks to Diane’s help, the move resulted in a growth of new clients, which correlates to revenue close to $12.5 million—an accomplishment that could not have happened without Diane’s attention to detail. After the move, she immediately transitioned added the title of Executive Administrator, where she does everything from handling phone calls with clients, prospects, and insurance markets to ensuring all executive travel details are taken care of. Every day, she exhibits professionalism, responsibility, accountability, and a general sense of pride and ownership that is admired by colleagues, clients, and market partners. Nicknamed “The General” in her office, she is always looking 10 steps forward, pinpointing potential roadblocks and coming up with solutions before there are even problems! She has been described as a lifeline, thanks to her willingness to go the extra mile when it comes to teambuilding functions, taking extra time with new hires with welcome care packages, organizing involvement in community philanthropic opportunities, and planning birthday celebrations for each team member. She is first to take on a new task, is passionate about continuing education and professional development opportunities, punctual, a group leader, and intuitive when it comes to anticipating others’ needs. Managing a busy insurance executive’s calendar isn’t an easy task, but it’s one that Diane manages flawlessly every day, even when receiving news that the team will be relocating yet again, meaning this will be third transition she has coordinated in just 48 months. It’s no surprise she is already ahead of the game--finding the new location, negotiating the lease, and collaborating with the contractor and architect. And yes, she is still just as upbeat and friendly as ever—a friend to everyone she encounters.

There are many paths to becoming an administrative assistant, and Janaki Harikumar Menon took an interesting one. She joined Synopsys in 2019 after working as an engineer—a career she planned for in college where she earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering.  She worked with a multinational company, providing information technology services and business process outsourcing and analyzing, developing, and evaluating large-scale complex systems. When the opportunity to become an Administrative Assistant at Synopsys became available, it was one she immediately wanted to embrace. She now supports the Senior Vice President and seven product learners and their team. Janaki orchestrates a variety of projects--maintaining executive calendars, arranging meetings, and travel coordination among them. She is a quick learner and produces high-quality results, fast. Everyone at Synopsys quickly assumes Janaki has worked as an administrative assistant for many years because of her knowledge and expertise. Strong communication skills, efficiency, and a self-starter—these are just a few of the ways team member describe Janaki. Her energy and positive attitude are contagious, and she has become an integral part of Synposys because of her approachable demeanor, methodical attention to detail, and excellent follow-through. As one executive puts it, “Janaki is always ready to jump in and help, whatever the task or challenge may be or whatever the hour may be. She does this with a smile on her face and a positive attitude and ensure the job gets done right.” It’s clear Janaki may be a rookie in years served but works like a seasoned pro when it comes to delivery.

Christine Soto is the Executive Administrator to David Noy, Vice President of Product Management at Veritas Technologies, LLC., a Leader in Enterprise Data Storage. In this role, Christine supports David Noy and his directors which requires wearing many hats and being a responsible team player in the Administrative community. Coordinating the team building events has been her real passion. Her career has been a journey with various technology companies which has provided an abundance of knowledge and recognition which has paved her path. In her spare time, she enjoys attending music festivals, sporting events, and riding Harleys. Most of all she values spending time with her soulmate Rick and their English Springer Spaniels Marla and Bella. Words she likes to live by: “Love One Another”

Anne is currently an Executive Assistant at Sage Intacct supporting the Managing Director, Executive Vice President and Vice Presidents of Engineering, Product, Marketing and Operations. Anne has more than 15+ years as a dedicated Administrative Professional in large, mid-size and start-up environments. Over the years she has gained a reputation for “getting it done” – either a significant project or day in day out resourcefulness and achievement of a variety of tasks. Anne keeps attuned to everyone she works with to ensure their day goes smooth and more enjoyable as they work towards completing their goals and priorities. Anne loves mentoring others. In March Anne completed her first Spartan Obstacle Course Race.

Stephanie Magana is a 1st year Executive Assistant at Intuit who began her administrative career supporting the SVP of US Sales and the VP of Partner Sales. Stephanie joined Intuit as a recent graduate of San Jose State University where she turned her contracted position into a full-time role after 8 months. Her can-do mindset and ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment have allowed her to become a successful and trusted business partner among sales leaders. In addition to managing the day to day needs of her executives, she has also successfully organized a number of events for her own team as well as broader Intuit groups. When she’s not working, she enjoys staying active with exercise classes and spending time with family and friends.

Anthony has been the Facilities Manager at BloomReach Inc. for just over a year now. He moved to California 6 years ago and has since acquired a passion for Facilities Management. Anthony spins many plates to ensure the facility runs efficiently, with safety and security as the top priority. He has made a large impact in a short period of time at BloomReach and is always looking for ways to improve the workplace experience. From delivering mail and ordering supplies to personally conducting office re-configurations and managing construction projects at multiple locations, he seems to always have it under control.   He is a lover of music and spirits and enjoys nothing more than sharing these experiences with great friends. On the weekends, you will find Anthony hiking, biking and traveling as well as playing an occasional sand volleyball game.

Carolyn is an Executive Assistant at Juniper Networks, Inc. where she has worked for the past 13 years. In this role, she has supported multiple VPs and their departments in IT Infrastructure and IT Applications Management. Prior to Juniper, Carolyn was an Executive Assistant at Cisco Systems for six and a half years supporting the VPs and departments of IT Finance and IT Web Platforms. Fortunately in these roles, she has been able to fulfill her passion for service by organizing quarterly volunteer events, mobilizing the support of her coworkers and consequently sharing this passion for others to do the same. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Business from Mission College in Santa Clara and West Valley College in Saratoga. Carolyn is an avid 49ers fan. She enjoys volunteering in her community and her daughter’s school, playing with Kona her Golden Retriever, being around the horses on her ranch, and hosting international exchange students from Germany, Brazil and the Netherlands.

Jaime Miller has found her true passion as an Executive Assistant, which she defines as helping people and organizations become successful. She joined LinkedIn in 2016 as Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Global Engineering Operations, where she has developed a strong brand as someone who can be consistently counted on.   In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, she has led various projects, including supporting the IT teams in the largest company-wide migration from Google Mail and Calendar to Office 365. With over 14 years of administrative and event management experience, Jaime’s influence extends beyond her executive and team. She enjoys mentoring others and sharing best practices within the administrative community. To further support those in and out of LinkedIn, she serves on the Administrative Professionals Conference Advisory Council.   Outside of the office, you will find Jaime at the ballpark supporting her three children, or wine tasting with her family and friends.

Kimberley Baxter Ptarcinski Kimberley Baxter Ptarcinski is an Executive Assistant supporting the WW Partner Systems Engineering Vice President, the IBM Alliance Managing Director, and the Worldwide Data Center Solutions Lead Vice President. Kimberley has spent the past 9 years at Juniper Networks, Inc. as an Executive Assistant. She has a unique experience supporting executives, systems engineering teams, territory, channel and global alliances teams focused on customer-facing sales generation and revenue growth in major and commercial accounts globally. She is Co-Chair of the Admin-Relations Committee, Editor of the Quarterly Admin Newsletter, member of the Volunteer Committee, and ACouncil. Prior to joining Juniper Networks, Inc., Kimberley spent 5 years at the New York Stock Exchange as an Executive Assistant supporting Client Services and Global Listings. Kimberley is a Northern California native, and currently lives in the Bay Area with her husband James and their two daughters Ava and Mia. Personal interests and passions include volunteering at church as Co-Director of a children’s bible study program, teaching Sunday school, and volunteering at her children’s school.

Kathy Cannon Kathy began her administrative professional career in Silicon Valley over 30 years ago. She was given an opportunity to work as a clerk in the early 80’s at National Semiconductor and she knew this was a start of something great. She truly enjoys the administrative role. Kathy has supported all levels of management including C-Level. She has also supported several different organizations within the companies where she has been employed. Some organizations include Human Resources, Marketing, Sales, Finance, and Start-Up’s. She is currently supporting the Real Estate and Workplaces Services (REWS) group at Juniper Networks. She has been with Juniper for over 6 years. Kathy enjoys being part of various administrative teams at Juniper. She currently leads the Learning and Development Team (which supports Juniper admin training and mentoring new admins). She is also on the Admin Relations Team (which supports philanthropy and admin events at Juniper) and the ACouncil (which is comprised of the leaders of the Admin committees). Kathy is a California native residing in San Jose with her husband Barry, their dog Chase and her cat Ebony. She enjoys singing, wine tasting, travel and spending time with friends and family.

Gina De Martini-Kuhns At Built with Principle, Gina facilitates in-office operations, including marketing support, coordinating IT support, day-to-day accounting, and contract and lien management processes. Before BWP, she worked in the wellness and real estate industries providing reliable customer service in addition to establishing and facilitating systems for successful operations. Her attention to detail and process-oriented approach contribute to an efficient office environment that accommodates – even promotes – future growth. She enjoys yoga and exploring the outdoors (by foot or by bike) with her husband and their rescued red heeler mix.

Al-Husein N. Madhany is the Executive Assistant to the Chief Information Officer at Facebook. He serves on the advisory board of C-Suite Executive Support Professionals, a national organization that helps expand the scope of the administrative assistant role into a strategic business partner one, through education and coaching. With advanced degrees from Harvard, Georgetown, and the University of Chicago, Al-Husein has consulted domestically and internationally within both the private and public sectors on philanthropy, civic engagement, corporate social responsibility, and leadership development. Al-Husein was a professor at Georgetown University and is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy. He has served on the Council on Foreign Relations and was recently an Aspen Ideas Scholar. Al-Husein was also a senior fellow at the George Washington University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security and has served on the advisory board for the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies at Stanford University. In his free time, Al-Husein serves as senior advisor to Patheos.com, a startup that has quickly become the premier online destination to explore and experience the world's beliefs. Al-Husein lives in Cupertino with his wife and two children, where he enjoys running and volunteer teaching in his daughter’s elementary school.

Charmayne Cormier-Craven is often referred to as the Administrative Assistant “Extraordinaire” or “Lady with Many Hats.” She has over 13 years of Administrative experience in the Commercial Architecture Industry, beginning her career as a receptionist and the welcoming face at Reel Grobman & Associates which is now HGA Architects and Engineers. During the merge she was instrumental in the transitioning from Reel Grobman to HGA, including coordinating new signage, supporting HR by assisting in benefit enrollment, supporting the IT department with upgrading the telephone and computer systems, and taking on a support role to assist the Project Manager during the build out and installment of the video conferencing center. Through hard work and preservation over the years, Charmayne has expanded her responsibilities to Vendor Presentation organizer, Event Coordinator, Tier one IT Support, New Hire Orientation, Contracts Administrator, and Staffing Coordinator Assistant by developing weekly staffing projection reports. In addition, she is the point of contact for facilities and office security requirements even making sure the company car is maintained. When she is not sprinting around the office multitasking and putting out “fires”, Charmayne unwinds by mountain bike riding, scuba diving, painting, or wine tasting with her family and close friends.

With 10 years of experience as an executive assistant in the software industry, Elizabeth is a seasoned professional strongly focused on employee engagement activities. A recipient of a Siebel Core Value award, Elizabeth has dedicated herself to community service and giving, working with non-profit organizations that support children and women’s initiatives. Elizabeth has continued her work as a volunteer ambassador at SAP hosting volunteer activities, coordinating donation drives and advocating for funding to support the causes dearest to her heart. The relationships and skill set that she’s developed through volunteering has directly benefited SAP and her immediate team. Elizabeth speaks with such passion and conviction about the impact of helping others. She inspires everyone around her and motivates her colleagues to volunteer by orchestrating countless service opportunities. In 2013, Elizabeth one out of a 150 SAP volunteer ambassadors in North America to be nominated to attend the Nation’s most important Volunteering and Service event in Washington, D.C. The event, hosted by NGO Points of Light, had more than 5,000 attendees from across the US. Elizabeth’s husband has threatened to send her to a 10 step volunteer program, soon after she was given a notepad, which read “Stop me before I volunteer again.” When she is not volunteering she enjoys cycling, cooking, tending to her organic garden and free range chickens.