Rock It

Three cheers, and three cheers more, to six women influencing Silicon Valley.

Rock It
Illustration by Stuart Briers, The ISpot

Make a survey of women rocking Silicon Valley business and, naturally, you’ll find Santa Clara alumnae among them. In 2015, the Silicon Valley Business Journal includes on its list of women of influence:

Sherri R. Sager ’75, chief government and community relations officer at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. For more than two decades, she has been advocating for children and expectant mothers, primarily by working with government officials and communities on policy issues.

Norma Watenpaugh MBA ’82, founder and CEO, Phoenix Consulting Group. An expert in strategic alliances, she’s helped companies such as SAP, Adobe Systems Inc., and Xerox Corporation build better and stronger business relationships.

Saina Shamilov J.D. ’01, partner, Fenwick & West LLP. A star intellectual-property litigator, she has helped successfully defend Amazon.com and Zillow in patent cases. Last year she led a pro bono team that won a preliminary injunction on behalf of an ill inmate. A competitive ballroom dancer as well, she won a national title in Latin dance in 2010.

Aimee Catalano MBA ’02, vice president, Alliance Marketing, Citrix. Her more than 17 years of experience in the high-technology marketing field includes roles with IBM, Interwoven, Informix, and Qumu. She also has two young children.

Kerrie Romanow MBA ’02, director, San Jose Environmental Services Department. She was responsible for San Jose’s 2012 plastic bag ban. The Bring Your Own Bag ordinance and other green programs of hers have won statewide and national honors.

Dori L. Yob J.D. ’03, co-chair of the litigation department at San Jose law firm Hopkins & Carley. She handles complex real estate cases in state and federal courts. In January she was elected chair of the San Jose Planning Commission.

A Bilingual Storyteller

Producer Griselda Ramirez ’08 shares her experience producing Rihanna’s NFL halftime show interview and how studying Spanish at SCU impacted her career.

How to Dress to Save the World

Innovation analyst Jyotsna Gopinath ’19 discusses small steps to addressing a big fashion problem.

Keeping Current

Alexis Loera ’21, M.S. ’21 signed a new three-year contract with the Kansas City Current getting her one step closer to the U.S. Women’s National Team.

What Goes Round

Dennis Awtrey ’70 recalls his career as a pro basketball player.