Career Growth Advice from Karenga Ross, Senior Director at Intel | Career Tips for Women in Technology

2B Bolder Podcast – Episode 132
Featuring Karenga Ross

Episode Title: #132 Karenga Ross's Career Insights: Ask for Help, Build Your Legacy: A Tech Leader's Playbook

Host: Mary Killelea
Guest: Karenga Ross


Mary Killelea (Host): Hi there, my name is Mary Killelea. Welcome to the 2B Bolder podcast, providing career insights for the next generation of women in business and tech. 2B Bolder was created out of my love for technology and marketing, my desire to bring together like-minded women, and my hope to be a great role model and source of inspiration for my two girls and other young women like you. Encouraging you guys to show up and to be bolder and to know that anything you guys dream of, it's totally possible. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the conversation.

Hi there. Hey, have you ever wondered what it takes to go from writing code to driving innovation in AI at one of the world's largest tech companies? Well, today's guest, Karenga Ross, is a powerhouse. As a senior director at Intel, she's shaping the future of data center AI while also shaping the next generation of leaders through mentorship, advocacy, and bold leadership. From Coca-Cola's freestyle machines to leading Silicon's engineering at Intel, Kuringa's journey is filled with bold moves, unexpected pivots and lessons. Every woman in tech definitely needs to hear this story. So, I really appreciate you being here today and I can't wait for this conversation.

Karenga Ross (Guest): Excited to be here.

Mary Killelea: Awesome. Okay. So, take us back. When you first started your career, did you ever imagine you'd be leading AI innovation at Intel?

Karenga Ross: No, I had no idea that I would be at Intel. Okay, so little Coranga, which is also my daughter's nickname, which is hilarious. But I wanted to be like a heart transplant surgeon or either build like the next Terminator robot, like to save the world. Kind of two different things. So when I realized I actually didn't like the sight of blood, I was like, "Okay, I guess I'm going to build a Terminator." And like back in the day, I loved playing with my Speak and Spell and then I would take it apart and then I would do a lot of typing and so like we'd have these typing competitions between my mom and my dad and me. He was really into computers early and my mom did leadership development for different companies in Georgia. So, I was like, well, you know what? I'm going to do my own thing and I'm going to go into mechanical engineering and I'm going to build like this cool robot. I started majoring in mechanical engineering, got to thermodynamics and realized that, you know, that just wasn't my path, you know , to do hardware. So I switched and changed my major to computer science. Then I got my MBA and then I did a master's of computer science and now I'm doing a PhD in business with a focus on leadership. So basically I just became my mom and my dad like put together. When Intel connected with me, I was like, "What is this hardware company doing interested in this like a software person?" It was so funny because I got to Intel and they were like, "We do way more than hardware. Like we do silicon photonics and lithography and software and firmware and I was just like, okay, like I'm in. I bought it." So, no, I never saw myself at Intel. Never saw myself in Oregon and , here I and I love them both.

Mary Killelea: Well, then that's amazing. I love that your parents were your kind of inspiration and role models and from such a young age you just had this I guess intuitive sense about you to chase something or go after something kind of ahead of your time. I mean because it wasn't big at the time and so to have that vision and interest is amazing. So you worked in software at Coca-Cola to Silicon obviously at engineering at Intel. What's been one of the most surprising lessons across those shifts for you?

Karenga Ross: Okay. I mean, yeah, I've worked in many different engine engineering spaces in different industries and when I look back I thought about how it always took someone, some person, somebody to connect me, right? somebody to encourage me, somebody to like believe in me, but then I also had to say yes, right, to making the shifts associated. So, like you said, my parents believed in me, my teachers, my professors, they encouraged me, my friends in college supported me, like when I wasn't great at history and like a friend would help me, but then I would help her with math, right? You know, a lady named Lydia Brown took a chance on me with my little purple light suit on and my purple resume, you know, at the career fair, right? But all of these people needed me to do something, needed me to make a change, right? So I had to move from Georgia to Alabama for college and then North Carolina and then to Minnesota with Lydia for General Dynamics and then, you know, back to Georgia and then now I'm in Oregon, right? To take advantage of these opportunities that these really really great people that I connected with were giving me. I didn't say no, right? I didn't say no, I can't move. No, I can't go. No, I can't do it. No, you know, insert reason here, right? So, I had to say yes. And then I'm just really super grateful that my family and my friends were supportive so that I could go right so that I could say yes and then go after my dreams.

Mary Killelea: I think that's such a good point that you make. Saying yes is such a big mindset shift.

Karenga Ross: Yes.

Mary Killelea: Like in fact sometimes I've had that as one, you know how in the New Year's resolutions you choose a word for the year? At least I do. Yes. Choosing yes more than no has been one of my intentions and it made a world of difference.

Karenga Ross: Yes.

Mary Killelea: Yes.

Karenga Ross: Three little letters can be so powerful in your mindset shift. For real.

Mary Killelea: That's wonderful. Okay. So for the women who hear AI and everyone who doesn't hear the word AI right now and they hear data set engineering and they're trying to figure out how to navigate where they're building their career or their growth trajectory and kind of that AI tech data center space.

Karenga Ross: Yeah.

Mary Killelea: And it feels intimidating to them. What words of encouragement do you have for those women?

Karenga Ross: Well what I would say is don't think of it as intimidating. I tell my kids they're like, "What, is a data center?" And I'm like, "Well, okay, like you watch videos on Tik Tok, right? You play Fortnite, you're playing Roblox, and you're doing this with people from all over the world. That's what a data center does, right? It's the hardware, it's the software, it's all those solutions that really like power and optimize how our data is stored and sent, right, from cloud and edge and and all of that. And so you know at Intel we use that data center tech and we enable companies that have data centers to use that technology. So when we talk about CPUs or central processing units, the brains, right? We have that for Xeon. When you think of AI, how do you accelerate those workloads, right? So that your CPU, your brain can do something and accelerators can, you know, help enable something else, right? Then the software that really takes advantage of that hardware and makes sure that it's constantly optimizing like those AI workloads. So, you know, I'm on the Xeon engineering side and so that's where we like, you know, make sure that our processors can handle like this wide range of different kinds of workloads and you know, things that we don't even know about today of how people are going to use our technology in cars or in here. So, I would just say don't be intimidated, be curious, right? Ask about it. I love to ask questions. So, you know, asking those questions and you don't have to be an expert in the area to be in the area. You just have to be curious. You have to want to know. Then I always try to tie it to something that's exciting for me. So, you know, when I see my kids wanting to do their viral TikToks and stuff, I'm like, "Yeah, that's got some Intel technology in there in the data center, you know, and I can connect that to them." And so, like I used to say to them the only time I would think about Intel is, you know, ding ding ding, right? Or, you know, where you could see it like on the computer. But, like I said, it's just so much more. So I didn't know anything about it when I came in and that's why I was just like you know oh you need me like how why and then just I mean they just embraced me and then they teach you. So when you get into that area they bring you in for what you do know, not what you don't know they'll teach you what you don't know right and so if you have an aptitude for technology or science they'll teach you that right because you have the capability to learn. So don't be intimidated, just be curious.

Mary Killelea: I love that. I love that you hit that point. One thing I also want to hit on too is okay, so you've got all this technical engineering mind and then you've blended it with the business with the schooling and how has taking that step into going deeper into business skills helped your career?

Karenga Ross: Oh my gosh, so much. I used to keep my head down and just deliver my work. That's what I was told to do, right? You're an engineer, engineer, right? Go do that, right? So, you know, software development, coding, you know, like to do that. And I was doing fine. I was doing well. But I didn't understand the business. So, I understand engineering and I'm making a great product. But what I didn't understand is like who's buying that product, why would they buy that product, when did they need it, did I give that to them when I needed to? So, I think the pivot for me, the biggest pivot was when I got to Coca-Cola. They were like, you know, hey, what's your brand? And I was like, I don't know, Sprite, Coke, something. And they were like, no, no, like, but who are you? And I didn't have a brand statement of who I was. So, I had to develop and like, why do I need a brand statement? And it was like, well, people need to know you and understand you and you have to build a relationship with your customers. And when I was working on the freestyle dispenser, that's the touchscreen dispenser, you know, Coke and Pepsi have one now, but like we had us go out to the customer where we were putting these dispensers and talk to them, right? Talk to the owners. And that just the light bulb went off like, "Oh my gosh, I really need to understand the business. How are we making money? How are we generating revenue? What does OPEX mean? And why is that important?" Then that helps me take that information back to the engineers to say, "Yeah, this is a really cool widget that you're making, but nobody wants to buy it. Nobody wants to need it." And so, then I had to help understand how do you then translate that to your leadership? And so, you know, then kind of focusing on your business leaders to enable them because they may not want to go to business school, right? Like these are your hardcore, you know, fellows and technical engineers. So, they're like, "You go do that. Just tell me what I need to do, right?" And so that's why I enjoy doing that. So that's fun. So I get to have my engineering mindset and then I can have a business mindset and then I can bring that back to both groups.

Mary Killelea: You touched on so many important things in that. But I'm going to hone in on the importance of personal brand. Because that's one thing that I get on my soap box and I preach and I try to help women with, you know, developing personal brands on LinkedIn. But it is hard when you try to be all things to everybody or you just keep your heads down and do your job and you never took the time to look at your own attributes, your own strengths and your own goals and then kind of button that up into a meaningful statement or headline or brand.

Karenga Ross: Yes.

Mary Killelea: So, what advice do you give women for developing their brand?

Karenga Ross: That's a great question. I found that I can do so much more with a really great group of people, right? And so, I learned from one of my mentors, Lisha, right? Like, so God, right? I need wisdom. I need some guidance. I need some understanding. I got to get out of my own way, right? Let me be open and willing to accept. Then I go out to that board of advisers, right? So that's going to be like I'm part of the Intel Black Leadership Council. So I reach out to people there. I reach out to like HR. I reach out to legal people like the admin right on the team. Trusted you know people in my group like my family members community members and I just say you know hey if you think about me in like one or two sentences what what comes to mind just I just kind of want to know and then you you'll kind of notice a theme of what those people are saying about you. And that kind of helps get you kick started on it and then you just kind of write it and rewrite it. Then pitch it to a couple of people and see what it means. And so my brand in its simplest form is like to help me. God said to Adam, right? Like you got a lot of work to do, you need to help me meet, right? And so that's who I am. When you have a lot of work to do, you've got a strategy, you have a vision, and you need somebody to help you do it and like to execute on that vision. That's where I come in, right? So that's the shortest form. And then I had to like to create that a little bit more because like okay, if the CEO asks you that, right? like by doing what right and so then I just continue to build on that right so where I'm able to blend right the technical expertise with the business acumen right in order to get our products to our customer with you know high quality right but that that kind of happened over time but the the core of you is going to be the same whether you're at work or you're in your community or with your family and that's where I found that getting that brand statement but yeah it took that person at Coca-Cola that catalyst to like help me think about it and we kind of whiteboarded some stuff and he was like you to go ask people, right? Like because you're I was in my own way, right?

Mary Killelea: Right. Right. Oh, I love this. I love that. Another thing that I wanted to hit on during our conversation was cross organization, cross functional communication because, you know, I think communication is one of the biggest skills to success you know. What tips do you have because obviously you have a wide net of people that you are trying to negotiate and drive decision making around. What are some tips around navigating cross functional organizations and challenges people who have their own agendas?

Karenga Ross: Oh my goodness. Well, I think of it. So, let me say one piece about culture. Okay. So I was a fellow with the international women's forum and so I got to go to like Harvard and INSEAD business schools to learn about kind of that cross-cultural communication right we had professors there Aaron Meyer where she talked at NCI where she talked about leading across cultures it helped me think about those cultures that I'm interacting with there was a tool that culture wizard tool that you could actually use of when I'm going to Poland or I'm going to Ireland or I'm you know going to these places for intel that I can use to say what is the culture that you know where I'm going to be you know what do they value what do they drive right interact so when you think about that culture from a business perspective and I take that to like just a human perspective we all have cultures we all have backgrounds and you know how we live and structure and so I try to understand that about people before I try to influence them to do something right so what is driving them what is that culture of that group that they're in or a subculture right, of the group that they're in. I spend time like that was something that I didn't value early in my career like because I'm execution, right? So like, you know, hi, I'm Karinga. I need this. I need it by this date. Bye. Right. But that was very transactional when you're trying to influence especially across large organizations. It's more if you know it has to be more organic. It has to be authentic, right? And you have to genuinely care. And so that is what takes time. So with that, I try to spend time with people to understand their culture, help them understand mine of where I'm coming from, and then again try to help like here, I'm here to help you actually achieve your goals, and when you achieve your goals, I achieve my goals, right? And so, right, and and so that's why I need your help and support to do this. And then you talk about communication. I'm huge on communication and communicating at the right time and in the right way because you don't want people to feel left out or that you're dragging them along like they want to be part of the conversation. They want to be part of some of the decision-making.

Mary Killelea: Another thing that I was thinking as you were talking about this that I think isn't taught enough but comes up time and time again in business is strategy. Building a strategy, having a strategy, communicating a strategy. What is your definition of a strategy? And what can women do who feel like that's not their strong suit? How can they get better at that?

Karenga Ross: So I said that too, right? Like I need time to do strategy was like a word that I did not like, right? Like to me strategy was like it was just a PowerPoint presentation with no action behind it, right? And what is the strategy? And people don't even know what strategy means, right? So what I had to do is first of all I I had to set some boundaries because strategy for me takes time right like I need time to come up with and I just call it like a vision right because I don't do strategy right I do I like a vision I need to understand a vision and what we're trying to achieve okay like there's strategy templates and stuff but but first I have to set my boundaries right to say okay these are the days I work these are the hours that I work you know family I need to go get away I block my calendar I take like a whiteboard or a pen and paper and I just go out on our backacres and I just sit amongst the trees and then I just think right like I get away from the noise I get away from like my cell phone pinging right and I just have to allow my ideas to flow right and like and really pray about it and just say okay here's the vision that I have right like here's how I would love to see the organization or I would love to see the product that we're doing like this is how I really think it's going to delight our customer or our partner and then I and then I write that down right? Like it could look like this, it could look like this, it could look like this. Maybe two or three options is what I would call it. And then I come back, right, after I have that written down and then I go back to that board of advisors like, hey, this is, you know, this is what I'm thinking. What am I missing? And then I would like to communicate with them. And so that's how I have to break down my strategy. But I have to set the time for it and put it on my calendar because I don't want to do it. I'd rather go work on some execution books where I can just check that off real quick, right? Setting a vision is more of a long-term thing for me. And so, I have to make small rewards. So, hey, I wrote it. I went down there and I wrote it down. Hey, that's a milestone. I could cross that off of my checklist, right? So, I have to turn creating the strategy or creating the vision into an execution plan.

Mary Killelea: I love that. Because knowing yourself and what you kind of procrastinate or don't make time for and prioritize and then then doing that and and doing it in a in a setting that facilitates a safe place and a a I mean the place sounds delightful where you you're taking yourself and making that because so many people are just checking things off the box and not making the time. I love that. You said going back to your advisers after something like that. So asking for help, I think women naturally feel like, "Oh, that's showing vulnerability. I can't look weak. I can't ask for help." How did you overcome asking for help? Or has it been something that you just understood the value in asking others for help? Tips around that?

Karenga Ross: Yeah. And no, it did not come that you know, at first I was like, I want to do everything. I need to know everything and I need to do everything myself, right? Because I don't want to, I don't want to look like I don't know. Like I would try to pride myself on being smart. Intel is very humbling. Oh my gosh, everybody's smart. So because of that, I didn't have to ask because it was like I try to, you know, look it up or Google it, search for it. I couldn't find it. And I'm like, I got to ask. And then when I started asking, people loved helping. People loved sharing. They loved feeling smart just like I did. And I was like, "H, this is nice." So, I think that's what did it is that there was no negative response when I asked. Nobody said, "Oh my gosh, you don't, I can't believe you don't know this." Nobody said that. Why I thought that in my head that somebody was going to say that, I don't know. But nobody ever said that, right? And so because of those positive experiences of when I asked people were happy to help, happy to point me in this direction that helped me build my network of people where like you said psychological safety, right? And so because I felt safe and I was like well hey if you have any questions on these things I know just reach out. And so then they did. And so now we have like this reciprocal relationship of where okay, Coringa might not know. I mean, she knows a lot, but she might not know, but she will know who, right? And so that's why I like to ask now and ask questions because it helps you build your network. You can start looking up, you can start looking out, and it's authentic because I do actually need help, right? And it's not wooing or snoozing, which is what I used to think of networking. It's actually building those authentic relationships and getting the help you need to get things done and then I can give them like a kudos and a recognition and I send them a note and I you know CC their manager like hey thanks for sharing this information with me and then like they're like you didn't have to do that. I was like I know but it's really important right that I'm glad you shared right and then you because you want to reinforce with those positive behaviors.

Mary Killelea: Absolutely. What does to be bolder mean to you?

Karenga Ross: So, I love hearing about other people's stories, right? Their growth stories because they guide me, right? They're super valuable. They help me be courageous. So, when I hear of what other women are going through or what they've done to break through ceilings and open new doors, I'm just like, "Oh my gosh, that's inspiring." And then it's like, "Well, if they did it, I can do it. Okay, I can do it." Right? And if nobody has done it, well, now I have to do it because I need to inspire somebody else. So I think to be bolder is saying yes right hearing those stories, gaining knowledge and insights from others and then saying yes and taking one step one action like towards making a change or towards growing towards your career journey. Just take one step forward. Don't worry about that big vision or that big strategy like what's your five-year plan? I don't know but I can tell you what my 30-day plan is. Can we talk about that? Right. Yeah. just focus on the ones the one step and say yes and learn from these experiences and these folks that are talking to me I've never like I've like I would reach out and be like oh my gosh you know your talk was really inspiring can I set up 15 minutes just to connect with you and they're like yes no one has ever said no so right it's just reach out build those authentic connections say yes and take one step forward.

Mary Killelea: When you think about your legacy not just professionally but personally what do you hope people say the impact that you've made is.

Karenga Ross: I really hope people saw me as that help me meet that that I said was part of my brand. So somebody you know who helped people, somebody who actually helped our community. I do a lot of volunteering in the community, you know, somebody that actually helped society, right? But achieve their goals or achieve their dreams or maybe something they didn't think was possible that, you know, because of me being there, I was able to help enable them to achieve that. So, that's what I hope.

Mary Killelea: I love it. Last question. What would you tell your younger self who's just starting out right now?

Karenga Ross: Oh. So many things, but I think I think some of those things I actually had to go through, right? There were some experiences that I just had to experience that I'm sure my mom and dad told me, right? But also the things that they told me may not have applied to me. My mom and dad said that like, you know, my career changes. You know, they would have not done that. They were like, you know, their legacy. They've been at their same company for 30 or 40 years and they retire from there where I kind of hopped right in the beginning of my career and I got this diverse set of experiences and it worked for me. So their point to me was if we told you and you did what we said, you wouldn't be where you are. And I think that's what I would tell my younger self, which is you're getting the input from your board of advisers. You're getting input from family and friends, but you have to pray on it. You have to think about you and kind of that vision that you might have for yourself and make the best decision for you, right? Like you can't live somebody else's life. You can't live, you know, somebody else's dream or journey. You have to live yours. And so, take that input, but make your decisions. And sometimes you just have to go through your own journey. There. So, that's what I would tell little Cora.

Mary Killelea: I love it. Okay. I know I said that was the last question, but I've got one more for you, but I don't want to let you go.

Karenga Ross: It's okay. I love this.

Mary Killelea: Okay. So, AI, the hottest thing on the planet. It's going to change and revolutionize the way we all live and work and breathe and all that. Okay, let's address two audiences here. We've got the younger women who are kind of starting out their early careers and then you've got women who are going to be displaced because companies are downsizing, they're being replaced by AI or the roles are shifting, companies are just, you know.

Karenga Ross: Yeah.

Mary Killelea: What is the advice for those two career paths for those listening in those two different segments?

Karenga Ross: Right. For our younger generation or just entering the workforce, you've grown up with AI, right? You've you've had it. It's been all around you. You may not know it, but it's there, right? From, you know, chat bots or, you know, anything your phone is doing, you know, you're talking to Google, right? You've been using it. So, embrace it as a consumer, right? So, maybe not as a developer or a programmer, you know, you're writing an IML or something like that. Embrace it as a consumer. Understand the business of AI, right? like focus on some of that that will help inform then kind of the engineering aspects and if you're engineering and AI then you know then you know understand the business aspects right like understand the financial implications behind it so I would just say get the technical knowledge get the business knowledge if you're not trying to do the technical knowledge get the business knowledge right so understand how business works for those that are like mid-career or they're being displaced by AI and you know I've heard people say retool retool but what What does retool mean? I mean, one of the reasons that I'm going back to school is because I needed to do that retool, right? How do I get the latest information before I need it? You heard that, you know, if you stay ready, you don't have to get ready. So, what are the trainings I can take? What are some certifications I do? What are some classes I can take? At Intel, we have something called a gig that you can do, which is you have your regular job, but you can go to this do this other job, you know, five hours or something a week in this other group, so you can learn something new. So, hopefully you're not waiting until you're displaced to learn something new because, you know, if you've got a mortgage like me, right, you kind of need to find something else. But, you know, how can you quickly retool? How can you quickly get a certification or learn a new skill? Then be open. So, that's why I really said like I have to pray to have that to get out of my own way so that I can be open because it might be different, right? I might not be, you know, I wasn't coding when I came over into Intel and I did business operations. I had no idea what that was, but I had to figure that out. And so, you know, as things get displaced, that just means that there's something else for you. Be open to it. Go out there and explore it and have fun with it. And you might like it. And if you don't, you can pivot to something else. It's okay. Yeah.

Mary Killelea: Thank you. I will let you go. You have been amazing, great conversation. I appreciate you sharing your story and giving such great advice.

Karenga Ross: Oh, well, thanks for having me, Mary. It's been fun.

Mary Killelea: Thanks for listening to the episode today. It was really fun chatting with my guest. If you liked our show, please like it and share it with your friends. If you want to learn what we're up to, please go check out our website at 2bbolder.com. That's the number 2 little bbolder.com.