The 2020 Women Leaders in Technology: Sara Abiusi

"When I coded and solved business and technology I found it really gratifying and honestly exciting," Abiusi says. "My favorite part of the job is looking at a new problem and finding ways to solve it either through new design patterns or new innovative technologies. I love putting the pieces and parts together to deliver an overall solution." 

Today, Abiusi is the Civilian Portfolio Technology lead within Accenture Federal Services where she is responsible for quality, delivery, and sales for all technology and digital solutions for clients such as the U.S. Postal Service, Department of Agriculture and Department of Transportation. She also is the Client Account Lead for the Department of Transportation account and a delivery lead at the U.S. Postal Service account.  

Abiusi joined Accenture in 1996 and since then has worked in State and Local as well as Federal government industries. 

"Since college, I've always been the One of X in the room. At the beginning of my career, there was a time or two that people thought I was in HR or an executive assistant, which I thought was odd, but in time it didn't bother me," she says. "I am still frequently in situations, where it is assumed that I'm a project manager that lacks technical expertise. Perhaps I have a weird sense of humor—I enjoy the reveal as we dive deep into the technology and intricacies of data architecture.  When my team members or peers realize that I know more than I let on, it is a subtle sense of gratification."

Professionally, she says she's excited to really reconnect with where she started over the next several months. "I'm looking to get back into the nuts of bolts of Dev Ops, Microservices, and other technologies. This year has been the year of getting to new Digital platforms such as Salesforce," she says. "I'm looking forward to getting back to my roots in Open Technology and Native Cloud."

Abiusi says her greatest personal accomplishment is seeing her kids flourish. She has a 12-year-old daughter and an 8 year-old-son who are the best version of her, she says. "My daughter is driven by her interest in supporting others as well as continuing to develop herself.  Her interest in music, sports, and academics along with the focus on teamwork makes me proud every day," she says. "My son is joyful, adventurous and loving boy who is always up to try something new.  He always seeks out the newcomer to make them feel welcome."

As far as winning Consulting's Women Leaders in Technology award, she says the award is about "how we give back to the next generation of women in technology," she says. "It's about describing our experiences and shared experiences so we can continue to promote and see further success of women in technology." 

What's the best advice (consulting or otherwise) you've ever received?

Abiusi: "Best piece of advice I've received is "have a point of view".  It's important to combine your experience and expertise to provide your perspective.  Leaders have a POV and our clients expect us to have one. To deliver the value and outcomes that our clients expect we need to evaluate the situation, recommend ideas, and always have a point of view."