The 2022 Women Leaders In Technology: Annaleah Morrow

Annaleah Morrow is a program director for Avaap's Higher Education practice and brings more than 30 years of experience in higher education and seven years in Workday experience. Annaleah holds a Ph.D. in Higher Ed Administration, and when not leading at Avaap, she teaches graduate organizational change and leadership courses. Annaleah has deep experience with Workday HCM and Workday FIN projects but is primarily focused on the Workday Student team at Avaap for sales, resourcing, delivery, and project management for several projects. She is known for providing the highest level of excellence in client support for Workday deployments, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget while allowing team members to grow their skills and experience.

What has been the biggest factor in your success so far?

Staying positive and having a strong mentor network has been a big factor in my success. Mentors can help hold a mirror up to who you are and your growth. My mentors have helped me put challenging situations into perspective and helped me to learn and grow from opportunities. They've taught me not to dwell on the negative in a situation but to focus on lessons in the moment, so the next opportunity is better. Having strong mentor relationships taught me to be a better leader, be more positive with my team, and empowered me to allow others more grace when challenges arise.

My mentors have taught me to embrace challenges and think about myself and my career differently by unhooking my identity from my specific job role. I've grown by taking on things that aren't necessarily in my job description, as I've been an active participant in Avaap's college intern program, mentoring students as they begin their careers, and leading our Smartsheets internal initiative. I've grown by learning more about my strengths and where they fit in consulting and higher education and testing the boundaries of my own career planning, which isn't always a clear cut, straight-line path. Being challenged to think outside of the box by my mentors has made me a better leader for other women in technology consulting.

What do you enjoy most about your career in the consulting industry?

I love the opportunity to be able to work with different organizations at the same time and become part of their work family. As a consultant, I can become ingrained in their organizational change, but I am not in the midst of the politics of the organization. I get the best part of an organization, building relationships and fostering change and transformation. My role allows me to have an impact on the organization and the student experience. I do not totally own the challenges of change implementation and transformation, but I get to help organizations lead the way.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

Other than being blessed with an amazing marriage and sons, getting my Ph.D. is my proudest achievement. As a woman in higher education, and working in traditional higher education settings, I realized I wouldn't be able to move forward without my doctorate. Taking the eight years to earn my degree taught me many things. During that time, I had two children and weathered five South Florida hurricanes, and this strengthened my grit and resolve. I've proved to myself through this experience that I can achieve whatever is in front of me.

My doctorate also helped me develop skills to approach my consulting career differently. The skills of having to research and create my own research has taught me to approach challenges in new ways. I try to look at solutions within the Workday ecosystem that may already exist, rather than starting from scratch. It's helpful to look at what's already been done and build upon those concepts and allows me to approach every opportunity with creativity.