The 2022 Women Leaders In Technology: Mary-Beth Ostasz

Mary-Beth Ostasz is a 25-year veteran in technology consulting, playing a significant role in founding Perficient's Domestic Delivery Center in Lafayette, Louisiana. As Area Vice President, she leads Perficient's domestic delivery capabilities in addition to offshore delivery in Hangzhou, China, providing resources to scale client projects and speed time to market. Mary-Beth also leads Perficient's management consulting practice with responsibility for helping clients connect strategy, technology, and design to deliver transformative results.

Additionally, Mary-Beth has played a critical role in expanding Perficient's Bright Paths Program to Detroit and Lafayette. The program, which is designed to advance STEM education and career opportunities for underrepresented constituencies and communities, has seen 67 women and minorities join Perficient in the software development and engineering field.

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

People, without a question. I think every interaction we have with those around us are individual opportunities to grow as a person, in our careers and in our personal lives. Whether we appreciate it in the moment or not, the people who challenge us actually give us the best perspectives to learn and grow from. I've been fortunate to have coaches and mentors, both formal and informal, who have challenged me and pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I aspire to be the same source of growth and inspiration for those around me.

My day-to-day interactions with my colleagues and peers are what I value most in my professional development and personal enrichment. Their insights and questions help me to better understand the perspective of others. Their success and amazing work inspire me to further develop my own skills. Their support fuels my drive and empowers me to take risks. I've grown to respect each interaction as a learning opportunity. While I'm able to apply some of these lessons quickly, others I put away and pull out later when my perspective and understanding can better appreciate them.

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

Consulting gives me the space to constantly evolve, learn and grow. It's not a repetitive industry – it's a constantly changing environment that revitalizes my thought process and positions me to embrace an ever-changing world. I love every chance I have to recruit new professionals into our field because it gives me the opportunity to convey my passion for what consulting has to offer. I'm a big believer that consulting helps us figure out "who we want to be when we grow up." In some ways, I'm still doing that even though I've been in the industry for 25-plus years. Each day presents its own playground to assume a variety of roles, work in different industries, and stay on the cutting-edge of where the world is heading overall. I get excited because there's so much potential for anyone in the field. In my experience, once someone enters the field, they get the consulting bug and thrive in the ever-changing landscape and the continuous growth that comes with it.

My career path is a prime example of the evolution consulting offers. I began my consulting career focused on workforce management, grew into partner relations roles, then transitioned into sales, followed by operations before taking on a variety of leadership roles. Today, I'm the Area Vice President for Perficient's U.S. and China delivery centers and management consulting practice. This specific path is unique to me, but the industry offers so much variety for anyone to forge their own path.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Embrace who you are and the diversity you bring with you. It took me some time to really understand what that meant because diversity means more than gender, race, age or religion. It also means diverse perspectives. Everyone has a unique background that influences their insights, competency and leadership style. Those are valuable assets that should be embraced.

At various stages of my career, I would find myself surprised as to why I was brought into a project or a role. I would hide a lot of who I was in favor of emulating the qualities of the individuals around me. While the qualities of others are important to recognize, I had to learn that I was chosen for this responsibility because of my unique blend of strengths. It took me a while to recognize that I have a different approach – and that's OK because there's no one right way to solve a problem. My approach won't always work for certain situations. Being able to recognize that while appreciating the variety of strengths others bring to the table helps everyone overcome challenges and arrive at a consensus that everyone can be happy with.

Knowing who I am and being true to myself helped me grow. As I embraced my own diversity and the diversity of thought around me, I saw my confidence grow and my voice become stronger. It allowed me to be a better colleague and a stronger leader without compromising my true self.