Meet Teresa Morris! A 3.5 year Clouderan working as a Sr. Manager, Technical Partner Support.
Her role entails building and managing support partnerships – it’s one she finds rewarding. “It’s not a one project kind of thing, it’s a whole experience of managing partnerships that bring more business. Being a part of a digital transformation and all the things that drive customers experience is so fulfilling.”
But there is more to Teresa than what she does during her working hours.
Growing up, she always knew she wanted to work in the tech industry.
Both her parents served in the military. Her mother went into banking after her service and her father went into tech while balancing reserve duty, eventually, retiring as a Marine Corp Major. “I’ve always had some type of immersion into technology so I knew that was my path, I just took a very different way of getting there.”
She cut her teeth in learning and development, gained experience in sales and support then went on to manage the federal secure teams at NetApp. After building a solid career she was impacted by a layoff so she focused her efforts on being a great mom and going back to school to get her degree. “I wanted to finish what I started”.
Not long after, she found her way to Cloudera.
“When I first started the interview process, I lost my father so it was such a trying time for me.“ Despite what she was going through on a personal and emotional level, she liked who she interviewed with and what they had to say about the company. “I thought, this is where I should be, where I can provide value and here I am 3.5 years later in the partner space still doing what I love.”
Her time has been spent transforming the relationships of our technical support partners but she’s also taken an active role in helping move the needle in our diversity efforts.
“We’re working in a time where our country is a bit divided”.
In the wake of a massive movement to end racial injustice and Cloudera’s firm stance to create equality, Teresa has joined the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board. Her interactions with leadership here have given her a deep sense of hope.
“I was one of those people who sat in on the call with Rob after what happened to George Floyd. When he said, ‘It should be us to change the world’, I was moved to tears. It was the first time I heard someone say that if we can’t do this together, it can’t be done.”
This along with the formation of the EQ team, appointing Sarah Shin as the CDO, being transparent in the data around our own diversity are all beacons of hope for Teresa.
“It is simply amazing. In order to be part of the change you have to truly be part of it. This work doesn’t add an additional level of stress for me, it’s actually a stress reliever. You get to hear diverse opinions and perspectives and it opens me up to think in a way that I may not have before.”
Outside of her commitments to Cloudera, Teresa takes an active role in her community.
She and her husband own a youths sports business that started as a single football team and has since blossomed into several football and basketball teams, track clubs and a softball team. Through this, she’s able to spread her value to her community. “You get so many kids – young people from diverse backgrounds – and for some of them, we are the only positive influence that they see. Sometimes you have to stand in the gaps when someone else can’t.”
When asked how she is juggling it all – work, her role in the D&I Advisory Board, being a mom and a teacher (thanks world pandemic), a business owner and a mentor – she said it was two fold.
Part is due to her natural tendency to always get the job done. “I’m the kind of person who pushes forward even when I’m tired. To me, every opportunity is a chance for me to learn more, to do more, to provide more value and impact.”
It’s an incredible mindset to have – one that has clearly taken Teresa a long way but it’s only part of how she’s managed wearing so many hats. She attributes the other part of her success in these areas to the Cloudera culture.
“Cloudera is a place that is supportive of your work life balance. One where you’re encouraged to take a moment, take a day, take the time away that you need.” Noting that we are all facing a new balancing act, she’s been incredibly grateful to a supportive team – a team that isn’t afraid or burdened to step up when she needs to step out. “I think that’s what is so amazing about the culture, it’s an understanding that it truly takes teamwork to make it all work.”
When we asked her what advice she would give to anyone considering a role at Cloudera she shared that Cloudera is a one stop shop. “You’ll get all the experience here you’d hope to get hopping around at 6 jobs so be ready and excited!”
To read more about other amazing Clouderans and our company culture, check out our Culture Blog page!
Editor's Choice
I’ve known Teresa for years and she’s exactly who she says she is and truly a joy to know. When I met her I was new to the area we were in and didn’t know a lot of people. Once we got to know each other, she took me under her wing and groomed for greatness. I am extremely proud of Teresa and can’t wait to see how much further she goes.