Launched in May 2020 at the recommendation of HR leaders in the community, FountainBlue’s Monthly Front Line Managers Online series features monthly interest panel discussion on leadership and innovation topics of interest to front line managers, their leaders and staff. Notes from our programs are distributed via e-mail to registered attendees and also posted on our blog and sent out through our monthly newsletters.
Our meetings are conducted online on first or second Fridays from 11:50 a.m. – 1 p.m., PST. Starting in 2023, to honor the international appeal of our program, we will also conduct an annual program at Asia-friendly and at Europe-friendly times.
Get Informed and Involved
2023 Front Line Managers Online Programs:
Adopting a People-First Mindset, January 13, 2023, 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- as a People Leader – Roxanne Dos Santos, Samsung Research America
- as a Operations Leader – Nancy Mason, NVIDIA
- as a Product and Program Leader – Sam Gupta, Pure Storage

Leadership in the New Reality, February 10, 2023
- as a People Leader – Kerry Perryman, Samsung Research America
- as an Engineering Leader – Kamal Kharrat, Bestow Life Insurance
- as a Business Leader – Kelly Haan, Cisco

Managing Up, Down and Sideways, February 23, 2023, 4:50-6 p.m. PST – optimized for Asia time zone
- as a Business Leader – Kavita Shah, SunRise Memory Corp.
- as an Operations Leader – Vicky Watson, Lam Research
- as a Product Leader – Nancy Moreno, Adobe
- as a Program Leader – Amber Barber, Jade Global
- The VUCA Reality – It’s Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous, March 10, 2023
April 7, 2023: Resolving Conflicts When Stakes are High:
- as a People Leader – Tammy Sanders, Lam Research
- as a Program Leader – Dennise Gearty, Cisco
- as an Engineering Leader – Kamal Kharrat, Bestow
FountainBlue’s April 21 Front Line Managers Online program on the topic of ‘The Need for Speed‘. Please join me in thanking our panelists.
- as a Program Leader – Neela Deshpande, Boomi
- as a Business Leader – Ronald Goossens, ASML
- as a Sales Leader – Karen Muldoon, Coupa
Leveraging Data to Make Decisions, Friday, May 5,11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. PST Online

- as a People Leader, Tammy Sanders, Lam Research
- as a Program Leader, Susan Eagleson, Jade Global
- as a Business Leader, Dennise Gearty, Cisco
2023 Front Line Managers Online Programs, scheduled from 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. online PST
- Empowerment and Engagement Best Practices, June 2, 2023
- Building Your Emotional Intelligence, July 7, 2023
- Making Decisions that Count, August 4, 2023
- Embracing an Agility Mindset, October 6, 2023
- The Gift of Gratitude, November 3, 2023
- Visioning Program for Sponsors and Speakers, December 1, 2023
2023 Front Line Managers Online programs, for international time zones
- Empowerment and Engagement Best Practices, Thursday, June 1, 2023, 7:50-9 a.m. PST – optimized for Europe timezone
- Negotiating for a Win-Win, August 31, 2023 – 4:50-6:00 p.m., optimized for Asia timezone
2022 Front Line Managers Online Programs –
All held online from 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. PST
Front Line Managers Online Program:
Communicate, Connect, Engage, January 14, 2022

- as a People Leader – Tammy Sanders, Lam Research
- as a Product Leader – Shobhana Viswanathan, Automation Anywhere
- as a Business Leader – Louise Lamb, Coupa Software
Choose Your Battles, January 28, 2022
- as a People Leader – Olga Campa, ProofPoint
- as a Product Leader – Sam Gupta, Pure Storage
- as a Business Leader – Nancy Mason, NVIDIA
Negotiating for a Win-Win, February 11, 2022
- as a People Leader – Roxanne Dos Santos, Samsung
- as an Engineering Leader – Tam Nguyen, Arlo
- as a Business Leader – Sahana Bergland, Texas Instruments
Embracing the Creative in a Tech-Rich World, February 25, 2022

Embracing the Creative in a Tech-Rich World
- as a People Leader – Tammy Sanders, Lam Research
- as a Product Leader – Mariah Manzano, Cisco
The VUCA Reality – It’s Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous, March 11, 2022

Introduction – Personal and Professional Background and Shifts with COVID
The VUCA Reality – day to day challenges in a VUCA reality
- as a People Leader – Roxanne Dos Santos, Samsung
- as an Business Leader – Nancy Moreno, Adobe
- as a Product Leader – Sam Gupta, Pure Storage
One Plus One Makes Eleven, March 25, 2022
- as a People Leader – Charmy Ruparel, Okta
- as a Product Leader – Prajakta Naik, PayPal
- as a Business Leader – Marla Field, NOVA
Customer-Led Digital Transformation, April 8, 2022

- as a Business Leader – Lara Bliesner, ARM
- as a Marketing Leader – Angel Oberoi, Gigamon
- as an Engineering Leader – Shruthi Koundinya, Stealth Start-up
- as a Program Leader – Nancy Moreno, Adobe
One Dot a Point, Two Dots a Line, Three Dots a Trend, April 22, 2022

- as a People Leader – Sameena Siddiqui, Micron
- as an Engineering Leader – Pooja Agrawal, Renesas
Embracing an Agility Mindset, May 6, 2022

- as an Engineering Leader – Pooja Agrawal, Renesas
- as a People Leader – Roxanne Dos Santos, Samsung
- as a Program Leader – Nancy Moreno, Adobe
- as a Business Leader – Lara Bliesner, ARM
Resolving Conflict when the Stakes are High, May 20, 2022

The Need for Speed, June 3, 2022

Show Me the Data, June 17, 2022

Growing Your Emotional Intelligence, July 1, 2022
- as a Business Leader – Sheri Simmons, Philips
- as an HR Leader – Roxanne Dos Santos, Samsung Research America and Susan Norton, BOLD
- as a Product Leader – Ashwini Lahane, Freshworks

Embracing Agility, July 15, 2022
- as a Business Leader – Louise Lamb, Coupa
- as a Program Leader – Mona Hudak, Cisco
- as an Engineering Leader – Pooja Agrawal, Renesas

Managing Up, Down and Sideways, August 5, 2022
- as an HR Leader – Kerry Perryman, Samsung Research America
- as a Product Leader – Sondra Bollar, Oracle
- as an Engineering Leader – Stephen McGrath, Trimble
Problem Solving Strategies, August 19, 2022
- as a Product Leader – Lora Muller, Tektronix
- as an Engineering Leader – Pooja Agrawal, Renesas

Performance Management Best Practices, September 2, 2022
- as an HR Leader – Kerry Perryman, Samsung Research America
- as a People Leader – Jennifer Exum, Gig Talent Collective
- as a Program Leader – Sam Gupta, Pure Storage

The Why Before the What, Before the How, September 16, 2022
- as a People Leader – Ruth Radford, Lam Research
- as a Program Leader – Sam Gupta, Pure Storage
- as an Engineering Leader – Pooja Agrawal, Renesas
Making Decisions That Count, October 7, 2022

- as a Program Leader – Amber Barber, Jade Global
- as a Business Leader – Melissa McDonnell, Dolby
- as an Operations Leader – Lora Muller, Tektronix
Change Management Best Practices, October 21, 2022
- as a Startup and People Leader – Sarah Keim, Fort Robotics
- as a Business Leader and Strategist – Linda Holroyd, FountainBlue

The Gift of Gratitude, November 4, 2022
- as a People Leader – Shari Moore, Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities
- as a Program Leader – Milissa Kubal-White, Coupa
- as a Business Leader – Lori Kate Smith, former ARM and Diana Pohle, Myovant
Open Hearts, Open Minds, December 2, 2022
- as a Business Leader – Lara Bliesner, ARM
- as an HR Leader – Roxanne Dos Santos, Samsung
- as a Sales Leader – Thenu Kittappa, Zendesk
Visioning Program for Sponsors and Speakers, December 13, 2022

2021 Front Line Managers Online Programs
January 8, 2021: Goal-Setting Best Practices
- Lori Kate Smith, Health Wildcatters
- Shobhana Viswanathan, Automation Anywhere
- JD Dillon, Tigo Energy (not pictured)
- Lynn Marie Viduya, Intermedia
January 22, 2021: Networking to Expand Your Circle of Influence
February 5, 2021: Efficiency in the New Normal
February 19, 2021: The Urgent Need for Inclusivity
March 5, 2021: Change Management Best Practices
March 19, 2021: Show Me the Data
April 2, 2021: One Dot a Point, Two Dots a Line, Three Dots a Trend
- Kristen Brastad, Lam Research
- Claudia Galvan, Oracle
- Shruthi Koundinya, HPE
- Nivedita Ojha, CITRIX
April 16, 2021: Managing Up
May 7, 2021: Collaboration Best Practices
- Nancy Gilbert, Lam Research
- Tina Sayadi, Texas Instruments
- Claire Zhang, Samsung Research America
May 21, 2021: Embracing Agility
Being Agile in the Next Normal: How can being agile help you:
- As an Engineer: Mike Chen, Samsung Research America
- As an IT Leader: Jason Amici, Intel
- As a Product Leader: Indira Joshi, Micron; Ramana Murthy, Nutanix
- As a Business Leader: Smiti Sharma
June 4, 2021: Building Emotional Intelligence
Building Emotional Intelligence – What is it, Why Have it?
Managing and Growing Emotional Intelligence
- as a Product Leader – Karthi Gopalan, Maxim Integrated
- as an HR Leader – Sanchita Gupta, Samsung Research America
- as an Operations leader – Louise Lamb, Coupa Software
June 18, 2021: People Not-Like-You
July 2, 2021: The Need for Speed
July 16, 2021: Culture In the Next Normal
- As an HR Leader: Roxanne Dos Santos, Samsung
- As a Business Leader: Louise Lam, Coupa
- As a Business Leader: Louise Lam, Coupa
August 6, 2021: Being Creative in a Techphilic World
- as a Product Leader – Shruthi Koundinya, Aruba HPE
- as a Business Leader – Beth Trivedi, Pure Storage
- as an People Leader – Tammy Sanders, Lam Research
August 20, 2021: Negotiating for a Win-Win
- As an HR Leader: Shari J Moore, HR Leader and SJSU Professor
- As a Marketing Leader: Krista Pavlakos, Renesas
September 3, 2021: The Why Before the What, Before the How
- as a Product Leader – Vidya Venkatesh, Exact Science
- as a Business Leader – Linda Christensen
- as a People Leader – Dana Gharda, Lam Research
September 17, 2021: Climb the Mountain
- as a People Leader – Sanchita Gupta, Samsung
- as a Product Leader – Amber Barber, Lam Research
- as a Business Leader – Krista Pavlakos, Renesas
October 1, 2021: Be the Sherpa
- as a People Leader – Ruth Radford, Lam Research
- as a Product Leader – Swati Handa, Cisco
- as a Business Leader – Sam Gupta, Pure Storage
October 15, 2021: Never Settle
- as a People Leader – Yvonne Thomson
- as an Engineering and Business Leader – Adriane McFetridge, Netflix
November 5, 2021: The Gift of Gratitude
- as a People Leader – Roxanne Dos Santos, Samsung
- as a Product Leader – Colm Lysaght, PeerNova
- as a Business Leader – Tamara Rivera, Viavi
- with comments on Gratitude Journaling by Nancy Mason, NVIDIA
December 3, 2021: Open Minds, Open Hearts
- as a People Leader – Susan Norton, BOLD
- as a Product Leader – Umesh Lakshman, Lumen
- as a Business Leader – Shari Begun, Renesas
December 14, 2020: 2022 Visioning for Sponsors and Speakers – Invitation-Only Interactive Discussion
Front Line Managers Online, Topics, Dates and Speakers
There are also links to notes taken for each program, active for corporate partners for the series.
E-mail us at info@whenshespeaks.com if you’re interested in becoming a corporate partner with access to programs, community and notes.
- Monica Kaldani-Nasif, Kateeva
Conflict Management Best Practices – June 5, 2020
- Conflicting Needs – Nivedita Ojha, CITRIX
- Conflicting Styles – Kavita Shah, Nova
- Conflicting Perceptions – Krista Pavlakos, Renasas
- Conflicting Goals – Ronald Goossens, ASML
- Conflicting Pressures – Nancy Gilbert, Lam Research
- Conflicting Roles – Megan Cheek, Anatomage
- Different Personal Values – Tracy Meersman, Skybox Security
- Unpredictable Policies – Olga Campa, ProofPoint
The Diversity Imperative: We Must Do Better – June 19, 2020
- Opening Remarks on the Diversity Imperative by KT Moore, Cadence Design Systems
- Win the Talent War: Shari Moore, Coherent
- Improve the Quality of Decision-Making: Erica Wright, Agilent
- Increase Customer Insight and Innovation: Monica Kaldani-Nasif, Kateeva
- Drive Employee Motivation and Satisfaction: Dana Gharda, Lam Research
- Improve Company’s Global Image: Yvonne Thomson, former Symantec
July 2, 2020: Embracing Agility
- Adopting an Agile Mindset – Berylann Paz, FireEye
- Pivoting the Strategy, the Processes, the Target Goal – Tracy Meersman, Skybox Security
- Aligning Short and Long Term Goals – Megan Cheek, Anatomage
- Embracing Best Practices for Training an Agile Workforce – AJ Elias, Meriwest Credit Union
- Leveraging Tools to Optimize Performance and Communication – Krista Pavlakos, Renasas
- Measuring and Monitoring Differently – Indira Joshi, Micron
- Meeting Notes
- Meeting Slides
July 17, 2020: Building Engagement
- Enable, Measure and Report on outcomes, Linda Holroyd, FountainBlue
- Optimize the Employee Experience, Tammy Sanders, Lam Research
- Walk the Talk, Talk the Walk, Preethy Padmanabhan, Freshworks
- Be Aligned on a Corporate Purpose Which Resonates in the Market and with the Staff, Roxanne Dos Santos, Samsung
- Notes from the Meeting
- Slides from the Meeting
August 7, 2020: Decision-Making Best Practices
- Involve more of the right people, Communicate and Measure Progress – Monica Kaldani-Nasif, Kateeva
- Make critical small choices, Communicate and Measure Progress – Monika Thakur, Oracle
- Set up a nerve center, Communicate and Measure Progress – Suruchi Sharma, T-Mobile
- Empower leaders at all levels – Marilyn Becker, Western Digital
- Opportunities When We Make Better Decisions – All
- Notes from the Meeting
- Slides from the Meeting
August 21, 2020: Performance Management Best Practices
- Doing Performance Management Differently – Linda Holroyd, FountainBlue
- Show Me the Data – Charu Madan, Veeam Software
- A Culture of Feedback – Larissa Boyd, FireEye
- Peer Review and Support – Kavita Shah, Nova Measuring Instruments
- Recommended Tools, Processes, and Approaches – David Ortiz, Oracle
- Alignment on Purpose, Focus on Execution, Communicate for Results – All
September 4, 2020: Uncomfortable Conversations
- Feeling Uncomfortable in Conversations: Linda Holroyd
- Embrace Diversity and Change: Steve Jarrett, Oracle
- Draw a Line in the Sand: Lora Muller, Tektronix
- It’s Not Personal, It’s Just Data: Amber Barber, Lam Research
- Making A ‘Me Outlook’ Into a ‘We Outlook’: Paula Ewanich, Skybox Security
- Best Practices for Having Uncomfortable Conversations (All)
September 18, 2020: Centered Leadership
- Alignment of Values and Principles – Julie Cullivan, ForeScout
- Deer-Stops-Here Mindset – Stacey Moser, Tektronix
- Slow Down to Speed Up – Preethy Padmanabhan, Freshworks
- Strategy Meets Execution – Krista Pavlakos, Renesas
- Best Practices for centered leadership – All
October 2, 2020: Common Management Challenges
- A New Take on Old Management Challenges – Linda Holroyd
- The Importance of Stability, Then and Now – Urvashi Sheth, Intermedia
- The Importance of Relationships, Then and Now – Nehal Mehta, Genesys
- The Importance of Social Cohesion and Inclusion, Then and Now – Debbie Shotwell, Saba
- The Importance of Individual Purpose and Contribution, Then and Now – Kim Harr, Lam Research
- Managing in the Digital Age – All
October 16, 2020: Stress Management Best Practices
- Stress as a Part of Life – Linda Holroyd, FountainBlue
- Building Self-Awareness and Centeredness – Courtney Gribble, Coupa Software
- The four A’s of Stress Management – Diana Pohle, Jazz Pharmaceuticals
- Helping Others Manage Stress – Roxanne dos Santos, Samsung
- Stress as an Opportunity – Preethy Padmanabhan, Freshworks
- Advice for Dealing with Change – All
Resources:
- FountainBlue August 2020 Blog: A Stress Sandwich
- Helpguide on Stress Management https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.htm
- Rick Conlow, Sept 2020: A Mindset that Masters Life’s Struggles
- Stress management Stress basics – Mayo Clinic
- Mayo Clinic, Healthy Lifestyle https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/
- WebMD: Stress Management: 13 Ways to Prevent & Relieve Stress
- CNBC, Oct 2020: What the Workforce will look like in 2025 as it morphs due to the pandemic
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success: Dweck, Carol S
- Notes from the meeting
- Slides from the meeting
November 6, 2020: Productivity Hacks
- The Challenge to be Ever More Efficient and Effective – Linda Holroyd, FountainBlue
- Email Productivity Hacks – Parshuram Zantye, Lam Research
- Meeting Management Techniques – Nancy Moreno, Equinix
- Leveraging IT for the Good – Sameer Mehdiratta, Renasas
- Optimizing Communications – Adriane McFetridge, Netflix
- Embracing Productive Excellence – All
Resources:
- Harvard Business Review, 2002: Stop Wasting Valuable Time
- 11 Simple Tips to Effective Email Management, Celestine Chua
- CNBC, Oct 2020: What the Workforce will look like in 2025 as it morphs due to the pandemic
- The 20 Best Productivity Hacks, According To Experts
- 20 PRODUCTIVITY HACKS YOU CAN USE TO BE 400% MORE PRODUCTIVE
- FountainBlue August 2020 Blog: The Stress Sandwich
- The Culture Map – Erin Meyer
- Stephen Covery: 4 Quadrants – Visions to Excellence
November 20, 2020: Welcoming the Gift of Feedback
- The Gift of Feedback – Maranda Dziekonski, Swiftly
- Explain the Why – Maranda Dziekonski, Swiftly
- The Customer as King – Kavita Shah, Nova
- Performance Review Feedback – Colm Lysaght, Micron
- Facilitating Awkward Feedback Conversations – Thenu Kittappa, Nutanix
- Best Practice for Providing Feedback as a Gift
Resources:
- 6 Ways To Build A Feedback Driven Culture That Inspires
- 8 Examples of Constructive Feedback With Sample Scenarios
- How to Ask Your Customers Questions to Get Feedback (Tips)
December 4, 2020: The Next Normal
- 2020 – A Story for the Ages – Debbie Shotwell
- Collaborating to Create An Agile and Resilient Supply Chain – Amanda York, Lam Research
- Optimizing Operations and Facilities – Aaron Campbell, OhmniLabs
- Rethinking Business Strategies and Business Models – Krista Pavlakos, Renesas
- Embracing a Decentralized Workforce – Louise Lamb, Coupa Software
December 15, 2020: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly of 2020 and What It Means for 2021 – Invitation-Only Interactive Discussion
- Amber Barber, Lam Research
- Roxanne dos Santos, Samsung Research America
- Maranda Dziekonski, Swiftly
- Ronald Goossens, ASML
- Karthi Gopalan, Maxim Integrated
- Thenu Kittappa, Nutanix
- Louise Lamb, Coupa Software
- Debbie Shotwell
- Amanda York, Lam Research
Meeting Agenda
A draft agenda for our semi-monthly Front Line Managers Online meetings is below.
11:50 Networking and IT Check (no-host lunch and drink)
12:00 Welcomes and thank yous
12:02 Introduction to the topic, and research
12:10 Presentations by a senior HR leader from participating company
12:40 Facilitated interactive discussion with additional questions from participating front-line managers and HR leaders
12:55 Takeaways, Closure
1:00 Meeting Adjourned. Presentation will be uploaded to groups.io site for access by participating HR leaders
As a follow-up to our July blog entitled ‘What One Thing Can We Do to Support Black Professionals?’, FountainBlue will launch a ‘You Can Too‘ program, to give more education, access and connection to under-represented, disadvantaged and at-risk youths and young professionals.
FountainBlue will provide up to 20 You-Can-Too Summer Scholarships for youths and young professionals to attend of our semi-monthly Front Line Managers Online programs from July-September, and including a fifteen minute online coaching session once a month for three months.
To apply for the summer scholarship for our ‘You Can Too’ program, visit https://forms.gle/RaGBoRqquiFgngNW9. To volunteer to support the program, e-mail us at info@whenshespeaks.com, or just refer your nominated candidates to the program.
Below are suggestions on how you can get involved, so the themes of Diversity, Empowerment and Engagement remain front and center every time, all the time – for the greater good for our leaders, for our teams, for our business.
- Become a corporate partner for the Front Line Managers Online series – see benefits below.
- Continue to share your stories and your resources on what non-Blacks can do to support Black professionals.
- Share your best practices on how we can better Embrace Diversity, Facilitate Empowerment, Measure Engagement. The findings will be shared in our August blog.
- Connect one-on-one to discuss how we can sustainably make a difference in mindset, in confidence and communication, in measured business results.
Cost and Benefits
The associated cost for becoming a corporate partner is $1000 a month and includes:
- Admission for ten people to attend our semi-monthly Front Line Managers online programs
- Admission for ten people to attend our monthly When She Speaks program
- Admission for one executive to join our monthly VIP roundtable and
- Optional half an hour of coaching or consulting each month
- Inclusion in online community, with access to meeting notes, articles and other resources and connections
- Panelist participation in semi-monthly programs
- Nominations for quarterly ‘You Can Too’ scholarship program.
To register for this month’s programs, visit https://www.tikkl.com/fountainblue/c/frontline
There is a $500 discount if you order for a six month period and a bonus half hour of coaching each month, along with a $2000 discount if you order for a twelve month period. For these six and twelve month options, we work with your finance departments following their PO and invoicing process.
Individual Passes and Coaching Options
You may also purchase individual passes for each When She Speaks program ($50), Front Line Managers Online program ($50 each) or VIP Roundtable ($200 each). You may also purchase a corporate pass for $250 for ten people to attend any ONE When She Speaks event, but there are no volume discounts for the Front Line Managers Online series.
If you become a corporate partner, you will receive half an hour of executive coaching (or program support) each month. You may purchase additional coaching (or program support) services for $200/half hour. Find out more about our coaching services.
To register for individual tickets or coaching services, visit https://whenshespeaks.com/register.
For more information, e-mail us at info@whenshespeaks.com.