Throughout the month of November, we are posting a blog series spotlighting Protiviti’s Women in IT.
Let’s meet Stephanie Gonzales. Stephanie is a Senior Manager in our IT Consulting practice based out of our Phoenix office. Since starting with Protiviti after graduation from Arizona State University in 2006, with degrees in Computer Information Systems (CIS) and Marketing. She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). Stephanie had no idea the opportunities that would be provided to her in the next nine years.
She’s part of the IT Consulting practice and specializes in project and portfolio management, regulatory compliance, risk and internal audits, as well as general consulting. Stephanie has worked on a number of projects, but most recently served as IT Engagement Lead for 2 REIT clients to include Year One SOX Readiness and subsequent SOX Compliance projects. As IT Lead, responsible for IT Risk Assessment activities, budgeting, status reporting, control rationalization, process mapping, testing execution and review, remediation, control evaluation, deficiency impact analysis, collaboration with external auditors, audit committee presentations, etc. She has also supervised information systems integration projects for a fortune 500 company post-merger. Ensured data integrity, reviewed user acceptance testing results, as well as the data mapping and migration plan for adequacy. And, assisted a fortune 500 company determine the various causes behind a 40 million dollar loss in annual revenue through investigations and data analysis.
When we had some time to connect with Stephanie, we asked her the following questions:
- What attracted you to Protiviti? “I was interested in application security and was looking for a company that did work in that space. In addition to finding a company that worked in the space I was interested in, I also met some fun and energetic people, and learned about how exciting and rewarding a job in consulting could be.”
- What excites you the most about your work in IT? “IT offers a constant challenge since it is always evolving and new technologies are being used and leveraged in the industry. I also enjoy helping my clients to appropriately position IT to really support and help accelerate a business. Not all IT functions are created equally, but when the business and IT work together in perfect harmony, it means great and exciting things for that organization.”
- What has been the biggest challenge you have faced working in IT? “Keeping up with the constant changing technology and specifically, related risks to emerging technology.”
- Where do you see Protiviti in the IT space in the next 5 years? “Our IT solutions continue to grow and evolve with the market, and I think we will continue on that path and continue to acquire talent and train our people to be knowledgeable in the various IT challenges and risks that face our clients.”
- Who has played a critical role in the development in your career? “The beauty of consulting is that you have opportunities to learn and grow on a daily basis, and if you only have one mentor, you’re doing it wrong. I couldn’t begin to list the amazing people that have influenced my career. I’ve been fortunate to work with extremely talented professionals at Protiviti, but I also learn from my clients and other colleagues within the industry on a daily basis. All of these ideas and experiences have come together like white water rapids and have propelled me down the river of my career.”
- What do you enjoy doing outside of work? “I love to spend time with my family (2 girls and 1 boy on the way) at the park or out around town. I love baking, cake decorating, crafting, scrapbooking, and painting. I’m also known to throw some pretty extravagant kids parties because I love working on every single little detail. I love trying new restaurants and consider myself an amateur foodie. I also play the violin.”
Thanks Stephanie for being one of our Protiviti Women in IT spotlights! We appreciate your leadership and your valuable career and life insights.