TheBridge profile: Ginny Badanes
Name: Ginny Badanes
Current city: Washington, DC
Current job: Director of Strategic Projects, Cybersecurity and Democracy at Microsoft
Past job: VP at CMDI
Q. Favorite spot for a coffee meeting? Dolcezza at City Center – delicious coffee and, if you’re feeling adventurous, the gelato isn’t bad either.
Q. Describe one way how a skill you learned in a previous job helped you in your new job. Much of my focus when working with political campaigns at CMDI was on customer engagement and support. In transitioning to my role at Microsoft, I found those skills to be crucial. Whether your customer is a constituent, donor, member of congress, or presidential campaign, the ability to advocate for their needs while balancing your own institutional objectives is a key skill that can be applied to any future role.
Q. Job advice in three words? Get stuff done.
Q. How are you (or your company, org, nonprofit) currently bridging the gap between politics and tech? It's exciting to be part of a team so passionate about helping our customers explore and implement new technologies. We work closely with political campaigns, committees and technology partners as they experiment with and apply technology to solve for the unique hurdles they face as political organizations.
Q. Most underrated virtue in an employee? Inquisitiveness.
Q. Best advice you’ve received? “Don’t take it personally” – the first time I got chewed out by a client, I nearly cried. My boss sat me down and explained that this wouldn’t be the last time, and I needed to not take it personally. It doesn’t sound so revolutionary now, but it was advice I’ve gone back to many times over the years.
Q. How many hours of sleep do you get? How much sleep I get is almost entirely up to my kids! Most nights I get around 6 hours, but it’s rarely consecutive, thanks to my 7-month-old baby.
Q. How often do you work from home? I telecommute once or twice a month. It’s great to work in an environment with such flexibility, especially with a family. I don’t think I could ever work from home on a daily basis, but it’s nice to work somewhere that gives me the option!
Q. How do you unwind after work? Catching up with my family over dinner (and often a glass of wine!) is the best way to wind down after a busy day. There are of course times I may have to log back in and do some work afterwards, but we try to prioritize that time together in the evenings.