TheBridge profile: Rachel Gillum

Name: Rachel Gillum

Current city: San Francisco Bay Area, CA

Current job: Global Policy Lead, Office of Ethical and Humane Use of Technology at Salesforce

Past job: Sr Director, RiceHadleyGates LLC; Academic Fellow at Stanford University; intelligence analyst

Q. Favorite spot for a coffee meeting? The open air courtyard at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business when I am on or near campus.

Q. Describe how a skill you learned in a previous job helped you in your current job. In my roles working with former high-level government officials and C-suite executives, I learned the value (and necessity) of brevity. Whether it be in a memo, email or an oral presentation, you can often be more effective by being succinct and to the point, surfacing the information that is most relevant and important to your audience first.

Q. Job advice in three words? Be prepared. Be visible. Be authentic.

Q. How are you (or your company) currently bridging the gap between innovation and regulation? At the Office of Ethical and Humane Use of Technology at Salesforce, we understand that companies have a responsibility to think through the consequences (intentional and unintentional) of their technology in the real world. My team is putting ethics and privacy at the center of how we design our products and our product use policies, working to make sure our technologies, including AI, are not used for harm and uphold basic human rights.

Q. What can innovators learn from policymakers? Creating some intentional friction to slow down and consider the potential negative impacts of technologies, especially on more vulnerable populations, will make products better for everyone.

Q. What can policymakers learn from innovators? Don't let the way something was done in the past prevent you from innovating to find a better solution in the future.

Q. Favorite book you recommend? “Weapons of Math Destruction” by Cathy O’Neal. It is one of the most eloquent explanations of some of the dangers of AI to vulnerable segments of society that I have read.

Q. Everyday is probably different, but can you describe a "day in the life" of your job? I lead our ethical use policy team. Our policy making process involves intensive research on a given issue as well as hearing from individuals who stand on various sides of a policy issue. After research and listening, we share our findings and policy recommendations with our Ethical Use Advisory Council, which is made up of a group of outside ethicists and academics, as well as internal executives and frontline employees, to provide feedback. Once a policy is approved by company leadership, we move forward with implementation.

Q. If you had to live in another city, which would it be? My home town of Seattle, Washington

Q. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself in the beginning of your career? Read the book, “I Wish I’d Known That Earlier in My Career: The Power of Positive Workplace Politics.” Great for setting the stage for how to navigate large organizations successfully.

Q. What's one piece of advice you are still trying to master? The “fake it till you make it” approach to addressing imposter syndrome.

Q. Living person you admire? My mother. Now as a mother myself, I truly have no idea how she managed to raise three kids by herself through tough circumstances. I am extremely grateful for her sacrifices.

Q. Morning routine? 5am alarm, treadmill and Netflix, resistance workout, getting my kids ready for the day and making my cup coffee.

We include leaders spotlights in out bi-weekly updates sent to the community. Sign up to stay up to date with events, people, jobs, info in tech, policy and politics: