Abby Dryer

About Abby Dryer

I\'m a strategic operations and program leadership professional with 10+ years of experience driving large-scale transformation, process improvement, and cross-functional alignment in complex, matrixed organizations. I thrive at the intersection of executive strategy and hands-on execution — translating ambiguous priorities into clear roadmaps, building the governance structures that make delivery possible, and serving as a trusted partner to C-suite and senior leadership. Whether I\'m standing up a PMO from scratch, mediating competing stakeholder priorities, or redesigning a broken process end-to-end, I bring both the strategic thinking and the operational discipline to get it done. I also strongly believe that how teams work together is just as important as what they deliver. Psychological safety isn\'t a soft concept — it\'s a performance driver. The teams that feel safe to speak up, challenge assumptions, and bring their full selves to work are the ones that solve the hardest problems and sustain results over time. Building environments where people can do their best work isn\'t separate from my operations and strategy work — it\'s foundational to it. Some things I\'m proud of:• Consistent track record of turning broken processes into measurable wins across multiple organizations and industries — including consolidating 17 systems into one within 9 months, reducing approval timelines from 60+ days to 5, and delivering operational efficiency gains between 44% and 88%• Recognized for outstanding performance in 2024 for successfully rebuilding cross-functional partnerships• Built and led programs that more than doubled DEI engagement across a global technology organization• Speaker at regional, national and global conferences including WomenTech Global, ACMP, and GenCon on organizational change, DEI strategy, and professional development I connect best with organizations that understand psychological safety and organizational effectiveness aren\'t competing priorities with business results — they\'re what make business results possible and sustainable. If you\'re working on something that needs someone who can operate at both the and ground level while building the kind of culture where people actually want to show up, let\'s talk.

Experience

1. Director, Data Strategy Enablement

   Morningstar

   Feb 2026 — Present · Chicago, IL, US

   Continuing leadership of the data journey process improvement initiative following organizational restructure, with expanded focus on data strategy enablement across cross-functional teams.Designed, built, and launched an updated enterprise intake process enabling end-to-end data journey governance — deployed in under 60 days across cross-functional teams.Leveraged AI tools including Asana AI Studio and Microsoft Copilot to accelerate process design, automate intake categorization, and streamline stakeholder communications.Drove systematic resolution of backlogged action items from the previous process, establishing accountability frameworks and closure discipline that created a clean foundation for the new operating model.Leading data strategy enablement across cross-functional teams, leveraging KPI dashboards to surface insights and track portfolio performance against strategic outcomes.

Education

• California State University, Monterey Bay

  Bachelor of Arts, Global Studies

Skills

• IT Strategy
• Software Project Management
• Crm
• Consulting
• Getting the Job Done
• Vendor Management
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Pmo
• Pmp
• Sharepoint
• Resource Management
• Software Development Life Cycle (Sdlc)
• Business Process Improvement
• Project Portfolio Management
• Project Management
• Project Planning
• Program Management
• Customer Relationship Management (Crm)
• Resource Allocation
• Management
• Acquisition Integration
• Business Analysis
• IT Management
• Business Intelligence
• Data Center
• Process Improvement
• Software Documentation
• Sdlc
• Analysis
• Business Strategy