Debra Slapak

About Debra Slapak

I grew up with the consummate story-teller. Everything was bigger, bolder, and brighter through his filter. He talked about catching fish that could feed the multitudes (and often did at our house) and elusive 14-point bucks that were illogically unicorns. He brought food he harvested to those who had not and picked up stories and pies they baked in return. He never spoke of the big war, but it was there, with him, like the timeworn photo tucked away in his wallet that captured him and a buddy on a date with two French beauties in 1943. I love people\'s stories.\"Speak to the heart and the mind will follow\" is a philosophy which the phenomenally successful Roy H. Williams articulates crisply and in-depth. I strive every day to walk in the paths of these two great storytellers. From enterprises to startups, I have looked into the hearts of customers and created and orchestrated global marketing, communications, sales and market development programs to achieve science- and technology-driven business objectives. Working across the customer buying cycle, I’ve: • Crafted strategic message frameworks • Created marketing and sales enablement assets aligned to customer and partner drivers and competitive dynamics • Led marketing and media campaigns to activate demand generation and customer consideration • Managed national accounts • Trained sales teams to engage customers in consultative relationship building. My cross-industry competencies include edge computing, artificial intelligence/machine learning, data analytics, integrated data center solutions, cybersecurity, customized fulfillment processes, and environmental services. I also have extensive experience in healthcare and education technology verticals. I began my career teaching, editing and tutoring at Texas State University, where I gained public speaking, communications and business skills while pursuing degrees in English. I leveraged jobs at the university into an enduring career in science and technology, working at Dell Technologies, IBM, Becton Dickenson, and Radian Corporation, as well as a healthcare technology startup and a social media startup. PASSION PROJECT Generation AI - World Economic Forum RECOGNITION • Fourteen Dell Technologies Inspire awards • Two Dell Champion Awards (top 15% of performers), including for “Leading with Selflessness” • Five Dell Silver Awards • IBM Management Excellence Award for People and Project Management • IBM Excellence Award for Business Strategy Development • IBM Outstanding Contribution Award • Two IBM Division Awards

Experience

1. Senior Director, Innovation Strategic Initiatives

   Iron Mountain

   Apr 2022 — Present

   Our Strategic Initiatives team leads innovation research on trends, personas, customer needs, unique value-propositions, and marketing messages. We use this research in two significant ways- To create content designed to inform and educate readers and viewers about themes that will reshape the way they live, work, and experience entertainment. This is often called \"thought leadership.\"- To steer decision-making that informs progression through the four stages of Compassion-Driven…

Education

• Cornell University

  Post-Graduate Certificate, Marketing Strategy for Business Leaders

  2011 — 2012

• Texas State University, M.Ed.

  M.Ed., B.A., English, Education

• Texas State University

  Masters in Education

  1977 — 1979

• Texas State University

  Bachelor of Arts - BA