KELLEY STEVEN-WAISS is a Chief Transformation Officer at ServiceNow. Prior, she was the founder and CEO of Hitch Works Inc. (acquired by ServiceNow in 2022), a cloud-based skills mapping and intelligence platform,that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to match project-based opportunities to internal employee skill profiles. Before becoming an entrepreneur, she spent over twenty-five years in executive management and consulting, including 13+ years as a CHRO. Kelley is a sought-after speaker on the future of work, a board director for FormFactor, Inc., and is passionate about promoting and mentoring future female founders. Her first book was The Inside Gig: How Sharing Untapped Talent Across Boundaries Unleashes Organizational Capacity (2020). Currently based in Los Gatos, California, she is married and the mother of four.
"This is an important book, not just for women, but for anyone with a dream and an idea. Kelley Steven-Waiss has shown us what's possible when you combine dreams and ideas with passion, purpose, and grit. I've known Kelley for many years, and as the father of two daughters, I've often described her to them as a role model for what women can accomplish. Valley Girls shines a spotlight on what's possible when passion becomes the fuel for living one's dream and bringing a bold idea to the world. More importantly, I hope this book shines a long-overdue spotlight on the enormous contribution women can make if we would only kick open the doors that have held them back! -Richard Mirabile, Ph.D. Founder and CEO of Success Factor Systems (now SAP SuccessFactors) This book surely would have helped me ""stick to it"" in 1997, when at twenty-six years old I stood for my first VC pitch. All I remember from it was ""cool product, kid, but where are your cofounders?"" As a Valley Girl entrepreneur, now in her 50s with one successful exit, and one still building, I'm energized by Kelley's synthesis of our experience. She brilliantly illustrates the lessons and stories that display how we push forward, how we channel our resilience and perseverance, and how we overcome! This is a book for everyone invested in ensuring the next generation of great companies is launched by the best variety of individuals our world has to offer. -Coco Brown Founder and CEO of Athena Alliance; 100 Most Powerful People of Silicon Valley This book illustrates what is possible when you build a culture of inclusion, where the best ideas can open new and adjacent markets or create value. Great leaders support innovation from all areas of the company and empower women at all levels to be seen, valued, and heard. I was fortunate to partner with Kelley along her entrepreneurial journey when I was the CEO of HERE Technologies and to share her vision for the future of work. Kelley's message in the book is clear-the world will benefit from more female intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs disrupting the status quo. -Edzard Overbeek former CEO of HERE Technologies and board director of KPN and CVC Valley Girls represents the core philosophy Kelley has lived in her professional life. I have had the privilege of being a part of her journey from CHRO to entrepreneur and seeing first-hand how she took many of the concepts as a thought leader in the future of work and applied them to her own career. In these pages, she has an inspirational message to female innovators to live a growth mindset, go after their dreams, and to pursue each of their entrepreneurial paths with eyes wide open. -John Boudreau, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Scientist, University of Southern California, author of Reinventing Jobs, Lead the Work, Work Without Jobs, and Investing in People Valley Girls is a must read for all aspiring entrepreneurs and investors, regardless of their gender. Kelley Steven-Waiss builds upon her eye-opening personal experience with incredible stories of women who have achieved success by embracing their own strengths and lifting others up instead of conforming to the stereotype of the hard-charging disruptor that has been historically glorified in Silicon Valley. Valley Girls provides a much-needed expanded blueprint for how it looks to change the world with technology and will surely inspire a new generation of collaborative leaders. -Allison Baum-Gates General Partner, SemperVirens and author of Breaking Into Venture"