Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

Jackie Kirby

My Current Job/Company:
Senior Manager, Cisco Inc.

My Birthdate:
03-17-66 (St Patricks Day!)

My Work:
I manage a group of Program Managers at Cisco, globally. I work with many cross functional teams in Supply Chain Management and have held various leadership roles at Motorola, Applied Materials, STM Wireless, and Cisco in the past 20+ years.

My Passion:
My family, my friends, my faith, and philanthropy efforts (such as Board member of Make-A-Wish). I also enjoy being actively involved in activities and leadership forums at Cisco, such as one of my favorite groups, iWISE (Inspiring Women through Information Sharing and Experience)

My Family:
My husband Tom, 3 daughters (Karley-16, Kacey-10 and Katey-9) and 2 dogs (Sadie and Duke).

My Heroes:
I actually have heroes in different aspects of my life- such as my Dad (work ethic, values), my husband Tom (his ability to help me not worry about things I discuss with him & his strength and character), my sister Char (role model as mom & friend), amazing girl friends from all aspects of life (high school, college, Florida, Atlanta, and now Austin), Pastor Tim (inspirational, and dedicates his life to helping others), and role models at work (Sandy Hoffman, Chief Diversity Officer at Cisco – dedicates her life to leading philanthropy efforts and inspiring and helping women).

My Escape:
My parents’ cottage in Indiana, with my husband and kids, sisters and brothers and their families, and my parents.

My Pet Peeve:
Negative people or people that lack empathy. Closed-minded people.

My Indulgence:
Wine, Friday movie nights with my usband, and Karaoke

My Roots:
Family oriented, fun, laughs, “goofiness,” and sports. Love…strong friendships that last from grade school through every stage of my life.

My Future:
Family fun, travel, love, career changes, grandkids, girlfriend “trips,” optimistic!

My Love:
My kids, funny conversations and outlook on life; my dogs; my husband’s jokes (most of the time); My girlfriends’ support and encouragement; my worldwide friends at Cisco

My Movie:
“Forest Gump” (because I love a story where the underdog wins!) and movies that are inspiring and based on a true story, such as “The Blind Side.”

My Quote on Life:
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

My Accessory:
My 20 year wedding anniversary ring from my husband

My Advice to Young Women:
Always have a good mentor you can rely on to help you in your career and “pay it forward” by helping to mentor others. If you get married, make sure you continue “date nights.” Never stop spending quality time with your close girlfriends – plan some fun trips and getaways! Never stay in a bad situation for too long at work. Never let a job or a boss change who you are; stay true to yourself. At work and during personal time, prioritize spending more time with those that bring you up and give you energy (vs “energy drainers”).

How I Balance it All:
Some things that seem to help me try my best to balance Family/Friends/Work/Philanthropy:
While maintaining health (1)Block 1 hour every day for exercise or “me time.” If I do not block it out, it will not happen and exercise helps me feel better and perform my best (2) Reduce the daily “long list of to do’s” to a “short priority list” daily. If the list gets too long, move some items to the next day or end of week. This helps me feel a sense of accomplishment vs. failure and reduces my stress (3) Remember the positives at work and outside the home, so that I do not feel “out of balance.” The mind can determine whether we feel balanced.