Trac Bannon: It's so crazy how I meet many of the Real Technologists. Sometimes it's through professional meetings, other times it's through LinkedIn.
No doubt you've heard of a game called 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.' It demonstrates the concept of six degrees of separation, which suggests that any two people on earth are six or fewer social connections apart.
Well, in the world of Real Technologists, it's more like 'Two Degrees of Jennifer Ives.' Jennifer, a previous guest and a powerhouse connector, introduced me to the brilliant Dr. Meghan Anzelc. Jennifer's network is a goldmine of tech brilliance; Megan is no exception.
Dr. Meghan Anzelc was introduced to Jennifer Ives through a session on AI conducted by CHIEF. CHIEF is a private network designed to connect and support women in executive leadership positions. Jennifer attended the session and found herself resonating with much of what Meghan was saying, and they connected from there.
Meghan Anzelc is one of those remarkable individuals whose journey started in a close knit family in Chicago. Growing up with a sister just 18 months younger, Meghan was part of an extended family that was not only supportive but deeply engaged in her upbringing. That sense of close knit extended Irish American family is something that has left such a wonderful mark on Dr. Anzelc.
Even before I found out that she's a firstborn, I could see the telltale signs: she is conscientious, reliable, responsible, and maybe a little bit of a perfectionist.
The Anzelc household was unique; Meghan was homeschooled for most of her grammar and high school years. This was quite unusual at the time, but it opened doors for her to dive into myriad extracurricular activities.
Meghan Anzelc: We were a homeschooling family, we were involved in lots of things, and this was at a time before very many people homeschooled. so we had a community of other homeschooling families in the Chicago area that we did stuff with, but a lot of extracurriculars. So I started dancing when I was three, so I've been getting up on stages since I was three years old.
I danced, all through college, including competitive Irish dancing. So I hold a world medal in Irish dancing. I played, music. So I played piano, for about 20 years .
