Jessica White, Director of Information Technology

Several years ago I read an article that said there is less pay disparity between men and women in our Nation’s capital. That article was one of the reasons that I’ve never left Washington—I always figured that over time, I would be better off staying put.

In 2005, I was hired to be the only IT person for a 50-person firm just a few blocks from the White House. They hadn’t had a full-time IT person before, so they said they were looking for a “help-desk” person. When a managing partner made me a formal job offer, the salary was lower than I thought it should be based on the work that needed to be done, but I didn’t really know how to express that without sounding ungrateful for the offer. I had absolutely no idea how to negotiate a job offer, or that you even could! I accepted, and had it in the back of my mind that this was going to be a great learning opportunity with a lot of responsibility, and that I would grow from the experience.

Little did I know! They didn’t need a help-desk person—they needed an entirely new network infrastructure and round-the-clock attention. It was a dynamic place to work, very busy, and when I asked them for more purchasing authority and the freedom to replace the entire network, they happily agreed. That first project was a success, and they gave me a great deal of leeway to take on more responsibility (and more work!).