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Women of Distinction

’VONNE ORMOND IS ONE about nine years. The mid-
Yof the few San Diegans part was in pharmaceutical
that I have come across in my biotech, where I worked at
twenty-one years in this town, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals as
who is actually a native San a global director. And then
Diegan. Most of the people I the last part of my corporate
come across are transplants career was working for a big
from elsewhere who for some four consulting company,
reason, be it the military or Capgemini in the Media and
perhaps a college education, Entertainment domain.”
came to our beautiful town It was at this point in
and vowed to never leave it. Y’vonne’s life that she had to
“I’ve been in San Diego my step back and reexamine her
whole life with the exception career path. “The year was
of two years when I moved 2013, and I had two kids with
up to LA for work. I went special needs, and I was at
to elementary school, high the point in my career where
school, and college here. I did I was offered a position which
my corporate career here, and required a large amount of
I started a business here.” My travel. The other option I con-
parents and grandparent are sidered was to start my own
here in the homes they raised firm, so I could be more in
us in. We have three genera- control of my hours. This was
tions of natives in our family. when I made the decision to
Although Y’vonne began start my first consulting firm.”
her college studies in Finance, Y’vonne had been putting
she later found her true love in 60-hour work weeks. Not
was in software development. only did she have two small
“I started as a software engi- children with special needs,
neer at 18 and I kind of grew but at the young age of 39
up through the ranks. I found she had a minor stroke. “I was
my interests developed in paid very well, but at that
data architecture.” Not being point money was not the
well versed in tech terminol- issue. It was about my health
ogy, I had to ask Y’vonne to and my kids’ health. If you
explain. “Data Architecture is don’t have your health, you
basically putting data togeth- don’t have anything.”
er so you can make decisions With all that Y’vonne had
on how to run your business. to face starting a brand-new
The data just tells a story, and
business, which was not with-
Y’vonne then we take that story and out its own stressors. “It was
articulate it to the business
pretty scary because at that
point I had just quit a very
owner so they can determine
Ormond where the need is greatest high paying six figure job. I
started out doing a variety of
in their business. This points
them in the direction in which subcontracting jobs for com-
they need to go to make im- panies, and I had one person
provements. My entire career who worked with me. I did
was founded on data archi- that for about two-and-a-half
By Judith A. Habert tecture, business processes, years. It began as a small firm
and in the technology space.” doing consulting work for
Photos by Nikkie Achartz With a twenty-year corpo- companies, but at the time
Snap Savvy Strategies rate career, Y’vonne decided it was the best decision as it
it was time to break away gave me enough income to
and start her own business. cover the expenses of health
“The first part of my career care for my children and
was spent working in the allowing me the time to be
department of defense for with them.”
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