Every day, Orases is proud to recognize the talented people who contribute to the Orases Team and our culture of ONE. This is no different for any one gender, ethnicity, religion or lack thereof. While gender parity is still present in today’s society, Orases believes that we are called to motivate and unite our community to be gender-inclusive and recognize that gender parity is a real issue. As a culture of ONE, we believe that each individual has unique strengths that are invaluable. Take a look at last year’s blog to learn more about the Orases Culture of ONE.
2017 was a year of growth at Orases. Out of nine new hires, we proudly welcomed four remarkable women to our team for the roles of Account Representatives, UX Associate and Digital Coordinator.
For Women’s Day, we want to celebrate the accomplishments of the women who are pillars of Orases’ values and beacons of innovation in the IT field. It is our pleasure to introduce you to the women of Orases.
Ali Berger
Executive Assistant
Years At Orases: 2
I choose to #PressforProgress in 2018 by celebrating women’s achievements. One of my favorite parts of my job is the opportunity to celebrate the many achievements of my coworkers, including the intelligent and talented women than I have the privilege of working alongside on a daily basis.
Who is a woman role model in your life and why do you look up to them?
While I am blessed to have many strong women in my life whom I admire, one of my role models is my dear friend, Carrie. Carrie and I previously worked together for almost 2 years in the marketing department at a Chick-fil-A franchise. She always purposed to bring joy to our team, served our customers by going above and beyond to provide exceptional experiences and was intentional about upholding her values at all times. Carrie always challenged me to be my best and was an example of wearing MANY hats with esteem. She consistently gave me opportunities to grow and grace to learn from my mistakes. Through seasons of immense heartbreak, trial, and celebration — her faith remains a pillar, and she continuously inspires those around her. Here’s to women empowering and inspiring women.
What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
I am proud to play a part of facilitating the award-winning culture Orases holds in the DMV area. Not only are we a company, but we are a family that purposes to work well with and celebrate each other. I learn so much from these people on a daily basis and I truly believe that we make each other better. Part of this includes inspiring and chairing the annual Tech Frederick Games — purposed to advance Tech in Frederick by fostering camaraderie through competition. I am proud to have a community that is so supportive and that has gone above and beyond to help me reach these accomplishments.
Amy Damoulakis
VP of Finance and Co-Founder of Orases
Years At Orases: 18
I choose to #PressforProgress in 2018 by forging positive visibility of women
Who is a woman role model in your life and why do you look up to them?
If I were allowed to pick only one woman who was a role model and hugely influential in my life I would choose my grandmother, Dana Sensel. Not only was she just my grandmother, but I also lived with her and was raised by my grandparents for most of my childhood. I was blessed to see not only the joyous and fun parts of a grandchild-grandparent relationship but also the lessons of real life and day-to-day living with them. My grandmother was a very strong woman in both body and mind — there was never a physical task that she felt she had to wait for my grandfather to accomplish, she just tackled it. She taught my sister and I how to find confidence in everything that we did — be it school, social issues, community. There was always open dialog, even for the tough conversations and transparent communication flourished in our house. Nan’s lessons in life (always accompanied by an old-time saying) are still pillar’s of who I am today and what I pass on to my own children.
What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
When I entered into my Computer Science degree program in undergrad, I was one of very few women in my classes. Fast-forward a few years, and even fewer women were present in my graduate degree program in Information Technology. I cannot say that I ever experienced prejudice or negativity from professors or fellow students however there is definitely a feeling of something to prove when you are part of the lone females in a sea of male colleagues. I fostered the confidence that I was taught as child and graduated at the top of my graduate class. During my graduate program in Rochester I started Orases with my partner, Nick Damoulakis. The accomplishment that I am most proud of is not just emerging in an industry that is dominated by males, but being able to sustain and balance a fulfilling life of being a wife and a mother without giving up my career and what makes me who I am!
Amy Taylor
Senior Account Representative
Years At Orases: 1 year — celebrated my anniversary on Feb 27
I choose to #PressforProgress by forging positive visibility of women.
Who is a woman role model in your life and why do you look up to them?
My role model is my mother — Judy. As a professional woman she didn’t enter the workforce until the age of 40. Being a single mom, starting her career and working on completing the CPA exam my mother was the definition of determination. Twenty-five years later she is now a well-respected VP of Finance at a University in Pennsylvania. All of her accomplishments both professional and personal has shown me by example that hard work does pay off.
What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
I have quite a few accomplishments for which I would like to brag, but I’ll keep it to the two highest. I’m most proud of obtaining my Masters in Business Administration in an accelerated two-year program while working full time in a position that required an extensive amount of travel. Second to that, working in a predominantly male industry throughout my career I’ve been blessed to work with both male and female mentors. That said, I feel the female mentors have shown me by example — gender shouldn’t and doesn’t matter when it comes to your professional work life. I’m proud that I’ve been able to absorb that through my mentors and can now share the same with my female colleagues.
Devin Gaither
UX Architect
Years At Orases: 6 months
I choose to #PressforProgress in 2018 by challenging stereotypes and bias
Who is a woman role model in your life and why do you look up to them?
My mother, Kimberly Omps, is the most inspiring woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing! She has never let the circumstances of her life hold her back, and she faces all adversity and challenges with a smile on her face. My mother isn’t afraid to stand up for what is right, and she holds our very nontraditional family together. She has made so many sacrifices in order to provide for me and our family — if I can grow up to be half as kind, compassionate, and courageous as she is, I’ll consider my life a success. Kimberly Omps is a true gift to the world!
What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
I’m proud of my commitment to telling stories. Whether that is telling the story of the users that will be interacting with our products and solutions, or telling a story through aerial dance and circus arts, or telling stories through theater, stories live at the center of all aspects of our culture. Understanding the stories of our customers, users, colleagues, loved ones, and most especially those that think differently than us is the key to developing empathy and finding solutions — both for in software products and for our everyday struggles (both personal and political).
Kathryn Zoulias
Senior Account Representative
Years At Orases: 5
I choose to #PressforProgress in 2018 by celebrating women’s achievements
Who is a woman role model in your life and why do you look up to them?
My coworker, Larissa, is someone who I look up to both professionally and personally. She approaches challenges with a sense of calm and is able to find positivity in any situation. Her energy is “catching” and I have learned a lot from her over the past 5 years working together.
What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
I feel strongly that everyone should continue to be a student and strive to better their own knowledge and education. Since graduating with my Bachelor’s degree I have continued to challenge myself to further my education by studying and receiving new certifications within my industry. My latest certification was my Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification in July 2017.
Kristyn Pankiw
Digital Project Coordinator
Years At Orases: 4 months
I choose to #PressforProgress in 2018 by influencing other’s beliefs/actions — I write poetry that often focuses on real world issues, and my hope is that my words and ideas will challenge others to learn and grow into an equality mindset.
Who is a woman role model in your life and why do you look up to them?
My role model is myself in the future — I am always striving to become a better version of me, so looking up to my future self in 10 or 15 years and picturing what I can be and do keeps me motivated and inspired in the present!
What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
In college, I taught myself metalsmithing and opened my own small business online selling handmade fine jewelry. I turned a profit in less than a month and continued growing the business over the next three years before deciding to pursue a new career. My jewelry was also stocked internationally in twelve retail boutiques, including NYC and Japan.
Larissa Severn
Senior Account Representative
Years At Orases: 6
I choose to #PressforProgress in 2018 by challenging stereotypes and bias.
Who is a woman role model in your life and why do you look up to them?
My mom. She is as compassionate as she is strong. She works hard and makes sacrifices every day for her family, and she never complains about how hard that is. My mom taught me how to push through tough times, how to celebrate the good ones, how to be accountable for your own destiny, how to be patient, and how to love unconditionally.
What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
I am most proud of the teams I’ve led through my years at Orases — our internal team and our clients — and being a part of their success. I’m proud of working with our long-term clients and the relationships we have with them. Additionally, I’m proud of my professional growth at Orases — from becoming a certified project manager to the technical knowledge I’ve gained over the years.
Laura Perry
Account Representative
Years At Orases: 8 months
I choose to #PressforProgress in 2018 by challenging stereotypes and bias.
Who is a woman role model in your life and why do you look up to them?
I’m fortunate to have had many women demonstrate all the many facets of what being an assured, wise, intelligent, and joyful woman can look like. Friends, family, mentors, co-workers — they’ve all added to the eclectic image of an accomplished woman. But there’s none I could look up to more than my own mom. Her strength and faith in the face of adversary is a firm ground for me to stand on. She’s shown me that both professionally and personally, there is always a way to be a peacemaker and always a way to fight for joy. My mom is wise, brave, and resilient, and just enough of wacky to keep life fun and interesting. She’ll always be my number one, and I hope I can carry out her examples.
What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
I’ve been with Orases only long enough to get part way through my major projects, but with my previous employer, I had a track record of taking difficult and messy accounts and putting them on the proverbial road to success. In a short amount of time, I felt a great sense of accomplishment to get to the end-of-cycle with a client and know that their confidence, satisfaction, and trust was boosted and that the professional relationship between our companies was stronger. I look forward to continuing to build and maintain excellent relationships with our clients here at Orases!
