Laura Quintana

Laura Quintana joined Cisco in 1999 and is currently Vice President and General Manager of Networking Academy, Cisco’s largest and longest-running purpose-driven IT skills-to-jobs program. She leads a global organization and has grown the Networking Academy to reach more than 3 million students annually (17.5 million since inception) in 190 countries with an annual in-kind contribution valued at $377 million USD. Laura and her team drive partnerships with governments, academic institutions, and nonprofits to prepare students to participate in today’s digital workforce and to connect them to career opportunities. She and her team are further expanding Networking Academy’s reach with SkillsforAll.com, a mobile first, self-paced, and gamified experience available direct to learner and via academies. Through Laura’s leadership, Networking Academy has become a critical part of country digital readiness, working with ministries of education around the world to further national digital agendas and develop the human capital necessary to support country transformation. Prior to her current role, Laura successfully completed Cisco’s multi-year commitment to the Jordan Healthcare Initiative. She strategically collaborated with the Government of Jordan and was instrumental in driving telemedicine, clinical collaboration, and teleradiology projects that enabled quality healthcare services and benefited over 175,000 patients. Previously, Laura held a variety of director-level roles within Cisco’s services organization. Before joining Cisco, Laura served in leadership positions for eleven years with Hewlett-Packard within Product Management and Operations, including a three-year assignment in Grenoble, France. Laura holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University. She is a co-executive sponsor of Conexión, Cisco’s Latinx employee resource organization, and Cisco’s partnership with the Cristo Rey Work Study Program. She serves as a member of the SER Jobs for Progress National, Inc. Board of Directors, San Jose State University Technology Program Industry Advisory Board, and Love Never Fails Advisory Board. She was recognized by the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC) as one of the top 100 most influential and notable Hispanic Professionals in the Information Technology Industry (2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2021-2022). She was recognized by Latino Leaders Magazine as one of the 100 most influential Latinas in 2021. She is fluent in Spanish and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their three children.