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Laura Quintana

Vice President and General Manager

Cisco Networking Academy

Laura Quintana is Vice President and General Manager of Networking Academy, Cisco’s largest and longest-running Corporate Social Responsibility program. As an innovator, Laura focuses on social responsibility, delivering groundbreaking initiatives that prepare students to participate in the digital workforce and connects them with career opportunities. Her strengths in scaling and accelerating impact helped her and her team grow the Networking Academy to benefit more than 3.7 million students in FY23 (20.5 million since inception) throughout 190 countries with an annual in-kind contribution valued at over $387 million USD. Her leadership at Networking Academy is an extension of her work as a change agent. She cares deeply about diversity and making an impact on peoples’ lives and communities. Her focus includes initiatives targeting educational institutions, economically underserved communities, women and minorities underrepresented in tech, people with disabilities, and justice-impacted individuals. Laura 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 her leadership, Networking Academy has become a critical part of country digital readiness, working with ministries of education to further national digital agendas and develop the human capital necessary to support country transformation. Previously, 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 an executive sponsor of Conexión, Cisco’s Latinx employee resource organization. She serves as a member of the SER National Board of Directors, Cristo Rey San Jose High School Corporate Work Study Program Board of Directors, San Jose State University Technology Program Industry Advisory Board, Association for Information Systems Industry Advisory Board, and Love Never Fails Advisory Board. Laura 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, receiving HITEC Top 100 awards for 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 where they raised their three children.

Articles

Five Cisco Networking Academy partners receive Golden Bridge Award honors

10 min read

Laura Quintana shares more about the five Cisco Networking Academy Golden Bridge Award Winners for 2023.

Calling All Cisco Networking Academy Alumni to Participate in New Awards Program

2 min read

No achievement is too high for our alums. And we honor this fact by launching the new Cisco Networking Academy Alumni Awards.

Women use technology to solve the issues facing humanity—and the world needs more

4 min read

This International Women's Day, we're reflecting on the impact that Cisco Networking Academy has made in the lives of women around the globe.

January 24, 2023

LEARNING

New Entry-Level Cisco Certifications to Start Your IT Career

2 min read

Cisco Networking Academy and Cisco Learning & Certifications introduce two new, entry-level Certified Support Technician certifications focused on entry-level tech job seekers, career changers, and even college and high school students.

Cisco Networking Academy offers inclusive and equitable education to power global development

3 min read

This International Day of Education, Laura Quintana, VP of Cisco Networking Academy, shares how we are creating an equitable future.

Cisco Networking Academy: Innovating to make education accessible and equitable for all

4 min read

On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we reflect on Cisco Networking Academy’s commitment to create an inclusive future.

My visit to the White House: Advancing cybersecurity training

2 min read

Laura Quintana represented Cisco at the White House to mark the culmination of the 120-day Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Sprint.

Cisco Networking Academy celebrates 25 years of impact

3 min read

Laura Quintana, VP of Cisco Networking Academy, shares more about Networking Academy's impact over the last 25 years.

Cisco Networking Academy Strives for Gender Inclusivity in IT

2 min read

For International Girls in ICT Day on April 28, Cisco Networking Academy's Women Rock-IT program focused on esports.

Cisco Networking Academy Launches Free IT Education to Empower All People with Career Possibilities

3 min read

Skills for All is a free, mobile-first program that delivers leading-edge adaptive and gamified learning experiences, including self-paced courses, interactive tools, and career resources that are designed by industry experts.

Cisco Networking Academy recognizes top partners and instructors

4 min read

Cisco Networking Academy presented awards to acknowledge outstanding contributions in educating technology professionals of the future. 

Opening a window of opportunity to bring more women into the tech workforce

4 min read

The pandemic has shown that it can deepen inequities — and create opportunities. Women are disproportionately affected by many of the cultural, economic, and technological shifts that the pandemic is accelerating. But even as many women navigate their new roles as full-time caregivers, ad hoc teachers, and bread winners, digitization is providing a unique opportunity for women to rise.

Empowering and reskilling our workforce for an inclusive future

3 min read

Cisco Networking Academy is the world’s largest and longest-running corporate social responsibility program, training 12.6 million people in digital skills over 23 years in 180 countries. During this past year, 2.3 million students participated in Cisco Networking Academy, bringing our total since inception in 1997 to 12.6 million students.

New Cisco Networking Academy CCNA curriculum accelerates path to job readiness for students around the globe

4 min read

To help meet the need for skilled IT talent and ensure a more inclusive future for all people, I’m excited to announce that Cisco Networking Academy has advanced its Cisco Certificated Network Associate (CCNA) curriculum to prepare job seekers, from anywhere and from any background, with the skills they need for a successful career in the ever-changing IT field. The new curriculum will be integrated into most of Networking Academy’s 12,000+ academies around the world to prepare students to earn the new CCNA certification, which is available on February 24, 2020.

The Cybersecurity Talent Shortfall: How the Cisco Networking Academy is Meeting the Demand

3 min read

According to the FBI’s annual Internet Crime Report, in the United States alone, cybercrime cost organizations $2.7 billion in 2018. These costs not only include service disruption, but loss of productivity, reputation damage, and other business impacts. There are many cybersecurity education programs available, but are they effectively preparing students to join the workforce?

Implementing a Successful Public-Private Partnership: Leveraging Technology and Innovation

2 min read

This is the final article in a five-part series on how a company or organization can develop, implement, and sustain successful public-private partnerships (PPP) that achieve large-scale impact.