Lori Winn, Assistant Vice President in Cybersecurity and Air Force veteran, has a military and technology career spanning over 25 years. Her diverse experience in the military, cybersecurity and as a woman in the technology field helped her gain the valuable expertise that paved the way for her career at Travelers.

In this episode of “15 Minutes with HER,” a podcast hosted by EmpowHER+, Linette Camp, Assistant Vice President, Domestic Operations, Global Operations Solutions & Delivery, sits down with Lori to discuss her transition from the military, technology and cybersecurity today, and what it’s like being a woman in tech, both at Travelers and within the industry.

Before beginning her Travelers career, Lori’s Air Force career provided her with several opportunities for involvement in traditional and non-traditional technology projects.
“I’ve been able to be involved in a lot of exciting things, from traditional IT to missile defense, remotely piloted aircraft – just a variety of different defense-type roles.”

Those roles eventually led her to cybersecurity, and when she was ready to transition her military career into the corporate world, she felt fortunate to find opportunities with ease.

“Cybersecurity is on the top of people’s minds a lot these days,” Lori said. “You see it in the news all the time. The basic element of what we do is to characterize and address any risks that we might be facing.”

Now working at Travelers for over two years, Lori reflected on her transition and current work.

“I’ve got a fantastic team here at Travelers. This made the switch extremely easy. I’m so happy I was able to bring my particular skillset from the Air Force over to Travelers with general ease.”

In addition to providing meaningful career opportunities to military members and veterans, Travelers recognizes diversity and inclusion across all aspects and areas of our business. Lori believes Travelers does an excellent job of providing opportunities to diverse groups but sees the industry overall as less varied.

“The technical side can be intimidating in general, but especially if you’re a woman,” Lori said. “That’s why we focus a lot on upskilling. I think there are more opportunities available to women than they know about. “

Regardless of the team she is on, Lori believes that surrounding herself with the right people for the job and genuinely listening to feedback is the secret to her success.

“I’m not by any stretch the smartest person in the room,” Lori said. “But I know enough to get the right people around me. I try to get their input, which gives people some real vested interest in our success. We put people first; we’ll do amazing things.”

Listen to the full podcast to hear more about Lori’s journey.

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