She+ Geeks OutS+GO-Horizontal-Logo-Red@1.5xShe+ Geeks OutShe+ Geeks Out
  • DEI Training and Consulting
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workshops
    • DEI Committee and ERG Support
    • Executive Leadership Program
    • Coaching & Consulting Services
    • Nonprofit Support Program
    • Online Course
    • Case Studies
  • Rise Together
    • Virtual Get a Job You Love Summit
    • Leading DEI Conversations
    • Rise Up Program
    • Hang With Us On Slack
    • Meet our Ambassadors
    • Code of Conduct
    • Sponsors
  • Events
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    • Ask SGO
    • The She+ Geeks Out Podcast
  • Who We Are
    • Meet the Team
✕
Meet Michelle Alexander
Who We Donate to and Why

Meet Michelle Ackerman

Published by Felicia Jadczak on March 27, 2016
Categories
  • Blog
  • Community
Tags
  • 2016
  • Speaker
  • Spotify

michelle ackermanMichelle Ackerman gave a lightning talk at our Spotify concert in January 2016. She is a Product Manager at Spotify.

How (and when) did you get into your current field or company?

I’ve been working in music technology since college. I started in a QA/Marketing internship at The Echo Nest in Somerville. In the next two years my role evolved and my responsibilities included managing the intern program, helping to start a Data Curation team and a bigger role on the Data QA side. In 2014, The Echo Nest was acquired by Spotify and I transitioned into a Product Owner role. My squad (small teams at Spotify usually made up of 5-8 engineers, a product owner, and an agile coach) works closely with the Playlist Editors as they create Spotify playlists.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day includes coordinating with the squad, prioritizing new feature requests and projects, communicating with our stakeholders, and looking ahead to how our team can contribute to Spotify’s programmed experiences.

What is the favorite part of your day?

I really enjoy working with my team. Many of us have been working with music data and recommendation together for a while and it’s been great to watch us grow and evolve within Spotify.

What excites you about working in your industry?

I’ve always been passionate about music; it’s sort of my dream to be able to contribute in any way to this industry, especially given how quickly it has changed. Music is so subjective, emotional and personal and it means a lot to me to have music services reflect that as they let users to discover new artists around the world.

What is the best piece of advice you have been given?

To never underestimate the importance of enjoying being around your coworkers. We spend so much time with them, so surrounding ourselves with passionate smart people that we truly admire can mean the world to you in your job.

What is your favorite part of being a woman in STEM?

It’s a warm and supportive community. It’s exciting to see the different ways of getting involved from going to meet-ups, organizations, to diversity initiatives within companies themselves.

What other women inspire you?

The women at our Boston office are just the greatest people. Seriously. I’ve worked with many of them since I started at The Echo Nest in 2011 and I feel very lucky to have had such smart, caring, and hilarious role models in them. They make going to work fun.

What is something that most people don’t know about you?

I love writing. Sometimes I attempt to write my own music but that’s mostly a disaster and I’m afraid of playing music in front of people. I usually stick to poems and screenplays.

What do you geek out about?

Sad music. Well, music in general, but I love sad music in a way that few people understand.

 

Felicia Jadczak
Felicia Jadczak
Felicia is a Co-Founder of She Geeks Out.

Related posts

May 12, 2022

Leading DEI Conversations Info Session


Read more
May 9, 2022

How to Avoid Ageism in the Workplace


Read more
What do we do with Cancel Culture? Facilitator Discussion
May 8, 2022

What do we do with Cancel Culture? Facilitator Discussion


Read more

Get Our Newsletter

Land Acknowledgement

She+ Geeks Out was originally founded on land that is the traditional territory of the Massachusett and Pawtucket tribes, and which is still home to descendants of these peoples. At this point in time, the SGO team is fully remote, and we are located across the United States. Land acknowledgements are a way for us to reflect upon the duality of our work— while we work within our team, our community, and our client organizations to promote greater inclusivity and abolish inequities, we ourselves still perpetuate and contribute to various forms of historical and present oppression. We are now operating in a virtual space, but we can still honor and name the physical spaces we all inhabit. We encourage you to learn more about the lands you are currently on and reflect on your own place in this work.

Connect With Us

LinkedIn Group
SGO Slack Team

Contact Us | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Code of Conduct | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

COPYRIGHT ©2022 SHE GEEKS OUT, LLC
✕

Cart

Your cart is currently empty.

Subtotal: $0.00
Total: $0.00
Proceed to checkout View cart