7 Questions with Regina O’Connor
Recruiter
Regina O’Connor (she/her) comes from the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland and was raised on a sheep farm. From an early age, she was helping on the farm and spent a good part of every day outdoors. She attended the local school and went on to study Sociology and Geography as an undergraduate in NUI Maynooth, then pursued a Master’s Degree in Women’s Studies at University College Dublin.
Regina moved to San Francisco and worked in training and HR in the Financial Services sector. She also worked in the non-profit sector and early-stage startups. Since, Regina has helped establish one of the earliest Chatbot conferences in San Francisco as well as served on the Board of the Irish Network Bay Area, helping members and friends of the Irish Diaspora network for business.
Currently, Regina works full time as a recruiter for Woebot Labs, a startup in the Digital Therapeutic space providing an AI-based Chatbot to support improved mental health. In her spare time, she loves to rock climb and mountain bike.
1. How did you get into STEM?
I started helping a friend who founded a game company with building early prototypes, testing, and setting up a marketing strategy. From then, I was hooked. I have continued to advise people on various startups, and am especially interested in supporting women in startups. We are underrepresented.
2. What is a piece of advice you’ve found especially useful?
Find a good mentor.
A mentor does not have to be someone working in the same industry as you, or even the same career. The Mentor should be someone you can trust to give good advice, as well as a friend in the long term, someone who can be a casting vote when you are undecided.
Maybe you find this person through your network. Maybe you use a resource for the search. The search will be a little like dating; you may have to chat with many people before you find the right match and you may not always find that someone who appears “good on paper” is the match. But after some time, you will find the right person, and they will be invaluable for you as you grow your career and possibly your company.
3. What’s a challenge you’ve faced, and how did you deal with it?
Maintaining courage in the face of adversity.
In the startup world, this can mean keeping your focus and confidence, even when things are not going well. Perseverance is key. At one particular start-up, we had an excellent idea and executed it. It was doing well, when a competitor launched a very similar product and suddenly overtook us. It was disheartening; it felt like the other company was copying us. We reassessed and were able to pivot with a different product, which was more successful and ultimately a better product.
4. What’s something you’ve done that you’re really proud of?
Organizing the first SuperBot Conference in San Francisco. It was a lot of fun and very impactful for speakers and attendees alike.
Chatbots were very much in their infancy, and SuperBot brought Chatbot pioneers together to share ideas and support each other. Before SuperBot, a lot of these early Chatbot pioneers worked alone, or in very small groups trying to further the technology and public awareness of Chatbot technology. Creating a forum for developers to come together has really helped accelerate the spread of knowledge. I am very proud to have been part of the early stages of this process.
5. What are you most excited about right now, in or outside of STEM?
The growth of voice bots. I think this will be be transformative for so many people and change the way we interact with the world. It’ll be as important as the appearance of the first telephone.
6. What is your favorite source of inspiration?
National Public Radio and the BBC Radio.
7. What is your favorite book or movie?
Tom Crean’s Unsung Hero of the Scott and Shackleton Antarctic Expeditions.
