Fairygodboss Of The Week: Jamie Rovira
Meet Jamie Rovira, VP of Practice Solutions at Practice Fusion, a cloud-based electronic health record platform for doctors and patients. She helped to create and run a women’s group within her company that fosters peer support and professional development. Her career advice? Fake it til you make it - if you’re confident in your skills and determined to succeed, don’t pass up a challenge.
Fairygodboss of the Week: Jamie Rovira
Vice President, Practice Solutions, Practice Fusion
San Francisco, CA
FGB: Tell us about your career. How did you get to where you are now?
JR: I attended college at UC Santa Barbara and spent the first few years after graduation working at a boutique Public Relations agency in Los Angeles. I moved to San Diego and spent seven years at a company called Active Network. I started as a Technical Account Manager and worked my way up to become manager of our Account Management and Technical Account Management teams within the Endurance division. Throughout that time, I saw the company go through lots of phases. The growth from 75 employees to 2,000, plus an IPO and an acquisition.
I wanted to move to a smaller organization where I could enact change, so I made the move to San Francisco to work at Practice Fusion. I started off leading the Practice Success team, and over the past three years my role has evolved to Vice President of Practice Solutions where I lead our Sales, Implementation, Customer Service and Technical Support teams.
FGB: What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?
JR: For the past year, I have helped create and run the Women’s Leadership Circle (WLC) at Practice Fusion, which aims to foster an inclusive and diverse community through peer support, networking and professional development. My most memorable moment was when one of our members told me that the WLC salary negotiations training gave her the skills and the confidence to ask for the compensation she deserved…. which she got. I love having the opportunity to help women develop skills that will help them grow in their careers.
FGB: What is a challenge that you've faced and overcome?
JR: Earlier this year our company went through a round of layoffs and letting team members go was one of the hardest things I had to do in my career. While the process wasn’t easy, I learned how to manage an organization through significant change and how to drive performance during adversity. The company is thriving and I am proud of my contribution to their success.
FGB: Who is your Fairygodboss? And why?
JR: Although it sounds cliché, I would say my Fairygodboss is Sheryl Sandberg since her advice had a profound impact on my career. I clearly remember the moment five years ago when I watched Sheryl’s Ted Talk video, ‘Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders At The Top’. I was recently married and we were thinking about starting a family in the near future, and everything Sheryl spoke about in that video applied to me. I was subconsciously turning down opportunities, all because I was stressed about balancing my fictional baby and work. I suddenly became aware that I was holding myself back for no reason. Thanks to that wake up call, I took a new job opportunity and have seen hyper growth in my career because I am determined to put myself in the best position before I have children. And with five additional years of life experience under my belt, I am confident that I can balance a successful career and a family.
Lightning Round:
FGB: What do you do when you’re not working?
JR: Spend time with my amazing husband. We are either trying out new restaurants, wine tasting in Calistoga or hanging out on the couch binge watching Netflix.
FGB: What is your karaoke song?
JR: Shoop by Salt n Pepa.
FGB: What is your favorite movie?
JR: Love Actually.
FGB: What book would you bring with you on a desert island?
JR: The Hunger Games Trilogy. Embarrassing to admit, but I never get sick of those books.
FGB: What is your shopping vice? What would you buy if you won the lottery?
JR: Anything in Nordstrom’s Rack. If I won the lottery I would buy a house in San Francisco, since winning the lottery is about the only way you can afford to own a house in the city.
FGB: What is the #1 career tip you'd like to share with other women who want to have successful careers like you?
JR: Fake it till you make it. Throughout my career I have been presented with opportunities that I felt I wasn’t 100% ready to take it on, but I have learned that you really only need to be about 80% there to be successful. If you are driven and confident in the reasons you were chosen in the first place, then on the job learning will get you the extra 20%. Don’t pass up opportunities that will challenge you personally and professionally because you aren’t 100% ready. You will get there and until you do, give others the impression that you are already there…they won’t know the difference
FGB: Why do you love where you work?
JR: I love Practice Fusion because I am challenged every single day and I get to work with people that push me to be better.
Fairygodboss is all about women helping other women. So each week, we celebrate a woman who makes a difference in other women’s careers. Is there a woman who has made a difference in your career? Celebrate and thank her by nominating her here.
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