Suzan DelBene

I previously mentioned that I knew Microsoft mobile executive Suzan DelBene way back when, back in my college days. I recently found this interesting article about her. Here's the part that interested this old Fighting Griff:

She joined Microsoft in February 2004 as the corporate vice president of marketing in the Mobile and Embedded Devices Division.

But it's actually her second time working for the company. DelBene originally joined Microsoft in 1989, working in various business development, product management and marketing positions for products that included Microsoft Mail, Windows Embedded, Windows 95, Internet Explorer and MSN.

That earlier experience wasn't DelBene's only connection to the company. Her husband, Kurt DelBene, is corporate vice president of the Microsoft Office server group, which includes SharePoint Portal Server, Microsoft Project and other products. The DelBenes are Microsoft's only married corporate vice presidents.

As if that weren't enough, Suzan DelBene's mother and late father, Beth and Barry Oliver, both jet pilots, worked previously for the Microsoft group that makes the Flight Simulator program. Her father was a developer, and her mother was a tester....

DelBene's experience as a chief executive served as "extremely important training" for the job she has now, said Daniel Greenberg, the chief executive of Van Nuys, Calif.-based Electro Rent Corp. and the chairman of the Reed College board of trustees, of which DelBene is a member.

Anyway, be sure to read the rest of the story (heh) and its discussions about dot com boom and bust, as well as football.

I think the last time that I talked to Suzan was after Viktor Weygandt's death, or about 20 years ago, and I can't even remember if I specifically talked to her on that occasion (I remember talking to John Fine).

How time flies.

suzandelbene

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