From Peaches to Presales: Riley's Journey
Riley grew up surrounded by local small businesses. Her earliest working memories are filled with peaches from Ela Family Farms, a fourth-generation family farm she represented at farmer's markets starting at the age of 10. While she didn't realize it at the time, each peach she handled would come to represent not just a product, but a piece of her community’s hard work and dedication.
As Riley grew older, her experience with small businesses expanded. She worked in a woman-owned pet food store, where she saw firsthand the detail and dedication required to run a business. Later, she worked in multiple retail clothing stores in a local business district. These early roles were more than just jobs—they were early lessons in perseverance, creativity, and the personal investment required to make a business thrive.
Riley’s later journey into the SaaS world began in Operations at Yelp, where she established the foundation of her data-driven approach, and learned to navigate complex organizations. Her dedication and people skills soon transitioned her into Customer Success, where she discovered a new passion for helping customers and solving business-critical problems. It was in 2018, when she found her true calling in Presales, that everything began to click into place.
As a Solutions Engineering leader, Riley still carries the same passion that drove her through her early jobs. She is a leader who thrives in the whirlwind of high growth and change, and one who embraces the beauty in the chaos. She prioritizes building deep, meaningful team connections rooted in a culture of celebrating successes and leading with trust and vulnerability. Her background in small business reminds her of the importance of understanding the human side of technology—how solutions impact people’s lives and contribute to their success. It’s this blend of personal experience and professional expertise that drives her to excel as a Solutions Engineering leader.
These themes carry over into her personal life today as well, where her family remains her North Star. Anchored in my daughter Isabela, husband Bryan, and three animals. She continues to be passionate about performing small acts of kindness to leave her mark on not only her community, but the world. You can find her running around in the backyard with her daughter, in the gym working to improve her CrossFit skills, learning to embrace meditation, and always in pursuit of her next amazing meal.