Over the last 3 months, many of us have found ourselves in a totally new situation where we are managing teams from a distance. In Human Services this has been pretty rare, especially in the public sector. So we decided to reach out to someone who has been doing this for a long time to get some tips and thoughts on how to be an effective manager from a distance. In this episode, Maureen Leif (President and Executive Producer) has a conversation with Tara Risser. In her role with Equinix, Tara has been managing teams around the globe for many years. While she has a lot of experience managing from a distance, during the COVID crisis, even she has had to make some adjustments. It’s a really interesting and engaging conversation and know you will like it.

A little more about Tara…

As senior vice president, Global Customer Care and Experience, Tara Risser is responsible for the strategy and operations of all customer service programs and initiatives at Equinix. She joined the company in 2015 as the Senior Director of Customer Success for the Americas and has continued to grow into expanded leadership roles.

Tara Risser, Senior Vice President, Equinix

Prior to joining Equinix, Tara spent more than 15 years in customer-facing roles, most recently at Level 3 Communications. She started out as a sales engineer before moving to various leadership roles focused on sales, integrations, scale and effectiveness, and customer care. Tara holds an M.S. in business from University of Colorado, and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of New Hampshire.

Tara is a member of the Equinix Allies council, a team of senior leaders who advocate for underrepresented communities at Equinix and explore how to improve diversity, inclusion and belonging. She also leads Equinix’s partnership with Shadhika, a nonprofit organization that advances girls’ rights and inspires a culture shift in India.

Listen to our interview here: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more.

Podcast Episode - Managing from a Distance