Danielle Kirkwood

Director of Customer Relationship Operations, Sleep Number

What problem(s) are you working to solve?
Simplifying our employee experience to improve accuracy and reduce effort, automating customer interactions, and driving toward a seamless and easy customer experience so they can focus on sleeping well and performing at their best.

What makes the Minneapolis and Saint Paul region (MSP) a great place to grow your career?
There are numerous industries throughout the region that allow for you to specialize or broaden your experience. With easy access to transit, an international airport, great schools, and a strong focus on health and wellness, MSP is a great place to have both a career and raise a family.

What do you think surprises people about MSP?
The variety of industries and diversity of workforce.

What advice do you have for women engineers starting in their careers?
Speak up, be bold, collaborate with peers and constantly challenge the status quo. You are the driver of your career. Network with coworkers and classmates to ask the tough questions and develop your own plan of what you want your career to look like. Propose career options to your boss and be clear on what is critical to your happiness, whatever that might be. Don’t be afraid to list the things that are important or critical to your happiness at work (working from home, travel, salary, hours, PTO, individual contributor or team member).