alumni

After two and a half years at iCIMS, it was time for a new challenge. Julissa considered coming back to the place that she never actually wanted to leave in the first place. Julissa told us, “I kept in touch with the two Vice Presidents that hired me and others at Salesforce. When I left Salesforce initially, one of those Vice Presidents cried with me. It shows the trust and true friendship that we built while working together. There is this ‘win as a team and lose as a team’ mantra that they both instilled in me while at Salesforce.”

Julissa landed back at Salesforce in 2021 as a Director of Partner Ecosystem Development. “Today, I lead a team in our Alliances and Channels organization that supports our partner ecosystem enablement journeys. We help them expand and grow capacity and capabilities that drive our mutual customers’ successes,” she said.

Being away from Salesforce for almost five years can feel like an eternity given the change that is constantly happening at the organization. However, Julissa was pleasantly surprised that a lot of the things she admired about the company remained the same. “I love that the idea of continuing to learn and innovate was still paramount to Salesforce. Salesforce is a bigger company today than when I left five years ago yet it still feels very entrepreneurial to me. The team and the company are consistently looking at how to best optimize and improve, and how to add value wherever and whenever possible,” she told us.

Another thing that Julissa was excited to see that had not changed was Salesforce’s culture. In fact, she believes it got better during her time away from the company. “I am a woman of faith. There was no Faithforce when I was here five years ago and now this group has become one of Salesforce’s main Equality Groups. The Equality Groups have increased and their impact has significantly grown. These groups exist so that you and I have a sense of belonging. This is powerful. Last week, I joined my first LatinoForce ‘cafecito’ (Spanish for ‘a little coffee’) meeting. I never could have imagined that the culture could get better and it has,” she said. “At every measure, we will continue to improve and we will continue to innovate. We are committed to our core values, to equality, and to a beginner’s mind,” said Julissa.

You heard earlier in the story about Julissa’s passion for helping people. Although Julissa has a full time job, she still finds time to give back to her local community in the form of mentorship. She told us, “I think we all want to find people who believe in us and value what we have to offer. I am learning through mentorship and coaching to talk less and ask more questions. I am mainly focused on mentorship with young Hispanic women at my alma mater, Rutgers University.” She continued, “I am a first-generation college student who overcame a lot to get my degree and I’m proud to be a person that others look to and say, ‘Hey, she looks like me. If she can do it, so can I.” Today, Julissa has created a first of its’ kind scholarship for Hispanic women at Rutgers University, the Latina Leadership Potential Award. “ I am proud of this scholarship, and more importantly, of the recipients over the past 10+ years who have gone on to do great things in their own lives and careers. It has allowed me stay connected to the university while making an impact for the next generation of Latina leaders,” she said. 

As you can tell, Julissa lives quite a busy life. However, she still finds time for her own wellbeing. “I have always loved gardening. I grew up loving gardening, flowers, and plants because my mom loved it as well. However, when the pandemic hit, we couldn’t go out and buy plants or flowers to garden with so we had to figure out an alternative. I was on YouTube one day and watched a video on propagating, which is the practice of growing plants by cutting stems, gathering some roots, and replanting them. It is such an economical way to garden,” she said. This allows Julissa to take her mind off of work for a bit and get fresh air. “In our line of work we do a lot of strategy, planning, and problem solving. We think about metrics and creative ways to solve things. This is something completely different and I love getting my hands dirty. Between calls I water my plants and watch them grow. Often, I get the best ideas for my job by doing other things away from the computer and phone,” she told us.

Boomeranging back to Salesforce is a different journey for everyone. We asked what advice Julissa may have for current #SalesforceAlumni looking for the next step in their career. “When I was looking for what the next step would look like, I spent a lot of time reflecting on what I wanted and what was important to me. It was important for me to align myself to a company that shared similar values, had aggressive growth plans, and promoted from within. I hired an executive coach. I did my due diligence and considered what companies are looking to increase women in the executive leadership team and what companies are looking at people of color.” She continued, “I talked to a lot of people in my network and I spent a lot of time in prayer. The process is different for everyone. Ask yourself: What are the gaps that you and your expertise can help solve? The time of self-reflection and investing in yourself are crucial and in the end, it led me here, back to Salesforce. Stay open to the opportunities and the possibilities of returning.”

Want to hear more about Julissa’s amazing #SalesforceBoomerang story? Connect with her on LinkedIn! Or, if you’re inspired to find your next role at Salesforce, explore our openings today.

To donate to the Latina Leadership Potential Award at the Rutgers University Foundation, enter Latina Leadership Potential Award (19209) in ‘Please specify other fund“. Thank you.