Hosted by Jenna Gaudio ’09, senior vice president of operations at Vydia.
“Feeling like the odds are against you? When I graduated from Monmouth University in 2009, the sentiment of our commencement speaker was, ‘It’s tough out there.’ At the time, it was the worst economic recession my generation had ever seen and I was bartending at TGI Friday’s with the distant dream of paying off my college loans. In that moment, I began my journey of learning how to thrive in the worst conditions. Since then, I’ve gone from assistant to executive in a male-dominated industry, successfully ran the NYC marathon during my biggest transition of personal and professional life, survived a pulmonary embolism I was not likely to recover from, and was promoted in the middle of a pandemic. Finding success is not as easy as it sounds—and I’ve never met anyone that’s followed a straight path to the finish line—but I’ve learned there is a certain strategy and mindset that puts the odds in your favor. If you are struggling with motivation, can’t seem to get to the next level, or just aren’t sure where to start, let’s talk about the active role you can play to create opportunity in chaos.”
Jenna Gaudio is a senior executive in the media tech industry who specializes in building and scaling successful product, marketing, and operations teams. Gaudio currently serves as the senior vice president of operations at Vydia, an award-winning media tech company that powers the independent labels of music entrepreneurs like Kanye West, Akon, and Dre London. Prior to Vydia, Gaudio founded the marketing team at a video ad tech company and played a critical role in the company’s successful acquisition in 2015 for $33M. She has been awarded accolades including The Product Group’s Product Leader of the Year, NJBIZ’s 40 Under 40, and The American Business Association’s Bronze award for Female Executive of the Year and Women Helping Women. Gaudio also serves on the executive board of Jersey Shore Women in Tech, an organization that supports, educates, mentors, and develops a network for women in business. Gaudio graduated from Monmouth University Honors School with a focus in communication and screen studies.
