Blog

Deanna Rush, Director of IT Brand Relationships for Retail Business Services – the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA – is used to being the only woman in the room.

“I graduated from college with a degree in mathematics. There are not a lot of women in math,” she said with a laugh. “My graduating class was very small, and I was the only woman.”

Degree in hand, she held roles working in military contracts, in the retail auto industry, and for tool and home-improvement supply companies.

“So, when I finally got to grocery, I noted ‘Wow, there are women in major, key roles! This is great! I’d never experienced that before in my career,’” she recalled. “And it’s wonderful. There’s so much value in having those different perspectives.”

In her current role, Deanna works as a direct partner with one of Ahold Delhaize USA’s local brands for all things IT.

During March as Women’s History Month, Deanna also finds herself reflecting on the woman who inspired her most: her mother.

“She did a lot of things in her life. She did anything that she wanted to,” Deanna said. “She didn’t back down if something seemed too big or too hard or if it was outside of her ‘role.’”

Deanna said she would love to see more women enter IT – or any other male-dominated field. She advises those just starting out to “not take a back seat.”

“Use your voice and fill the room,” she said. “Women so often soften their message, but we need to resist that tendency and speak up.”

She also encourages men to advocate for women, too. “I think men can be allies and stand up as feminists,” she said. “It’s not just a word for women; to be a feminist is to support women and everything around them.”