Lisa Hornschemeier, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s esteemed Vice President of Software Engineering, has cracked the code of success: ‘Happiness.’ She explains that the latter isn’t a byproduct of the former, but is a mighty power. “When I am happy, it’s magical,” she affirms. For her, exciting and new opportunities make work feel like fun and when things are fun, is it really work? Challenges invigorate her, and the complexities of hi-tech become exciting puzzles to solve in the cloud for customers. She thrives on the thrill of the chase, tackling demanding projects within a supportive environment. Lisa finds fulfillment in addressing critical business problems, leading and growing her team, and delivering impactful work. Her definition of success is a career that brings her joy and allows her to make a difference.
Call it a stroke of fortune or a plot twist—Lisa’s journey into technology and engineering wasn’t part of the original script. She once believed she was destined to become a pediatrician. While tackling pre-med courses in college, she enrolled in computer science electives, thinking they’d help her run a future medical practice. But that seemingly small decision changed everything. Years of dreaming about medicine unraveled in an instant, replaced by a newfound passion she never expected.
Miami University’s liberal arts curriculum encouraged students to explore beyond their majors, and Lisa did just that. She quickly realized she had a knack for systems and computer programming. What frustrated others came naturally to her. While many classmates dreaded coding, she thrived on it, even helping peers grasp programming concepts in languages like C++, Java, and Cobol. Becoming a computer science lab aide sealed the deal—tech wasn’t just an interest; it was her calling.
“When you learn, TEACH. When you get, GIVE.” – Maya Angelou
By sophomore year, she made the leap, trading a pre-med zoology major for a business degree in Management Information Systems (MIS) and a minor in computer science. And from that moment on, there was no looking back.
Get ready to be enthused! In our cover story, we dive deep into the incredible journey of Lisa Hornschemeier. More than a saga of triumph – it’s a testament to the power of resilience, tenacious grit, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Lisa’s prescient leadership has shaken up the tech world, leaving an undeniable mark on engineering and innovation., inspiring those looking to emulate her path, especially women.
From Midwest to the Opportunities out West: Her Rise to Oracle Cloud VP
Lisa’s journey to becoming Vice President of Engineering for Oracle Cloud User Experiences reads like a modern-day fairy tale. Leaving the familiar comforts of the Midwest for the vibrant West Coast, she embraced a fresh start, a chance to reinvent herself. Landing at Microsoft, she quickly caught the eye of several influential leaders. “Very smart, very confident, well-spoken, and hard-working” – their consistent praise echoed through her self-doubt, revealing a potential she hadn’t fully grasped.
Stepping into the unknown at Oracle was daunting. “When you begin establishing yourself in a “foreign” situation where you know no one,” Lisa expresses, “and you know not much about the new company and culture, it can be scary, and you quickly start doubting yourself.” But the whispers of her potential, those echoes of recognition, she was determined to figure out how things work and how to win. This was her chance to shatter another ceiling, an opportunity she couldn’t afford to miss. And she didn’t.
Finding Flow: Navigating the Tides of Work and Life
This tech trailblazer understands the struggle firsthand. Juggling the pressures of a successful career while savoring the rewards of a meaningful personal life is a balancing act that resonates with many of us. While she doesn’t subscribe to the elusive “work-life balance” myth, she firmly believes in investing wholeheartedly in both arenas. Let’s face it, excelling at work and life simultaneously in a single day? Mission impossible. Lisa has learned this the hard way. Spreading yourself too thin often leaves you feeling drained and unfulfilled in both spheres.
But here’s the secret formula: to zoom out. Lisa realized that true balance isn’t about juggling everything perfectly every single day. It’s about understanding that some days will be dedicated to work, some days require time with family, and others tie to self-care. Some situations can wait, and some decisions can be postponed. The world won’t crumble if you don’t conquer all your goals in a single 24-hour period.
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan
By viewing her time through this wider lens, Lisa found a sense of flow. She realized she has ample time to nurture her passions outside of work – to be a devoted mother, a passionate athlete, and a woman who embraces all facets of her life. And at the same time, she can dedicate herself fully to her career because she genuinely loves what she does. She’s choosing meaningful investments and realizes that it’s not important to “do it all.” Asking for help can be very powerful.
Navigating the Motherhood Maze: Lisa’s Journey to Accomplishment
Like any ambitious professional, Lisa faced her fair share of hurdles climbing the corporate ladder. So, which one is the most daunting one? She responds, “One of the toughest challenges I faced with my career was finding myself as a professional when I became a mother.” Society, with its relentless expectations, often forces women to choose between motherhood and careers. Lisa vividly remembers the gnawing guilt of returning to work and relying on childcare providers to help her. There was many who judged her and the weight of societal pressure on women to prioritize family over career was very real. But she refused to surrender. She was determined to find a way to pursue both.
In those early, turbulent days, she found solace and strength in a circle of fellow working mothers at her first company, General Electric. Together, they shared their anxieties, their triumphs, and their frustrations. They commiserated over the “mommy guilt” that threatened to derail their careers, offering each other support and encouragement when the going got tough. They challenged the status quo, exploring unconventional solutions like outsourcing household chores to reclaiming precious time with their children. This was the “unconventional” path, but Lisa believes society is slowly evolving in valuing a person’s happiness without judgment and avoiding the attachment to past patterns and “traditional” ways of thinking.
Lisa’s heart swells with pride when she reflects on her notable accomplishment: raising four children as a single mother while balancing a career outside of her home. In her own words, “Nothing that I do professionally holds a candle to helping my children grow and finding their happiness, strengths and success.” She readily admits that motherhood has been the most arduous and rewarding challenge she has ever faced, far beyond anything her career demands.
The Cloud Executive’s Daily Grind: Meetings, Meetings, and more Meetings!
As Vice President of Software Development at Oracle, Lisa’s days follow a familiar rhythm – a symphony of back-to-back meetings. Sound acquainted? If you’re an engineering leader at a high-tech cloud company, you probably know this tune all too well. The real task lies in purposefully maneuvering these meetings, becoming efficient and effective at the constant “code switching” of topics, and achieving productive outcomes. It’s about ensuring alignment on the next steps, solidifying strategies, and arriving at decisive actions. For a leader in Oracle, sometimes this means making the tough decisions or creating the space in a meeting for the subject-matter-experts to drive the best decision.
Lisa spends her days in a whirlwind of virtual and in-person conversations, connecting with colleagues across the globe. As a leader, she understands the importance of decisive action. Sometimes, she needs to step in, guide the discussion, and steer the team towards a clear path to avoid unnecessary detours and unproductive spinning. “This is the essence of my day,” Lisa remarks, “working with very intelligent and sometimes complex people all over the globe on engineering solutions, problems, and identifying patterns so we can progress forward with work that will enhance our customers’ experiences with OCI.”
Memorable Accolades and Lifechanging Milestones
When asked to share a success story from her work at Oracle that particularly stands out, Lisa recalls a defining moment early in her tenure at Oracle. Just two weeks into her new role, an executive dropped a bombshell: every team needed to submit a roadmap progress report within an impossibly tight 2.5-week deadline.
Panic set in. “This is when I get fired,” Lisa remembers thinking. She felt utterly adrift, a stranger in a new land as she only just begun this new role two weeks prior. But fear proved to be a potent motivator. Driven by a surge of adrenaline, also recognizing that this is the essence of leadership, she devoured information, believed in her instincts and was able to piece together a compelling strategy given the realities of her new team and scope and the direction she wanted to head with her new role aligned perfectly with the company’s business objectives.
The result? Her leaders were impressed. Her efforts weren’t just good; they were in perfect alignment with the company’s goals and strategy. Lisa recalls feeling a mix of pride and exhaustion, noting that her brain was fatigued from the intense mental efforts of those whirlwind weeks.
“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” – Albert Einstein
The Future of Cloud UX: Oracle’s Simple, Intuitive, and AI-Powered Vision
“Our goal in OCI is to drive a smooth, easy, and pleasant customer experience for the engineering practitioners of our Oracle Cloud,” explains Lisa with clear conviction. She believes that accessing the right information and navigating cloud solutions should be easy—not a puzzle to solve. The real challenge for our customers should be tackling their business problems, not struggling with Oracle’s systems. That’s why her team is laser-focused on streamlining processes, delivering relevant insights, reducing waste and making everything user-friendly.
Looking ahead, as AI reshapes the industry, Lisa envisions a future where intelligent systems don’t just respond to customer needs but anticipate them—offering solutions before the questions even arise. This resilient visionary believes that the next industrial revolution will be driven by cloud velocity. She firmly feels that companies that achieve total cloud integration by running all workloads “up in the sky” and harnessing the combined power of high-performance computing and AI, these emerging technologies embedded in cloud solutions for customers will gain a decisive edge for any company – should they take that leap. She underlines that this cloud-fueled agility will translate directly into employees making faster, more effective decisions.
Leading with Heart: Approach to Team Success
Ranked among the “Top 10 Visionary Women Leaders Shaping the Future of Business 2025,” and recently joining the American Heart’s Seattle Health Advisory Board, GoRed for Women, she’s a force of nature, elevating those around her and inspiring a new wave of success. With years of experience under her belt, Lisa believes in leading with both strength and empathy. A good team, in her view, thrives under a leader who provides stability, makes decisive calls, believes in fellowship and community and fosters an environment of trust where employees feel supported.
But this adept female leader takes it a step further. For Lisa, truly exceptional leadership goes beyond simply meeting team needs. It’s about recognizing and nurturing the unique strengths and acknowledging the weaknesses of each individual. This fosters an atmosphere where every team member feels empowered and confident in making meaningful contributions and at the same time, creates space and admiration for the contributions of others as well.
At Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Lisa translates this philosophy into action. She ensures her team has the support they need while empowering them with the autonomy to drive impactful results while holding people and teams accountable for delivery and commitments.
Championing Women in Tech: A Bold Mission
For Lisa, empowering women to rise in their careers has always been, and will always be, at the heart of her mission. She recognizes the stark underrepresentation of women in tech. Being part of this minority can often feel isolating, and the need to prove yourself, which adds a layer of pressure and stress that can easily lead to burnout.
Without the right support and healthy outlets, burnout becomes an all-too-real risk. Lisa is passionate about not just identifying opportunities for women but actively creating pathways for them to succeed, ensuring they have the backing they need to thrive and propel their careers forward in the tech world. In order to drive change, someone must pioneer that change. “I am not superhuman, what I am doing, many, many other women are doing or can do it too. Sometimes watching someone do something challenging can also be a great motivator for others to go after what they want.’
Words of Wisdom for Women in Tech: It’s Okay to Be a Little Selfish
“A girl should be two things…who and what she wants.” – Coco Chanel
This veteran leader shares empowering advice for aspiring female leaders in tech. “Don’t give up!” is her key recommendation. Lisa urges them to find their tribe, build strong support networks both inside and outside of work, and most importantly, invest in themselves. Over the years, she’s seen a pattern—how easily women prioritize everyone else’s needs above their own. Her radical advice? Embrace a healthy dose of ‘selfishness’. As Lisa so eloquently puts, “You will not advance in anything you do if you do not make the time to *do* you.” Now go forth, female tech leaders, and go after what you deserve!
