A story you’ll want to tell your nieces & daughters
As promised, this week I write about Jenna Fizel, Evelyn & Bobbie's code-writing, algorithm-building, leather-handbag-making Chief Technology Officer.
Jenna Fizel, CTO, and Bree McKeen, CEO
It started with time travel. By 9 years old, Jenna was already writing basic code. And that's when she did her first report on the physics of time travel. Jenna arrived on this planet blessed with the gift of insatiable curiosity, even then in 4th grade.
Jenna and I first met in person in a Boston hotel in 2015 on a cold, snowy night.
I had hunted her down online after learning about her N12 project—the world's first fully 3D printed garment. The only way I could find to contact her was to call the office where she worked. I shamelessly called her and asked for a meeting. Her background made it really clear that she was a unicorn, the kind you just don't find. I had to get her to talk to me.
After studying Architecture & Computational Geometry at MIT, Jenna worked on big challenging projects like curved buildings and interactive museum exhibits. She wrote code for custom dress patterns. And as if that wasn't enough, she made carefully designed handbags on the side.
Jenna was on a partner track at a design firm, and had no interest in leaving to join a little startup in Portland that no one had heard of. But she agreed to meet and give me her thoughts anyway. With 3D-printed parts & roughly built prototypes, we revealed our top secret product. They were designed to carry a load, for comfort and true ergonomic support.
As a 36H herself, Jenna could relate. This was a problem that needed to be solved.
Now, two years later, Jenna leads our Data & Technology department. Her discipline handles the creation of our fit algorithms and our complex back-end systems. Most recently, she worked with the team to write and code new algorithm logic in order launch our Home Try-On program (where you receive up to three bras to try at home based on your body measurements).
Her technical accomplishments are too many to list. And that's why I'm so proud to have her leading our tech team. Jenna embodies the very reason Evelyn & Bobbie exists: using cutting edge technology to deliver simple, beautiful designs.
As a woman in technology, Jenna has had fight to have her talent recognized and her ideas heard. Despite the odds, she defied stereotypes and broke through glass ceilings to build a career in technology. To be a boss, in every sense of the word.
So go ahead, tell your nieces and your daughters about Jenna and what she does everyday. It's sure to inspire. Who knows, maybe one of them will invent a new future product some day.
Cheers to you, Jenna. You inspire us all to be fierce.
-Bree McKeen, Founder & CEO
