Meet Farnaz Umbaugh, Product Owner
by Michelle Krasniak
Meet Farnaz Umbaugh, Product Owner
1. Where did you grow up?
I was born in Esfahan, Iran and at the age of 9 my family pretty much escaped to Thailand in order to pursue the American Dream. After a year of petitioning/pleading to the US embassy we finally were able to obtain our green cards and come to the US. In a cross country attempt to find out where we were going to call home, my dad fell in love with Colorado en route to California and we ended up living in Littleton. After graduating from CU-Denver I ventured off to San Francisco for about 9 years. I ended up moving back to CO after my son was born, because I couldn’t consider anywhere else my home.
2. What brought you to CyberGRX?
Ben Marincovich did an excellent job with his sales pitch of CyberGRX and I was so amped after our first call that I knew I had to look into CyberGRX further. After the in person interviews I was definitely drinking the kool-aid and I was really excited about bringing my background and knowledge to CyberGRX and making a difference.
3. What do you do at CyberGRX/what’s your typical day like?
I am a Product Owner to an incredibly smart and talented group of developers. My day starts out with a brief standup with my team and then it usually includes some meetings where we are discussing solutions to customer problems or prioritizing what hot items to deliver next. I also spend a ridiculous amount of time either in person or on Slack collaborating, communicating, and problem solving. Everyday brings on new challenges and that is what brings me back day after day along with all the amazing people!
4. What advice would you give to your teenage self?
Learn as much as you can from as many people and resources as possible. Have an optimistic attitude but with a little hint of skepticism. Always trust but verify because even though many have good intentions sometimes you have to look deeper than the surface to uncover the truth and don’t forget to have fun.
5. What is your most memorable travel experience?
This is tough because I love to travel and have been fortunate to have lots of memorable experiences. My most memorable was when I spent 3 weeks in Peru with my husband and we traveled all over the country including the Amazon River. We also did a 5 day trek that took us off the beaten path thru some of the Inca trails and on the last day we finished in Machu Picchu.
6. What’s your hidden superpower?
I’m pretty crafty in the kitchen and I can cook anything and make it tasty. I spend an unbelievable amount of time watching cooking shows/videos and collecting recipes on Pinterest (I’m pretty sure I was among Pinterest’s initial Beta users). Baking is definitely my nemesis but I am hopeful I will conquer it one day.