Member Showcase

Ms. Janelle A. Vasquez, Membership Director (2019-2021)

I am the recently elected Membership Director in the ISACA T&T family. Having served the IT governance, audit, risk and compliance needs in the Caribbean for many years, I am naturally compelled to dispense of my talents towards the growth and enhancement capabilities of ISACA. Thus, I decided that it would be a great opportunity to start a series of articles in ‘Getting to Know Our Members’.
Always one to lead by example, here are some quick facts about me, having been interviewed by our Chapter’s Immediate Past President.

Who is Janelle? – The Professional

Janelle has been a member of the ISACA T&T Chapter since 2016, having joined in pursuit of the CISA exam. Being a conscientious individual willing to share her expertise, she was invited to a project team required to implement a new financial system for our local Chapter. In 2018, she exemplified her skills in business re-engineering by transforming the strategies of the Office of the Finance Director to embrace the current and future needs of the Chapter. Her meticulous and thorough nature ensured the processes were implemented with international governance and best practice standards. ISACA T&T introduces to you a leader in her class, Janelle A. Vasquez.

Currently employed at Guardian Group, she has served in various capacities in the Information Technology and business arenas, with proficiencies in Business Process Re-engineering, IT Governance, Risk & Controls, Leadership & Team-building, Operational Improvement, Audit Remediation, Quality Assurance, Project Management and IT Procurement. Presently, she leads several business process transformation projects and sits as a member of a strategic committee which drives cost efficiencies for regional expenses and IT Projects.

Janelle is an advocate of distinguished, non-traditional and courageous leadership and believes in the power of intentional, credible, authentic and meaningful relationships to inspire people and make positive differences. Janelle also has a special interest in helping people find the best versions of themselves in various facets of life. Here is a testament from a past staff member:

“Ms. Janelle Vasquez was my first manager and fifteen years later, I can emphatically state that she has left a lasting impression. Janelle certainly walks the talk and taught me the art of making critical decisions in high-pressured environments. She empowered her staff through delegation, trusted our decisions and reminded us of the meaningful impact we were having. Janelle was and continues to be an enthusiastic leader, motivating me to pursue and build on my passion for technology. Today, I refer to my experiences of world-class leadership with Janelle in leading my own team of cyber security professionals at Check Point Software.”
Mr. Winston Lalgee, Security Engineering Manager - Strategic Accounts, Check Point Software Technologies, Inc, NY, USA

Her positive outlook and determination for unceasingly raising the bar of excellence, earned her an award from Toastmasters International for having served on the Board of Directors as Secretary 2015-2016, with distinction, commitment and passion.

Who is Janelle? – The Person

Janelle is a proud parent of one, who follows in her footsteps of actively working on being his best self. Here is Kristian Vasquez receiving the 2018 Form IV Humanitarian of the Year Award from St. Anthony’s College, his alma mater.

Her late grandfather, of Venezuelan origin, passed down his passion and love for the arts. Here is Janelle translating her passion for Latin-dancing as a wonderful way to celebrate life.

Janelle Vasquez Latin-dancing
To slow-down from the business of daily activities, Janelle enjoys going on nature trails, as one of the best reminders of achieving work-life balance and harmony. Here she can be seen enjoying the serenity and greenery of her beautiful country T&T.

Janelle Vasquez Outdoor
Having grown-up in humble beginnings at Nelson Street, Port-of-Spain, Janelle knows first-hand, that with faith, focus, a strong work ethic, perseverance, tenacity and diligence, there is beauty for ashes.

Janelle considers herself a life-long learner and embraces continuous self-development which supports her growth mindset. She is also an avid reader, with a literary appetite for effective leadership.

Who is Janelle? – The Visionary

Janelle is proud to be a part of ISACA, the global network whose education traverses both contemporary and emerging developments across the spectrum of IT governance, controls, audit and security. Innovation, operational excellence and enriching customer convenience remain at the forefront of organizational mandates. In the age of Digital Transformation, Data Analytics, Agile Business, Cloud Computing and Robotic Process Automation, it is reassuring that ISACA continues to provide authoritative leading-edge, comprehensive knowledge, standards and practices to support professionals in improved execution techniques and optimizing the value chain in organizations.

Janelle's vision for ISACA T&T is that, in addition to competitive educational programs, there is an accompanying growth towards the fostering of leadership skills, an indispensable dimension required to succeed in the digital economy.

With a diverse professional background and having led several teams throughout her career, she enjoys giving back and provides personal and career development coaching and mentorship to the young and young-at-heart. She also founded a support group for entrepreneurs to brainstorm and offer solutions to problems that they encounter in their respective companies, enabling empowerment to the leadership.

Janelle encourages everyone to embrace the process of persistent self-rediscovery, challenge the status-quo to allow for unlimited possibilities of great transformation; for it is only through taking this risk, we can build a legacy worth leaving.

You can connect with Janelle on her LinkedIn page here.