Layla Sells

What does an engineer, an artist, a life coach have in common? If you ask Layla, she'll say the thread that ties these various aspects together is her desire to bring joy through each of these roles she plays. Perhaps most of all, she's passionate about people and learning what makes them tick. She'll take any opportunity to help others find their path to happiness. This often includes helping people dig in and discover what they want (to do) and then build a path to getting it. To see a glimpse into how she approaches life, check out her guest blog about balance.

With a BS in Computer Science and a Technology Management MBA, Layla enjoys playing along the line where the human spirit and software development intertwine. She is a Senior Program Manager Lead on the Managed Languages team. Layla is directly the PM for Visual F#. She does everything from deep technical design, strategic planning, conference speaking, to bringing the right people together and importantly has the pleasure of working with an amazing team. While at Microsoft she previously worked on the .NET Common Language Runtime, in the cloud (Office Live and Office 365) and on Tablets, way before they were cool. Her other past jobs include working at a court house and on a proton accelerator.

The Pacific Northwest has been home for over a decade. Layla loves it, but does consider it a "bring your own sunshine state". She was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, spent time in Spain as a child (her mother was a Flamenco dancer). She's always up for a conversation in Spanish.

Each of these seemingly unrelated aspects give Layla one more place to draw from. She is a firm believer that we need to bring our whole selves to everything we do. It's too easy and not valuable enough to just bring our brains and the polished side of ourselves that we think others what to see. The reason our perspectives matter so much, is because of the breadth of our experiences.