Sometimes, the opportunity that changes a life begins with a few simple words: “Give me a chance.” For Jacqueline Biggio, stepping into the software industry without prior knowledge of Oracle software was not backed by certainty or a carefully mapped-out plan. It was backed by something more personal: the willingness to try something new, the determination to work hard, and the courage to walk through an open door.
That willingness to move forward without having every answer figured out had already appeared much earlier in Jacqueline’s life. As the first woman in her family to pursue a college degree, she left the familiarity of home, worked two jobs while studying, and learned firsthand what it meant to keep going when the path was difficult. Years later, the same mindset would follow her into technology and cybersecurity, where she helped build new lines of business and contributed to growing a cybersecurity practice from the ground up into a multimillion-dollar business.
Yet Jacqueline’s journey is not defined by business growth alone. At its center is her belief in the enduring value of human connection. Whether building partnerships, developing teams, advocating for women in leadership, or mentoring others, she has approached leadership through relationships, honest conversations, resilience, and the conviction that setbacks are not failures but lessons. In an increasingly technology-driven world, she continues to see trust and genuine connection as essential foundations for meaningful progress.
Beyond her professional ambitions, Jacqueline’s story is equally grounded in faith and service. From giving back to her community and supporting those in need to envisioning a future that includes board leadership, continued cybersecurity education, mentorship, and a faith-based book, her aspirations reflect a desire not simply to accomplish more, but to leave something meaningful behind.
In this premium feature with TheWomenStories, discover Jacqueline Biggio’s journey through courage, leadership, learning, relationships, and service, and the experiences that shaped her belief that sometimes the greatest growth begins when a person is willing to step into the unknown and say, “I do not know this yet, but I am willing to learn more about it.”
An Open Door to a New World
Jacqueline Biggio had a clear vision for the life she wanted and was determined to find the path that would help her achieve it. One day, she went to a recruitment company and told them she was ready to try something different from the food and beverage industry. They arranged several interviews, including one in the software industry, and Jacqueline was open to the opportunity.
It was a big risk because she knew nothing about Oracle software at the time, but she told the hiring VP at this small reseller that she would study hard, put in the work, and learn everything she needed to know. She was eventually hired as the company’s fifteenth employee, and that small reseller would grow into a multimillion-dollar business.
Jacqueline still remembers the hiring VP saying, “I can’t teach motivation or give you your charming personality; that comes naturally to you. But if you are willing to listen, learn, and hustle, I’ll give you a chance.” That one open door changed the trajectory of her life forever.
That one open door changed the trajectory of my life forever. - Jacqueline Biggio
Building Businesses Through Relationships
Jacqueline has had several key moments that shaped her career, but she believes it starts with how she grew up. She is a natural-born leader, shaped by being the oldest of four and a first-generation daughter. She was blessed to come from a large, very close Italian family. They spent every holiday and birthday together, and her cousins felt more like siblings.
Throughout her career, Jacqueline often found herself in roles where she was responsible for launching and growing new business units. She led incubator vendors and new partnerships, with the goal of turning them into sustainable lines of business. That ability to build something from the ground up became a recurring theme throughout her career.
She started on the reseller side and later transitioned to the manufacturer side. Regardless of the role, the common thread was building a business. In Jacqueline’s eyes, the way to build something always started with a relationship.
She still remembers one of her bosses telling her, “I can give you the hardest account, and you will still find a way to make it bloom. I’ve never seen someone turn something from nothing into gold quite the way you do.” That compliment has stayed with her for years.
In a world shaped by AI, remote work, and growing isolation, Jacqueline believes genuine connection matters more than ever. People want to do business with someone they trust, someone they believe in and feel confident can help their company grow.
In my eyes, the way to build something always started with a relationship. - Jacqueline Biggio
Leadership Built on Honesty, Strength, and Teamwork
People who know Jacqueline would describe her as direct, a driver who moves things forward, and someone willing to have honest conversations. She values straight talk and constructive feedback because she believes both are essential to business growth and personal development.
Jacqueline makes it a priority to understand each person’s strengths, motivations, and working style. She tries to build people up by helping them use their strengths while giving them support in areas where they want to grow.
She leads with passion and tries to lift up the people around her. For Jacqueline, leadership is not about being the loudest person in the room; it is about creating an environment where people feel heard, valued, and empowered to do their best work. She also believes strong leaders know how to hire people who fill important gaps they have.
Having played sports for most of her life, Jacqueline sees a strong team in much the same way: people play specific positions, but they win together and lose together. Notice she does not say “fail.” That is because she does not believe in failure; she believes in lessons.
When people complain and say, “Oh, that was such a failure,” Jacqueline looks at them and says, “No, that was a lesson.”
She does not believe in failure as an outcome. When something does not go as planned, she asks: What did we learn? What should we do differently next time? How can we approach this in a better way?
I don’t believe in failure; I believe in lessons. - Jacqueline Biggio
Finding the Courage to Create Her Own Path
Going to college was one of the biggest challenges that shaped Jacqueline. She was the first woman in her family to pursue a college degree, and neither of her parents had gone to college. They did not fully support the idea of her attending, so she had to find the courage and determination to create that path for herself.
Jacqueline recently talked with someone about that journey, and they asked if she had everything planned when she left for Radford University. The honest answer was no. What she did have was a clear belief that she was meant to go to college and the determination to figure out everything else along the way.
She packed her car, found a roommate off campus, and left. Looking back, Jacqueline realizes how brave that decision was. She stepped away from the comfort of her family unit and jumped into the unknown with no safety net.
It was hard, but she refused to quit. Jacqueline quickly found two jobs, one in a restaurant and one in retail, while balancing her schoolwork and paying her bills. She had to adapt fast, learn as she went, and keep moving even when things felt overwhelming.
There was one week when she did not have enough money for food, so she lived on cereal and milk for the week. But she kept pushing forward because she was determined to graduate. The day Jacqueline earned her degree, she knew every sacrifice had been worth it.
Bravery is not about having all the answers before you begin; it is about having the courage to step forward and trust yourself as you walk into the unknown. - Jacqueline Biggio
Jacqueline has been blessed with several achievements, but some of the ones she is most proud of began as challenges. Graduating from college was one of them. It taught her that bravery is not about having all the answers before beginning; it is about having the courage to step forward, trust herself, and keep moving even when she does not have everything figured out. Jacqueline’s philosophy is that people learn over time and adapt based on the new information they gain. “Before you know it, you have achieved what you set out to accomplish. Keep moving forward.”
That same courage carried into her professional life. At the small reseller she mentioned earlier, Jacqueline began on the Oracle software side of the business and eventually moved into leadership roles where she was responsible for building new lines of business. That work helped grow the Quest Software business, and later, she grew the cybersecurity division.
Under the guidance of the CEO, whom Jacqueline reported to directly, they built the cybersecurity practice from the ground up into a multimillion-dollar business in just a few years, with Symantec as their flagship partnership.
What makes that achievement especially meaningful to Jacqueline is that cybersecurity was another area she did not know much about when she started. But she never believed that not knowing something should stop someone from pursuing it. She believes real growth begins when a person is brave enough to say, “I do not know this yet, but I am willing to learn more about it.”
Jacqueline asked questions, listened closely, trusted the guidance around her, and kept moving forward, even when she felt like the rookie in the room.
Twenty-five years ago, cybersecurity was a male-dominated field, and Jacqueline was a young woman determined to earn her place. She was fearless, even when she was underestimated or became the target of jokes at her expense. Those moments did not weaken her; they strengthened her resolve. She believed that if she stayed focused, worked hard, and refused to let doubt define her, she could build a place for herself in the industry.
Jacqueline also gives her father some credit. She would call home when she felt discouraged, and in his Brooklyn, New York accent, he would say, “Jacqueline, don’t worry about it… this too shall pass.” Just hearing that would make her laugh, and he was 100% right.
For Jacqueline, that is how real achievement happens: by stepping into the unknown with courage, learning along the way, and believing that a person can grow into the challenge.
I do not know this yet, but I am willing to learn more about it. - Jacqueline Biggio
When Women Have a Seat at the Table
Jacqueline believes every executive team benefits when women have a seat at the table. Women often bring emotional intelligence, empathy, resilience, collaboration, and a deep understanding of how people work together. She believes those qualities are not just “nice to have”; they shape culture, strengthen teams, and create workplaces where people feel supported and motivated to do their best work.
Women in leadership also matter to Jacqueline because representation changes what people believe is possible. When young women see women leading companies, making decisions, building teams, and influencing strategy, they can imagine themselves in those roles too.
Strong women leaders mentor others, create opportunities, and help organizations grow talent from within. Jacqueline considers that critical because when companies fail to develop and retain people, progress slows down. She has personally helped build Women in IT programs at two different companies and has seen how powerful it can be when women support, sponsor, and advocate for one another.
On a broader level, Jacqueline believes women in leadership make society stronger. They bring different perspectives to business, technology, education, government, and communities. They help expand the conversation, challenge old assumptions, and bring people back to the table when there is conflict.
Through her experience building partnerships over the years, Jacqueline has found that progress happens when people feel heard and when leaders are willing to find a fair path forward. She sees women as powerful bridge-builders in those moments and believes society benefits when those voices are included in the rooms where important decisions are made.
Representation changes what people believe is possible. - Jacqueline Biggio
Continuing to Learn, Lead, and Give Back
Jacqueline is committed to continuous growth and lifelong learning. One of her near-term goals is to earn a cybersecurity certificate from Harvard University, strengthening her knowledge in an area that is increasingly critical to business and national security.
Looking ahead, Jacqueline sees herself serving on different board of directors, where she can use her years of leadership, partnership-building, and business development experience to provide thoughtful guidance and strategic perspective.
She also wants to continue giving back to her community, mentoring others, and helping people recognize what is possible for their own lives. On a more personal level, Jacqueline hopes to write a faith-based book that shares lessons from her journey and encourages others to lead with courage, purpose, and conviction.
A Legacy Measured in Lives Touched
The legacy Jacqueline hopes to leave is one of love, kindness, faith, service, and a belief in never giving up on one’s dreams. It is a legacy measured not by titles or accomplishments but by the lives she has helped encourage, comfort, and lift up. She hopes the friendships she has built throughout the years will tell legendary stories of the imprint she made on their lives.
Throughout her career and personal life, Jacqueline has led with a servant’s heart, bringing the same care, attentiveness, and commitment to people she has worked with in her professional career. In business, this has meant listening closely to customer needs, building trusted partnerships, and creating relationships rooted in integrity and long-term value. In her personal life, that same spirit is reflected in her service through her church and community. Jacqueline believes deeply in the power of showing up for others with love, encouragement, kindness, prayer, a thoughtful text message, or a simple reminder that she is thinking about them.
Her commitment to service has taken many forms, from feeding the homeless and spending time with the elderly to praying with families, teaching second-grade religious education, and growing food to support a local food bank. For Jacqueline, these acts are more than volunteer efforts; they are expressions of love in action. They reflect her belief that compassion does not need to be grand to be meaningful, and that even a small gesture can bring comfort, dignity, and light to someone’s day.
Jacqueline understands that every person carries burdens others may never fully see. Life can change without warning, trust can be tested, and difficult seasons can leave people searching for strength. As she often reflects, “If you live long enough, life will eventually knock you down.” Yet Jacqueline believes that love, faith, and acts of service have the power to help a person through the hard season with grace. For her, resilience is not built by personal determination alone, but also through the healing joy that comes from serving others. When she gives her time, her prayers, her compassion, or even a simple word of encouragement, she believes love becomes a light that lifts both the person receiving it and the person giving it. That kind of joy, rooted in purpose and service, is something the world cannot easily take away.
The legacy she hopes to leave is one rooted in love, faith, kindness, and meaningful connection, a legacy that reminds others they are deeply valued, warmly remembered, and never walking alone. More than anything, she hopes the people whose lives she has touched will remember the smiles, laughter, encouragement, and love she shared with them along the way.
In Jacqueline’s own words, “For the people whose lives I have touched, I have given you a piece of my heart.”
The legacy I hope to leave is one of love, kindness, laughter, faith, and service. - Jacqueline Biggio
Conclusion
Jacqueline Biggio’s journey reflects what can happen when courage is paired with a willingness to learn. From leaving home to pursue a college education without having every step figured out to entering unfamiliar areas of technology and cybersecurity, she has repeatedly chosen growth over the comfort of certainty. Each chapter has reinforced a philosophy that continues to guide her: not knowing something is not a reason to stop; it can be an invitation to learn, adapt, and move forward.
Across her professional journey, relationships have remained at the heart of how Jacqueline builds businesses and leads people. Her belief in honest conversations, strong teams, genuine connection, and learning from setbacks has shaped an approach to leadership that values both results and the people behind them. Her commitment to supporting women in leadership further reflects her belief that representation, mentorship, and advocacy can help others recognize possibilities they may not have imagined for themselves.
And Jacqueline is still looking ahead. From strengthening her cybersecurity knowledge and aspiring to serve on a board of directors to mentoring others and one day writing a faith-based book, her future goals carry forward the same curiosity, courage, and sense of purpose that have shaped her journey so far.
Yet perhaps the most meaningful measure of Jacqueline’s story lies beyond professional milestones. Her commitment to faith, kindness, community, and service reveals the legacy she ultimately hopes to create, one measured by the people she has encouraged, supported, comforted, and lifted along the way.
For Jacqueline Biggio, success may be reflected in the businesses built and challenges overcome, but legacy is found in something more enduring: how we show up for others, what we help them believe is possible, and the piece of ourselves we leave behind in the lives we touch.
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