EP. 50: Maria O’Neill | From Programmer to CIO: Grit, Leadership, AI, and Reinvention

In this episode of Next In Line, Cesar sits down with Maria O’Neill, a longtime technology executive and twenty-year CIO, to talk about the mindset, resilience, and leadership principles that shaped her journey from computer programmer to global technology leader. Maria shares how growing up as the youngest of seven in a Mexican immigrant family helped fuel her drive, why she has always been drawn to challenging project-based work, and how she navigated career pivots, higher education, motherhood, consulting, and executive leadership on her path to becoming CIO. They also dive into what digital transformation really means, why AI is different from past tech waves, how leaders should think about security and adoption, and what it takes to build teams that embrace change instead of resisting it. This conversation is packed with wisdom on ambition, adaptability, leadership, career growth, and what it really takes to stay relevant in a rapidly changing technology landscape.