I recently caught up with Tyreena Heck, Regional Sales Development Manager at Lightspeed Portfolio Company Grafana Labs. Tyreena’s story starts in Port Lavaca Texas with her family, who inspired her to become a first-generation college graduate from the University of Texas. Today she’s a Sales Leader, mentoring and coaching others, while also working on her executive development as part of Valence’s BONDS program.
This is a continuation of Lightspeed’s “Valence Voices” series highlighting some of the amazing executives from our community participating in Valence’s BONDS program. With more than 25,000 members, Valence is a platform and community dedicated to creating paths to success for Black professionals. In September 2021, Lightspeed joined Valence as a Founding Partner of their BONDS executive program.
Jasmine: Tyreena, thanks for making the time to share your Valence BONDS experience. Would love to start with your story. Can you tell us a bit about you and your path to Grafana Labs?
Tyreena: I was born and raised in Port Lavaca, Texas; a booming little beach town located on the Gulf of Mexico. Both of my parents were Plant Operators who worked relentlessly day in and day out to provide for me and my siblings. Hard work was the standard in our household, and our parents set the bar extremely high with their unmatched work ethic.
Early on I had dreams of becoming a flight attendant, and I just knew that I would spend the rest of my life traveling the world and serving others. However, I received one small request from my mother that changed everything, “Ty please be the first person in our family to go to college. We just need one person to be the example”. After witnessing my mother and father work so hard my entire life, I knew it was my personal responsibility to open doors for my family.
I ended up graduating from the University of Texas as a first-generation college graduate, and started my professional career as an advocate in the gender-based violence (GVB) movement. I worked as a Violence Prevention educator for 5 years, I had the privilege of serving young people, and I got to travel the country as a national speaker.
While working in the GBV movement, I decided to further my education by going back to school to obtain an MBA. I knew that I wanted to continue serving others, but I also wanted to learn how to provide access and opportunities back to my community. While in graduate school, I told my career coach about my door-to-door sales experience that helped me pay off my college debt, and she immediately pointed me in the direction of Tech Sales. Her guidance gave me the courage to apply for roles in the tech industry, and it ultimately helped me land my first tech job as a Sales Development Representative (SDR). I spent my first two years trying to master the role and learning the ends and outs of the business. I quickly realized that I enjoyed coaching and mentoring other SDRs, so I worked my way up to a team lead.
Today, I’m a Regional Sales Development Manager at Grafana Labs, I manage an entire team of Sales Development Reps, and I get to provide opportunities to different individuals with diverse backgrounds and stories.
How’d you first learn about the BONDS Community?
I first learned about BONDS from our leadership team at Grafana Labs. I couldn’t believe that I was presented with an opportunity to participate in a community of other emerging black professionals. During all of my years in tech all I wanted to was to be a part of a community like BONDS. I knew these communities existed, but I had no idea where to even start looking for one. I’m extremely grateful that I was considered to participate, and the experience has been incredible. I’ve made sure to take full advantage of the professional coaching, webinars, and staying connected with the other professionals in my cohort. Every aspect of the community has helped me grow and develop professionally and personally.
What has been one aspect that you have particularly enjoyed?
My experience has been monumental for my overall professional development. I have thoroughly enjoyed the monthly discussions with my cohort, the 1–1 coaching sessions, and tuning into the always interesting webinars and events. Seriously, every aspect of BONDS has helped me identify new ways to approach different scenarios in a corporate environment, it’s further instilled the importance of stepping outside of my comfort zone in order to grow, and I’ve learned how to lead authentically as an emerging black professional. Hands down, my favorite aspect of the community is simply having the opportunity to consistently share space each month with other professionals that look like me and share similar experiences.
What has been the positive impact so far in your life and work at Grafana Labs?
I practice what I’ve learned from the BONDS program every single day in my work and personal life. I’ve had the privilege of gaining so much knowledge, insight, and best practices from my peers and coach that helped me have the confidence to advocate for myself and my team. This year alone, I received a promotion, two raises, and I promoted a few members of my team on to their next role within our organization. Needless to say, my participation in BONDS yielded a ton of positive impact in my life! Now, I’m looking forward to continuing to utilize the tools, resources, and information I’ve received to elevate myself and everyone around me.
Who would you recommend the BONDS Community to?
I recommend the BONDS Community to all Black professionals, because there is something to be said about having your own safe space to openly talk through different scenarios, challenges, and even just to celebrate your wins with others in your community. Whether you’re an emerging or seasoned professional, having the consistent opportunity to be transparent, honest, and authentic with others who share similar experiences is just necessary!
Where can others learn more about you and connect with you?
Please don’t hesitate to reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn. I would love to add you to my network to stay connected and answer any questions.
