Lillian Pierson, P.E.
Founder at Data-Mania | Data Strategist, Trainer & Biz Coach to Tech Professionals
Lillian Pierson is a Data Strategist that specializes in training and advising. She’s a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Florida, with 6 years of experience working as a data professional. She graduated from The University of Central Florida with a BS in Environmental Engineering in 2007. She started Data-Mania, LLC back in 2013 and, since then, she’s been providing consulting services to numerous Fortune 500 companies.
Data science was a natural extension of my interests and expertise. I worked as a professional engineer before going into data science, but long before that I was already working with analytics to solve complex problems. My first experience working with data to solve complex problems was back in 1997, when I participated in a Keck Undergraduate Research Program. I was 17, and before ever having taken organic chemistry, I used data analytics generated by a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance machine to guide me in successfully developing an optimal protocol for Hydrogen / Deuterium exchange reactions on nucleic acids.
What areas of data science are you most passionate about?
Data Strategy Development, Marketing Data Science, Data Science Training.
Which data science influencers influence you?
Ronald Van Loon is a great person to follow. I also have enjoyed getting to know Carla Gentry and Kirk Borne over the years. To be honest, the data people I pay most attention to lately are implementation folks that I interact with over on Instagram (you wouldn’t know who they are – but I find them super motivating and inspiring).
Outside of data science who else influences you?
I often find myself motivated and inspired by my coding peers over on Instagram. If I had to pick the top five, I guess I’d say:
- @codergirl_ – Laura Medalia: Software Development
- @programm.r – Robyn Silber: Software Engineering
- @astronomer_amber/– Amber: Science Communications
- @plavookac – Jelena Jovanovic: Web Development
- @thecodeness – Alexa: Software Development
How would you describe your offline influence?
Well, I’m an in-person technical trainer, so teaching and presenting technical topics is something I love to do, as well as something with which I’ve got a lot of experience. I recently had the honor of holding a private workshop in Dubai on data strategy for a group of C-level executives from a micro-lending institution in Uganda. I knew that the training and advisory work I did with them was going to have a real and positive impact on people lives there in Uganda. I don’t think there could be anything more fulfilling to me than knowing that. I travel all over the world doing training and influencer work – that’s fun!
Recently I’ve had the chance to do in-person influencer support for Ericsson at a few events. I really enjoyed creating interview coverage for professional videos, as well as doing go-lives between Ericsson’s product demonstrators and my Instagram audience. Other than that, I’ve written 3 books on big data and data science, the most well-known being Data Science for Dummies. I’ve gone to LinkedIn Carpinteria studio to author data science courses for them. That was such a tremendous learning experience! I’m grateful!
What are going to be the key developments in the industry in the next 12 months?
I see a lot of exciting work being done in terms of innovative big data management solutions. There is a lot of potential there. I also love the proof-of-concept work I’ve seen on AI-enabled IoT networks. I am completely passionate and in love with the idea of an AI-enabled, IoT connected world.
If a brand wanted to work with you, what activities would you be most interested in collaborating on?
What I love most about influencer work is creating an authentic experience where people in my community really get to know and understand my brand clients on a personal level. Most people in my audience don’t get the chance to interact with big brands that much. As an influencer, I love acting as an interface and facilitator across which members of my community can get a chance to interact with major tech brands.
To tell you the truth, most people I know want that, but they’re not given the opportunity. As an influencer I get to help create that opportunity for them. It’s truly a gift to get to do that.
Each client and each activation is so unique, that’s it’s really hard for me to narrow down on any one strategy I prefer. Podcasts, webinars, whitepaper, speaking opportunities, etc. – these are all just tools to achieve a strategic end. What I like most is crafting an authentic experience where my audience really gets to know and engage with a brand and what that brand has to offer. But to answer your questions, some ways I’ve enjoyed doing that in the past are contest promotions and facilitations, go-lives, giveaways, speaking engagements, blog posts, and product demonstrations / reviews.
What would be the best way for a brand to contact you?
The best way for a brand to contact me is via email. Just send an email to communication@data-mania.com and you’ll hear back right away.