Join Innovate@UCLA for our first 2026 Women In Technology (WIT) virtual session led by Amber Senteno, Chief Technology Business Officer at City of Hope.

The Power Pivot: Turning Unmet Expectations Into Strategic Advantage

Every leader encounters moments when expectations aren’t met – being overlooked, unheard, or underestimated. While these moments can drain energy and trigger reactive responses, they can also become catalysts for clarity, confidence, and intentional leadership.

In this session, Amber Senteno reframes unmet expectations not as setbacks, but as strategic openings. Using a practical mindset framework grounded in gratitude, intentionality, and internal grounding, participants learn how to shift from emotional reactivity to empowered clarity. Drawing on patterns familiar to women in tech – such as being talked over, underrecognized, or excluded from key conversations,  the session focuses on reclaiming control, redirecting energy with purpose, and turning disappointment into leadership momentum.

The session is reflective and actionable, offering tools to recalibrate mindset in real time, strengthen presence, and respond with intention rather than instinct – elevating influence and strategic impact.

Open to all: members and non-members are welcome!

About Speaker

Amber Senteno is a senior healthcare technology executive with extensive experience leading strategy, operations, and transformation across complex, highly regulated organizations. Her “why” is personal: she stays in healthcare technology because everyone is a patient, including her – and technology decisions and outcomes shape the patient experience in the communities we live in and serve. She serves as Vice President, Chief Technology Business Officer at City of Hope, overseeing the enterprise business of technology – portfolio management, investment strategy, and value realization, including prioritization, governance, partner strategy and management, and funding and resource models across the Enterprise Technology Group.

Her career spans the healthcare technology ecosystem – health plans, care delivery, PBM, and specialty environments – as well as a health tech company developing and delivering technology solutions. Amber brings deep experience in technology strategy, digital enablement, delivery, and operations (including serving as a CIO for care delivery organizations) and partners closely with executive, clinical, and business leaders to modernize operating models, strengthen governance, and deliver measurable outcomes at scale.

Known for bridging vision and execution, Amber builds high-performing teams and develops leaders by cultivating cultures grounded in clarity, accountability, and continuous improvement.