Laura Stearns

Evaluator
DISC Type : cds

Director of Operations at TEC Equipment

San Francisco Bay Area, United States

Overview

Laura is a strategic operations leader with over 14 years of experience at Cisco before joining TEC Equipment as Director of Operations. She holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon and a CSCP certification, specializing in translating complex challenges into value-driven, scalable solutions and driving operational excellence across teams.

Described as a compassionate and approachable leader, Laura is passionate about fostering collaboration, curiosity, and a culture of continuous learning to help her teams grow and succeed. She champions building lasting relationships and creating an environment where people can innovate and thrive together.

Unique fact: Laura was recognized as one of the "30 Under 30 Rising Supply Chain Stars" for her significant contributions to the field.

Personality Overview

Quality Focused

Hard To Convince

Thorough Evaluator

They are not very likely to become strong advocates of your product or service  They have a unique set of diverse traits where they are decisive and methodical but can sometimes be extra cautious and skeptical They focus on the results, but can still be quite procedural and analytical about how to get there

Topics They Care About

Operational Excellence
Her career focus is on driving operational excellence and building scalable, resilient systems, as mentioned in her professional summary.
Supply Chain Strategy
She has extensive experience in supply chain management from her 14 years at Cisco and holds a CSCP certification.
AI Transformation
She recently earned a certificate in AI for Digital Transformation from Cornell, showing a proactive interest in emerging technologies.

Media Appearances

Laura has no verified media appearances

Work History

12-2025
Director of Operations at TEC Equipment
11-2024 - 12-2025
Senior Manager, Demand Management, Fast Fulfillment Operations at Cisco
1-2021 - 11-2024
Senior Manager, Supply Chain Revenue Planning & Central Operations at Cisco
6-2019 - 12-2020
Sr. Business Planning Manager at Cisco
9-2010 - 6-2011
MEDITEC (Medical Engineering Development and Integrated Technology Enhancement Consortium) Program at Edwards Lifesciences with Cal Poly

Education

2015 - 5-2018
Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Carnegie Mellon University - Tepper School of Business
2007 - 2011
Bachelor of Science (BS) from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 7 Location : San Francisco Bay Area, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director of Operations at TEC Equipment
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Insights For Selling To Laura

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Keep a professional, business-like approach; especially if you tend to get informal quickly
  • Be prepared for comments or questions that are critical of your product or your claims
  • Showcase your competitive superiority clearly when possible or address it at the minimum

DONT's

  • Don’t focus on relationship, focus purely on the merit of your product
  • Don’t nudge them to do something by using the logic that others have done the same
  • Avoid too much small talk, just a few formal pleasantries should be fine

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Laura is

  • ROI matters the most to them, followed by process and finally proof of results
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Laura

  • They might hesitate a little, but will go ahead and say no when necessary (or asked)

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Laura move?

  • They are unlikely to move very fast, especially when it comes to new products or services
  • Can Laura take some risk or not?

  • They have relatively low risk-appetite and are not very likely to go for something unproven and risky

You And Laura

Personality Compatibility


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