Lidia Fonseca


What do you do every day?

Lidia Fonseca: I create data and technology solutions for physicians and patients.

Why do you love your job?

Lidia Fonseca: Data and technology help us serve physicians and hospitals to improve patient health.

What were your biggest moments of fear or challenge in your career?

Lidia Fonseca: Ensuring that we process lab specimens on time. Doctors use our lab results to make life and death decisions about their patients so it is essential our results are timely and accurate.

What are the latest innovations in science that you are the most excited about?

Lidia Fonseca: The advances in genetics and next generation sequencing are fascinating. Tracing the cause of a disease to genetics can be the breakthrough to manage serious diseases and even prevent them!

Where did you grow up?

Lidia Fonseca: I grew up in Mexico.

Who was your favorite teacher and why?

Lidia Fonseca: Mr. Jensen in middle school--he saw potential in me that I did not know myself. he encouraged me to read the classics and apply to a magnet high school. That was a pivotal point in my life.

Describe an experience in which you adapted your approach to resolve a difficult situation.

Lidia Fonseca: I am very goal oriented and execution driven. In my first leadership role I was in charge of many older individuals. When I became head of the group, I could see they were skeptical. Even though I was in charge, I asked for their opinion as to what I could do better. I think to be a good leader you must be prepared to also follow. That softened my team up and we accomplished great things together after a shaky start.

Do you have a unique or quirky talent?

Lidia Fonseca: I am a change agent, I take on projects that others think are "mission impossible." I see the opportunity and envision how it will be when we transform.

Since we are The Science Runway, is there any style or fashion tips you would like to share?

Lidia Fonseca: A great moisturizer, mints and a good lip gloss.

What are you reading currently and what are some of your favorite books or authors?

Lidia Fonseca: Anything by Jim Collins - he illustrates why some companies thrive by re-inventing themselves on an ongoing basis

Do you have a guilty pleasure or a website that you visit everyday?

Lidia Fonseca: I watch Scandal and Dance Moms... Shhh, don't tell anyone!

What 's your inspiration?

Lidia Fonseca: My 9 year old twin boys. They constantly remind me that we should enjoy the simple things in life and to take in the wonders around us.

What 's next? What is something you hope to accomplish in the future?

Lidia Fonseca: My two life goals are to join the board of a public company and to teach at a business school. On May 1st I was elected to the board of a public company. Next is to land the opportunity to teach at a business school. That is how I see my retirement--serving on a couple boards and teaching.

About Lidia Fonseca

Lidia Fonseca currently serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Quest Diagnostics (DGX), a fortune 500 company, where she leads the enterprise-wide Information Technology (IT) function to support the needs of the business. She is charged with transforming the company 's end-to-end enterprise architecture; integrate processes, data and systems across the network to enable future growth and operational excellence. Prior to DGX Lidia served as Chief Information Officer at Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp) from May 2008 to March 2013. Prior to LabCorp she served as EVP Global Operations and Technology at Synarc, Inc. from 2005 to early 2008. Prior to Synarc Lidia was at Philips Health Care from 1997 to 2005 in various roles including, the Global CIO of Philips Health Care and VP Supply Chain Management in the Nuclear Medicine Division. Lidia was recently elected to the Board of Directors of Gannett Company Inc. (GCI), a publishing, broadcasting and digital media services company based in McLean, Virginia. She previously served on the advisory board to Medivo, Inc., a leading healthcare data company based in New York. She holds an MBA and an MBI (Master Business Informatics) from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus Graduate School of Business and a BA from the University of California at Berkeley. Lidia is married and has two children.