Hillary Deleon

Hillary Deleon


Program Manager

Strategy • Creativity • Community

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity.”— Amelia Earhart

Who is Hillary ?

I’m a builder of ideas, programs, and experiences that bring people together.

With a background in project management and operational strategy, I thrive in spaces where creativity meets execution. Whether I’m leading cross-functional initiatives, curating experiences for customers and partners, or streamlining a process behind the scenes, I lead with intention, clarity, and care.My mission is to bring people together. Creating spaces where connection sparks opportunity, and individuals are empowered to grow, collaborate, and build something greater together. I’ve always believed people thrive when they feel supported and when they find their people. I want to help others connect with the things that bring them joy, whether that’s a product that solves a problem, a person who inspires them, or a moment that makes them feel seen.

Career

Builder of experiences, whether behind the scenes or center stage.

With a background in tech, events, and program operations, I’ve led cross-functional initiatives that bring ideas to life and people together. From curating large-scale internal events to streamlining complex workflows, I thrive where strategy meets energy. I believe in the power of thoughtful execution, human connection, and creating moments that leave a lasting impression on teams, clients, and audiences.

Program Manager - Cisco Inc.

August 2025- Present"dzone 2025" is about unlocking creativity! Embracing play, riffing freely, and exploring AI not as a replacement but as an instrument that amplifies human imagination. This year’s keynote speaker, Meg Lewis, will inspire us to reconnect with our childlike sense of wonder, breaking out of boxes and leaning into freedom, curiosity, and joy. Our goal is simple: to spark bold ideas and leave every attendee inspired to use their tools, creativity, and design instincts to create something beautiful.• Leading the vision and execution of dzone 2025, Cisco’s global UX conference, uniting thousands of employees across regions with programming that blends storytelling, design culture, and executive leadership.• Drive design operations strategy by identifying operational gaps and emerging opportunities, building scalable systems and programs that help global design teams work more effectively and evolve with new technologies like AI.• Partner with design leadership to define design principles and designed a scalable workshop program with structured activities and facilitation templates that help teams apply the principles in real product decision-making.

Project Manager- Cisco Inc.

August 2023- November 2024
• Launched the first CX Cloud mobile app by leading cross-functional collaboration between UX, engineering, and product. Ensured every feature and flow was purpose-built, functional, and backed by research.
• Redesigned the entire design workflow across the organization by identifying inefficiencies, mapping out three separate systems, and facilitating alignment across PMs and design leads, resulting in a unified, efficient process adopted org-wide.• Created and deployed a comprehensive Playbook in Figma, documenting tools, workflows, historical processes, team mappings, and tool ROI. Became the go-to resource for onboarding, alignment, and execution across the CX Cloud design ecosystem.

Events lead, Cisco Live- Cisco inc.

June 2022- June 2024 (held concurrently)
• Served as the central project manager for the CX Cloud activation, aligning stakeholders across UX design, UX research, and engineering to bring interactive demos to life. Led the full event lifecycle from kickoff to execution to ensure the final experience was engaging, strategic, and aligned with organizational goals.
• Collaborated with vendors to build custom booth environments tailored to our demos and activations. Oversaw renderings, budget approvals, and material selection to ensure every technical and visual element supported a seamless, on-brand customer experience.• Partnered with Cisco Live’s marketing team and executive leadership to ensure all messaging, outreach, and sustainability efforts were cohesive. Secured VP approval for budget allocations and worked cross-functionally to guarantee every touchpoint reinforced our broader vision and brand.

Program Manager- Cisco Inc.

August 2022- July 2023
• Led the research, evaluation, and successful integration of UserTesting and UserInterviews into our research stack. Navigated legal, procurement, and budget approvals while aligning executive stakeholders to implement the tools organization wide adoption.
• Drove a 75% increase in research efficiency by identifying critical gaps in the UX research lifecycle and launching a streamlined operational program. Collaborated closely with researchers and designers to build scalable workflows for study planning, execution, and sharing.• Built and maintained a centralized SharePoint research repository, from scratch, that housed all past and ongoing studies. Enabled cross-functional visibility, helping product, design, and engineering teams reference existing insights to inform roadmap decisions and reduce research redundancy.

Real Estate

Buying a home has always been a personal milestone I’ve worked toward. In pursuing that goal, I decided to earn my real estate license not only to deepen my understanding of the home-buying process but to build relationships and gain insight into one of life’s biggest investments.It’s a journey that has sharpened my skills in communication, negotiation, and long-term planning. While my primary focus is in events and program strategy, I continue to explore real estate as a meaningful part of how I grow and support the communities around me.DRE #2310413

Cookies & Joy

Stress baker. Entrepreneur. Connection.

I'm a stress baker and a flavor explorer. One of my favorite hobbies is baking Asian-inspired cookies like ube, pandan, lychee. I’m currently on test batch 22 of perfecting the ultimate ube cookie (brown butter is the game changer), and I often spend weekends experimenting in the kitchen or volunteering at my aunt’s bakery, Bay Area Cake Queen in South San Francisco. It’s home to the original ube tres leches!During the pandemic, I started a small upcycling business out of my family home using Depop. I repurposed my grandmother’s vintage clothing, cutting, sewing, and reworking pieces by hand, then marketed, sold, and shipped my designs across the country. What began as a hobby turned into a hands-on lesson in customer service, branding, and running a business from scratch. The shop is now offline, but my love for unique fashion and storytelling through clothing is something I still carry with me.At the heart of it all, I value community. I find joy in spending time with people, whether it’s family, friends, or new connections, and learning about their experiences, journeys, and stories. Whether it’s through baking, fashion, or simple conversation, I believe joy grows where connection lives.

Contact Me

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Created by Hillary Deleon