Morgan Mills Converse ’11

Morgan Mills Converse ’11 has built a career marked by embracing change, continuous learning and a commitment to making a positive impact. From her early days as an engineering student to her current role as CEO of Hurricane Labs, Converse's journey exemplifies the values of lifelong education and leadership instilled during her time at Gilmour.

 

After graduating, she attended Cornell University, majoring in civil and systems engineering. As a woman in a male- dominated field, she initially felt intimidated, but quickly learned to embrace challenges as fuel for growth. This mindset, along with her philosophy of "just focusing on putting in the hard work that precedes any outcomes," has defined her career trajectory.

 

Converse began her career in management consulting, starting with civil engineering projects and transitioning to software engineering. “Those early transitions eliminated my fear of diving into a new field, but I felt like I wanted to fully build out and execute a strategy, and consulting inhibited that desire.”

 

Seeking to drive strategy, she pursued chief of staff roles, eventually becoming CEO of Hurricane Labs, a cybersecurity firm, on February 14, 2024. She acknowledges that "leading a company into this AI-enhanced world requires very strong empathetic leadership" and a renewed focus on "doing old-fashioned things really well - doing what you say you're going to do, looking people in the eye, holding the door, being kind."

 

Her time at Gilmour played a key role in shaping her perspective, particularly the influence of her freshman religion teacher, Mrs. Daly. "She just completely reframed how I approach my life now and how I live the tenets of lifelong education," Converse reflects. "She told me at a Self- Assessment that she thought I could be doing better, and she really set the stage for a life of curiosity and lifelong learning."

 

Beyond her professional achievements, Converse values presence and kindness in everyday life. "My motto is really just to approach everything with intent and enthusiasm - whether it's building a strategic plan, responding to emails, dealing with daily life, or hitting a shot on the tennis court – just being fully present and enthusiastic about the moment that I'm in."

 

For current students and recent alumni, she emphasizes the importance of taking action. "What keeps me up at night is never what I did, but what I hesitated to do - whether it's moving on from a low performer, meeting someone for coffee, or simply sending an email. Acting decisively, even if it means asking for forgiveness later, has always opened doors or helped me grow." She also encourages young professionals to "be brave in discomfort, fully lean into the present and the role that you're in, try to exceed expectations, and trust that whatever the universe has in store for you, it will fully work out. You can't control what happens to you, but you can control how you react to it and what you learn from it."