When asked about the most rewarding aspect of her position as director of solutions and services for Toshiba America Business Solutions, Maegan Lujan cited her ability to solve problems. Being a creative problem-solver, she said, made her successful in sales and was the reason she broke into the technology industry in the first place.
Truth be known, Lujan has been a problem solver since the age of 14. It’s not hyperbole to say her life depended on it. By that age, she was homeless, a foster care dropout.
For every Maegan Lujan, there are literally thousands of examples of children who slipped through the cracks of the foster care system and experienced less-than-desirable outcomes. They became tales of exploitation and abuse of all manner. Some found drugs, others found jail, and too many entered an early grave. Merely surviving into adulthood and piecing together a life of substance defies virtually insurmountable odds.
Thus, as Lujan continues to flourish and thrive in her personal and professional life—she will be publishing a book series, “A Million Little Clicks,” in the coming year—she uses the shadows of her past to shed light in the lives of others. In doing so, she seeks to become the advocate she never had as a youth.
“Having overcome so much as a youth in foster care, I know I really could have benefitted from having a mentor walking alongside me through those difficult years,” said Lujan, a 2022 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “I know how hard it is to overcome the stigma of being in the system, and I know how challenging it can be to take a less traditional path to success. I couldn’t let how I looked on paper define me, and I try to be an example for others facing foster care, domestic violence, and other barriers to success.”
Helping Others
Wanting to make a difference in the lives of others, Lujan became a volunteer with Orangewood Foundation, a provider of services to at-risk youths in Orange County, California. She also serves as a board member and vice-chair of the Business Advisory Council. These roles allow her to provide hope and a path forward for children in crisis.
“I want to be the mentor I needed early in my career and to show them they can rewrite their story and choose their own path forward to a thriving future,” she added.
While she may not have needed the validation, her “arrival” at success’ door was punctuated when she was recognized as a “Woman of Influence” by The Cannata Report. It was the office technology equivalent of a Rolling Stone cover appearance; when co-worker Sue Wilson earned a cover spot for the same honor six years earlier, she told Lujan, “One day that will be you.” To which Lujan replied, “That will mean I’ve made it.”
“Making it” provided a mix of emotions; while she felt grateful, Lujan experienced a bout of imposter syndrome as she set out for the Women of Influence brunch in New York City. The night before the event, a young woman approached her and gestured toward an oversized image of the cover featuring Lujan, noting, “These are life goals.” Lujan was floored, but her outlook gained clarity.
“From her perspective, my current life was ‘life goals,’” Lujan related. “In that moment, I realized how far I’d come and I was filled with immense gratitude.”
What Now?
So how does a young teen find a way forward under such dire circumstances? Initially, Lujan took any job available just to make ends meet, including accepting work from a staffing agency. One of her early agency placements was DRS Imaging, which specializes in document scanning/digitization. She started as a scanner operator and worked her way through sales, project and team management. Later, she accepted a software development and management role with Drivve. Along the way, she developed a passion for product life cycle management and developing strategies for distribution.
“Despite my lack of formal training, I was eager to learn the ropes,” she said. “Each one of these roles helped me develop critical skills that served as stepping stones to where I am today.”
During the past five and a half years at Toshiba, Lujan has quarterbacked the OEM’s solutions and services portfolio, providing direction, planning and strategy. She’s completely bought into the mission and vision of the venerable manufacturer and strives to integrate their shared values into her work.
“When your work is in alignment with your personal values, it really doesn’t feel like work,” she admitted. “I am fortunate to have found a career that can coexist with my passion and purpose and that has positively impacted both my personal and professional life.”
Lacking a high school-level education early in her career, Lujan had the benefit of numerous mentors who helped guide her to a future with potential. Among them was Peter Davey, a vice president of professional services at Toshiba, who helped her understand the landscape of the business, from the strategic to the tactical.
Lujan also participated in Executive Leaders Tomorrow (ELT), Toshiba’s mentorship program, where she became the protégé of then-CEO Scott Maccabe. It was Maccabe who encouraged Lujan to reach out to Orangewood Foundation and become the company’s corporate ambassador.
Building Blocks
2022 has proven to be an eventful year for Lujan and her team. It marked the rollout of Toshiba’s e-Bridge Global Print, which allows users to send print jobs to the cloud and release them at cloud-connected Toshiba MFPs. She also launched her own company, LifeStamp, to help corporate executives build engaging personal brands and communities through one-on-one consulting.
“Growing my own business has been really fun and rewarding, and I am enjoying helping others tell their stories and build successful businesses of their own,” Lujan said.
Moving forward, Lujan and Toshiba are poised to help their teams and customers accelerate hybrid work with products and solutions that “lead beyond the physical office building and into the digital world.” On the personal front, Lujan seeks to invest her time in meaningful work and pursue inspirational experiences and adventures, while also redoubling her efforts with Orangewood Foundation and other philanthropic causes.
“Rather than focusing on my own accomplishments, I want to focus more on helping others accomplish their goals in the year ahead,” she said. “I am very excited to be working with some really amazing clients who are building businesses and making a difference in the world. That is incredibly rewarding for me.”
When she’s not stoking the solutions fire or building on her digital community of 50,000-plus followers, Lujan loves to unplug and indulge in gardening. She sees it as a blend of art and science, and derives great pleasure from cooking a meal from herbs and vegetables that she cultivated. Lujan is also drawn to concerts, travel, reading, the arts and other immersive experiences.
“I have an insatiable appetite for learning and I am constantly consuming new information,” she added. “Just like my plants, I want to continue growing, too.”
