As CIO of the greater New York chapter of the American Red Cross, Leslie Hunt was the Red Cross's Chief IT person in New York City on September 11, 2001. I’m the poster child for reinvention. But if 9/11 hadn’t happened, would I have changed? I don’t know. I saw so much pain. That day still hurts, and I can still see it in people. For me, it made me stop and say, “Wait a minute. What am I doing for me, my family and my kids?” That’s when I realized I needed to reevaluate my life. My husband and I have a vacation house in Sea Bright, N.J., a town on the northern tip of the shore with a view of New York. After 9/11, I felt that I had to leave the city, so I moved there full time. I’d take the ferry to work, and every morning I’d wonder, Why can’t I just stay here? Why do I have to go to Manhattan? So I let my contract at the Red Cross run out, and I left in June 2003.RELATED LINKS See more “What It’s Like To…” stories I spent that summer trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I’d been working in IT for years and wanted something slower paced, something that didn’t have a lot of new learning every day. I knew I wanted to help people, and I realized I cared a lot about the future of the community, so I decided to try real estate. I’ve been working at an agency in Fair Haven, N.J., since July. Former New York Red Cross CIO Leslie Hunt shortly after 9/11. A lot of the work I do is showing places, scheduling showings for clients and doing paperwork. It’s really just basic project management stuff. The pace is definitely different here. And even though that’s what I wanted, at first it drove me crazy. There’s no urgency. If you go to a restaurant, the waiter may or may not show up at the table to serve you. Same when you schedule appointments with contractors. If it’s a nice day, they might just go fishing instead of showing up. But I’m getting used to it. If I want a shot of adrenaline, I can always go back to the city…for a visit. —As told to Ben Worthen Related content feature 5G ready or 5G really? Industry CIOs face hard truths about private 5G Some enterprises are building private 5G networks for their industrial environments, only to find they have to initially settle for 4G service. So what is private 5G ready for, and what can it really do? By Peter Sayer Jun 06, 2023 8 mins CIO Network Appliances Network Switches opinion 5 tips for startup partnership success Corporate venture investments provide IT leaders with new engines for IT innovation, broader networks for emerging opportunities, fuel for in-house transformation, and improved career prospects — if done right. By Isaac Sacolick Jun 06, 2023 8 mins Startups Digital Transformation IT Strategy feature 14 organizations that support LGBTQ+ tech workers Offering networking, mentorship, and career development opportunities, these 14 professional orgs foster community for LGBTQ+ workers in an industry that isn’t always welcoming. By Sarah K. White Jun 06, 2023 9 mins Diversity and Inclusion brandpost ChatGPT and Your Organisation: How to Monitor Usage and Be More Aware of Security Risks By Hayley Salyer Jun 05, 2023 7 mins Chatbots Artificial Intelligence Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe