Meet Awnya Creque, A Techie Who Worked On The Launch Of A Microsoft Generative-AI Tool That Helps Cybersecurity Teams Identify Risks
Awnya Creque’s journey into tech was informed by her mother.
The Williamsburg, VA, native, currently residing in Dallas, TX, recalled during an interview with AFROTECH™ where her unconventional entryway into technology began. Her mother had been a branch manager for Bank of America and was robbed at gun point. Creque was 12 years old at the time, and it sparked an interest for criminal justice.
“Her whole life changed because she couldn’t sleep. She suffered from PTSD, had to take medication. And from that day forward, I was just like, ‘I wanna take bad people off the street or people who are changing people’s lives for the worst.’ And so that’s where I got my start in my passion for criminal justice. And I knew that I wanted to be an investigator and a police officer as a young teen,” Creque explained.
“I used to work on a robbery task force where we would collect cell phones, iPhones, back when people were snatching iPhones from people on the metro on the train, and we would have to use software to collect information from those cell phones. So it was there where it piqued my interest in tech,” she recalled.
Microsoft
Creque would extend her experience with companies such as T-Mobile as a subpoena compliance specialist under its law enforcement relations division. There she reported on text messages and photos and set up electronics for federal law enforcement tracking individuals who used the carrier’s devices. She worked for three other companies and served last as an ediscovery senior manager before securing her current post as
“I’ve been in the investigative space for a little while. Even though even at Microsoft, I kinda work indirectly, so I’m not necessarily a corporate investigator by title, but I still work with the data that we have,” she said.
In April 2025, her team announced the launch of data security investigations, which assists organizations’ cybersecurity teams with data security incidents, risky insiders, and data breaches while leveraging generative artificial intelligence (AI) to do so, according to a news release.
Creque cites the launch as a pivotal contribution since she’s been working at Microsoft.
“Just being able to see a product go from a concept to fruition is neat to see,” she expressed.
Tech Base
Beyond her career trajectory, Creque is committed to helping women break into technology. She was a founding member of Tech Ladies, which launched in 2020, and continues working with the organization of over 140,000 individuals globally, assisting them with skills training and job placement.
“For every position, I usually move very strategically. So, I moved to Microsoft, and I tell people that all the time my benchmark for success is actually the number of people that I bring into the tech space. You would probably expect someone to say, ‘Hey I want to be a CDP or in the C-suite.’ And I do, but I also want to bring people with me. I work diligently every day to network and also teach people and answer simple questions about how to either break into tech or how to maneuver into purview or compliance.”
AFROTECH™ Conference
Fittingly, Creque will be taking center stage at the 2025 AFROTECH™ Conference on Oct. 27–31, which is returning to Houston, TX, this year.
To secure your tickets, click here.
