What is it about your current role that makes you feel fulfilled and purpose driven in the work that you do?
Working to support the internet.org and Connectivity Labs initiative is personally rewarding because the mission is to connect the unconnected. The initiative’s goal is to provide Internet access to those in unconnected areas, primarily in third-world countries, and this can increase access to education, capital, grow businesses, and inspire folks. More than that, it will benefit people that look like me, and I love that. I’m all about providing access and opportunity, and this project will do that in a tangible way.
How has the experience of being a black woman in tech been for you?
Complicated. It’s always interesting navigating a space in which people don’t expect to find you. This isn’t exclusive to tech, but I find it to be most prevalent in this industry. You don’t often find a woman advising engineers, and you don’t often find black employees doing so in this space either… so to find one who is both is surprising to people.
What is so interesting about navigating this space is that a lot of the opportunities are word-of-mouth. By the time a position is posted, with smaller tech companies, and even some larger ones, hiring managers and teams have a candidate in mind. As a black woman, some of those spaces and places haven’t been accessible to me because I may not have known the right people to get in before a position was posted. This is why I’m an advocate of making sure to diversify my network and friendship circle. Not only do you learn more and are exposed to more, but there’s an unspoken entrée to access that you wouldn’t otherwise get. I find that we often have this problem due to insular networks.
That said, the journey has afforded me many opportunities. Tech companies have many needs, and often can’t scale as fast. So, the ability to work in the tech space and to fill gaps when needed has increased my skill set, and differentiates me from someone who may have just a straight legal experience.
In addition to my legal deal work, I’ve been able to create trainings for my departments that have increased productivity and efficiency, a new sub-group with Supplier Diversity, and to advocate for diversity hires and join the employee resource group leadership team. All of those experiences make me a better attorney, create additional work streams, and will help me reach my long-term professional goals of running a commercial legal team.
What do you believe are some of the misconceptions surrounding STEM vs. professional services in the quest for more diversity in tech?
I think there’s too much focus on STEM positions –Â your PMs, engineers, designers –Â because we know there are very finite numbers for those of us entering those majors and pursuing those roles. However, there is a plethora of general and administrative and professional roles that could be filled at tech companies. I’m talking law, marketing, community engagement, public relations, finance, strategy and partnerships, etc. Those don’t require STEM degrees, and there are tons of liberal arts degree holders and those with JDs, MBAs, and BAs who could fill those roles. I think if we look for talent through that prism, there is more opportunity while we continue to build the STEM pipeline of talent. The two don’t have to be mutually exclusive –Â we can focus on STEM roles and professional roles and build the pipelines.
(Continued on next page)