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Tech for Good

I RECALL THE moment that sparked my interest in technology with vivid clarity. My eyes were glued to the screen as I watched a team set up technology centers in developing countries, teaching women to code and offering them a newfound sense of freedom. This was not a documentary or an inspirational feature; it was a video my husband was showing me about the new initiatives at his company, Microsoft. For the first time, I was confronted with the idea that technology could be used as a force for good, and it radically changed my perspective.

Growing up as the daughter of a preacher and a teacher, my career path had always seemed clear. I was raised to value service and servant leadership, so I naturally gravitated toward roles in teaching or nonprofit work. After graduating college, I served as a missionary for the United Methodist Church's US-2 Missionary program, later transitioning into nonprofit management.

Until the moment I saw that video, I had believed that service-focused professions were the only avenues to bring about positive change in the world. However, that video challenged my preconceptions. I saw a tech company using technology not merely for its own advancement, but to make a tangible difference in people's lives.

At that time, I was feeling rather burnt out from nonprofit work and was seeking a new direction. Ironically, I was in grad school pursuing a master's in social work, but I was frustrated by the requirement of unpaid internships and the demanding work hours. Deep down, I craved something new.

I considered what I already knew about technology: I was the go-to tech helper at every nonprofit I had worked for, I had built simple websites for side hustles and other nonprofits, and my husband, a computer science major working at Microsoft, could guide me. Weighing the pros and cons of a career pivot, the advantages quickly tipped the scales.

Within a week, I applied for a master's program in computer information systems at Boston University, leaving my MSW program behind. It was time to venture into the world of tech, and I was determined to use it for the greater good.

Embracing a new career path might have been daunting, but I've always had a penchant for change. Whether it's my ADHD compelling me to seek variety or my childhood experiences of frequently moving and adapting, I've never shied away from transformation. However, when I truly believe in something, I go all in, which is exactly what happened when I dove headfirst into my new career in tech. I reveled in the novelty, invigorated by this awakening to an entirely new world.

Recalling a story my father frequently shared in his sermons, I thought of my sister's wide-eyed wonder at seeing Niagara Falls for the first time. The adult visitors walked by, but as a child, she paused, awestruck by the frozen mist and water. That sense of wonder fuels curiosity, and curiosity drives innovation. Being introduced to the world of technology was my moment of wide-eyed wonder as an adult.

My newfound tech skills offered an expansive vista of possibilities. Having worked directly with children with severe emotional issues, homeless women and children, and women fleeing domestic violence, I brought a unique lens to technology. I had seen firsthand that donations and scant nonprofit funding alone were not sufficient to solve societal issues; innovative approaches were required.

Although I was unsure of exactly what I wanted to build at that time, the image of the video remained etched in my mind. The idea of using technology to help those in dire need of economic support was deeply appealing to me. It was a cause I was ready to commit to, and this marked the beginning of my journey into the world of technology.

Where Are All the Women: The Stark Reality of Women in Technology

As I delved into the world of technology, a question kept reverberating in my mind: where were all the women? As I consumed episode after episode of popular business podcast host, Guy Raz's How I Built This, I noticed a significant lack of female voices. This lack was perplexing and disheartening. Were other women, like me, simply unaware of technology's potential to effect positive change?

The statistics on women in technology or women building start-ups made for grim reading. Women constitute half of the US workforce, yet only 27% of them are STEM workers, according to the US Census (https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/01/women-making-gains-in-stem-occupations-but-still-underrepresented.html). In university computer science programs, women comprise merely about 18% of graduates.

One of my employees shared her experience of entering a computer science program years ago in Texas, only to be dissuaded by a professor who told her that it was not a place for women, and she would not succeed. She exited that path, a decision she has always regretted. Today, only 25% of computing roles are held by women, and the numbers plummet even further for women of color (https://builtin.com/women-tech/women-in-tech-workplace-statistics).

In the sphere of entrepreneurship, despite studies demonstrating that companies with diverse leadership yield higher returns, only 2% of venture capital funding goes to female-founded companies (https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/18/women-founded-startups-raised-1–9-of-all-vc-funds-in-2022-a-drop-from-2021/). These systemic barriers stifle women's abilities to scale their businesses and bring innovative solutions to the market.

At present, we're witnessing major advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), making it even more crucial to address the underrepresentation of women in the field. From hackathons to AI-based companies and discussions on AI, women are conspicuously absent.

One critical issue in the realm of AI is the inherent bias in algorithms and data, which can inadvertently perpetuate stereotypes and reinforce existing inequalities. An example can be seen in ChatGPT's language generation. It often chooses the word empower when prompted to write about The Riveter, a female-focused company, but opts for words like strength and power when prompted to write about a male-focused brand. This stark contrast underscores the importance of diverse voices, including women, in writing code and curating data.

We still have a long way to go, but we must be at the center of this space to build a more equitable future. How do we construct a future when women are absent from decision-making rooms or the literal coding that shapes our world?

As a mother, I've strived to expose my daughter to a world of possibilities. I bought her the Rebel Girls series as soon as it was released and have curated a library of books featuring female innovators, explorers, and scientists. I never want her to question “Where are all the women?” and hope she steps into a computer science class populated by a majority of female students.

Women have been trailblazers in technology, from Ada Lovelace, who wrote the first computer program more than 150 years ago, to Mira Murati, the current CTO of OpenAI. They have made industry-changing advancements, yet many of their stories remain untold or underappreciated.

As a graduate student, I volunteered with The Women in Technology Association in Washington, DC, mentoring high school girls interested in technology. I learned so much from this experience and witnessed the barriers these young girls still faced. Many were not being encouraged or presented with opportunities related to computer science.

Fortunately, organizations such as Girls Who Code, Code.org and Kode with Klossy have emerged to support high school and college girls interested in coding. They have done incredible work, and the statistics reflect this progress: there has been a tenfold growth in female participation in AP Computer Science classes in just six years (https://code.org/about/2019#:~:text=One%20measure%20of%20this%20movement,org's%20work%20alone).

In this book, I will share stories of contemporary women shaping the future of technology, including interviews with founders and women in tech. These women are tirelessly working to construct a brighter future for women in technology, reminding us all that this is a collective effort.

I am excited to introduce you to five extraordinary women who have not only left an indelible mark on the world of technology but also have inspired future generations of female innovators, including myself, which is why I like to call them the fabulous five.

Ada Lovelace: The Queen of Code

When it comes to the world's first computer programmer, it's not a man, but the queen of code, Ada Lovelace. A mathematical prodigy, Lovelace collaborated with Charles Babbage on his revolutionary analytical engine. Her visionary insights into the potential of machines to process more than just numbers laid the groundwork for modern computing. I have a picture of her in my office to remind me that women pioneered coding.

Grace Hopper: The Compiler Queen

Grace Hopper, a United States Navy rear admiral, was no ordinary computer scientist. As one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, she was a force to be reckoned with. Hopper pioneered the development of COBOL, one of the earliest high-level programming languages, and introduced the concept of machine-independent programming languages, leading to the creation of compilers. COBOL is still around today and, fun fact, my neighbor (a...