BEtech

Mobilizing Women to Lead Tech

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 15:43:48 +0000

Mobilizing Women to Lead Tech Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 12/10/2020 - 08:43

A novel program emboldens business and engineering students to crack the hi-tech ceiling.

Just 25% of tech jobs in the U.S. are held by women. Despite ongoing conversations about the need to increase the number of women in its ranks, the tech world continues to be a sector where gender equality is sorely lagging.

Still, more and more women are steadily managing to break into high tech—and a group of 50 bright young women at the ��«��Ƶ is preparing to join them.

They’re the inaugural class of the Business + Engineering Technology Scholars program at the Leeds School of Business, also known as ‘BE Tech Scholars’—a program for women from the business and engineering schools that equips them with the technical skills, action-based learning, professional development and extensive network needed to become influential leaders in technology.

BE Tech Scholars is a result of the partnership between Leeds School of Business and the College of Engineering and Applied Science—a marriage between disciplines that signals a new era of collaboration and innovation, breaking down traditional boundaries to foster cross-functional skills in business and engineering students.

One issue the partnership addresses is the vision of both schools to reach gender parity in enrollment; BE Tech Scholars was created to help close this gap.

A women’s advancement incubator

When applications for the program opened in 2020, the volume of interest generated among highly-qualified applicants was much more than expected. As a result, the initial cohort was expanded from 40 to 50 students—with 25 women from business and 25 from engineering.

As BE Tech scholars, they reap significant benefits from the program that will embolden them as future leaders of tech. Support includes a $2,000 scholarship, leadership development, action-based learning, mentorships with tech leaders, intensive tech training, strategic career coaching and the chance to build their own tech network.

“In addition to digital skills, tech experience and career strategy, women have a community of support to help them break down any barriers in their way.”

Tanya Barnett, Founder and Director of BE Tech Scholars and Director of the Leeds Office of Career Strategy

Business, engineering and belonging

The inaugural class started this fall. But even before the scholars started their first day of classes, they were already entrenched in the program.

One scholar, in fact, had already completed her first-ever professional assignment. Ava Barnett, a BE Tech scholar pursuing a dual area of finance and strategy & entrepreneurship, spent two weeks in a consulting immersion with a top-five national pediatric hospital, thanks to being awarded the project from Beacon Fellows Consulting on behalf of BE Tech Scholars.

“It’s amazing that I had access to an experiential learning opportunity before my freshman year at CU,” said Barnett. “It is apparent that the BE Tech Scholars Program is dedicated to the professional development of its inaugural cohort.”

Over the summer, scholars met compelling guest speakers like Laura Vogel, a Leeds alumna and entrepreneur who told her story about starting Vogelle Handbags. Leeds Professor Kai Larsen shared his research on AI and analytics and recommended the key skills needed for tech careers.

The women also participated in a book club led by Professor Stefanie K. Johnson, Leeds’ renowned expert on gender, diversity, and leadership and author of the best-selling book, “Inclusify." The group dove into diversity, inclusivity and the basic human desire to stand out while also fitting in.

Paige Burns, a business major with an emphasis in marketing and an integration in computer science, shared her own struggles with fitting in.

“As a woman in both business and STEM, it is intimidating to enter a room full of men and feel as though you deserve to be there.”

Paige Burns, BE Tech Scholar

Anjali Velamala, an environmental engineering major, was moved by the book’s message, noting, “It inspired me to become an ‘inclusifier’ and think about different ways to become a better leader.”

At the start of fall semester, presenting partner Western Digital threw a welcome party for the scholars. The uniqueness of the program has captured the attention of enthusiastic supporters including Dan and Cindy Caruso, Deloitte, Accenture, Iterate.ai, LinkedIn, Deloitte, Zayo and DISH.

“To make the world a better place, women need to inspire technical advancement across multiple disciplines and domains,” said program partner Jon Nordmark, a CU alumnus and co-founder and CEO of Iterate.ai. “Because BE Tech Scholars is on the cutting-edge of training young women, we support the program and believe that inclusivity drives better innovation and business outcomes.”

The power of vulnerable leadership

BE Tech Scholars students benefit from a variety of academic enrichment over four years, including internships with industry partners, an Innovation and Collaboration Challenge, a global consulting trek, ongoing immersive technology enrichment, and automatic enrollment in the popular Women in Business class taught by Johnson. The class covers leadership topics and brings in women leaders to share their own stories of failure and success.

Clil Phillips, a mechanical engineering BE Tech scholar, said, “I am learning things from women's real experiences, women who I hope to one day be like.”

Monthly women’s leadership forums are a class favorite. Students in small groups develop ‘vulnerable circles of support’ and build a sense of community with one another—a prime goal of the BE Tech Scholars program.

The inaugural Women’s Leadership Symposium in October made a strong statement about courage and inclusion for women striving to be successful in business. Scholars received priceless advice from women leaders on how to compete in the tech industry, how to get ahead in non-inclusive workplaces, and how to have courageous conversations that elevate your career.

“They all had different stories and viewpoints and they used those to bring each other up rather than tear each other down. Seeing women uplift each other with such boldness was honestly so cool,” reflected Velamala.

In November, scholars gleaned wisdom from Rob Chesnut, the former chief ethics officer at AirBnB and author of “Intentional Integrity,” and CU alumnus William Kim, the EVP of Samsung Mobile and former CEO of AllSaints.

Still to come in the near future: custom-designed tech immersion sessions for scholars.

BE Tech is the future

Recently, the BE Tech Scholars program entered the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge, a competition that will award $40 million to help increase women’s power and influence in the U.S. by 2030. Iterate.ai created a custom website to collect innovative solutions from BE Tech scholars.

“Our solution offers a transformative approach to modern education, maximizing the intersections between business, engineering and technology. Women who upskill in tech can earn 28% more. We’re so excited to carve out this space at Leeds and continue cracking the hi-tech ceiling,” said Mak Olaker, program manager of the newly created area Women’s and Leadership Programs.

Students agree that BE Tech Scholars is unlike any other program they have ever known. Supporters, partners and leaders alike believe this groundbreaking initiative has the power to impact gender parity in predominantly male fields—one woman at a time.

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The Making of Future Women Leaders

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 13:13:39 +0000

The Making of Future Women Leaders Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/23/2020 - 07:13

The Women’s Leadership Symposium zeroes-in on tech, inclusion and courage.

Women’s and Leadership Programs, a new area at Leeds School of Business, is dedicated to gender parity and education and inspires a strong community of women at Leeds. Earlier this month, the program debuted its first-ever Women’s Leadership Symposium—an event to help women learn power skills, engage in pivotal conversations and build community.

How low-code changes the playing field

The symposium kicked off with a look into the future of business and new opportunities available to women.

“There’s never been a better time to be alive,” said Brian Sathianathan, co-founder of Iterate.ai. In the modern era, he explained, technological advances are happening faster than ever, and coders aren’t the only ones profiting from this. Open-source code, said CU alum and CEO of Iterate.ai, Jon Nordmark, has made coding more accessible to those without a computer science background, opening up opportunities for women to learn technical skills that are highly valued in today’s business world. In fact, women with tech skills earn 28% more, on average, than those without.

Nordmark encouraged women students to make use of programs and resources both online and at Leeds, like the popular BE Tech Scholars program, to prepare for the changing business world.

Diversity is only half the battle

Many workplaces have become significantly more diverse. More women and minorities than ever before have found executive positions in the business world. However, Professor Stefanie K. Johnson, author of the bestselling book, “Inclusify,” pointed out that diversity and inclusion are two very different things.

“Inclusion is like asking someone to the dance floor. Inclusifying is asking them to the dance floor and playing a song they actually want to dance to.”

Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson, Moderator

Andrea Silva, director of innovation success at Iterate.ai, agreed with Johnson and shared that it is impossible to be your most successful self if you cannot bring your full self to work. Zayo manager Essence Montgomery added that if you want to be an inclusifier, “don’t let the person who says nothing continue to say nothing.”

Judy Harris, senior manager at Crowe, noted how when working for an accounting firm, she received most of the secretarial duties, while the men were responsible for the “heavy lifting” or regular accounting work. Other panelists expressed a similar sentiment and lack of inclusion at various points in their own careers.

On the flip side, Melanie Cutlan, a managing director at Accenture, shared a success story about leading a team where women are encouraged to support each other and men are also encouraged to be advocates: “I found that when women were on my tech teams, the whole team began to bring their best selves. It’s about elevating the whole team.”

But in many cases, workplaces have become more diverse while inclusion has been slow to follow. As such, panelists advised female students on what to look out for and how to respond.

They advised that women should take all work tasks seriously, even the menial ones. Jennifer Estrada, senior manager of operations at Zayo, recommended they “knock those tasks out of the park” and establishing a presence that cannot be ignored. Many panelists said that asking for harder tasks helped them find success: Their high-quality work increased their responsibilities and helped them move up to higher positions.

The panel discussed the characteristics exemplified by women leaders. Montgomery noted how titles may seem important when starting with a company, but true leaders serve without them, working diligently to make a name for themselves in terms of their work ethic. Leaders, they say, are the approachable members of a team willing to lend a hand or an ear whenever needed. Women looking to lead in tomorrow’s business world must recognize these characteristics as essential.

What’s courage got to do with it? (Everything)

In her keynote remarks, Patrina Pettry modeled intense courage and vulnerability. Pettry, the consumer and business banking market leader at U.S. Bank for the Denver market, spoke of courageous conversations we must have with ourselves, our families and our colleagues if we are to find personal and professional success.

She shared moments when she experienced imposter syndrome in her career: “I’m not sure how I got here. I’m inexperienced. I’m inadequate. I’m not qualified. I’m ugly. My skin is too dark.” When these thoughts would surface, courage, she said, pushed her forward.

Pettry revealed a heartfelt letter written to her mother, who struggled financially and taught her to live courageously. That courage inspired her career. Enrolled at Ohio Christian University as a religious studies major, Pettry met a powerful Latina woman who believed she would make a great banker. In that instant, it seemed clear that she was meant to build bridges in the financial industry for people like her mother.

Throughout her career, Pettry learned what it takes to be courageous:

Have the courage to change and adapt.
Have the courage to brand yourself (or others will do it for you).
Act in courage.
Tell your story.

People often feel exposed when sharing their story, but this is how a leader helps give others a voice.

“A courageous conversation is being brave enough to have an imperfect interaction, vulnerable enough to ask for help, and grateful to someone for making you better,” concluded Pettry.

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Dean's Key Initiatives - End the Gap

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 01:48:13 +0000

Dean's Key Initiatives - End the Gap Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 10/14/2020 - 19:48

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BE Tech Scholars Take On a Challenge to Shape the Future of Women

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 14:08:36 +0000

BE Tech Scholars Take On a Challenge to Shape the Future of Women Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/11/2020 - 08:08

Photo courtesy of Jordan Singer

This fall, Leeds’ exclusive new cohort of Business and Engineering Tech Scholars (BE Tech Scholars) are entering the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge, which will award $40 million in grants to help increase women’s influence and power in the United States by 2030.

Winning ideas will each receive a grant of up to $10 million paid over five years. An additional $10 million will be divided among the finalists.

Faculty, staff, alumni and community members, are invited to help the students by sharing their innovative solutions for increasing women’s power and influence in their homes, workplaces and communities.

As a community committed to elevating women in business, and ultimately the C-suite, we are uniquely suited to meet this challenge with a wealth of innovative, transformative and scalable technology solutions.

All ideas must be submitted here by Friday, September 18. Ideal solutions will connect to the mission of the BE Tech Scholars Program—which readies women to pursue careers that combine business, engineering and technology—and consider one or more of the following:

Dismantle barriers
Fast track women in critical sectors
Differentiated with technology enrichment and skill development
Call society to action
Scale nationally
Transform the current landscape

More details outlined on the submission page.

Leeds’ BE Tech Scholars Program and Partners will evaluate and select the strongest ideas for a master application to send to the challenge. Multiple submissions are welcome.

Help our BE Tech Scholars win a grant to help fund future programming and opportunities. Share your ideas today.

BE Tech Scholars Program

Presented by Western Digital, the Business and Engineering Tech Scholars Program launched its inaugural year with 50 exceptional undergraduate women students. The highly selective program accepted 25 incoming women from Leeds and 25 women from the College of Engineering and Applied Science

A special thanks to Iterate.ai and Jon Nordmark for building the submission/analytics website.

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