Women Elevating and Inspiring Other Women

In the Tech Space, Female Participation Is More Critical Than Ever

Women supporting other women in school, business, and throughout their careers is a focus for Weaver professionals in Women’s History Month and year round, year after year. With a core belief that elevating one another creates an empowered space for all women, in the tech space, we want to do our part to attract and retain female and all lesser-represented talent.

Women’s issues should motivate women to create, get involved, motivate, aspire and achieve. Of particular interest to me is the STEM field, in which technology plays a leading role. I am a huge proponent of engaging anyone and everyone interested in STEM to pursue their studies and career in these fields regardless of race, sex, color or creed, particularly as we continue to experience a significant tech talent shortage. I admit to having a personal and vested interested in the STEM world, doing my part to encourage women to get involved in technology.

From being visible in the industry and participating in professional organizations, taking leadership roles and presenting at various universities, one of my goals is to present the face of women in tech to others.

My journey into the world of technology started in high school. I was fortunate to have a computer systems teacher back in the mid-90’s that encouraged me to look into a tech career. Her son was about to graduate college with a degree in MIS, an up and coming degree at business schools. I will forever be thankful to my teacher, Mrs. Diane Strawn of Plano Senior High School in Plano, TX, for introducing me to this world and for encouraging my abilities. We cannot underestimate the influences our teachers have in shaping our opportunities and awareness of what we are capable of and what we can strive for.

I was recently at a startup-focused conference, at which one of the women said ‘be dangerous and don’t be afraid to go for it’ with ‘it’ being putting yourself in challenging or unfamiliar professional situations. That really struck me because there have been times throughout my career when I have felt intimidated or unseen.

As a former President of ISACA North Texas, I had the pleasure of presenting a keynote for an ISACA Houston SheLeadsTech event where I spoke about my path, my inspirations and the challenges I have personally faced throughout my career. SheLeadsTech engages a network of IT professionals to increase the representation of women in technology leadership roles and the tech workforce through mentorship, professional development and leadership training.

As I was reflecting on that presentation recently, I perused the SheLeadsTech website and noticed some alarming statistics. Firstly, women make up almost half of the workforce worldwide but only 31% of IT employees. A meager 22% of IT leadership roles are filled by women and only 13% of tech-related chief executive roles. A whopping 57% of the U.S. workforce is made up of women, but we only hold 26% of computing-related positions.

Furthermore, Black, Latina, and Native American women hold just 4% of roles in the computing workforce, almost none of which are senior leadership roles, despite making up 16% of the general population. Precisely zero Black or Latina women are CEOs of Fortune 500 tech companies. While women of color account for about 16% of the general U.S. population, they comprise only around 4% of technical roles in tech companies and are almost completely absent at the senior leadership level.

Female leadership participation boosts the bottom line: The more reassuring statistic I read on the SheLeadsTech website is that, when an organization’s executives are at least 30% female, it can lead to 15% gains in profitability. The great thing about statistics is that they can, and do, change. What women need are role models that encourage and support their interests and open up their eyes to opportunities they may not have known existed.

I’m proud to say that at Weaver, 57% of the partners in our IT Advisory practice are female, including the partner in charge of the service line. Additionally, we continue to nurture a pipeline of female managers through the cybersecurity and fintech space.

We all carry the responsibility to engage with those in our community and to provide the support that may not have been afforded to us. That’s the way to make change; by taking the first step and making moves. I refer to this as ‘strategic maneuvering.’ I set goals and find the avenues in which I can reach those goals. One of the largest challenges women in tech face today is a lack of mentors. We must be intentional with inspiring and building up the next generation of tech-minded women.

We can change the narrative of women in the tech industry and, more importantly, in leadership. My advice? Bet on yourself every time. Be passionate. Be determined. Be sure of yourself. Pay it forward.

Just do it, today.

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