During my trip last week to Boulder, CO, I had the pleasure of meeting Lucy Sanders, CEO and Co-Founder of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), and Jill Ross, Director of Image of Computing at the University of Colorado. NCWIT recently launched their Heroes project, a series of 15-minute interviews with 20 selected women IT entrepreneurs chosen from more than 100 nominations.
I really admire Lucy Sanders. She has a highly impressive background: worked R&D and executive positions at AT&T Bell Labs, Lucent Bell Labs, and Avaya Labs for over 20 years, awarded Bell Labs Fellow (highest technical accomplishment) in 1996, and has served on the boards of an array of organizations from academic institutions to venture-backed companies to non-profit organizations. What I really like is the fact she has made significant contributions in both the private and public spheres, having a broad influence not just within a company but to the community at large.
Lucy's work echoes the work of Janet Hanson and 85 Broads, a global network of more than 13,000 members worldwide for women in business. I met Janet last summer when I worked at Lehman Brothers. Janet's vibrant personality and energy definitely shined as she spoke. You could tell she truly genuinely cared about her work. She even told us that she envisioned 85 Broads cafes all over New York City one day.
I really support the work of Lucy and Janet and hope to encourage women to pursue science, technology, and business. It's not about trying to "level the playing field" and "forcing" women to study these subjects. Rather, it's making sure that they are not discouraged to try it out. For instance, I know a number of my friends (both female and male) who did not pursue engineering because they thought it was "too hard" and "too much work." "I don't want to spend all this time and have it lower my GPA," a friend told me.
I do admit there are sacrifices to be made. Engineering = more requirements, more labs, more classes, more time. Ultimately, I think the most important thing is to find out what you like to do. Don't be afraid to take a class. Grades are overrated. Learn for the sake of learning.
technorati tags: women, it, technology, lucy sanders, ncwit, 85 broads, janet hanson, nonprofit