While the topics of diversity and inclusion have been top of mind for several years, they have never been as prevalent in every day conversation as they are today, most especially for those underrepresented in technology fields. According to the 2020 National Center For Women & Information Technology study, women of color made up only about 11% of the computing and mathematical workforce in 2019, with Black women only comprising 3% of the total. Can you imagine what your experience might be like in the current cultural climate when you are that significantly underrepresented?
Luckily, we have two valley leaders who will be sharing their perspectives and stories in our April chapter meeting. Tamika, a Human Resources and D&I leader, will tell her personal story as well as her approach to D&I from a talent management perspective. Nicole will then share her story as a woman of color in a predominately white/male dominated environment and how she rose to the challenge when the CEO asked how the company was doing in the D&I space last June.
Join the April meeting to hear their challenges, and triumphs, and glean new perspectives on how to approach D&I in your own teams and organizations.
Tamika Sears is the VP of Talent with Atlas Motor Vehicles and responsible for their D&I initiative. In addition, she is an executive coach with Sears Coaching. She has over 20 years of experience in Human Resources in the high tech, healthcare, publishing, and automotive industries
Nicole Farrington is Senior Information Technology Manager of UX User Support Services with NXP Semiconductors (formerly Motorola Semiconductor) and is responsible for NXP’s global end-user support. She is also the IT advocate for D&I. Nicole is also the Market Leader for Arizona’s ASUG Chapter Leadership Team and a SAFe Practitioner.
Stefanie Causey is SIM Arizona’s Board Vice President and an Associate Partner with IBM in their Global Business Services Salesforce Consulting Services practice. Stefanie has over 20 years’ experience enabling business through technology, specializing in integrated cloud solution architectures over the last 15 years. D&I has been a passion topic for her for several years and she is currently on the Arizona Technology Council’s Tech Inclusion Forum committee for the second year.
Schedule of Events - Online Exclusively
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM: SIM Chapter Update and Presentation
(Please note the time!)
Other InformationIf you have questions, need help or have questions about upcoming meetings please contact Board@simarizona.org.