According to the Center for Talent Innovation, only 11% of Black women have sponsors in the workplace, and 75% of Hispanic women want “safe harbors”—places where employees can discuss challenges and opportunities. White men are 41% more likely to be executives than white women, 260% more likely than Asian women, 418% more than Black women, and 438% more than LatinX women (Ascend). Our organizations, Forefront and LeaderSpring Center, have been working on a research project to create viable pathways to increase participation and retention of women of color (WoC) in the technology sector. The project centers on the development of a roadmap to define and set forth priorities and actionable steps that tech companies can take to advance women of color in the tech sector.

Additionally, this project will develop a scorecard to track progress on the steps outlined in the roadmap. The goal is that partner organizations will commit to implementing the roadmap and using the scorecard for evaluating the outcomes of their diversity and inclusion strategy. This talk will cover the findings from our research, leveraging stories, and lived experiences as women of color navigating the workplace and the technology sector. Kapor Center for Social Impact and Pivotal Ventures have sponsored our research, and we are part of their Women of Color in Computing Collaborative. Yulkendy is a social entrepreneur, storyteller, and public speaker. As the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Forefront, she helps businesses and their leaders enable their cultural competence and inclusive leadership skills to meet the demands of the new workforce.

Yulkendy brings a diverse set of both corporate and nonprofit experience to the table. She’s worked with Bank of America, EY, Puma, and Innosight Consulting as well as the International Institute of St. Louis and Betty Jean Kerr People’s Centers. While working in social impact, Yulkendy’s work focused on community-based projects ranging from financial equity for low-income immigrants to affordable health care.

Dr. Sonia BasSheva Mañjon possesses more than 25 years of experience in higher education, nonprofit, and government administration. She is a LeaderSpring Alumna, class of 2006, who returned to the Bay Area from Columbus, Ohio to become the 2nd executive director of LeaderSpring Center.

Prior to returning to California, Sonia was inaugural director of the Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Center for Integrated Arts and Enterprise, Associate Professor of Arts Administration, Education and Policy, and Affiliate Faculty in Latinx Studies at The Ohio State University. Dr. Mañjon was the Simpson Endowed Professor of Community Arts, executive director of the Center for Art and Public Life and founding chair of the Community Arts major at the California College of the Arts. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx