Not sure if you caught the New York Times article on gender discrimination and Silicon Valley. We caught it via BoingBoing and the opening line made us vomit.
MEN invented the Internet. And not just any men. Men with pocket protectors. Men who idolized Mr. Spock and cried when Steve Jobs died. Nerds. Geeks. Give them their due. Without men, we would never know what our friends were doing five minutes ago.
Fabulous.
Men may have invented the internet (whatevs) but we wanted to take a few minutes to recognize some of the awesome women in the HR technology space. Women who are technologists, trailblazers and creative thinkers.
- Kathy Albarado
- Lois Melbourne
- Carmen Hudson
- Naomi Bloom
- Jenny DeVaughn
- Kelly Cartwright
- Gretchen Alarcon
- Mollie Lombardi
- Sue Marks
- Marylene Delbourg-Delphis
- Leighanne Levensaler
- Meg Bear
- Amy Wilson
- Sarah White
- Lexy Martin
- Lisa Rowan
- Elaine Orler
- Madeline Laurano
- Jennifer McClure
- Vivian Wong
This list isn’t inclusive and will miss many great people. The comments are open. Add your suggestions!
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Great list of some of the top thinkers and innovative minds (men or woman) in our space. Thanks for the inclusion SC & LR!
Thanks, Sarah!
Honored to be included, but the sad truth is that this list does not include the chief architects behind our industry’s top product breakthroughs or even more than a very few current software development leaders. Being an HR product strategist, analyst, or consultant is entirely honorable and a mighty contributor to our industry, but we need a ton more women making their mark on HRM enterprise software architecture and engineering. When I started as a programmer trainee, the profession was about 50/50. That’s so not the case now, and it needs to be. So I see this list as a call to action, and I hope my younger women colleagues will consider career paths that take them to the top of software design and development.
Hi, Naomi. Who are the female chief architects behind our industry’s top product breakthroughs? Who are the current software development leaders?
Can you share names? Would love to know more!
I see this list as a call to action, and I hope my younger women colleagues will consider career paths that take them to the top of software design and development.
PS — That’s high praise, Naomi. Thank you for that. You’re exactly right.
Hey Naomi… cough… I am hoping you haven’t forgotten me already?
. I’ll agree we need more women on the development side, but it’s not zero.
-M
Thanks for the including, Laurie!
Naomi – agree 100% that we need more women in enterprise software development. Like you, I started out as a programmer and I am still loving software development. I am not retiring anytime soon, as far as I can tell.
Vivian, thanks for the comment. Couldn’t have this list without you!
Meg, you rock.
Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) who is credited as being the first computer programmer. I thought everyone knew that women were first when it came to technology. :/
Not everyone. Also, she doesn’t have a LinkedIn profile.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace
I read the article. Not surprised. However, I do believe the day is coming when women will have a greater role in the STEM fields and will break long-held barriers and glass ceilings. I believe this because of my experience with the Anita Borg Institute and the Grace Hopper Women in Technology conference. When I recruited for the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, I had the priviledge of meeting these intelligent women at the conference every year. They are some of the best and brightest women I have ever met. Go Grace Hopper!
Excellent comment — thank you. Everyone here is Grace Hopper. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper
Thanks Laurie for raising the issue (and for including me on this list!). I agree that the industry needs more women with influence…and that starts with good sponsorships within organizations. Rising stars need to know that this is an industry where they can have long, meaningful careers. Let’s take this as an opportunity to change the conversation, and highlight organizations and leaders who are doing it right!
Gretchen, thanks for the comment! I would love to see a series on women/organizations who are doing it right. Maybe I’ll find a blogger to do that!
Thanks Laurie for including me on the list–and a great one it is! Women in Leadership is a hot topic right now and top of mind for many of our clients. Think it is something worthy of more attention.