With a new administration about to take office, we’re kicking off our second season of B The Way Forward by talking about one of the most powerful tools for change we have access to -- our vote. And digging into why - in the most recent presidential election -less than 40% of young voters showed up, compared to a record-breaking 50% in 2020.

GenZ and Millennials make up the largest voting bloc in the country. Re-engaging this slice of the electorate will be crucial for preserving our democracy for years to come. But can the major political parties do it? Or is it up to outside groups to find new ways to rally young voters without relying on the goodwill and political fortune of these institutions?

For a perspective on the inside approach, we chat with Paul Jones, President of the Young Democrats of Illinois to see why he thinks young people - traditionally a strong part of the party’s base - stayed home and how the party can get them back.

Then we talk to Lucille Wenegieme, Executive Director non-partisan voter-advocacy group HeadCount to learn why she thinks that to really get young people engaged, you have to meet them where they are - without the baggage of entrenched political parties.

For more from our guests, check out...

Paul Jones on

Instagram - @Jonesy630

Threads - @Jonesy630

Young Democrats of Illinois on

Instagram - @ilyoungdems

HeadCount on

On X - @headcountorg

On Instagram - @headcountorg

On TikTok - @headcountorg

On Facebook - /HeadCountOrg

On the Web - headcount.org

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At AnitaB.org, our mission is to enable and equip women technologists with the tools, resources, and knowledge they need to thrive. Through innovative programs and initiatives, we empower women to chart new paths, better prepared to lead, advance, and achieve equitable compensation. Because when women succeed, they uplift their communities and redefine success on their terms, both professionally and personally.​

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Connect with AnitaB.org

Instagram - @anitab_org

Facebook - /anitab.0rg

LinkedIn - /anitab-org

On the web - anitab.org 

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Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.

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B The Way Forward Is…

Hosted and Executive Produced by Brenda Darden Wilkerson.

Produced by Avi Glijansky

Associate Produced by Kelli Kyle

Sound design and editing by Ryan Hammond 

Mixing and mastering by Julian Kwasneski 

Additional Producing help from Faith Krogulecki

Operations Coordination for AnitaB.org by Quinton Sprull.

Creative Director for AnitaB.org is Deandra Coleman

Executive Produced by Dominique Ferrari, Stacey Book, and Avi Glijansky for Frequency Machine 

Podcast Marketing from Lauren Passell with Tink Media in partnership with Coley Bouschet at AnitaB.org

Photo of Brenda Darden Wilkerson by Mandisa Media Productions

For more ways to be the way forward, visit AnitaB.org

B The Way Forward is coming back with all-new episodes featuring a slate of incredible guests, taking on some of the biggest issues! Including the one that’s central to activism - can we create real change by working within the system? Or do we need to break it to fix it?  

Featuring arguments for how to tackle making political representation actually representative, debates on whether Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives actually work and if you can even have DEI without the “E”, tactics for confronting the enormity of climate change without making it worse for the most vulnerable, and of course AI, this season is an even more urgent call to action than our last.  

Join host and AnitaB.org President and CEO, Brenda Darden Wilkerson, as she and her guests sit down at the mic for frank discussions that will challenge your ideas of what activism looks like, generate ideas, spur creativity, and hopefully make you think a little more about the perspectives of people outside your bubble. 

Because whether you believe that our current systems can benefit us all, or if you think real progress demands a revolution, there’s one thing that’s clear. Sitting on the sidelines is not an option.

Welcome to B The Way Forward: Interludes - a mini series of special episodes and conversations that stand apart from our regular season, but are just too good not to share.

Dr. Rebecca Anderson, Kendall Holbrook, and Supriya Gupta. All three are leaders within the technology, business and career development spaces. They are all working on truly innovative products, research, and technological solutions to pressing problems. We could do entire episodes with each of them individually about their work - and we just might! But in this episode, recorded live at Grace Hopper Celebration 2024, we’ve invited all three to talk about an important common thread, a shared passion they all have, and that we knowI know you do too if you’re listening. How do we drive innovation while also promoting inclusivity and equity?  

Because we all know that those values contribute to more innovation, better outcomes, and thriving workforces… and that isn’t just vibes, there’s data that backs that up. A study by McKinsey and Company found that Tech companies with diverse workforces are 35% more likely to outperform their non-diverse counterparts. And yet, according to another study by Deloitte, women make up only 29% of senior management positions globally and the numbers are similar for historically minoritized individuals.  

So can we change that? And how do their fields - human-centric AI, STEM career development, financial technology, and leadership, create opportunities for underrepresented groups and support sustainable, purpose-driven solutions in today’s rapidly evolving industries? 

Listen in and find out!

"Stop asking women and non-binary folks to conform to a male gender ideal of leadership. And yet when then we conform to those male ideals, we are punished for acting in ways that are incongruent with our female presenting stereotypes. We're asked to be strong, confident, decisive, but if we do, then we're looked at as aggressive, leading beyond our competence, insensitive. This double bind of having to be both confident and decisive and yet warm and friendly is something we need to get rid of. And I think a lot of that does come from stepping into our acceptance and being really transparent with it." -- Dr. Rebecca Anderson

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At AnitaB.org, we envision a future where the people who imagine and build technology mirror the people and societies for whom they build it. Find out more about how we support women, non-binary individuals, and other underrepresented groups in computing, as well as the organizations that employ them and the academic institutions training the next generations.

---

Connect with AnitaB.org

Instagram - @anitab_org

Facebook - /anitab.0rg

LinkedIn - /anitab-org

On the web - anitab.org 

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Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.

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B The Way Forward Is…

Hosted and Executive Produced by Brenda Darden Wilkerson.

Produced by Avi Glijansky

Associate Produced by Kelli Kyle

Sound design and editing by Ryan Hammond 

Mixing and mastering by Julian Kwasneski 

Additional Producing help from Faith Krogulecki

Operations Coordination for AnitaB.org by Quinton Sprull.

Creative Director for AnitaB.org is Deandra Coleman

Executive Produced by Dominique Ferrari, Stacey Book, and Avi Glijansky for Frequency Machine 

Podcast Marketing from Lauren Passell with Tink Media in partnership with Coley Bouschet at AnitaB.org

Photo of Brenda Darden Wilkerson by Mandisa Media Productions

For more ways to be the way forward, visit AnitaB.org

Welcome to B The Way Forward: Interludes - a mini series of special episodes and conversations that stand apart from our regular season, but are just too good not to share.

These days, the headlines can sometimes mostly focus on the challenges in tech - issues like AI ethics and data breaches. But in this special conversation, taped live at Grace Hopper Celebration 2024, Brenda wanted to shift gears!

Because Grace Hopper Celebration is about the belief that when used by the right people, for the right reasons, technology can be one of the greatest forces for good in the world. And that’s what this conversation is all about - the ways in which some of the best minds in tech are innovating, creating groundbreaking platforms and tech to address the most critical social issues of our time. 

In this episode, Brenda brings together three friends of the pod - Jimmy Chen (Propel), Dr. Fallon Wilson (VP, Tech Policy, Multicultural Media and Telecom Internet Council), and Devshi Mehrotra (CEO, JusticeText) - to talk about how to leverage technology for good and how you do that ethically, while balancing purpose and profit. And most importantly, to highlight real-world examples of how these solutions make a real difference. 

"I think we give for-profit businesses too much of a break and let them off easy and say 'it's just about making money' as opposed to caring about what impact they create on the world. And so if you work at a for-profit, if you are starting a for-profit, if you think about for-profits, hold them accountable to think about what is the impact that they create on the world, not just how much money do they make." -- Jimmy Chen

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At AnitaB.org, we envision a future where the people who imagine and build technology mirror the people and societies for whom they build it. Find out more about how we support women, non-binary individuals, and other underrepresented groups in computing, as well as the organizations that employ them and the academic institutions training the next generations.

---

Connect with AnitaB.org

Instagram - @anitab_org

Facebook - /anitab.0rg

LinkedIn - /anitab-org

On the web - anitab.org 

---

Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.

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B The Way Forward Is…

Hosted and Executive Produced by Brenda Darden Wilkerson.

Produced by Avi Glijansky

Associate Produced by Kelli Kyle

Sound design and editing by Ryan Hammond 

Mixing and mastering by Julian Kwasneski 

Additional Producing help from Faith Krogulecki

Operations Coordination for AnitaB.org by Quinton Sprull.

Creative Director for AnitaB.org is Deandra Coleman

Executive Produced by Dominique Ferrari, Stacey Book, and Avi Glijansky for Frequency Machine 

Podcast Marketing from Lauren Passell with Tink Media in partnership with Coley Bouschet at AnitaB.org

Photo of Brenda Darden Wilkerson by Mandisa Media Productions

For more ways to be the way forward, visit AnitaB.org

Welcome to B The Way Forward: Interludes - a mini series of special episodes and conversations that stand apart from our regular season, but are just too good not to share.

Last night was election night in America, and as we publish this episode today (November 6th, 2024) we can say that it was historic - but not because the US elected its first female president. Once again, the highest glass ceiling was cracked but not shattered. 

Kamala Harris wasn’t the only woman on the ballot this election. According to the Center for American Women and Politics, 289 women ran for the House, Senate, and Governorships and hundreds more ran in state and city elections. And yet, CAWP’s analysis shows that women made up only about 27% of candidates this cycle. That’s actually down 2% from 2020.

How can our government represent us all when 51% of the population isn't equally represented in public office? And in our current era of intense polarization and heated political rhetoric, how do you even convince women that running for office is worth it?

On this episode of B The Way Forward, Brenda sits down with She Should Run Founder and CEO Erin Loos Cutraro to unpack those questions. They talk about the forces stacked against women who might otherwise run, how they can be overcome, and how to respond to the bad faith arguments leveled at attempts to diversify public office. 

“I couldn't get over the fact that the research, and it's still true today, shows that when women run for office, they win at the same rate as men. And I couldn't stand the fact of knowing there were so many women who weren't even in this space to consider their own leadership and that we just needed some kind of effort that would speak to them.”

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At AnitaB.org, we envision a future where the people who imagine and build technology mirror the people and societies for whom they build it. Find out more about how we support women, non-binary individuals, and other underrepresented groups in computing, as well as the organizations that employ them and the academic institutions training the next generations.

---

Connect with AnitaB.org

Instagram - @anitab_org

Facebook - /anitab.0rg

LinkedIn - /anitab-org

On the web - anitab.org 

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Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.

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B The Way Forward Is…

Hosted and Executive Produced by Brenda Darden Wilkerson.

Produced by Avi Glijansky

Associate Produced by Kelli Kyle

Sound design and editing by Ryan Hammond 

Mixing and mastering by Julian Kwasneski 

Additional Producing help from Faith Krogulecki

Operations Coordination for AnitaB.org by Quinton Sprull.

Creative Director for AnitaB.org is Deandra Coleman

Executive Produced by Dominique Ferrari, Stacey Book, and Avi Glijansky for Frequency Machine 

Podcast Marketing from Lauren Passell with Tink Media in partnership with Coley Bouschet at AnitaB.org

Photo of Brenda Darden Wilkerson by Mandisa Media Productions

For more ways to be the way forward, visit AnitaB.org

The B The Way Forward team is hard at work on Season 2, premiering in December 2024. But you won't have to wait until then for more of the the honest, insightful, and inspiring conversations you’ve come to expect from this feed.

Introducing B The Way Forward: Interludes - special episodes and conversations that stand apart from our regular season, but are just too good not to share.

First up, two interludes focused on ways that our democracy is working at a time when many of us are scared it's on the verge of becoming irreversibly dysfunctional.

The first is a special conversation - taped live at Grace Hopper Celebration 2024 - with the United State’s Chief Information Officer of the White House, Clare Martorana and the Senior Advisor to the Chief Information Officer, Noreen Hecmanczuk [Heck-min-zek]. Clare and Noreen share how the OFCIO is using technology to transform the way we interact with our government, and make it easier for citizens to participate.

Then, a conversation with Erin Loos Cutraro the founder and CEO of She Should Run, a national non-partisan organization working to drastically increase the number of women considering a run for office.

And this first min-series of Interludes wraps up with two more episodes taped live at GHC24. Both focuson how we can create innovation that makes the world a more equitable place - and despite what some folks may say - do it while also creating successful businesses.

So if you haven’t already, follow B The Way Forward wherever you listen, or watch video versions of these episodes at anitab.org/podcast.

Welcome to B The Way Forward: Interludes - a mini series of special episodes and conversations that stand apart from our regular season, but are just too good not to share.

A lot of things probably spring to mind when you hear the words “Federal Government.” “Innovation, understanding, adoption, and regulation of new technology” is likely not one of them. More likely, citizen-facing government technology brings to mind websites that feel outdated - like something still stuck in the era of dial up.

But in this special episode of B The Way Forward, recorded live at Grace Hopper Celebration 2024, Brenda speaks to two incredible leaders working to change that - Clare Martorana, the President’s Federal Chief Information Officer and Noreen Hecmanczuk, the Senior Advisor to the Federal Chief Information Officer. Together with the rest of the staff of the OFCIO, Clare and Noreen are doing so much more than merely pushing for the adoption of new technology. They’re working to save taxpayer dollars, make sure that it’s easier for all of us to interact with our government, and streamline citizen participation.

In this conversation, Clare and Noreen talk about the challenges and opportunities of driving digital transformation in government, from navigating complex agency processes to ensuring AI governance. Plus, how they harness talent - maybe even talent like you - to deliver more efficient, secure, and user-friendly government services. 

“We have federal employees doing extraordinary things. We not only need to meet our federal employees and make it easier for them to do their jobs, but we also owe it to the American public for us to be able to use the incredible technology - that we've mostly invented in America - to benefit the public. Like that is the most simple thing. So to me, digital transformation is just inherently American. And it is something that we can continue to advance and streamline. But what it takes, is people like you joining.”

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At AnitaB.org, we envision a future where the people who imagine and build technology mirror the people and societies for whom they build it. Find out more about how we support women, non-binary individuals, and other underrepresented groups in computing, as well as the organizations that employ them and the academic institutions training the next generations.

---

Connect with AnitaB.org

Instagram - @anitab_org

Facebook - /anitab.0rg

LinkedIn - /anitab-org

On the web - anitab.org 

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Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.

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B The Way Forward Is…

Hosted and Executive Produced by Brenda Darden Wilkerson.

Produced by Avi Glijansky

Associate Produced by Kelli Kyle

Sound design and editing by Ryan Hammond 

Mixing and mastering by Julian Kwasneski 

Additional Producing help from Faith Krogulecki

Operations Coordination for AnitaB.org by Quinton Sprull.

Creative Director for AnitaB.org is Deandra Coleman

Executive Produced by Dominique Ferrari, Stacey Book, and Avi Glijansky for Frequency Machine 

Podcast Marketing from Lauren Passell with Tink Media in partnership with Coley Bouschet at AnitaB.org

Photo of Brenda Darden Wilkerson by Mandisa Media Productions

For more ways to be the way forward, visit AnitaB.org

On this episode of “B The Way Forward,” host Brenda Darden Wilkerson is joined by AI and digital technology expert, Suchi Srinivasan. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Suchi is extremely sought after for her expertise and knowledge and is currently managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group. Suchi sits at the helm of the artificial intelligence space where she is passionate about using technology to solve some of the world’s most complex problems. Suchi tells Brenda about her personal career journey and how her own engineer father inspired the path she’s on today. Together, they chat through their tech industry experiences and why we need more representation in the building of AI technology.

Suchi gives listeners critical advice for familiarizing yourself with new AI technology and how she keeps an optimistic view for the future of emerging technologies. Brenda and Suchi also reminisce on their shared experiences as podcast hosts and the importance of sharing these stories. You can find Suchi co-hosting Boston Consulting Group’s “In Her Ellement” Podcast, showcasing women at the vanguard of business, digital, and technology. 

“Tech has to make our human existence better. It's not the other way around. And it's really important for us to remember that and bring that perspective into whatever our job is. Whether we're a designer, whether we're a software engineer, whether we're a business decision maker, it doesn't matter. But it's all in service of humanity.”

For more, check out Sushi and Boston Consulting Group...

On LinkedIn - /boston-consulting-group & /bcg-X

On X - @BCG & @bcgx_

On Instagram - @bcg & @bcgx_

On Facebook - /BostonConsultingGroup

And listen to Suchi's podcast, In Her Ellement

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At AnitaB.org, we envision a future where the people who imagine and build technology mirror the people and societies for whom they build it. Find out more about how we support women, non-binary individuals, and other underrepresented groups in computing, as well as the organizations that employ them and the academic institutions training the next generations.

---

Connect with AnitaB.org

Instagram - @anitab_org

Facebook - /anitab.0rg

LinkedIn - /anitab-org

On the web - anitab.org 

---

Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.

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B The Way Forward Is…

Produced by Dominique Ferrari and Paige Hymson

Sound design and editing by Neil Innes and Ryan Hammond 

Mixing and mastering by Julian Kwasneski 

Associate Producer is Faith Krogulecki

Executive Produced by Dominique Ferrari, Stacey Book, and Avi Glijansky for Riveter Studios and Frequency Machine 

Executive Produced by Brenda Darden Wilkerson for AnitaB.org

Podcast Marketing from Lauren Passell and Arielle Nissenblatt with Riveter Studios and Tink Media in partnership with Coley Bouschet at AnitaB.org

Photo of Brenda Darden Wilkerson by Mandisa Media Productions

For more ways to be the way forward, visit AnitaB.org

On this episode of “B The Way Forward,” host Brenda Darden Wilkerson talks with multi-tasker extraordinaire Trishala Pillai. Outside of Trishala’s day job as senior product manager of supply chain innovation and automation at Walmart, she also serves as a board member at AnitaB.org and a producer at the media company she founded called Jugaad Community. Together, Brenda and Trishala talk through how to bring creativity to your career and how to find new opportunities in emerging technologies. Their conversation is sure to get your creative juices flowing and Trishala offers helpful advice for anyone looking toward the next chapter of their career. 

“A lot of the time, it's not that you don't have the skills to be impactful in a new role, it's that you don't know the story to tell around your experiences and your career so far. So, when I speak with folks who reach out to me for conversations, the second thing I tell them after orienting themselves and understanding what the landscape looks like is: connect the dots in your own experience, and not just your professional experiences, but also your personal experiences.”

For more, check out Trishala and her work...

On LinkedIn - /trishalapillai

On Instagram - @_trishalapillai

One YouTube -@_trishalapillai/videos

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At AnitaB.org, we envision a future where the people who imagine and build technology mirror the people and societies for whom they build it. Find out more about how we support women, non-binary individuals, and other underrepresented groups in computing, as well as the organizations that employ them and the academic institutions training the next generations.

---

Connect with AnitaB.org

Instagram - @anitab_org

Facebook - /anitab.0rg

LinkedIn - /anitab-org

On the web - anitab.org 

---

Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.

---

B The Way Forward Is…

Produced by Dominique Ferrari and Paige Hymson

Sound design and editing by Neil Innes and Ryan Hammond 

Mixing and mastering by Julian Kwasneski 

Associate Producer is Faith Krogulecki

Executive Produced by Dominique Ferrari, Stacey Book, and Avi Glijansky for Riveter Studios and Frequency Machine 

Executive Produced by Brenda Darden Wilkerson for AnitaB.org

Podcast Marketing from Lauren Passell and Arielle Nissenblatt with Riveter Studios and Tink Media in partnership with Coley Bouschet at AnitaB.org

Photo of Brenda Darden Wilkerson by Mandisa Media Productions

For more ways to be the way forward, visit AnitaB.org

Devshi Mehrotra and Leslie Jones-Dove join host Brenda Darden Wilkerson on this inspiring episode of “B The Way Forward.” Devshi and Leslie are the CEO and CTO, respectively, and co-founders of JusticeText, an MIT and Google-backed startup that is building technology to better improve the criminal justice system. They talk Brenda through the mission of their company – to hold law enforcement accountable and ensure that low-income criminal defendants get their chance at an equal and fair trial. JusticeText started as a college capstone project and has now grown into a successful California-based startup.

Devshi and Leslie explain how their program takes media files and evidence and creates transcriptions that help public defenders analyze data before trials. They share personal and emotional stories with Brenda about the positive impact that JusticeText has had on public defenders, their clients and families. Plus, they share business insights into how they started their company and what it’s been like to fundraise, work with investors, and build their brand. Devshi and Leslie’s passions to improve the criminal justice system shine through this episode and you will leave the conversation feeling motivated to pursue dreams that can make the world a better place.

“I think there's no excuse in this day and age for our government systems to be relying on such inadequate technology systems. So, I think there's a lot for us to be wary of when it comes to facial recognition, gang databases, things like that, but I think we should also just focus on: how do we build tools for the people who are advocating for everyday people?”

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At AnitaB.org, we envision a future where the people who imagine and build technology mirror the people and societies for whom they build it. Find out more about how we support women, non-binary individuals, and other underrepresented groups in computing, as well as the organizations that employ them and the academic institutions training the next generations.

---

Connect with AnitaB.org

Instagram - @anitab_org

Facebook - /anitab.0rg

LinkedIn - /anitab-org

On the web - anitab.org 

---

Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.

---

B The Way Forward Is…

Produced by Dominique Ferrari and Paige Hymson

Sound design and editing by Neil Innes and Ryan Hammond 

Mixing and mastering by Julian Kwasneski 

Associate Producer is Faith Krogulecki

Executive Produced by Dominique Ferrari, Stacey Book, and Avi Glijansky for Riveter Studios and Frequency Machine 

Executive Produced by Brenda Darden Wilkerson for AnitaB.org

Podcast Marketing from Lauren Passell and Arielle Nissenblatt with Riveter Studios and Tink Media in partnership with Coley Bouschet at AnitaB.org

Photo of Brenda Darden Wilkerson by Mandisa Media Productions

For more ways to be the way forward, visit AnitaB.org