Today we talk with Sergio Marrero, a venture capitalist and managing partner at Rebel One. In our interview he discusses research he conducted while at Harvard and brings up some interesting thoughts about the future of education and work.

Sergio advises companies struggling to find diverse talent, to staff diverse team members to recruiting roles. These recruiters will bring networks and pipelines to the company that could expose new talent. Companies should also consider dropping degree requirements for many design and tech jobs. Plenty of talented candidates are overlooked because they didn't have the capital or resources to obtain a degree. Organizations like Google are catching up with this idea as they are rolling out affordably priced certification programs that will train people with the skills needed to find an entry level job. In regards to employee retention, Sergio believes that companies need to build a culture where people are enabled to feel like they can be their real selves. This includes scheduling social time or happy hours for employees to authentically interact with one another.

Sergio Marrero is a serial entrepreneur, founder, investor, and coach who graduated from the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He previously worked at PepsiCo, Teach For America, and the Deloitte Consulting Strategy Operations group. While in graduate school he conducted his thesis on venture studios and accelerating impact innovation at the intersection of business and government. He set up operations for two funds each raising $100M, produces an VC and CEO LiveStream Series called RBL1 Live, and is Managing Director of Rebel One - a double bottom line investing fund and investor network accelerating rebels innovating for a better world.

• Sergio Marrero: www.linkedin.com/in/sergiomarrero
• Rebel One Ventures: www.rbl1.com
• The Degree is Dead TEDxPrincetonU : www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao35YqdqfwY
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: http://podcast.snackwalls.com

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In today’s show we interview the incredible Sarah Cooper, Executive Director for the League of Amazing Programmers. Sarah speaks with a combination of passion, experience and knowledge that makes this one of our best episodes yet. These show notes really don't do this convo any justice, so hit the play button and enjoy!

Companies that struggle to find diverse talent need to look at their set up to identify what challenges and barriers they have to attract the right people. Be explicit of what you are looking for and state “we would love to have more x or y in our company to make us strong”. Sarah believes we should remove CS degree requirements for entry-level software dev jobs. As it is, we are not pushing out enough graduates to fill all the roles that are coming. So we have to address that requirement to produce more tech workers to sustain the SD / local economy. In Britain and America, there is a myth that without a 4 yr degree you won't be successful, however, most 18-year-olds do not have a good vantage point to decide what their pathway to success will be. Apprenticeship programs would work well in the tech sector because it allows people to learn on the job, in the role, from mentors and role models. Sarah recognizes that employee retention is key to the long term success of any business. She advises companies to build a culture where employees are allowed to express their identity, to self create, to be heard, and not feel intimidated.

Sarah Cooper is the Executive Director of The League of Amazing Programmers an organization aimed to create a positive impact on students by helping them develop critical thinking skills and self-confidence through learning computer programming. She is an experienced professional with a demonstrated history of work in education, nonprofit, and marketing. Skilled in Operations, Coaching, Communication, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Team Building. 

• Sarah Tuakli Cooper: www.linkedin.com/in/sarahtuaklicooper
• Sarah’s Email: [email protected]
• The League of Amazing Programmers: www.jointheleague.org
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: http://podcast.snackwalls.com

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In this episode we get to talk with Dani Nordin, a UX design expert and all around fascinating person. 

Dani has found that finding diverse talent is possible if you put in sufficient effort. Recently she created a role canvas to define the ideal candidate for an open position. Then she worked on finding people with the skills, experience, and mindset that matched this role. If a hiring manager expects recruiters to provide resumes based on a generic job description, you will not find diverse talent. Studies have shown the women and POC candidates often wont apply to jobs because they don't think they qualify or have sufficient skills. Dani believes that degree requirements for developer roles should be removed. She remembers working in Drupal’s open source community where many of the most talented and reliable developers didn't have C.S. degrees. In her current position she has seen the value that internships and mentoring programs can bring to an organization. While interns get great experience that can often lead to jobs, mentors also gain leadership skills and walk away with a new experience. 

Dani Nordin is an experienced design leader and pot-stirrer who specializes in taking massive, complex problems and breaking them up into manageable pieces. Currently leading Experience Design for the Orders Zones (Medication Management/Services & Tasks) within Athena Clinicals EHR. She also teaches "Information Technology and the Creative Practice," one of the core courses in Northeastern University's Digital Media graduate program. Dani has written several books, including "Drupal for Designers," "Planning and Managing Drupal Projects," and "Drupal Development Tricks for Designers" (O'Reilly) and "Definitive Guide to Drupal 7" (Apress).

• Dani Nordin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daninordin
• Athena Health: https://www.athenahealth.com/careers
• UX Camp Chicago Oct 17th: https://chicagocamps.org
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: http://podcast.snackwalls.com

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In this episode, Jackson shares a wealth of knowledge in a 15 minute convo. 

He notices that black and brown professional numbers are low in fortune 500 and start-up companies but this is not due to a lack of talent. Recruiters and hiring managers need to get out and create opportunities to get in front of the right people who might not otherwise have company visibility. Removing degree requirements for certain tech roles will open up the pool of candidates with hard skills and experience. If you find someone with the capacity to self teach using tutorials from the internet, that resourceful person will likely do well on a software development team. Companies should invest informal outreach and engagement in the form of apprenticeship, internships, or mentorship programs to connect with the next generation of talented individuals. To retain talent, organizations should focus on creating programs that, as much as possible, remove unconscious bias and allow everyone equal opportunities to grow.

Jackson Jeyanayagam is the Vice President and General Manager of Direct-to-Consumer at The Clorox Company. He has 20 years of experience with specialties in: P&L management, change management, business transformation, cross-functional team building, people development, brand marketing, digital brand building, revenue growth, e-commerce, mobile, performance marketing, CSR, analytics & data science, CRM & loyalty, sports marketing, PR and public speaking. Jackson also serves on the Board of Directors for Goodwill International and Peace Direct. Additionally, he acts as an advisor for three high-growth startups: Dynamic Signal, BounceX, and Miles.

• Jackson Jeyanayagam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacksonjeyanayagam
• The Clorox Company: https://www.thecloroxcompany.com 
• Object Wellness: https://www.objectivewellness.com
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: http://podcast.snackwalls.com

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I don’t know how we keep finding so many amazing people! In this episode we have the pleasure of sitting down and learning from Johanna Lyman, a Principal Consultant at Kadabra.

When tech leaders say they cannot find diverse talent, it's because they are not looking hard enough or not tapping into the right pipelines. In regards to degree requirements for certain jobs, Johanna believes that practice trumps education. People are kinesthetic creatures that learn through practice. Perhaps that is why the apprenticeship model has been successful in so many different industries. When it comes to employee retention Johanna notes that companies need to think of diversity and inclusion as the natural outcome of building a great culture, not an initiative. Organizations should think of their culture as a continual work in progress.

Johanna Lyman (she/her or they/them) is the Principal Consultant and Practice Leader for Culture and Inclusion at Kadabra. She is a dynamic, energetic Leadership and Culture coach and consultant with nearly 30 years of experience in leadership development and culture change. Johanna is wife to the best husband on the planet, mother to an adult daughter, and dog-mom to Petey the Amazing Tripod.

• Johanna Lyman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannalyman
• Kadabra: https://www.wearekadabra.com
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: http://podcast.snackwalls.com

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Today we present you with SnackWalls Episode #40 and we are just getting started!

In today’s episode, we interviewed Nacho Andrade, Sr. Principal Product Manager at ADP. Nacho advises those companies that cannot find diverse talent to check their hiring gates. Consider how many qualified candidates are getting rejected because their resumes didn't pass a word filter? He believes that CS degree requirements should be eliminated for certain tech roles because of the large gap between what is learned in school and what skills are needed for the job. In the near future, the companies that adopt an apprenticeship model to train young adults will be most successful at finding the next generation of top talent. From his experience, talent retention is more common in organizations that have a diverse and authentic leadership team.

Nacho Andrade is a self-motivated, charismatic and effective Product Management Professional with ~20 years of experience with a track record of proven success building teams, shaping culture, and creating valuable products. He has strong skills in communication, leadership, change management and strategic thinking. Nacho works as the Senior Principal Product Manager and Product Evangelist at ADP.

• Nacho Andrade: http://www.nachorevolution.com
• ADP: https://jobs.adp.com
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: http://podcast.snackwalls.com

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The weekend might be over, but a whole new week of SnackWalls episodes is just getting started. Happy Monday everyone!

In this episode we speak with Derric Haynie and his experiences working in E-commerce. He noticed that many industry leaders have not acknowledged inherent biases and pushed for a cultural change within their organizations. Businesses need to focus on finding candidates with the right skills and not someone who has hit a set of random milestones. In the near future people will be learning through sources of free information (internet) and apprenticeship programs to gain job skills. Business leaders must make diversity and inclusion a part of the company culture to retain employees. Additionally, they should make an effort to represent their company with a diverse pool of employees instead of having one spokesperson. 

Derric Haynie is a father, futurist, and entrepreneur. He is passionate about marketing, growth, virality, and E-commerce. As the CEO and Chief E-commerce Technologist at E-commerce Tech, Derric helps merchants find the right tools to grow their stores. He holds a B.S. in Business Management Economics from UC Santa Cruz and was formerly a high stakes poker player.

• Derric Haynie https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrichaynie
• Ecommerce Tech: https://ecommercetech.io
• Pop & Bottle: https://www.popandbottle.com
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: http://podcast.snackwalls.com

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Happy Friday! As a reward for your hard work all week, enjoy this episode of SnackWalls.

In this episode, we have the pleasure of interviewing Andrew Hill, Performance Management Supervisor from L.A. Homeless Services Authority. From his experience, companies that are looking for diverse employees need to be intentional by bridging the gap and recruiting in places where people are doing the work they need. Organizations should not limit their talent pool based solely on degree requirements while overlooking candidates that have the experience to excel. He noticed how many of his mentors don't hold degrees in the fields they work in. Andrew believes the apprenticeship model works in the tech sector because it provides the direction necessary for new recruits to step into a specific role. Furthermore, retaining talent comes down to an organization’s intentional effort to make employees feel that their contributions matter and they belong in the culture.

Andrew is the Performance Management Supervisor at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority where he finds ways to manage contracts and programs more efficiently and provides better means of communication.  He is passionate about supporting young people in history and social justice education, and in community building, teaching, and project management. 

• Andrew Hill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewghill25
• Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority: https://www.lahsa.org
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: http://podcast.snackwalls.com

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Not only is it the 1st of October, it's also the start of SD Startup Month! To celebrate this occasion we are dropping a bonus episode featuring Alexa-Rae Navarro, the Executive Director of Startup San Diego.

Alexa-Rae has had the opportunity to work with various companies of all backgrounds. She doesn't believe that there is a lack of diverse talented people to fill tech roles and there is a misconception that top talent only comes from ivy leagues. There are many tech roles that should only require a certificate or certain hard skills that do not necessarily come from a four-year degree. In her previous position, Alexa-Rae observed how an apprenticeship model can provide candidates with career exposure and increase their chance to find new career opportunities. From her experience, companies who retain diverse talent have provided internal resources dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion for all their employees. 

Alexa-Rae is the Executive Director of Start Up San Diego, a California non-profit 501(c)(3) entity that supports individuals building startups in San Diego. She has a deep passion for building and developing teams and ensuring that their work experience serves to facilitate both professional and programmatic growth. For the last eight years, Alexa has been working at the intersection of tech, corporate, education, non-profit, and public sectors focused on building and scaling entrepreneurship, talent development, and sustainability programming.

• Alexa-Rae Navarro: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexarae-navarro
• San Diego Start-Up Month: https://www.sandiegostartupweek.com
• Startup SD: https://startupsd.org
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: http://podcast.snackwalls.com

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Welcome to Ep. 36, this is a different angle.

A while back we interviewed Lexi Rhorer to hear her experiences working in the legal department of some well known tech companies. She has observed that tech companies are filling head general counsel positions with women. While they may be doing better than other industries, there is still room for improvement. Lexi believes that apprenticeship programs do work in the tech industry and these opportunities can increase employee diversity. Studies show that diverse companies are more successful, likely because different people bring unique viewpoints to the table. It is also important to have diverse leaders to retain talent at the lower levels.

Lexi Rhorer is the Associate General counsel at Segment where she is in charge of the commercial legal functions as well as employment. She has worked in the legal department of various interesting tech companies and holds a J.D. degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law.

• Lexi Rhorer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexi-rhorer-891b291
• Segment: https://segment.com
• Twilio Hatch Program: https://www.twilio.com/company/diversity/hatch
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: http://podcast.snackwalls.com

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