Innovating for Diversity

Introduction: How the Concept of “Innovating for Diversity” Was Born

The origins of this book date back to March 12, 2020, exactly one week prior to the first Stay at Home Order issued in the U.S. as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It was March 12th that then-Governor Cuomo proclaimed as “Women of Color in Tech Day” across New York State. To commemorate the day, staff from NPower, the sponsoring nonprofit for the proclamation, as well as numerous community and corporate partners gathered to ring the closing bell at NASDAQ in Times Square.

One of the guests invited to celebrate the day, Dawn Michelle Hardy, just happened to be the publicist of the author and technologist, Susanne Tedrick. During the event, Dawn introduced herself to NPower CEO Bertina Ceccarelli, and mentioned, “I know the woman who literally wrote the book, Women of Color in Tech!”.

Susanne's first book had just been published by Wiley earlier that month. Bertina knew then she couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet Susanne and learn about her work and experiences, especially since NPower was seeking expertise on new ways to increase the number of minority women in the organization's IT skills training and job placement program. At the time, less than 4 percent of those working in U.S. tech jobs were Black, Brown, or Indigenous women.

Our first meeting led to numerous reflective and candid conversations about the state of diversity across U.S. businesses, large and small. While we come from two ...