Session: Building Diversity: Elevate Underrepresented Voices and Leaders in Tech
It’s never been more essential to build a diverse and inclusive workplace culture. As a leader, setting that culture is the starting point for progress. In this talk, we will cover how we can intentionally build diverse teams and grow future underrepresented leaders in tech organizations. We start with how to source, interview, and hire diverse leaders. We then cover how leaders can develop mechanisms, and enroll key allies to develop a team strategy and culture that focus on activities that nurture team members, create momentum for growth and increase retention of underrepresented leaders in tech.
Bio
Rosa Thomas (pronouns: she/her) is a Sr. Software Development Manager at AWS in Seattle, WA. Born and raised in Bahia, Brazil, she got her bachelors degree in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering, at Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY). After working as a software development engineer in the Bay Area for approximately 10 years, she moved to Seattle area to raise children and work for Microsoft. After 13 years, she joined AWS, where she currently works for Amazon Connect. She received a Masters degree in Computer Science from University of Washington, (Seattle, WA), while working full time at Amazon. She loves trail running, and has completed 20 full marathons to date. She and her husband raised 4 children in the area while working full time.