We’re excited to share with you some of the amazing ways that women are making moves and leaving their mark in this innovative field. It’s true that women have historically been underrepresented in tech, but we’re changing that.
Today, there are more women in leadership positions, more women founding their own tech startups, and more women innovating and driving change in the industry. Women like Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder of Bumble, Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code, and Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Meta and founder of LeanIn, have been influential in promoting the importance of diversity and inclusion in tech.
In this blog, we’ll be highlighting some of the incredible women in leadership at CodeScience. We’ll hear their stories, learn about the challenges they’ve faced, and gain insight into what it takes to succeed in the tech industry as a woman. We hope that their stories will inspire and empower you, and serve as a reminder of the incredible things that women can accomplish when they are given the opportunity to shine.
So let’s celebrate Women’s History Month by shining a spotlight on some of the women in leadership at CodeScience!
Coni Thomas-Walbert, Head of Employee Experience and Advocacy
What is your role at CodeScience and what do you enjoy most about it?
My current role is Head of Employee Experience and Culture though I have worn many different hats at CS as we have expanded and evolved. I have always found supporting roles very rewarding. Something that sets CodeScience apart from more traditional companies (tech companies) is the level of community support we offer one another. Whether it is helping someone set up a benefit, providing answers to questions, advocating on their behalf, simply making a phone call to gather information, or planning initiatives to give back to our team, the genuine thankfulness that we, as People Ops support, often receive from the team for something that may seem so simple to us is a lovely reminder of why I chose a career that helps others. And that support goes both ways. I can’t tell you how many times I have asked for help and had many of our folks much smarter than me offer their time and expertise. This company and this team continues to open my heart and mind to how I can learn, grow, and improve every day.
What are some of the positive experiences you’ve had as a woman in leadership at CodeScience, and how has the company supported and encouraged your professional growth?
Mike Witherspoon (founder) has been the most supportive employer I have ever worked for. From day one he believed I could do anything and I was inspired to try. Even when I made a mistake (which is often, let’s be honest) I was encouraged to learn what I could, dust off the injury, and do better with new experiences. Additionally, CodeScience has had several incredible female leaders to learn from and alongside, to commiserate with, and to lean on – Kim Kearney, Autumn Michaelides, Sue Boelke, Krishna Tatta, and Rebecca Dollar to name just a few!
Kim Kearney, VP of Professional Services
How do you balance the demands of work and personal life, and what strategies have you found to be effective for maintaining a healthy work-life balance?
By choice, I was never a stay-at-home mom. I knew that in order to be a better “me”, I needed something outside the home to challenge me professionally. As a result, I feel our children grew up resilient to change and gained age-appropriate independence from their early years. Schedules and routines were must-haves, and really helped to keep our home life balanced, manageable, and predictable.
As the kids grew older, these routines helped them develop skills they use today. Just recently our son, a freshman in college commented “teaching me to grocery shop for the week has really helped me plan ahead”.
When I shifted to remote work, the flexibility allowed us to explore various day camps and activities. I was not locked into a single care provider since I could drive/walk to different locations. The kids loved it and were energized from doing the same thing each week.
Our routines allowed us to anticipate busy days, and schedule vacations easier, and gave us a way to find downtime for spontaneous activities (like seeing 2 movies back to back and having popcorn and m&m’s for dinner).
Yes, there were crazy times and feelings of being overwhelmed, but looking back, I would not have changed anything. Our kids have seen first hand how my career has grown and they know that they were a key part of making that happen.
What advice would you give to other women just starting out in their careers in tech, and what do you wish you had known when you were starting out?
The biggest piece of advice is to learn to use your voice early. Do not be intimidated by others in the room. You were hired for your role for a reason – because others believe in you – so always be confident in what you know.
I have seen many times where others (especially men) will talk over people, cut them off, or “listen just to talk”. You are empowered to ask for your time to speak, challenge decisions, and present ideas. Asking clarifying questions is completely acceptable. It does not make you seem “dumb” or less qualified. Many times there are so many assumptions happening that chances are you, you are not the only one with questions.
Priya Akella, Product Architect
What inspired you to pursue a career in tech, and how did you get started in the industry?
Well, During my high school days (back in 90s), I learned Logo & Fortran languages. My very first time getting introduced to what’s called a “Computer”. I was amazed how the computer processed my instructions & did what I asked for!!! Then, I did my Bachelors in Computer Science & joined IBM and worked on their core mainframe platform. Yes, I coded in COBOL, CICS, JCL & VSAM.. It was so much FUN!!! Helped clients automate their payroll processes, set up automatic flyers for their retail space & the list goes on. I just enjoy being in the tech space.
What are some of the positive experiences you’ve had as a woman in leadership at CodeScience, and how has the company supported and encouraged your professional growth?
CS has always fostered my career growth, Be it in delivery or now in Sales. I have had fantastic Managers, Mentors, Team members who always gave me support & encouragement to dream & enjoy success! I feel so proud, happy to be working with some of the most accomplished women leaders at CS.
Sue Boehlke, Board Member
How do you balance the demands of work and personal life, and what strategies have you found to be effective for maintaining a healthy work-life balance?
For me, I’ve found there is no such thing as balance, just balancing. Like on a seesaw, something is always giving and something is getting. It’s been a constant set of tradeoffs, sometimes even throughout the day. Accepting that made it easier to think through those tradeoffs and make the best (usually micro) decisions that I could. It also helped me plan proactively. Outsourcing the routine things that would buy more time for me and my family was critical to ‘buy back’ time.
Establishing boundaries was another strategy – for me that meant protecting weekends and vacation for family. And I couldn’t have done it without a team. My husband being most important as co-captain. It didn’t come naturally for me to accept help, but eventually I learned to gratefully accept help from my village whenever offered. And obviously reciprocate whenever I can.
What advice would you give to other women who are just starting out in their careers in tech, and what do you wish you had known when you were starting out?
I somewhat stumbled into a career in tech versus planning for it so I may have a different context. I’ve found that there are many ways to have a successful career in tech but you have many more options if you aren’t afraid to dig in and learn the tech. There is no better way to plan, manage or lead in tech than to have some sense of what it takes to get the job done.
Next I’d say to keep up with the new trends and technologies, even if you aren’t hands on. Your career is long and the lifecycle of any given tech is short. And don’t ignore basic business skills. All tech is basically solving a problem – understanding the problem, the value and therefore appropriate cost and risk – will help you deliver the right solution. That’s always a winner. Finally, finding the right support system in a company, culture, team, boss or support system makes it all much easier.
Rebecca Dollar, Director of Finance
What inspired you to pursue a career in tech, and how did you get started in the industry?
My background is accounting, and while I love the stability of that profession, I also know that it can get a little boring. Not so in the tech industry! I love the constant challenge of our changing landscape, and I am energized by the problem-solving aspects of my job.
What advice would you give to other women who are just starting out in their careers in tech, and what do you wish you had known when you were starting out?
My best advice for women starting their careers in tech is to find a team of female mentors in the industry—explore networking groups, get to know other females at your workplace, and reach out to females at similar companies.
What are some of the positive experiences you’ve had as a woman in leadership at CodeScience, and how has the company supported and encouraged your professional growth?
CodeScience has been a great place for me to grow, and I definitely feel supported in my position. I communicate well with my supervisor, and I feel like my needs are heard and addressed. I feel like CodeScience wants me to excel here!
Deanna Simpson, Principal Technical Architect
What inspired you to pursue a career in tech, and how did you get started in the industry?
I have always been someone who “invents”: for example, a new way of doing something, or a new design for a product. When I started university, I enjoyed economics, philosophy and calculus, but I didn’t find that it satisfied my desire to invent things. I heard about what a friend was doing in Computer Science, and thought it sounded like fun. So I switched into Computer Science, and the rest is history.
What are some of the skills and qualities you think are important for success in the tech industry?
Oftentimes, the old adage, “When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail” comes to mind. Just because you *can* do something using the tools you know, doesn’t mean you *should* do that. So judgment, and the ability to see a problem from many angles, is crucial.
As well, university programs in computer science teach fabulous technical skills, but often don’t teach how to communicate effectively. If you can communicate technical concepts to a non-technical audience, you have valuable skills.
At CodeScience, we’re committed to diversity, inclusion, and innovation, and our women in leadership are leading the charge. If you want to join our team of innovators and change-makers, we’d love to hear from you. Click our careers page under the About tab to learn more about our career opportunities and become a part of the CodeScience family.
This blog was written by Reena Sandoval, a former CodeScientist, who is a seasoned professional in HR and Sales, with over 8 years of experience in the tech industry, including time at IBM, Apple and CodeScience.
