How a national nonprofit is demonstrating ways to #BreakTheBias in technology
Louisville, Kentucky (March 8, 2022) – Happy International Women’s Day (IWD) — a day that falls within the second week of Women’s History Month. That’s for a very good reason.
As we take time throughout the month of March to both recognize and celebrate the historic contributions of women, we must also challenge ourselves, our communities, and our workplaces to examine what can be done “in the now” to create a more gender-equal world.
To do so, the International Women’s Day website* wants us all to take action to #BreakTheBias. The site asks us to “imagine a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where different is valued and celebrated. Together, we can forge women’s equality.”
I’m among the lucky. I don’t have to imagine this world — I’m living in it. That’s because as the Communications Director for Connected Nation (CN), I’ve witnessed firsthand how our national nonprofit’s leadership has promoted and supported women in leadership roles and in many tech roles that are traditionally held by men.
The team behind the IWD site breaks down its work into several mission focus areas that celebrate women’s achievements and increase their visibility, while also calling out inequality. Among those six areas that are two that CN excel in — building workplaces where women can thrive and improving equality for women in tech.
Women are present in leadership and other critical roles throughout CN, including on our Board of Directors and in the C-suite. Just to name a few: Board Member Wendy Lazarus; Chief Financial Officer Bernie Bogle; Vice President, Digital Inclusion, Heather Gate; Vice President, Connect K-12, Emily Jordan; State Program Director, CN Texas, Jennifer Harris; Vice President, State & Industry Relations, Jenny Miller; and Vice President, GeoAnalytics, Ashley Hitt.
Each of these women — and the more than a dozen other women working at CN— not only influence the path of our organization but are providing guidance to external organizations and lawmakers. They are extremely knowledgeable about the ways broadband (high-speed internet) and its related technologies impact local families, schools, hospitals, community organizations, and states. Even more importantly, they understand how to effectively tackle this complicated topic at a time in our history when billions of dollars are being invested in connecting more people across the country.
These women are THE EXPERTS that communities and states should be seeking out to ensure that federal and state dollars are invested intelligently. Simply put, their contributions are helping to close the Digital Divide across the United States. All of this would not be possible without a company culture that allows women’s voices to be heard, and their contributions and accomplishments celebrated.
I promise that I’m not boasting - just last week, CN was once again named among the “Best Places to Work.” This was the 11th time we’ve received the honor, and that was all because of overwhelmingly positive, anonymous input from our staff.
Right now, CN has openings in critical roles, and I invite you to join a company that not only provides space for women to grow, but celebrates and supports their progress. You can explore our career opportunities here.
*Learn more about the ways you can help create proactive change by heading here to the International Women’s Day website.
About the author: Jessica Denson is the Communications Director for Connected Nation. She is responsible for overall brand strategy, which includes building program recognition through digital communications, media relations, and marketing opportunities.