Meet our Closing the Gap guest speaker, Alaina Percival!

Alaina Percival (she/her) is CEO and co-founder of Women Who Code. Under Alaina’s leadership, the organization has grown to serve 290,000 members in 134 countries. Alaina has been published by Forbes, Huffington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. She is an accomplished tech speaker, appearing at WSJ Live, CodeMotion Milan, Grace Hopper, Columbia University’s Social Enterprise, and more. She also recently spoke at the United Nations on intersectional diversity and equity-centered decision-making in data strategy.

Alaina holds a Master’s in Organizational Management and an MBA. She is also an Angel Investor, a Venture Partner at Valor Ventures, serves on the Board of ATLFamily meal, and teaches WomenLead in Tech at Georgia State University.

Q: Please describe your educational/training background.

Masters – Organizational Management

Q: Please describe where you work & your occupation.

Women Who Code, CEO & Co-founder

Q: Career-wise, what have been your proudest moments/highlights/accomplishments so far?

The individual impact that Women Who Code’s Leaders experience, pay increases, and growing the membership.

Q: What are some of your future goals or things you would like to accomplish?

Diverse women are proportionately represented in technology and leadership roles.

Q: What have been some of your biggest career challenges?

My move into the tech industry was my biggest career challenge.

Q: Many young women might not be aware of the career available in STEM fields. What do you think can be done to spread the word to women about career options in these fields?

Women Who Code needs to elevate the talented role models in the industry who are building, living. Media only talks about a few women but there are thousands.

Q: Do you have any advice for women who are looking to follow in a similar career path?

Create a for-profit vs. non-profit so you own it.

Q: What do you like to do for fun in your spare time?

I love hiking, foodie, traveling, and anything that is a unique cultural experience. Doing kid-friendly excursions.

 

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