Online Program

WiDS in Tech Consulting: Bridging the Gap via Education, Community, and Action (309564)

Keywords: women in data science, gender parity, diversity, education, tech consulting, social good, community building

Despite efforts in the tech industry to increase gender parity, women continue to hold few positions in tech. To support Booz Allen’s equality initiatives, employees created the Women in Data Science (WiDS) group which has made large strides in building communities to foster growth and networks of technical individuals who are vested in the progress and success of women. During this talk, we will discuss the guiding principles of WiDS’s Education Pillar and how we’ve built inclusive communities to support the growth and retention of junior data scientists through education, networking, and action. This pillar provides a comprehensive data science and machine learning curriculum through three volunteer-managed programs: the Incubator, the Brown Bag series, and Project ResearcHER. Each program addresses a data science education need and brings data scientists from all backgrounds together to build a stronger sense of community through learning fellowship. We hope that by sharing our vision and work, we can inspire other institutions to think creatively about ways in which they can spur collaboration across their workforce and encourage a more inclusive, engaging work environment.