Online Program

Mindful Networking to Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (309995)

Keywords: networking, career advancement, diversity, equity, inclusion

Professional and personal networks are the foundation of opportunity. Evidence suggests up to 80% of open positions are filled through networking. Professional relationships can facilitate career success through knowledge and resource sharing, personal support, mentoring, mutual advocacy, advancement of common interests, and more. Yet, networks tend to be homophilic: people with similar backgrounds and demographic characteristics are more likely to form connections. As a consequence, the benefits of networks are concentrated among those who already have privilege and influence— in the US, often men and white people, at the expense of women and people of color. This panel will approach the problem of networking from the perspective of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Panelists will draw on their experiences and expertise to enumerate the ways in which existing professional network structures fail to support career advancement for women, especially women of color. The panel will then discuss potential solutions, addressing not only how early career women data scientists and statisticians can build and leverage diverse professional networks, but how established data scientists and statisticians can grow and diversify their networks to ensure the benefits of these connections are equitably distributed.