I’m an advocate for women in the tech industry. I coach women to be stronger leaders and men who want to be better allies for women. I speak about gender diversity, leadership, and women in tech. And, to bring more diversity to speaker lineups at tech industry events, I teach public speaking workshops and co-authored "Present! A Techie’s Guide to Public Speaking."
Formerly, I spent over 25 years building software products. I started off writing code and over time moved into executive leadership. Most recently, I was a vice president at Adobe Systems, where I led corporate-wide product globalization, software security, and other cross company engineering functions.
Outside of my commercial ventures I work with a number of non-profits. I'm on the Brown University Computing and Information Technology Advisory Council. I'm also on the advisory boards for The Women's CLUB of Silicon Valley, WEST (Women Entering & Staying in Technology), Women Serve on Boards, and Brown University's Computer Science Department Diversity Committee. And through the Brown University Women's Launch Pad, I mentor young women about to start their careers.
I'm also a bit of a public speaking geek. I'm a TEDx speaker, and I frequently give keynotes at conferences. With Poonima Vijayashankar, I wrote "Present! A Techie's Guide to Public Speaking," published November 2015.
In addition, I've written articles for The Daily Beast, Inc., Fast Company, Women 2.0, and other leadership sites.
In 2015, the California State Assembly honored me with the Wonder Women Tech Innovator Award for outstanding achievements in business and technology and for being a role model for women.
Are you seeking an inspirational speaker for your next event? Contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.
--Karen
