The Value of Mentoring Women and Minorities in Tech | Elaine Montilla | TEDxChelseaPark
Elaine advocates for immediate, structural accountability from institutions—homes, schools, and companies—to support minority groups entering STEM fields. She asserts that mentorship is critical for retention, citing her own career breakthrough through a professor and urging attendees to actively mentor someone different from themselves. Her overarching message is a call to action: be brave, educate yourself, and confront fear. ## Speakers & Context - Elaine; professional with over 20 years in the tech industry, currently serving as AVP and CIO in data/technology within academia. - Identifies as a female, Latina, lesbian, and a member of a minority group. - Shares personal concern for her nephews' futures, worrying that their race and last name will disadvantage them in the job market. ## Theses & Positions - The tech industry, and STEM fields generally, are not welcoming to women or minority groups. - The lack of support causes a high attrition rate: **40% of women** entering tech leave within **10 years**. - Effective mentorship at work is correlated with higher retention rates for women and underrepresented minorities in STEM. - Companies benefit financially from diversity and inclusion; research shows they achieve better business outcomes and exceed financial targets. - Awareness alone is insufficient; true change requires **accountability** from employers for sponsoring and mentoring women and underrepresented minorities. - Technology is fundamentally about innovation, requiring diverse voices to reach larger markets. ## Concepts & Definitions - **"Professional unicorn"**: A term used by friends to describe her, which she prefers not to use. - **STEM fields**: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math—areas noted as significantly under-recruiting minority groups. - **Accountability**: The requirement that institutions (homes, schools, companies) must be responsible for mentoring and supporting minority talent. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Career Trajectory Change**: Elaine's career was altered by Professor Largo's suggestion to take the New York civil service exam, even though Elaine had no idea what it was. - **Mentorship Impact**: Mentors providing encouragement and support are credited with keeping her on her STEM career path for nearly **20 years**. - **Innovation Driver**: Diverse and inclusive cultures are shown to drive innovation, leading to better business outcomes. - **Call to Action**: Attendees are given "homework" to leave the talk: actively find someone who looks nothing like them, share wisdom, and offer support/guidance. ## Named Entities - **Professor Largo**: First female Latina who served as a mentor figure to Elaine, encouraging her to take the New York civil service exam. ## Numbers & Data - Professional tenure: **more than 20 years**. - Tech industry dominance: Predominantly male. - Job openings prediction: **1.4 million** job openings estimated by **2020**. - Computer Science graduates annually: **40,000**. - Job filling prediction: Only **3%** of the projected jobs are expected to be filled by women. - Management representation: Black and Latino groups each comprise only about **5%** of those in management positions. - Attrition rate: **40%** of women in tech leave after **10 years** due to lack of support. - Age moved to the U.S.: **16**. ## Examples & Cases - **Low-Income Student Reality**: Students in low-income homes often have only **one computer shared by everyone**, or no computer at all, contrasting with current devices carried by others. - **Language Barrier**: Upon arriving in the U.S. at age 16, Elaine was marked absent from every class because professors called her "Elaine," while her name was "Elena" in Spanish. - **Mentoring Millennials**: Mentoring younger generations is viewed as a win-win, as Millennials help keep up with new technology. - **Nephews' Future**: Concern that their race and last name will predispose potential employers against them. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Cisco router**: Specific piece of equipment Elaine learned to remotely configure in her first computer networking class. - **Computer Science degree**: The educational path fueling the labor market prediction. ## References Cited - **Research on Mentors**: Cited research shows women and underrepresented minorities with effective workplace mentors are more likely to remain in STEM careers. - **Business Culture Research**: Cited research shows companies with diverse/inclusive culture see better business outcomes. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - **Skepticism of "Sound Good" Advice**: Acknowledges that the advice might sound "insane" or too good to be true, immediately followed by a practical question: *"what's in it for me?"* - **Awareness vs. Action**: Highlights that simple awareness is insufficient; structural accountability is required. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - Attendees must look around their current workplaces and actively seek out someone who looks nothing like them to mentor. - The goal is to build a sustainable system where institutional accountability supports all minority groups in tech. - **Final Advice**: To women and minorities entering tech: "Be brave, be bold, educate yourself and bring fear with you everywhere you go because fear is right here with me." ## Implications & Consequences - The current trend jeopardizes the talent pipeline for the tech sector, particularly for minority groups. - Failure to institute mentorship and accountability mechanisms will result in continued systemic exclusion despite technological advancement. ## Verbatim Moments - *"I'm really worried about their future their last name and the color of their skin will tell every potential employer that they belong to a minority group."* - *"STEM fields are significantly on the recruiting minority groups and it all starts at home."* - *"The saddest part about this statistics is that it is also predicted that just 3% of these jobs will be filled by women and what's even worse blacks and Latinos each comprise just about 5% of those who make it into management positions."* - *"Professor Largo came up to me one night after class and said Elaine I see a lot of potential in you you should take the New York civil service exam."* - *"Companies need to be accountable for the Bell sponsoring and mentoring women and underrepresented minorities because without any kind of accountability all this talk about diversity and inclusion is nothing but lip service."* - *"I want you to look around and find someone who looks nothing like you in start sharing some of your personal and professional wisdom listen to their stories and offer support and guidance in whichever way is available to you."* - *"Be brave, be bold educate yourself and bring fear with you everywhere you go because fear is right here with me."*