Recognizing Female Talent in Tech, Welcome to the 21st Century, Mr. Nadella of Microsoft

The news came to me this morning from my husband who had received it in his ASEE (American Society for Engineering Education) daily email newsletter and he was shocked.

Yesterday, at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference, Satya Nadella, the Chief Executive of Microsoft,  suggested that women who do not ask for more money from their employers would be rewarded in the long run when their good work was recognized.

The New York Times had a great article on this "misspeaking"  complete with a video in which Dr. Maria Klawe, the President of Harvey Mudd College, and former Dean of Engineering at Princeton, completely disagrees with him. I have written about Dr. Klawe, since I am a big fan of hers and she has been very innovative in computing education and in breaking down barriers.

The Twittersphere lit up with Nadella's telling women not to ask for a raise but to wait for good karma - I kid you not! 

We are, last time that I checked, living in the 21st century, in which Lean In has become the mantra, Larry Summers is no longer President of Harvard University, but Drew Gilpin Faust is and she was the Dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study when I was a Science Fellow there 2005-2006.  Coincidentally, in the same Times article, Claudia Goldin, who was also a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard my year,  is quoted.

Female talent in tech needs to be recognized and rewarded and having the right salary is one clear way in which to do this. Dr. Klawe regrets not speaking up when negotiating for her offer from Princeton and even more recently from Harvey Mudd College.

Another way to recognize females is through professional society awards.

For example, WORMS (Women in Operations Research and the Management Sciences),  a forum of INFORMS, started the WORMS Award 9 years ago.  The Award for the Advancement of Women in OR/MS celebrates and recognizes a person who has contributed significantly to the advancement and recognition of women in the field of Operations Research and the Management Sciences (OR/MS).

Several of the WORMS Award recipients have also been  elected  INFORMS Fellows: Cynthia Barnhart of MIT, Brenda Dietrich of IBM, Kathy Stecke of UT Dallas, yours truly in 2013, and, this year, we have two out of the twelve 2014 INFORMS Fellows being female and also previous WORMS Award winners: Dr. Candi Yano of UC Berkeley and Dr. Radhika Kulkarni of SAS. WORMS has had outstanding officers, including Laura McLay, now at the University of Wisconsin Madison, who served as President, and has done great work in advocating for female tech professionals - thanks!

Perhaps Nadella should come to the INFORMS Conference in San Francisco and meet some truly successful, wonderful female and male pioneers in tech.

Nadella might learn something from Ed Lazowska, who is a Brown University alum, as am I. In an article in USA Today it was stated:  Hiring women and minorities isn't about window dressing. It actually makes it a better and more profitable company, says Ed Lazowska, a professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington-Seattle. "Engineering (particularly of software) is a hugely creative endeavor. Greater diversity — more points of view — yields a better result," he said.

Indeed, and they should be fairly compensated!

Diversity, and a Company (Ernst & Young) and Student Who Care

I returned from two weeks of heavy travel in Europe to speak at conferences to find alot of mail waiting for me in the mailroom at the Isenberg School. There were several packages, which, I suspected, might be tenure or promotion files to evaluate. After two days of processing and catching up with email plus reconnecting with my family I decided to tackle all the other mail.

My conferences in Vienna, Austria and in Yalta, Ukraine (see my earlier blogposts) required 8 different flights so in my travels I got to meet new people, enjoyed the two conferences immensely and experienced also a part of the world where my parents had come from (Ukraine) that I had previously never been to. The experiences were intense and vivid and I returned to Amherst, Massachusetts truly happy.

It certainly didn't hurt that when I opened my mailer at 3AM the next morning I had a message from an editor of a journal accepting a paper I had worked on for months this past year plus the weather had cooled in the Northeast and Amherst was verdant and lovely.

And an article in yesterday's New York Times by Stephanie Bloom, "But Will It Make You Happy?" further reinforced recent studies by psychologists that it is better to take a vacation than engage in just purchasing "more stuff." Although I would not call extensive professional travel over a relatively short time period a "vacation."

I opened a FedEx package from Secaucus, New Jersey to find a letter from Mr. Ken Bouyer of Enst & Young, the renowened accounting firm. The letter was accompanied by a beautiful standing frame from MoMA (the Museum of Moden Art) in NYC and one of my favorite destinations with the above placard.

In an email message, a former student of mine at the Isenberg School, who had just graduated in May with his degree in Operations Management, informed me that he had submitted my nomination for this award.

I was stunned by the kindness and thoughtfulness of this student who took the time to recognize the promotion of diversity and inclusiveness. I might add that he is a white male (not that it matters).

Kudos also to Ernst & Young for valuing diversity and inclusiveness and the promotion thereof in the global workplace. Two years ago, the Isenberg School had received a grant from Ernst & Young.

Clearly, an essential part of "happiness" is not only those special experiences but the strength of relationships and ties that we build over time wherever our work or our travels take us.

WORMS Award Call for Nominations

A former Operations Management student of mine, who had just received his degree from UMass Amherst in May 2010, contacted me recently that he had nominated me for an award for promoting diversity. I was very touched that he took the time to do this and told him so. Recognition from one's former students is one of the most appreciated of accolades that a professor can receive.

In the meantime, the following Call for Nominations has been sent out regarding the 2010 WORMS Award. The list of previous recipients of this award can be found here.

Professor Candi Yano of UC Berkeley is chairing this year's award committee. I had the honor and pleasure of chairing last year's committee. The information is below.


CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

The Award for the Advancement of Women in OR/MS celebrates and recognizes a person who has contributed significantly to the advancement and recognition of women in the field of Operations Research and the Management Sciences (OR/MS). Each nominee will be considered based on his or her history of successfully promoting the professional development, success, and recognition of women in OR/MS. Nominees can have made contributions in multiple ways, such as primarily at their own institutions, through involvement in professional organizations, etc.

Examples of activities to be considered include, but are not limited to, the following: personal commitment and/or leadership with respect to increased hiring, retention, advancement, and recognition of women (students and faculty) in academia, industry, or government; leadership in encouraging, sponsoring, and/or developing professional training/development programs for women in OR/MS; creating an environment that supports womens' full participation and advancement in the field of OR/MS, possibly through mentoring, leadership, financial support, and/or personal investment of time.

Application process:

Nominations should include:

* Nominee's name, affiliation, address, telephone, fax, e-mail;

* A short (250-500 words) description of the nominee's overall contribution to the advancement of the careers of women in OR/MS;

* Description(s) of specific activities, programs, leadership;

* Statements of support from women in OR/MS and/or from organizations which observed or benefited from the nominee's activities;

* The nominee's resume and other items as appropriate.

All nominations must be submitted via e-mail to the Award Committee Chair, Candi Yano, by August 1, 2010.

One award (in the form of a plaque) will be given, if there is a suitable candidate. The award will be presented to the winner during the 2010 INFORMS National Meeting in Austin, Texas.

For questions, please contact the 2010 Award Committee Chair: Candace A. Yano Professor, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research and The Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley.

Postal Address:

IEOR Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1777
Phones: 510-643-9994 / 510-642-4992
Fax: 510-642-1403
Email: yano@ieor.berkeley.edu

Photos that Capture the Festivities and Diversity at the 2009 WORMS Award Luncheon in San Diego

Now that the fabulous INFORMS conference in San Diego has come to its conclusion, I would like to share with you some photos taken at the Women in Operations Research and the Management Sciences (WORMS) luncheon on Tuesday, October 13. The photos acknowledge the sponsors, display the program, capture our wonderful officers, and the 2009 WORMS Award recipient, Professor Alice Smith of Auburn University. They also demonstrate the diversity of those in attendance.

Congratulations to the WORMS community for such a special and wonderful occasion and many thanks to the sponsors of this truly memorable event.

We thank both Professor Patrick Qiang and Professor Christian Wernz for assisting with the photography!

More photos will be posted on the WORMS site.

Celebrating Diversity, Sotomayor and the American Dream

I concur that the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States is a testament to the American Dream and a reason for celebrating the possibilities and dreams of those residing in the US both now and in the future. Her story of struggles, growing up in NYC, and being raised by a single mother who worked tirelessly to support the education of her children, plus Sotomayor's work ethic which led her to and through Princeton University and Yale University Law School and now to the Supreme Court is one we should all be celebrating. I have enjoyed reading about Sotomayor growing up as a child -- her love of Nancy Drew books, which I also devoured as a child growing up in Yonkers and now so has my daughter -- her devotion to Perry Mason episodes -- her dedication to her friends and their families -- her exercising venue of walking the Brooklyn Bridge (one of my favorite "city" walks, as well). I watched part of the confirmation hearings on television and was touched by seeing her mother in the audience as well as her brother, a medical doctor. Congratulations to Chief Justice Sotomayor, to her family, and to all of her mentors who helped to pave the way!

In this day and age, celebrating diversity matters and so does service to one's profession. I am reminded of the words of past-President of INFORMS (The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences), Dr. Mark Daskin of Northwestern University, who in one of his columns in ORMS Today emphasized volunteerism and also recognized that our professional societies can benefit from more diversity. At that time I had chaired an ad-hoc committee on diversity and our "preliminary" study noted some areas that needed improvement. Obviously, getting nomination packets to recognize females and other deserving members of the professions for various positions, awards, etc., takes time and effort but needs to be done. As a member of an awards committee recently told me at the conclusion of our deliberations: the fact that we are giving this award is a reward in itself and I fully concurred.

In celebration of diversity and great achievements, despite what seem, at times, insurmountable odds, I leave you with a photo of the Brooklyn Bridge, to honor Chief Justice Sonia Sotomayor and all those who do their very best. The photo was taken during a walk I took last November while I was at the Regional Science Association's annual conference to give a plenary talk as a Fellow of that society.