Dani Aivazian (daivaz@stanford.edu, @ Dani Aivazian on Slack)
Anne Pinkowski (apink@stanford.edu, @ Anne Pinkowski on Slack)
Jon Russell (jdrussel@stanford.edu, @ Jon Russell on Slack)
Brittany Cripe (blcripe@stanford.edu, @ Brittany Cripe on Slack)
Rodney Carter (rwcarter@stanford.edu, @ rwcarter on Slack)
Jessica Brooks (jrbrooks@stanford.edu, @ Jessica Brooks on Slack)
Dani Aivazian: IDEAL IT Program Lead
Outcomes: Learn more about IDEAL IT
The program has been running for a year and a half
Brittany Cripe: WIT Program Lead
Rodney Carter: People of Color in IT (POC-IT) Program Lead
Jon Russell: Year Up Internship Program Lead
Anne Pinkowski: Neurodiversity Program Lead
Inclusion Diversity Equity and Access in a Learning Community (IDEAL (the "C" is silent))
Neurodiversity in IT
The Neurodiversity in IT program advances and promotes the university’s commitment to workforce innovation and broad diversity and inclusion, specifically related to neurodiversity.
University IT (UIT) was the first organization at Stanford to pilot this program. The program is a partnership between University IT, University Human Resources, the Stanford Neurodiversity Project (a special initiative of the Stanford Department of Psychiatry), and Neurodiversity Pathways at Goodwill of Silicon Valley.
- Brown bag lunches (look at the BeWell berry calendar for credit)
- Hired 4 FTEs to date
- 2 individuals were hired in year one
- 3 in UIT, one is in GSB
- Reach out to Anne if you're interested in becoming an ally or a part of the program
- Join our Slack channel
Contact Anne Pinkowski: apink@stanford.edu
Year Up Internship Program
The Year Up Internship Program is a partnership between Stanford University and Year Up. University IT (UIT) coordinates this partnership on behalf of the university.
Year Up is an organization that works with motivated young adults from underprivileged and economically disadvantaged communities to provide technology skills-training and internship opportunities. The Stanford IT Community sponsors Year Up interns in entry level positions throughout campus, giving participants invaluable experience while the IT organizations benefit from skilled and motivated individuals.
- Six months of general office skills and very specific training in whatever location they are in
- Given a six month internship after training ($26K)
- Paid in both phases
- In the first year, there were 4 interns, 3 were hired
- Coming January, we will have 21 interns starting in entry-level positions
Contact Jon Russell: jdrussell@stanford.edu
Women in Technology
Stanford Women in Technology (Stanford WIT) is a community of women, non-binary people, and allies with a mission to advance representation, engagement, and support for women in technology roles at Stanford.
Through networking, workshops, mentoring, and more, Stanford WIT helps foster a supportive, productive, and inclusive work environment where all people feel valued and respected.
- Over 300 members that meet quarterly
- Community Groups: 6-10 people in a mentoring model to connect with other members of the community
- Partnership with Year Up program. Mentoring program where members of the Stanford WIT community will mentor Year Up interns.
- Gender gap in technology begins really early.
Contact Brittany Cripe: blcripe@stanford.edu
People of Color in Technology (POC-IT)
Stanford People of Color in Technology (POC-IT) is a university-wide affinity group that advances representation, engagement, and support of people of color in technology roles at Stanford.
While primarily aimed at university, SLAC, and Stanford Medicine staff who work or have an interest in technology roles, POC-IT also welcomes faculty and students, allies, and those in non-technology roles who are interested in participating.
Advisory group is the backbone of POC-IT.
Theme for Year 1: Being your authentic self
Join one of the planning committees that will be formed at our launch event on January 15, 2020.
Contact Rodney Carter: rwcarter@stanford.edu
IDEAL IT Foundations
IDEAL IT Foundations is a sub-program that manages and supports overall communication, strategic planning, advocacy, and advisory processes for the IDEAL IT program.
With a key focus on creating and measuring impact, diversifying recruitment, and increasing overall cultural awareness in the IT community, IDEAL IT Foundations seeks to support all broadly defined dimensions of diversity including:
- Race/ethnicity
- Gender
- Religion
- Age
- Sexual orientation
- Disability
- Physical condition/appearance
- Socioeconomic status
Year 1: Initiate, Operationalize, Stabilize
Year 2: Reinvigorate, evolve, grow, maintain
Year 3: Continue to grow, evolve, sustain (New groups in 2020-2021: Veterans, LGBTQ+)
Contact Dani Aivazian: daivaz@stanford.edu
Questions:
- Q: When will there be a physical disability group?
A: Disability group (both physical and cognitive) and a support group for people who have family members who have physical disabilities
- Q: Can you speak about the Neurodiversity program internships?
A: 4 month commitment, $25/hour, wait for a match. All recruits come through Goodwill of Silicon Valley.
- Q: Can we connect the dots with SHC?
A: Yes! Dani provided her business card
- Q: What does the internal support look like for these programs?
A: Brown bag lunches for neurodiversity is a requirement for those hiring an intern who comes from the neurodiverse program. We also assign mentors. For Year Up, hiring managers identify a hiring opportunity, a discussion takes place, the hiring manager works with the Year Up representative to create a job description, and support the entire process along the way.
- Q: Is WIT anybody who works in technology (not just in UIT)?
A: Yes! We welcome allies, people who are interested in technology, etc.
- Q: How are we supporting and enabling our coworkers who are neurodiverse?
A: After brown bag lunches, sometimes people stay behind and reveal that they are neurodiverse. Individuals may be comfortable talking 1:1, but may not want to disclose that they are neurodiverse. Some individuals have disclosed that they are neurodiverse and that was a light switch for their team. Some people can perceive that there is a lack of capability. Every candidate has a 2 year degree, and we have placed individuals who are PhDs who also happen to be neurodiverse, so it is not a matter of ability. It's going to take some brave souls to come forward and represent neurodiversity. Creating environments that are safe are important to create belonging and inclusion.
