Tech Equity Collective (TEC) is an initiative started by Google to accelerate Black innovation in tech. TEC partners with industry partners and community organizations to develop aspiring Black technical talent by creating culturally-informed career pathway programs.
Today, we’re launching Black Genius Academy (BGA), a tech career exploration app that provides resources and guidance to help people identify, enroll and succeed in technical education programs such as certificate programs and technical bootcamps.
Through audio interviews with Black tech leaders, personalized career action plans and coaching support, Black Genius Academy demystifies fast-growing career fields to help learners discover what a career in tech can look like for them.
When senior product marketing manager Rachelle Olden joined Google’s Tech Equity Collective (TEC) nearly two years ago, it was a small volunteer project at Google, launched after the murder of George Floyd.
Olden’s team has since developed holistic career development programs and built go-to-market strategies with the goal of doubling the number of Black developers in the U.S. by 2030.
“Software developers are helping to shape the products and services that we use in our daily lives and have an impact across the globe,” Olden says. “It’s important that we not just build for everyone but with everyone.”
Olden is also responsible for helping to found Black Genius Academy, a technical career application platform designed for aspiring technologists that introduces career pathways, career coaching, and job training programs. Her impact-driven approach to tech was shaped by years of working in advocacy and international development.
“I noticed that while it was very meaningful work,” Olden recalls, “I felt like impact could be driven from the private corporate side.” She went on to attend business school at Duke University to acquire skills like running profit and loss, driving revenue, and management skills to take back to the social sector.
In 2017, after internships at Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Olden entered the tech space. “I wanted to be a part of systemic dismantling,” she says. “I wanted to be a part of solution designing and be around people whose bottom line looked different but could also be nimble.”
After receiving her MBA, Olden worked at Microsoft for a few years before landing her current role at Google. “Technology truly alters the way that we live our life,” she says, “and so if I could bring my mission-oriented background, my empathy, and thinking about people first into this space, I just thought that I would be a lot more impactful.”
Olden’s work is creating opportunities for the next generation of tech mavens. She’s continued to enlarge her vision and scale her influence. Shondaland recently spoke with Olden about her real-life superpower and why getting outdoors is key.
*****
Honestly, just admit you hate white people and you are a racist. At least, then, you would have my respect.
