Ruthe Farmer | How This Former White House Advisor is Leading More Women and Minorities into Tech

“I’m really interested in figuring out what it’s going to take to level the playing field.”— Ruthe Farmer

Ruthe Farmer strives for the greater inclusion of women, minority, and low-income students in computer science and engineering. Tired of barriers that keep too many promising young people out of STEM-related fields, Ruthe has committed her career to breaking them down for good. 

As the Chief Evangelist at CSforALL and Senior Policy Advisor for Tech Inclusion in the Obama White House, Ruth’s been integral to the design, launch, and scale-up of multiple national initiatives including the Aspirations in Computing, TECHNOLOchicas, AspireIT, CSEdWeek, CS and Cyber for Girl Scouts, CSforALL Summit, and the Last Mile Education Fund. 

She has served as Chair of CSEDWeek, was named a White House Champion of Change for Technology Inclusion, received the Anita Borg Institute Award for Social Impact, and the UK Alumni Award for Social Impact. She holds a BA from Lewis & Clark College and an MBA from Oxford.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why so few women and minorities are in STEM-related fields
• How Ruthe’s initiatives break down barriers into tech
• What obstacles women, minorities, and low-income students face in tech
• Why traditional scholarships increase inequity
• About Ruthe’s “Camelot” experience at the Obama White House
• What accomplishments Ruthe achieved while there
• About her amazing organization CSforALL
• How the Last Mile Fund supports students in completing their education
• Why Ruthe doesn’t love the phrase “STEM”
• The difference between computer science vs. coding
• How Ruthe integrated STEM-related badges into the Girls Scouts
• Why the Girl Scouts might be the most successful social enterprise
• Some fascinating facts about Thin Mint cookies
• Which smart inventions and solutions her students have developed
• Why Ruth Bader Ginsburg was such an inspiration to Ruthe Farmer
• Why everyone should find inspiration from RBG
• And so much more!

Connect with Ruthe FarmerTwitter

twitter.com/ruthefLinkedIn

www.linkedin.com/in/ruthefarmer

Learn About the Last Mile FundThe Last Mile Fund invests in the next generation of technology talent. Most scholarship programs seek to identify ‘top’ talent and reward them with support—as long as they stay on top.

The Last Mile Fund takes an investment approach and identifies young people with aspirations in technology and engineering fields. They provide support for challenges they face beyond their control and incubate them to be the next generation of innovators.

Websitewww.lastmile-ed.org

Twittertwitter.com/MileFund

Learn About CSforALLCSforALL’s mission is to make high-quality computer science an integral part of the educational experience of all K-12 students and teachers and to support student pathways to college and career success.

Websitewww.csforall.org

Twitter

twitter.com/CSforALL

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