Recently, the biggest of tech companies have begun to take the issue of diversity in their ranks more seriously. 
Google, Apple, Yahoo, Microsoft, and others have voluntarily released their employee diversity data in the name of transparency and in an effort to publicly recognize the problem of homogenous teams. Whether by ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, or disability, companies are slowly beginning to wake up to the issue and appreciate the benefits of a representative team.
Enter President Barack Obama. Yesterday, the Commander-in-Chief appointed his new Chief Technology Officer, one Megan Smith, a VP at Google. Smith brings considerable tech chops to the table, having lead the business development teams responsible for acquiring and building Google Maps and Google Earth, as well as her current role serving at Google[x], responsible for the tech behemoth's most innovative and secretive projects.
Smith's appointment grants visibility to the potential for women in tech on a larger scale than ever before. Studying at MIT, grinding her way through the tech world, and eventually landing in the White House is a career trajectory perhaps not foreseen by young women considering tech as a profession. Sure, there's been the ascendancy of top level execs like Marisa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, but Smith's new role next to Obama is an entirely different goal to which young engineers can inspire. The CTO role is a new one--Smith will only be the Nation's third--and that it's been granted to a woman speaks to the growing attitude of embracing diversity and slashing down traditional methods of recruitment and team building.
Smith herself is no stranger to this sort of groundbreaking recruitment. As Washington Post reports, Smith's professional history does not stop at innovation inside the Google offices, rather it reaches far into the community where she looks to inspire others to follow her lead:
Smith also has a record of focusing on digital inclusiveness. Before Google, she was the CEO of the online LGBT community PlanetOut. And she has worked to bring more women in the engineering and technology fields, including through the company's WomenTechmakers program.
Clearly, the first box Smith checked as a candidate for this role was her profound proficiency and knowledge surrounding tech innovation. An auxiliary benefit of her hire, however, is her history with inspiring like minded personnel and attracting talent not unlike herself. Much like a head coach at a football team brings with them a team of assistant coaches who share their same attitudes, values, and skills, Smith has an opportunity to bring the benefits of a diverse team with her in her new role.
What do you make of Smith's appointment? What else does it mean for women in tech? Leave a comment or tweet @EnteloRob!
