Learn to drive a more innovative, inclusive culture that welcomes all talent
Third Place Books welcomes computer scientist and tech diversity advocate Telle Whitney for a conversation about her new book, Rebooting Tech Culture: How to Ignite Innovation and Build Organizations Where Everyone Can Thrive. Drawing on interviews and surveys with people working in the tech sector, Rebooting Tech Culture argues that the values at the heart of innovation can also foster a culture that's welcoming to all employees. She will be joined in conversation by executive coach and author Sabina Nawaz.
This event is free and open to the public. For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book!
About Rebooting Tech Culture. . .
Many technology leaders believe in having more women and people of color in technical and leadership positions throughout their organizations. In truth, though, they just fall back on exclusionary behaviors, like revering the typically male "lone genius" who is essential to their innovative future. Why the disconnect?
According to Telle Whitney, cofounder of the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, while tech leaders may want to talk about inclusivity, few actually change their cultures to dismantle the unwelcoming environment, fearful that doing so will compromise innovation. Women and people of color pay the price, facing exclusive and even hostile workplaces. They're held back from professional growth and, in many cases, choose to leave the industry altogether.
But there is a solution. In Rebooting Tech Culture, Whitney argues that the same values at the heart of innovation--creativity, courage, confidence, curiosity, communication, and community--can also foster a culture that's welcoming to all employees. Drawing on more than fifty interviews with tech executives and a survey of a thousand people in tech, she shows how these "six Cs" can power real change in technology organizations, creating workplaces where anyone can be successful and where innovation thrives.
Today, every company is a tech company. By understanding how to apply these values and reinvigorate their cultures, leaders will learn how to eliminate the behaviors holding their teams back from true belonging, growth, and innovation.
Praise for Rebooting Tech Culture. . .
"Rebooting Tech Culture is a bold and essential road map for building inclusive organizations where innovation thrives. As a tech founder and leader, I know firsthand that sustainable innovation depends on cultures that embrace equity, creativity, and belonging—and this book shows us exactly how to get there."
— Kimberly Bryant, founder, Black Girls Code and Black Innovation Lab
"Telle Whitney brings her extensive experience, both in the tech industry and as a cofounder of the Grace Hopper Celebration, to address the long-standing problem of attracting, retaining, and promoting a diverse technology workforce. Her 'six Cs' are a recipe for creating a workplace where all individuals can contribute."
—John L. Hennessy, former President, Stanford University; Chairman, Alphabet Inc.
"Practical and insightful, Rebooting Tech Culture challenges many misconceptions about diversity, inclusion, and innovation in tech and provides concrete advice on how to create tech cultures where everyone has an opportunity to succeed. Whitney shows us how the values that drive high levels of innovation are the same as those that promote inclusion. And there is no one more qualified to share these insights. A must-read."
—Mary Beth Westmoreland, Vice President of Technology, Amazon
Telle Whitney is a consultant, senior executive leader, and recognized expert and advocate for diversity and women in technology. Telle has been called "a pioneer for the promotion of women technologists" and was named one of Fast Company's Most Influential Women in Technology. Telle served as CEO of the Anita Borg Institute from 2002 to 2017 and cofounded the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference. Prior to joining the Anita Borg Institute, she was vice president of engineering for Malleable Technologies. She holds a PhD in computer science and is now a speaker and consultant helping executives and their companies create cultures where diverse teams thrive.
Sabina Nawaz is an elite executive coach who advises C-level executives and teams at Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, nonprofits, and academic institutions around the world. Sabina gives dozens of keynotes, seminars, and conferences each year and teaches faculty at Northeastern and Drexel University. During her fourteen-year tenure at Microsoft, she went from managing software development teams to leading the company’s executive development and succession planning efforts for over 11,000 managers and nearly a thousand executives, advising Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer directly. She has written for and been featured in Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, NBC, Nasdaq, and MarketWatch. She is the author of the book You’re the Boss: Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need), published by Simon & Schuster in 2025.
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