Telle Whitney with Sabina Nawaz — 'Rebooting Tech Culture'

Third Place Books welcomes computer scientist and tech diversity advocate Telle Whitney to our Seward Park store for a conversation about her new book, . 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.

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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.

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. She has written for and been featured in Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, NBC, Nasdaq, Salon, and MarketWatch. She is the author of the book , published by Simon & Schuster in 2025.

Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events

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