How Identity Has Influenced a Chief Product Officer at Stanza Systems Career
Stacie, a Chief Product Officer, reflects on the persistent challenges women face in tech, noting that "it is still not easy for women in tech," even at senior levels. Despite these hurdles, Stacie emphasizes the positive impact of diverse teams, stating that "teams who have more diverse backgrounds… will create better solutions," and highlights the importance of remaining in the field as a role model for younger professionals and "jarring doors ajar" for others.
Women in Tech, Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion, Overcoming Challenges, Mentorship
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Stacie Frederick
Chief Product Officer
Stanza Systems
UC Berkeley
USC, MS Computer Science
Computer Science
Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans
Video Highlights
1. She emphasizes the continued need for more women in tech, noting that the lack of progress in gender equality is a persistent challenge even at senior levels. This speaks to the importance of perseverance and navigating systemic obstacles.
2. Stacie highlights the significant positive impact of diverse teams, emphasizing that teams with varied backgrounds and perspectives consistently produce better solutions and foster stronger collaboration. This showcases the value of inclusivity in the workplace and its impact on innovation.
3. She discusses the importance of role models and representation, advocating for persistence in the field to serve as inspiration for future generations of women in tech. This underscores the significance of visibility and mentorship in promoting gender equality and career advancement for women.
Transcript
As someone who identifies as a woman, how has that impacted how you've navigated your career?
When I graduated from college, I thought that the whole issue of being a woman in tech would be resolved by now. It saddens me that we haven't made more progress.
What I see today is that it is still not easy for women in tech. Especially now that I'm in more senior positions, it's the same situation. When I started as an engineer, there were very few of us. You were always a small number in the group. As I continued to advance, that small number persisted.
I'm hoping that at the engineering level, things are getting a little better. However, it is still something we need to improve. It's one of the challenges we face.
One of the pluses, though, is that we are looking beyond just gender. We're actually looking at more comprehensive diversification, which is really important.
Teams with more diverse backgrounds and perspectives by far create better solutions than teams that are not diverse. They are also far more collaborative and work better as teams. This results in a much stronger producing and operating team. I've seen this repeatedly.
As I've navigated my career, I've focused on how to continue making progress even when doors are not always open. One thing I am continuing to do is figure out how to make doors more accessible for everyone else.
This sounds simple, but it is. We sometimes think it's a huge undertaking, but simply by being in my position, I know it makes a difference. Seeing someone of a different gender or background makes a huge difference.
For me, one of my goals is to stay in the game. There are so many forces at play that it can be difficult to continue. I have friends dealing with this today, and sometimes it's so hard that they just want to exit.
This is what happens to many women in the tech field. So, part of the challenge is how we keep more women in the game. Our younger people need to see that they can do this. They need to see a model, and I didn't have many.
I'm hoping that we can help with this. As I've navigated my career, it's been hard, but it's also helped me stand out. Learning how to use that to my advantage is a lot of what I've learned over time, but it didn't come at the beginning.