CompTIA’s Advancing Women in Technology Leadership Award winner shares her thoughts and how advancing women in tech can benefit the entire industry. Dr. Georgette FraserMoore was already passionate about her tech career by the time many women lose interest. Fraser-Moore began programming in middle school and took college computer science classes before turning 18. She never stopped learning and never stopped listening to anyone who said she shouldn’t.
Fraser-Moore is now the CEO and president at Transformation Lead, an Atlanta-based company that assists businesses in digital transformation. She wants to ensure that the tech industry has a steady supply of female talent. Her passion for helping women led to her being awarded the CompTIA Advancing Women in Technology Leadership Spotlight Award in 2022.
Fraser-Moore spoke to CompTIA recently to share her story, including how and why she wanted to help young women pursue technology careers. Here’s a glimpse at what she had to say:
Why is it important to advance women in technology?
“It’s important because I believe that advancement of women in technology will help to advance technology as a whole. Women bring so many things to the table. Recently, there has been a push to increase diversity and include more diverse groups. I was the only woman in my tech class, and often the only woman in the room, when I first started. But I didn’t notice it. Although I love technology, my initial focus was on innovation and making sure I did my best. It wasn’t something that was on my mind to help others. It wasn’t until I began growing professionally and someone mentioned to me that I was a role-model and an inspiration to them, that I realized it was a privilege and a responsibility to empower others, give credit, and open the doors for more women in this male-driven field.
“I began coding at the age of 11 and entered college at 17 to major in computer science. After that, I was a software developer and then a business analyst. It wasn’t until I was in a leadership role that I realized how important diversity and advancing women technology were. I was focused on getting my job done. I was trying to be the best version of myself at the moment and didn’t realize that there were more me’s. I didn’t know there were others who couldn’t do what I was doing. I had so many conversations specifically with young girls and women, and many of them doubted their abilities to pursue technology. They didn’t know that there were career options like mine. You can see from the statistics that only a small percentage of women pursue technology-based careers. Many end up leaving mid-career. It is hard to believe that this is happening. I made it my mission to do everything possible to remove those doubts and increase the opportunities for women to succeed.
What are the trends and challenges surrounding Advancing Women in Technology? Do you want to raise awareness/give more attention to them?
“Diversity and inclusion have become trendy words. That is one challenge I see. It’s still a lot to be done to put it into action. Tech has always been dominated by men, much like mechanics. This has to change. It is necessary to make real changes. This includes changing our behavior and thinking about technology. We must be intentional and do the work necessary to change the culture in the tech industry. I’m not suggesting that you fire male employees to hire more women. This doesn’t work. The job market is growing steadily. We must be intentional about creating opportunities for women so they don’t feel excluded. Women should feel empowered and encouraged to enter the room. Hopefully, and hopefully, they will see other smart, competent women in the same room.
How can you work with CompTIA in order to address these issues and increase awareness?
CompTIA was still very male when I joined it. You see more women in the organization over the years. Not only in the population, but also in leadership roles, decision-makers, and having a voice at he table. People showing up at the Communities & Councils Forum as well as ChannelCon are a sign of community involvement. It is clear that CompTIA doesn’t just talk about it, but actually does the work. The Advancing Women in Technology group is a great example of the progress we have made over the years. Even the idea of the Advancing Women In Technol
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