WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gender Equality in Tech (GET) Cities opened applications today for the inaugural GET Champions Fellowship program, designed for forward-thinking tech leaders seeking to increase and deepen support for women, trans, and nonbinary employees in their companies.

The goal of the program is to increase the pool of diverse talent in each tech leader's company, in the process transforming the larger landscape of tech that too often disproportionately minimizes historically marginalized groups.

"This program would've really helped out when I started craigslist," said GET Champions Ambassador and noted tech founder Craig Newmark of Craig Newmark Philanthropies and craigslist (retired). "Tech leaders need to stand up for fairness, opportunity and respect for everyone, particularly in leading areas including cybersecurity and AI. GET Champions is exactly what's needed for founders and executives who are committed to engaging with, hiring, and retaining an increasingly diverse set of talent."

The cohort, facilitated by Emmy-winning filmmaker, author, and activist Loki Mulholland will collaborate with fellows to explore strengthening leadership and reputation through allyship, framing and setting metrics for their organization, and approaches for growing and retaining diverse, high-performance teams. 

Selected Champions will receive exclusive access to virtual training and curriculum, executive coaching, and participate in a series of invite-only hiring events over 12 months with the Last Mile Education Fund.

"With GET Champions our goal is to tie together a combination of virtual training, coaching, and hands-on activities that create measurably more inclusive hiring practices and workplace culture at each tech leader's company," said GET Cities National Director at the SecondMuse Foundation, Leslie Smith. "Our research shows that many organizations already have DEI experts on their team as well as ERG groups; yet, they still struggle with pay equity, hiring diverse talent, and maintaining a healthy work environment. We know leaders are looking to accelerate and strengthen that change within their companies, and this fellowship is for them," said Smith. 

"We are excited to join this initiative and connect our growing community of computer science graduates with tech leaders who have committed to resourcing and incubating historically marginalized talent, and have taken steps to acquire the knowledge and tools to be successful," said Ruthe Farmer, Founder & CEO of the Last Mile Education Fund.

How It Works:

• 12 Months of Coaching - Each Champion will be matched with a woman Executive Coach
• 90-Minute Virtual Curriculum Training - Once per month for six months
• 12-Month Practicum - Champions will participate in ongoing exercises that put the curriculum content into practice in their workplace
• 3 Hiring Events Over 12-Months - GET Cities will help Champions fill vacancies on their team with diverse talent through a series of hiring events, in partnership with the Last Mile Education Fund

Fellowship Eligibility:

• 10+ years of leadership experience
• Leading a team of 100 or more employees
• Approval to participate/buy-in from leadership
• Must have the authority to hire and promote for tech positions
• Willing to participate in hiring events in partnership with GET Cities and the Last Mile Education Fund
• Leaders and their companies can be located anywhere but must have the ability to hire tech talent from the DC, Maryland, Virginia region

How To Apply: 
Tech leaders interested in applying to GET Champions can visit https://www.getcities.org/get-champions. Applications are open from January 17, 2022 - February 4, 2022. The program is scheduled to kick off in March.

About GET Cities
GET Cities is an initiative designed to accelerate the representation and leadership of women in tech through the development of inclusive tech hubs across the United States. Launched in 2020, GET Cities is led by SecondMuse and Break Through Tech, in partnership with Pivotal Ventures, the investment and incubation company created by Melinda French Gates. Now in Chicago and the DC Metro Area, GET Cities launched in Miami in January 2022.

About Loki Mulholland
Loki Mulholland is an Emmy-winning filmmaker, author, activist and son of civil rights icon, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland. His work has received over 40 Telly Awards and his films on race and social justice issues have won 20 Best Documentary awards. His first book, "She Stood For Freedom" was nominated for the 2017 Amelia Bloomer Award. Loki's film, "The Uncomfortable Truth" has been viewed over half-a-million times on Amazon. Loki speaks all over the country on issues of race and social justice. He is the founder and Executive Director of the Joan Trumpauer Mulholland Foundation which was created to end racism through education.

About Craig Newmark
Craig Newmark is a Web pioneer, philanthropist, and leading advocate. Most commonly known for founding the online classified ads service craigslist, Newmark works to support and connect people and drive broad civic engagement.

In 2016, he founded Craig Newmark Philanthropies to advance people and grassroots organizations that are "getting stuff done" in areas that include trustworthy journalism & the information ecosystem, voter protection, women in technology, and veterans & military families. At its core, all of Newmark's philanthropic work helps to strengthen American democracy by supporting the values that the country aspires to – fairness, opportunity, and respect.

About The Last Mile Education Fund
GET Champions hiring events will be facilitated by the Last Mile Education Fund - a nonprofit organization based in Baltimore, Maryland that offers a disruptive approach to increasing diversity in tech and engineering fields by addressing critical gaps in financial support for low-income underrepresented students within four semesters of graduation. 

Contact: Ayanna Smith
327874@email4pr.com
202-664-0900

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SOURCE GET Cities