Today, /dev/color announced the appointment of Rhonda Allen as Chief Executive Officer. Allen brings more than 12 years of experience in strategy, technology, education, cross-sector partnerships, and operations to /dev/color, a nonprofit that supports and advances Black software engineers on their path to becoming industry leaders and pioneers.
At a time when the movement to diversify the tech sector is gaining momentum, Allen is charged with strengthening /dev/color’s reach and impact in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Atlanta, New York, and beyond.
“Our mission has never been more important; it is clear that our society needs Black software engineers, entrepreneurs, and leaders now more than ever,” said Brian Mariner, board chair of /dev/color. “We are confident that Rhonda’s deep and diverse leadership experience will bolster /dev/color’s impact and will support our members as they help each other become software industry entrepreneurs, executives, and leaders.”
Previously, Rhonda served as Chief Membership and Partnership Officer for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), where she reported directly to the CEO and led the vision and strategy to support their community of 500,000 education leaders in more than 75 countries. Rhonda has also served as Vice President of People and Equity at Educators for Excellence and as Vice President for Executive Leadership Team Strategy at Teach for America.
“/dev/color’s mission is fully aligned with my personal and professional values,” said Allen. “My life’s work has been to create the conditions for people to thrive and lead in ways that are equitable, scalable, and path-changing. As we navigate the dual pandemics of systemic racism and COVID-19, /dev/color is uniquely positioned to accelerate progress with and for the Black community in the technology field and beyond.”
In addition to Allen, /dev/color also welcomed new board member Camille Hearst, who recently joined Spotify as Head of Spotify for Artists. Prior, she served as Head of Product, Creator at Patreon after the company she co-founded, Kit — where she served as CEO — was acquired in 2018.
Hearst will join /dev/color’s five existing board members: Nick Caldwell, Vice President of Engineering at Twitter; Lindsay Lee, Managing Member of Authentic Ventures; Brian Mariner, Software Engineering Manager at Apple and /dev/color’s current board chair; Aston Motes, angel investor, Employee #1 at DropBox, and immediate past board chair; and Beverly Watson, Director of the Scholars Program for King Philanthropies.
/dev/color is a network of 500+ Black software engineers who connect, empower, and lead in the technology industry. As a unique and exclusive peer-mentorship nonprofit, we coalesce the voice of Black engineers around the country. We offer our members the resources to excel and lead organizations while increasingly diversifying the field. /dev/color has partnered with a variety of organizations including Atlassian, Facebook, Google, Mailchimp, Netflix, Pinterest, Square, and Uber to advance our mission of empowering Black software engineers as they reach the pinnacle of their industry. To learn more, visit devcolor.org.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201007005638/en/