We need a tech industry that creates products that meet the needs of the fullness of humanity, not just a select few. The only way to accomplish that is by having the fullness of humanity represented on our technical teams. The additional and equally critical benefit of creating this shift is that the wealth that tech careers create is better distributed across our communities, reducing vulnerabilities and creating a resilient economy for everyone. That’s the movement I aim to inspire.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lauren Sato.
As a child Lauren Sato never envisioned herself at the helm of a tech academy. Growing up in rural Washington she was a studious kid with a love of sports. Now, the mother of two has found her seat as CEO of Ada Developers Academy, a non-profit, entirely cost-free coding school for BIPOC, women and gender-expansive adults.
Before stepping into the chief executive role of a change-making nonprofit, Lauren overcame many challenges. From pushing back on an oppressive college experience, navigating divorce and pregnancy loss, right up to shattering the glass ceiling in her own career; Lauren has always been tenacious by nature. As one who has long admired leaders like John Lewis and Ruth Bader Ginsberg who change systems from within, Lauren has never been afraid to share her story and advocate for others along the way.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
My degree is in education, I spent my early career working on income-generation projects for women in countries facing deep economic hardship, and then domestically I’ve spent time in workforce development and women-focused tech companies. Every single one of these experiences has been called upon in my first two years at Ada, where we are building a pathway into tech that actually works for women and gender-expansive people while addressing an ever-increasing demand for talent in an industry that is falling behind in meeting consumer demands because those consumers (85% of consumer decisions are made by women in the US) are not represented on their sprint (software development) teams. I came into this role at Ada through a path focused on creating the most scalable, sustainable solutions to our most intractable societal problems.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
I think that the COVID-19 pandemic took us all by surprise, but for me, it has been a truly pivotal moment. I started at Ada in January of 2020 with an expansion space real estate search nearing its close, a plan to become an independent organization in 2 years, and a modest growth plan that was constrained to our Seattle campus location. The pandemic saw us flipping our program to a digital experience, expediting our transition to independence by a year, and then earning funding to expand across the country. There is very little that has gone according to our initial plan back in early 2020, but we are incredibly grateful to be in a position now to meet more of the need to fill the ever-expanding talent gap in tech with women and gender-expansive people.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I’ll start by saying that this isn’t funny, but it’s a meaningful mistake that’s worth talking about. When I started at Ada I was coming from a combination of a sports background and being in the tech industry working mostly with male executives. So, I used the phrase “you guys” a lot when referring to mix-gendered groups. Very quickly, the Ada community, which is deeply focused on inclusivity corrected me and advised me to use “you all” as a replacement. It took me a couple of months to retrain myself but knowing how meaningful it is for folks to feel included has made it a change that I am grateful to have made.
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?
Ada sits uniquely at the intersection of two significant societal needs: the economic vulnerability of women and gender-expansive people, and the insatiable and growing need for talent in the tech industry. At Ada, we are addressing both of these needs with a solution that not only economically empowers our graduates and their communities (the average incoming salary for an Ada student is $40,000, and the average starting salary for an Ada graduate is $120,000), but that also diversifies the tech industry in a way that leads to more inclusive tech products for all of us.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
In 2020 we had so many challenges to overcome, but one of the issues that were of greatest concern to me was how we could support the parents in our program given the lack of school/childcare. It became evident early on that we had students who would have to drop out if we didn’t find a solution to this problem. So, we partnered with a local childcare startup called Weekdays to offer onsite and neighborhood-based care for Ada students. This was particularly impactful for Haben Foto, who was a student at the time and responsible for caring for her two school-aged children. Haben graduated from Ada in March of 2021 and is now a full-time software developer at Microsoft and is a part of a thriving community of Ada alums at the company that gives back to current Ada students as mentors, tutors, and in some cases now as managers as well.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- Treat childcare as a basic infrastructure and fully fund it for parents going through retraining programs.
- Tech companies have an opportunity to think differently about where they get their talent — Ada is a phenomenal solution for companies looking to fill roles and diversify their workforce.
- Invest in our student loan program. Ada is entirely cost-free to our students, but for many people coming from low-income backgrounds free isn’t enough. They still need to pay bills and put food on the table. We have a 0% loan program for Ada students to support living expenses while they are in the classroom with us. These funds get recycled as students repay their loans, but as we grow, we need new investments to fill the available pool.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership is the ability to identify a problem, build a sustainable solution, and inspire a team to build that solution.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
We need a tech industry that creates products that meet the needs of the fullness of humanity, not just a select few. The only way to accomplish that is by having the fullness of humanity represented on our technical teams. The additional and equally critical benefit of creating this shift is that the wealth that tech careers create is better distributed across our communities, reducing vulnerabilities and creating a resilient economy for everyone. That’s the movement I aim to inspire.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” — Maya Angelou
We are living in a time when we must be in a constant state of unlearning past beliefs and behaviors and actively learning new ones in order to do right by our communities and to remain relevant and impactful. This quote is one that serves as a reminder and inspiration for me to let go of ways of being that are no longer me or others around me, and to stay curious about how to do better.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Elizabeth Warren and Stacy Abrams both have approaches to societal change that resonate deeply with me — as did Ruth Bader Ginsberg and John Lewis before them. I call us the infiltrators. It’s a get in, roll your sleeves up, build a sustainable plan, be willing to work hard for results that might not be immediate, and press forward in marching along that “long arch of the moral universe” that Dr. King spoke of in spite of the inevitable setbacks and opposition we may face.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Instagram: @laurensato
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenmsato/
Twitter: @laurensato
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Lauren Sato Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.