Power Panel: The State’s Top IT Leaders Talk Bias and Breaking Barriers

Until all too recently, finding women in a tech job was unreasonably hard to do. And while the statistics have improved significantly over the last few decades, some of the state’s highest-ranking IT officials say there is still a lot of work to do in this area.

Last month during the California Public Sector CIO Academy in Sacramento,* e.Republic’s CEO Cathilea Robinett was joined by California Department of Technology (CDT) CIO Liana Bailey-Crimmins, CDT Deputy Director of Special Projects Brenda Bridges-Cruz, Department of Transportation (CalTrans) Agency Information Officer Marcie Kahbody, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) CIO Kristin Montgomery to discuss some of the barriers that remain.

The panelists were quick to point out that while the days of overt and intentional exclusion are slowly fading, they said it’s more critical than ever to include all voices at the table.

Even at their high level, the panelists recounted instances of being ignored or talked down to by their male counterparts — even subordinates and vendors.

“… It just shows you that there is bias even today, no matter how far we go, there’s still a lot farther we need to go in this,” Bailey-Crimmins said, recounting one such encounter with a vendor.

Bridges-Cruz and Robinett said this is generally rooted in a lack of awareness. “This just transcends all industries; it’s not just the technical industry, it goes across everything, and I think women everywhere still see these types of biases,” Bridges-Cruz said.

When asked by an audience member what could be done when an open IT role receives little to no interest from female applicants, panelists noted that this is indicative of a larger problem that extends beyond the organization.

“… I think recruitment is big, so reaching out and encouraging people to apply. Also making sure that women are on the [hiring] panels, I think is very important. Having a diverse panel is extremely important,” Bailey-Crimmins said.

“If you see there’s only one woman applying, there’s something wrong with the system and we need to like take a step back and figure out how do we get more people into the pipeline,” she added.

Montgomery said much of the recruiting work begins before the job is posted by tapping qualified applicants and mentoring them through the process. An early emphasis on STEM education is also critical, panelists said.

They also agreed that encouraging new workforce entrants and offering expertise as mentors is an essential early step. For those already in the workforce and with hopes of advancing, panelists recommended finding a mentor to learn leadership skills and chart a path.

“I think it’s really important to find somebody out there that can lead you through the way,” Montgomery said.

Leadership courses, taking risks, and jumping into positions that may not feel like foreign territory can all be helpful, she said.

*The California Public Sector CIO Academy is hosted by Government Technology, Industry Insider — California’s sister publication. e.Republic is the parent company of Government Technology and Industry Insider — California.