by Cynthia Tee, Executive Director
It has been an honor to be Ada’s executive director and to help carry forward Ada’s bold, important mission. We just graduated Cohort 6, yet another amazing group of Adies out to change the world. Cohort 7 is presenting their capstones this Friday and about to start their internships. Cohort 8 starts in 2 weeks. In a month, we open up admissions for Cohort 9. Our Adie community continues to grow, and is made up of talented software engineers from diverse, non-traditional backgrounds who consistently make huge impacts on our industry and inspire those around them to do the same.
It is with incredibly mixed feelings to announce that I will be moving on from Ada. Leading Ada for the past 2+ years has been one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences of my life. That said, I sincerely miss being an engineer and building products with a team. That’s the reason I chose this career path, and I’m excited to return to it.
It’s been wonderful working with so many Seattle tech companies that are committed to Ada’s mission, and getting the opportunity to help them on their journey to be more diverse and inclusive. The journey I personally started to be the best ally I could possibly be will continue even as I transition back to building software. I’m not leaving my role immediately; I’m staying through the fall to support Ada’s search for its next executive director, and to then assist with that person’s transition into this role.
Ada will continue to remain in great hands, thanks to our amazing staff, and we will continue supporting our 96 students as they start their journey, transition into internships, and graduate. The Ada Board is committed to conducting a full, complete search for Ada’s next executive director, and I am committed to a smooth transition of leadership for this organization.
While I search for the next chapter in my own journey, I will always be grateful to an incredibly dedicated staff that lives and breathes a commitment to championing the underrepresented and underprivileged. I thank our partners and sponsors for their support of this program, and for their belief and commitment to our Adies. I thank Ada’s Board for its guidance, and our partners like Craft3 and TSNE Mission Works who support our journey. I thank the many volunteers who give their time to help and support our Adie community. Last, but not least, I thank the students and alumni of Ada; your commitment to our mission, each other, and future Adies is forever inspiring.