Blog

We are so excited to welcome Michael Chang to Ada’s Advisory Board! With ten years of strategy and product management experience, Michael is an expert at developing strong foundations for sustained growth. Paired with his expertise is his passion for driving diversity into sectors at every level in the tech industry.  Read below to learn more about Michael in his own words: Michael Chang, Sr. Strategy Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation What drew you to serve in Ada’s Advisory…

Jenna Hanchard (she/her) – Director of Corporate Learning and Culture I will be working in partnership with our entire Ada community to build a training and public accountability program for our corporate partners. The goal is to help build safe work environments for Ada students and underrepresented minorities in tech.  Before Ada, I was the culture and innovation manager at The Riveter, creating programming, building unique membership and community content, and programming centering Black and brown womxn. Before that, I had…

In this behind-the-scenes interview, Scott Case spends time reflecting on the inception of Ada Developer’s Academy and what’s next for the startup built to disrupt systems. Joining the conversation is the new CEO, Lauren Sato, ready to take the mission to new heights. While recruiting against big tech, Scott Case began to see disparities in talent groups among the EnergySavvy engineering team. “Of the first ten hires, all of them were guys, and four were named Dan,” mentions Scott, Co-Founder…

Marketing powerhouse Tina-Marie Gulley joins Ada’s Advisory Board. Praised by her colleagues as a results-driven, well-rounded, and marketing rockstar, Tina-Marie is a welcomed addition. A tech-savvy leader focused on implementing global marketing strategies, Tina-Marie is the perfect thought-leader to push Ada’s mission forward. Read below to learn more about Tina-Marie in her own words: Tina-Marie Gulley, VP of Business Marketing at Edelman What drew you to serve in Ada’s Advisory board? “I’m passionate about Ada’s mission because it focuses on…

Priyanka Anand (she/her) – Program Assistant, Education As a Program Assistant, I will be providing administrative support to the education team and students to ensure a successful and fulfilling program of learning and growth! I graduated with a degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications and spent the past few years teaching cooking and gardening classes to youth in Bellingham and Seattle. I am beyond thrilled to be joining an organization that’s genuinely rooted in and committed to elevating and supporting…

Ada is thrilled to welcome a new face to the Advisory Board, David Daniels. From a resident director for university students to a top tier recruiter in the tech industry, David shares a passion for diversifying the tech workforce. David’s expertise will assist in providing guidance and insights on curriculum and methods for scaling future growth. Read below to learn more about David in his own words: David Daniels, HR Manager & Seattle Site Lead at Snap, Inc. What drew…

Rakia Wells (she/her) – Communications Specialist I am thrilled to join the Ada team as the new Communications Specialist. I’m excited to share the incredible stories from students, alum, and more that make Ada such a fantastic program. I’ll be working to build strong networks for our stakeholders and bring the Ada experience to life for prospective students digitally. Prior to joining Ada, I completed my Masters in Communication at the University of Washington in the Comm Lead Program. I…

Laelah Ndifon (she/her) – Program Assistant, Communications & Revenue Working at Ada is a dream come true and I’m excited to join the Ada team as the new Program Assistant for Communication and Revenue! I will be working closely with the CEO, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Development, and new programming to support multi-channeled growth of Ada Developers Academy. I can’t wait to meet the community at Ada and further work in its mission. I recently graduated from Washington State…

By: Sarah Ervin, Program Manager – Student Services While Ada grows as a program and we adjust to our new online world, we’re improving more than just our technical content. Starting with Cohort 14, Ada is partnering with Paradigm Shift Seattle to launch a stronger curriculum around equity, justice, and inclusion. Before Cohort 14 even started class at the end of August, they had participated in six weeks of learning that included reading, self-reflection, and interactive sessions with the skilled…

Over the past six months our educational team literally flipped our highly collaborative, in-person education model to a fully digital delivery model.  They achieved 100% retention, graduation and placement in spite of it all, and have continued to evolve their work to create the most effective learning environment possible for our Ada students.  We wanted to share our learnings from this process in hopes that they may be beneficial to the educational community as we all wrestle with this unique…