The COVID-19 pandemic has further increased our dependence on technology, while also exposing the consequences a lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the tech industry has on our society. This special second installment addresses how technology companies and employees can be the drivers of diversity, equity, and inclusion — increasing productivity and margins, as well as society. Our president and CEO, Michael Ward Jr. of Austin Urban Technology Movement (AUTM), was invited again by Austin Forum on Technology and Society to discuss how to achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the technology industry. We have a long way to go until we reach digital equity, but we must start today to create a better tomorrow.

Are you looking for a tech job in Austin and not finding the right fit? Entry-level tech job seekers report having a difficult time connecting with the jobs that don’t require 3+ years of on-the-job experience and need help getting their foot in the door. Austin Community College invited Michael Ward Jr., President & CEO, and Morgan Burgess, VP of Technology, of Austin Urban Technology Movement (AUTM) to share a strategic approach to making professional connections and insider advice on connecting to over 1,000 job opportunities through AUTM — including remote positions!

How do we use data and analytics to make things better? How do we ensure that technologies promote equality and fairness vs. injustice and discrimination? There is much work to be done to achieve the goals of the United States of America—that every person is treated as equals and have access to the same opportunities. This is a societal issue, but can data and technology help us? There are notable examples of technology being used to discriminate and persecute, in the US and globally, and of data that clearly shows inequities and injustices. Our president and CEO, Michael Ward Jr. of Austin Urban Technology Movement (AUTM), was invited by Austin Forum on Technology and Society to discuss how data and technologies have been used for injustice and inequality, but how they can be powerful tools for change, equity, and progress.

AD 2 Austin invited Austin Urban Technology Movement and other diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leaders across the advertising and tech industry for a conversation on how to create an inclusive workplace, while establishing a voice for diversity within the tech and advertising industries. This panel dives deep into their experience with DEI, how their professional and personal backgrounds shaped the way they view DEI, and what professional industries can do to maintain discussions around diversity, equity, and inclusion at the forefront of their businesses.

The Austin Justice Coalition and Entrepreneurs Foundation invited Austin Urban Technology Movement and other technology leaders in Austin to discuss the impact COVID-19 has had on Austin's tech ecosystem. Listen to this meaning conversation with viewpoints from large and medium sized companies to nonprofits and foundations in the Austin market.

Austin Urban Technology Movement leads a panel conversation with members of Employee Resource Groups at Microsoft, Apple, and Cloudflare to discuss how tech companies can better serve diverse employees — by including them and empowering them to be great professionals and even better individuals. Our current situation has shown that we are more diverse than ever. In addition to our race and backgrounds, we have different lifestyles, concerns, commitments, and responsibilities outside of work. While some of us are joining virtual meetings with children in the background, others are alone and trying to find ways to self care and stay connected to their communities.