11 Mlt’ers Recognized Among the 2016 40 Under 40 Top Diverse Talent in Silicon Valley
By: MLT
For the second year in a row, we are thrilled that 11 MLT Rising Leaders are among the 40 Under 40: Tech Diversity in Silicon Valley organized by theREGISTRY Bay Area and Digital Diversity Network. MLT alumni Alexandria Lafci (MBAP ’16), Jamal Eason (MBAP ’09), Julia Collins (MBAP ‘07), Justin Steele (MBAP ‘07), Lillibeth Gangas (MBAP ’12), Robert Harmon, Jr. (CP ‘03), Sean Heywood (MBAP ‘04), Shauntel Poulson (MBAP ‘09), Trevor Thomas (MBAP ‘09), and Bernard Gutmann (CAP ’16) will be recognized for their outstanding achievements at the 40 Under 40 award ceremony and celebration taking place on Thursday, December 8, 2016 in San Francisco. Rachel Williams (MBAP ’08) will also be recognized as an “Influencer”.
The 40 Under 40: Tech Diversity in Silicon Valley award honors exemplary leaders in the field of technology from underrepresented communities of color. The top 40 industry trailblazers were evaluated on outstanding achievements, career success, volunteer and civic engagement, influence and impact, diversity efforts, and honors and recognitions.
MLT has many alumni working in the tech sector, most with an MBA and/or a STEM degree. These nine MLT honorees are helping pave the way for many others to follow their career success in tech. We are proud to see our alumni making strides to increase the number of diverse men and women in the upper echelons of Silicon Valley, but we do recognize that there remains more work to be done to make the tech community fully representative. In January, stay tuned for profiles on the personal stories of these remarkable MLT alumni and their advice for others interested in tech careers.
The full list of Rising Leaders including their organization and job title is below.
- Jamal Eason, MBAP 2009 – Google, Product Manager
- Julia Collins, MBAP 2007 – Zume Pizza, Co-Founder and Co-CEO
- Justin Steele, MBAP 2007 – Google.org, Principal
- Lilibeth Gangas, MBAP 2012 – Kapor Center for Social Impact, Chief Technology Community Officer
- Robert Harmon, Jr., CP 2003 – Tesla Motors, Inc., Deputy General Counsel & Director
- Sean Heywood, MBAP 2004 – Facebook, Product Partnerships – Messenger
- Shauntel Poulson, MBAP 2009 – Reach Capital, Co-Founder and General Partner
- Trevor Thomas, MBAP 2009 – Cross Culture Ventures, General Partner
- Alexandria Lafci, MBAP 2016 – New Story Charity, Co-Founder
- Bernard Gutmann, CAP 2016 (Cohort IX). – Pandora, Director, Corporate Strategy & Development
- Rachel Williams, MBAP 2008- Yelp, Head of Diversity & Inclusion