Megan Smith
US chief technology officer
Megan Smith
US chief technology officer
timeline
born 1964Megan Smith went into science and tech for one reason ~ to make the world a better place. No surprise, her first industry honor {winning a school science fair} was for an experiment on solar power.
After two decades working in Silicon Valley as a pioneering engineer and exec, the MIT grad left her last gig as a VP at Google to take up public service at the White House. As the 3rd chief technology officer in US history, Megan's shaping the future while changing the face of STEM. Her 21st-century priorities? Bringing coding into the classroom and ensuring everyone has access to tech. Creating policy that empowers innovators while protecting citizens. And, making sure the world hears the untold stories of women in STEM.
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her quotes
all quotes by Megan Smith (17)
"Find astonishing people and hang out with them."
The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing | october 2013
"How can you help build on an idea? Be 2/3 yes AND, 1/3 yes BUT."
Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing | october 2013
"Pursue science, math, writing, history—the 21st century demands a lot of cross-disciplinary thinking."
How Google's Megan Smith is Changing the World for Working Women | february 2014
"It's a mistake to get too narrow too fast."
How Google's Megan Smith is Changing the World for Working Women | february 2014
"Rosie is a mathematician, a code-cracker, not just a riveter."
How Google's Megan Smith is Changing the World for Working Women | february 2014
"Code is just a list of instructions."
How Google's Megan Smith is Changing the World for Working Women | february 2014
"The techie passion is its own thing; gay or straight, you're welcome here."
How Google's Megan Smith is Changing the World for Working Women | february 2014
"Those of us who love science and math should also do service through innovation and invention to make the world a better place."
MAKERS profile | 2014
"Eventually you get to a point where you have to become willing to let go of all of your most important relationships in order to be yourself . . . But you have to be your whole self. You just do."
MAKERS profile | october 2014
"Right now, as an industry, we're working hard on understanding bias against women and minorities that has been with us through all of history and trying to—in our tech way—debug that."
MAKERS profile | 2014
"The thing that motivated me and a lot of my colleagues to come into technology is the service . . . So, if you're teaching in this field, you need to start with impact and then get to the math."
MAKERS profile | 2014
"Science and tech is not Mount Everest. It begins with a few steps."
Washington Ideas Forum | october 2014
"Henry Ford was not trying to disrupt horses. He just had a new idea."
State of the Net Conference | january 2015
"I believe in surface area—more people doing things innovatively will solve more problems faster."
State of the Net Conference | january 2015
"The Great American Meetup needs to happen. We need to barn raise this country."
State of the Net Conference | january 2015
"Unconscious bias. It’s something we all have, and it’s something we have to really debug."
How Innovation Happens | march 2015
"If you know your past...your future is different."
Charlie Rose | april 2015
