Laura Weidman Powers kicks off our Big Omaha speaker reveals

Over the next four weeks we will be announcing one Big Omaha speaker each Thursday. After the last announcement, tickets will go live Feb. 14 for our annual conference that brings the nation’s most passionate members of the entrepreneurial community together in Omaha, Neb. from May 7-9. For our first reveal, we are excited to…

Over the next four weeks we will be announcing one Big Omaha speaker each Thursday. After the last announcement, tickets will go live Feb. 14 for our annual conference that brings the nation’s most passionate members of the entrepreneurial community together in Omaha, Neb. from May 7-9.

For our first reveal, we are excited to announce that Laura Weidman Powers, the co-founder and executive director of CODE2040, will be joining us on stage!

CODE2040 is working with minorities across the country, specifically blacks and latinos, to bridge the employment gap in technology. Its website shares some facts that make you think about this important issue:

  • Less than 4 percent of black and latino students study computer science and only 1 in 14 technical employees in Silicon Valley is black or latino
  • The U.S. will be majority-minority in the year 2040 and 42 percent of the country will be black or latino

Laura and CODE2040 are focusing on this issue by offering a fellows program, which helps black and latino software engineering students land internships with tech companies while providing mentorship, leadership training and network development.

Share your excitement and welcome @Laurawp to the Big Omaha family! 

Credits: Photo courtesy CODE 2040.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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