Kimberly Bryant
Born 1967 · Age 58
American electrical engineer and social entrepreneur; founder of Black Girls Code and founder/CEO of Black Innovation Lab; advocate for tech inclusion for girls of color.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Memphis, Tennessee
Kimberly Bryant was born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised by a single mother during the Civil Rights Movement.
Placed into accelerated math & science pipeline
Attended accelerated math and science program in middle/high school in Memphis which set early STEM foundation.
Awarded scholarship to Vanderbilt University
Earned a full academic scholarship (from Junior Achievement per interview) to attend Vanderbilt University.
Switched major to Electrical Engineering
Enticed by microchips, personal computers and cell phones, she changed from civil engineering to Electrical Engineering and added minors.
Graduated Vanderbilt University (B.E. Electrical Engineering)
Earned a degree in Electrical Engineering with minors in Computer Science and Mathematics.
First industry role(s): Westinghouse Electric
Early in her career she worked at electrical companies including Westinghouse Electric (role/dates not precisely documented).
Joined DuPont as project manager (New Johnsonville, TN)
Worked as a project manager at DuPont in a chemical manufacturing facility; she later stated she stayed ~5 years.
Moved to Philip Morris (consumer packaging manufacturing)
Transitioned to consumer packaging and high-speed manufacturing as a project engineer/manager; stayed just under five years.
Transition into pharmaceutical & biotech (Merck)
Began working in pharmaceutical/biotech industry, initially at Merck (exact start year approximate based on career timeline).
Worked at Pfizer (pharmaceutical role)
Held positions in the pharmaceutical industry including Pfizer (sequence and exact years are not precisely documented).
Relocated to Bay Area and joined Genentech
Moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and worked at Genentech building site technology groups within manufacturing and engineering.
Worked at Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics (role)
Career includes positions at Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics (dates not precisely specified in sources).
Daughter's interest sparks nonprofit idea
Her daughter's interest in learning programming exposed a lack of suitable Bay Area options and inspired creating a dedicated space for Black girls.
Founded Black Girls Code (BGC)
Launched Black Girls Code, a San Francisco–based nonprofit to teach computer programming to African-American girls (ages ~7–17).
BGC sets long-term goal: teach 1 million girls by 2040
Black Girls Code announced an organizational goal to train one million black girls to code by 2040.
Received Jefferson Award for Community Service
Awarded the Jefferson Award for Community Service for work with Bay Area communities through Black Girls Code.
Named White House Champion of Change (Tech Inclusion)
Invited to the White House as a Champion of Change for efforts in tech inclusion and bridging the digital divide.
Listed in Business Insider's 25 Most Influential African-Americans in Technology
Recognized by Business Insider among most influential African-Americans in tech.
Named to The Root 100 and Ebony Power 100; Pahara-Aspen Fellowship
Received multiple recognitions and fellowships (Root 100, Ebony Power 100, Pahara-Aspen Education Fellowship) in 2013.
BGC scale milestone: ~3,000 girls reached
Sources report Black Girls Code had trained roughly 3,000 girls and was operating multiple chapters in the U.S. and Johannesburg by this period.
BGC chapters reported (conflicting figures)
Different sources report 7 chapters and also 'fifteen chapters' across U.S. cities and abroad (Johannesburg). Figures vary by source and year.
TEDxKansasCity talk (video published Oct 5, 2013)
Spoke on inclusion and risks of failure — recording available as TEDx talk (video date Oct 5, 2013).
Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award (Social Progress)
Received Smithsonian Magazine's American Ingenuity Award for Social Progress for Black Girls Code work.
POLITICO Women Who Rule Award
Named one of the winners of POLITICO's 'Women Who Rule' Award in Technology.
Featured in US Chamber Foundation profile and other national pieces
Profiled by U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and other outlets as a leader in tech inclusion (dates of multiple profiles span 2014–2016).
Inducted into WITI (Women in Technology International) Hall of Fame
Recognized for her impact on technology and inclusion by induction into WITI Hall of Fame.
Declined $125,000 donation from Uber
Refused a $125,000 donation from Uber citing it as disingenuous amid sexual-harassment allegations; noted Girls Who Code was offered 10x the amount.
Partnership with Lyft
Black Girls Code announced a partnership with Lyft in February 2018 after declining Uber's donation; seen as values-aligned collaboration.
SXSW Interactive Festival Hall of Fame & Interactive Innovation finalist
Named a 2019 Interactive Innovation Awards finalist and inducted into the SXSW Interactive Festival Hall of Fame.
TED Talk (October 2019)
Delivered a TED talk about inclusion and uneven distribution of the risks of failure; video/public talk dated Oct 2019.
Featured in Forbes and national press pieces
Featured by Forbes and other national outlets discussing Black Girls Code impact and future of training girls of color in tech.
Keynote speaker at SXSW EDU (2021)
Served as a keynote at SXSW EDU, speaking about inclusion and education in technology.
Nike x Black Girls Code virtual hackathon
In April 2021 BGC partnered with Nike to host a virtual hackathon exploring sports and activism through technology.
Placed on administrative paid leave by BGC board
After three employees resigned citing cultural/interpersonal issues, Black Girls Code board placed Bryant on administrative paid leave pending investigation.
Serves on NCWIT K-12 Alliance board
Served on the board of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) K-12 Alliance (date range not specified).
Serves on National Girls Collaborative Project National Champions Board
Served on the National Champions Board for the National Girls Collaborative Project (date of start not precisely documented).
Identified as thought leader on tech inclusion (ongoing)
Recognized repeatedly as a thought leader on inclusion; has spoken at TEDx San Francisco, Platform Summit, Big Ideas Festival, and SXSW (various years).
Formally fired by Black Girls Code board
In August 2022 Bryant was formally terminated by Black Girls Code's board of directors.
Filed federal lawsuit alleging wrongful suspension
After her firing Bryant filed a federal lawsuit alleging wrongful suspension and conflicts of interest among board members.
Black Girls Code sues Bryant over website redirect
On August 22 (2022) Black Girls Code filed suit against Bryant after she redirected the organization's website to a page announcing her lawsuit.
Founder & CEO of Black Innovation Lab (founder role noted)
Described as founder and CEO of Black Innovation Lab in interviews/profiles; specific founding date not provided in supplied sources.
Black Girls Code stated long-term target year
BGC's organizational goal year to have taught 1,000,000 Black girls to code by 2040 (long-term milestone target).
Key Achievement Ages
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