November 28, 2022 | crn.com | By Wade Tyler Millward
Native American tech leaders from Google Cloud, Clutch Solutions and Second Derivative talk about inspiration from their roots and efforts to bring more indigenous people into the field.
For Renita DiStefano, CEO of services provider Second Derivative and a member of the Seneca Nation, growing up with women as the center of the community has served as an inspiration throughout her career in technology.
Women A Force In Seneca Nation
DiStefano founded Lake View, N.Y.-based Second Derivative just in September, according to her LinkedIn account. Second Derivative provides strategic business and technology alignment, information security strategies and portfolio management services. DiStefano herself is a specialist in IBM iSeries information security.
She worked at Seneca Gaming Corp. – established by the Seneca Nation – for more than 16 years, leaving in September with the title of chief information officer and vice president of information technology, according to her LinkedIn.
Growing up on the Cattaraugus Territory within New York state, DiStefano told CRN in an interview, families were tight knit and women did everything from canning to beadwork to leather work to holding office in the community. She was taught that the most important person in the room is the one speaking. These lessons “became the fabric of my leadership style,” she said.
“We never had to ask for a seat at the table, or to legislate for the right to vote or have a say in what happens within our communities. … that kind of culture is deeply rooted in the principles of respect – respect for women I just talked about, respect for elders, for the environment, relationships,” she said. “I learned those things as a way of life, not just as a theory on business management. But at an early age from the wisdom of elders. So that is, for me, what we call a competitive advantage.”
Groups to bring more women into cybersecurity and regional organizations dedicated to diversity in tech such as TechBuffalo are making a difference, DiStefano said.
Hiring based on someone’s experience and not an Ivy League education will also help increase equity in the field, she said.
“I will hire somebody who has been through adversity all day long over somebody who‘s got an Ivy League education – not that those two things are mutually exclusive, but somebody who’s had to tough it out and grind it out and make their way in the world, they have skills that you can‘t get anywhere other than through life experience,” she said.
Read more here: https://www.crn.com/news/cloud/native-american-heritage-month-indigenous-tech-leaders-strive-to-uplift-tribes
