This designation recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of technologists from a range of backgrounds who have achieved excellence, innovated the industry, and shown leadership. As the founder and CEO of IBEX IT Experts, Tracey is a leader in a field of few women. Her hope is to inspire more women and people of color to pursue careers in technology.
Highlighting diverse technology leaders can elevate them to the status of role models and mentors in the industry. They can support this and the next generation, while using their leadership to make policies and decisions that will make technology more inclusive for everyone.
“It’s an honor to be recognized. As a woman of color in a field where there really aren’t a lot of women or people of color, I love the idea that future generations may look at me and realize that this field can be – and should be – inclusive. I want women out there to see that they can be leaders, CEOs, technologists; that there are career opportunities in the tech space. I want my journey to be an example for others, and I want to continue to pay it back.”
A 2021 Forbes article by Pamela Maynard, references a study led by Accenture and Girls Who Code: only 21% of women in the study said they believed the technology industry was a place they could thrive; sadly, that number falls precipitously to 8% for women of color.
For Tracey, it’s always been about bringing others along for the ride. “My journey in creating IBEX and building it to where it is today – I worked hard but I didn’t do it alone. And I want to keep sharing my story. Launching Certifiably Diverse is taking IBEX to a different area; now we are advocating for small businesses and positively impacting corporations. It’s all connected. We are all part of the solution.”