Founder and Executive Director of Black Girls Code

Kimberly Bryant was first introduced to computer programming during her freshman year at Vanderbilt University, where she majored in Electrical Engineering. During her time at Vanderbilt, Bryant became aware of a noticeable lack of people that looked like her in her classrooms. Understanding that the absence was most likely due to the lack of opportunities, resources, and support available to underrepresented groups at a young age, Kimberly founded Black Girls Code in 2011 with the mission to provide young girls of color with the chance to learn in-demand digital skills and usher in a new generation of coders. The organization has grown beyond the Bay Area since 2011, and it now has seven chapters across the U.S. and one in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Beyond Black Girls CODE, Bryant also advocates for digital education by serving in the US Chamber of Commerce on the National Champions Board for the National Girls Collaborative Project, and the National Board of the NCWIT K-12 Alliance. Bryant has been nationally recognized for her work and has received several national awards and prestigious speaking engagements. In 2012 she was given the prestigious Jefferson Award for Community Service for her work to support communities in the Bay Area. In 2013, Bryant was invited to the White House as a Champion of Change for her work in tech inclusion and her efforts to bridge the digital divide for young women of color. 

Sources: http://www.blackgirlscode.com/about-bgc.html https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/bio/kimberly-bryant