We need more successful women nerds

Starting off with a very genuine and emphatic statement that I love being a Microsoft MVP.  To me it truly is an honor.  The program is awesome, I’ve made great friends, I’ve grown personally and professionally and I love it.  However the program is totally lacking women.  I want that to change.

Gloria Steinem once told me that women become activists when they get angry.  I’m not quite there, but I am a bit fired-up.

So here’s the deal.  I saw this MVP blog site on MSDN and couldn’t help but notice the alarming lack of women included here.  Common statistics put women in over 50% of all professional jobs, but under 25% in IT.  On this page, we’ve got right about 5% women.  That must change.

I am in no way suggesting we give MVP awards to anyone that hasn’t earned it, regardless of their gender.  I am suggesting that we need to find the female MVPs that are already out there, that just haven’t gotten the recognition yet.  I am suggesting we find those that are interested and we help them along the path.

Here’s what I will do.  I will help match mentors with folks that need one.  This will be specialty agnostic.  Don’t care if you’re an IT pro or developer.  Don’t care if you dig deep into Access or SQL.  Let me know you want a professional mentor and I will make it a point to either be that mentor or find one with you.  If you want to be a mentor, tell me too, I’ll keep you in mind when folks ask for one.

The path to MVP is different for every single person.  There is not a formula to follow.  It is a great recognition for professionals that GIVE BACK.  If that’s you, let’s talk.

Men and women make great mentors, one of my best professional mentors has been my husband.  We have so much to learn from each other and offer each other.  Let’s do something.  Together.

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Anne Stanton

Sometimes it takes more than earning it :(

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