Friday, September 12, 2014

Department Of Small Business Services Announces Kristen Titus As Founding Director Of Tech Talent Pipeline

Former Girls Who Code Executive Director Will Help Lead City’s Collaborative Effort to Support the Growth of the Tech Sector and Train New Yorkers to be Top Tech Hiring Choice




NEW YORK – The New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) today announced Kristen Titus as the Founding Director of the Tech Talent Pipeline. In this role, Titus will lead the administration’s $10 million commitment to support the growth of the City’s technology sector, announced this May. The Tech Talent Pipeline is a collaboration between employers, community groups, training providers, and government to support the growth of the tech sector and train New Yorkers to be tech companies’ premier hiring choice.

Technology is among the fastest growing and highest paying sectors in New York City today, representing 291,000 jobs and $30 billion in wages annually. The Tech Talent Pipeline is part of the administration’s broader Jobs for New Yorkers initiative that will help shift the City’s workforce development to focus on employment for New Yorkers in skill-building, higher-wage jobs that offer opportunities for advancement.

“Kristen’s past work experience inspiring, educating, and equipping young women to pursue careers in technology, and helping to close the gender gap makes her an ideal candidate to lead the City’s Tech Talent Pipeline, which will help grow the City’s tech sector and help even more New Yorkers with diverse backgrounds gain quality training and careers in tech,” said Maria Torres-Springer, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “The Tech Talent Pipeline will play a critical role as the administration’s Jobs for New Yorkers taskforce works to train and connect New Yorkers to good jobs in growing sectors, and we are thrilled that Kristen will be a part of this effort.”

Katy Gaul-Stigge, the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development said, “The future of workforce development is creating smart links between employers and a trained, talented workforce. Tech is a critical sector of economic growth and the Tech Talent Pipeline will be a critical bridge that helps thousands of talented New Yorkers looking for opportunities in the tech sector, and helping New Yorkers gain the in-demand skills the employers need. Kristen Titus is the perfect choice to make these connections and launch careers in all five boroughs.”

“The Tech Talent Pipeline is an innovative public-private partnership designed to strengthen the City’s tech sector and transform our communities, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be leading the charge as Founding Director. Industry leaders are hungry for talent and excited by the opportunity to work together to prepare New Yorkers for 21st century jobs, and I look forward to seeing the careers, entrepreneurs, and innovations that are born of this work—in all five boroughs.”

“Recruiting top technology talent with the right skills is critical to our success and to New York City’s economic growth,” said Gayle Jennings-O'Byrne, Vice President, JPMorgan Chase Global Philanthropy. “JPMorgan Chase is proud to be the first funder of the Tech Talent Pipeline, a partnership with the Department of Small Business Services, to make local talent the first choice for local businesses.”

“The New York City Workforce Funders and the New York Community Trust are pleased to support a number of workforce programs in partnership with the City of New York and the Department of Small Business Services, including our latest joint venture, the Tech Talent Pipeline,” said Patricia Jenny, Vice President for Grants at New York Community Trust and Chair of the NYC Workforce Funders. “We are thrilled with the hiring of Kristen Titus, an industry leader, to direct this effort.”

Kristen has spent her career at the intersection of technology and philanthropy and brings to the City a wealth of experience in building programs, platforms, and constituencies. Kristen is the former Executive Director of Girls Who Code, a national organization working to close the gender gap in technology and engineering. In its first 18 months of operation, the organization secured funding from 25 corporate and foundation partners, garnered unprecedented coverage in over 75 media outlets, and delivered 700% programmatic growth.

As a result of her work in the field, Kristen was named one of TIME Magazine's "30 People Under 30 Changing the World," one of Business Insider's 2014 "Most Influential Young People in Tech," one of Forbes’ “Woman Changing the World” in 2012, and one of Elle Magazine’s "11 Women Who Might Just Change the World." Her work in the New York tech community has been widely recognized; she was named one of Business Insider’s 2013 “Silicon Alley 100,” and noted as one of its “30 Most Important Women Under 30 in Tech.” In 2013, she was named an Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar.

Kristen is a former consultant to startups, nonprofit organizations, foundations, and corporate partners working at the intersection of philanthropy and technology, and the former Managing Director of Jumo.com, the social network for the social sector from Facebook Co-Founder Chris Hughes. Kristen helped to launch Jumo in 2010, where she led the organization's programming, fundraising, communications and operations; in 2011, she managed the organization's merger with GOOD Worldwide, LLC. Prior to founding Jumo, Kristen was as a consultant to nonprofit organizations and institutions in the areas of strategic planning, management, and communications. Kristen sits on the Board of Refugees United, Doc2Dock, and CODE2040, and is an Advisor at Crisis Text Line, NonprofitShare, and Technovation.


About the Tech Talent Pipeline
Led by the Department of Small Business Services in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development, and building on existing relationships with CUNY and the Department of Education, the Tech Talent Pipeline will combine city, state, federal, and private funding to reach a budget of approximately $10 million, distributed across three years, to recruit and train New Yorkers; design new curricula to meet employer need; and engage employers in building the talent pipeline. This collaboration is supported by several philanthropic partners, including JP Morgan Chase, the inaugural funder, and the NY Community Trust and the New York City Workforce Funders.


About the Department of Small Business Services
The Department of Small Business Services (SBS) makes it easier for businesses in New York City to start, operate and expand by providing direct assistance to business owners, fostering neighborhood development in commercial districts, and linking employers to a skilled and qualified workforce. For more information on all of SBS’ services, go to www.nyc.gov/sbs.


Contact: Merideth Weber (SBS), mweber@sbs.nyc.gov, 212-513-6318

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