For employee appreciation week, our parent company Sterling highlighted some of the women who work for us. Today, we’re sharing that post with you. Enjoy!

Sterling and SureID Celebrate Women in Tech

Technology has earned a reputation for being a boy’s club. The National Center for Women and Information Technology reports that in 2017, 26% of the computing workforce were women, and less than 10% were women of color. We’re excited to showcase some of the women who step up every day to deliver outstanding results in tech positions. Meet Faye Ackeret, Karissa Johnson, and Shilpa Shastri.

Faye Ackeret

UX Designer, SureID

Faye lives for the challenge of designing a perfect user experience, and she manages the many moving parts of UX Design with skill and ambition. Rockstar UX Designers like Faye combine technical know-how with soft skills like empathy and effective communication to ensure that their designs not only meet the needs of the business, but also deliver a seamless experience for website visitors and customers. She focuses her considerable talents on interpreting those needs and uses the language of design, layout, imagery, interactive elements, and content to provide solutions.

“When your team gets this right, it’s a beautiful thing,” she says. Her smile and enthusiasm let you know that Faye is an eager collaborator when it comes to doing the work she loves and helping others to understand it.

Thoughts on women in tech

Faye believes it’s important to acknowledge women’s contributions to STEM. Honoring their achievements helps bring their stories to the forefront. “Those stories help to expand our collective belief system about what can be achieved by women,” she says.

On Faye’s bookshelf

Wabi Sabi: The Art of Everyday Life by Diane Durston. Wabi Sabi is a Japanese philosophy that embraces the beauty in imperfection. Durston lived in Japan for 18 years and has served as a cultural consultant on Japan for corporations, universities, and museums, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Coincidentally, she now lives in Portland, Oregon, where SureID is headquartered.

What Faye loves about working at SureID

“First and foremost, it’s the people. That’s what makes the challenge of the work and our collaboration meaningful—working together to provide value and service.”

Karissa Johnson

Software Engineer, Sterling

Karissa didn’t exactly see software engineering in her future. She started college in pursuit of a BFA in Applied Visual Arts, but she finished with a BS in Business Information Systems. Life is full of unexpected twists, and for Karissa, the turning point came when she took an intro to programming class. She was instantly hooked on the ability to pair the mathematical and analytical part of her brain with her innate ability for creative problem-solving. And with that, she found her calling as a software engineer.

Thoughts on women in tech

Karissa volunteers once a year during computer science week assisting 1st and 2nd graders as they work through one-hour tutorials on coding through code.org. She uses this platform to teach the kids about one of the pioneers of computer programming, Grace Hopper, a Computer Scientist and US Navy Rear Admiral. By sharing the accomplishments of influential women, Karissa hopes to raise awareness and inspire young minds to narrow the gender gap in STEM fields.

On Karissa’s bookshelf

Bruce Schneier’s Click Here to Kill Everybody is about the risks and security implications of the hyper-connected world we live in. Karissa is also reading Rebel Code by Glyn Moody, which describes the Open Source revolution and the significance of free software. When Karissa wants to give the analytical side of her brain a break, she picks up a Harry Potter book and is instantly transported to Hogwarts.

What Karissa loves about working at Sterling

“I really feel that it’s the people and pride in the product we make that creates loyalty and a sense of camaraderie. Every single person here has the user’s best interest at heart.”

Shilpa Shastri

Software Engineering Manager

Shilpa didn’t think she’d be in computer science post-college, either. In India, she received her degree in biochemistry! But her fascination with the software industry, especially software’s ability to bring ease and convenience into people’s lives, led her down a different career path.

Shilpa is the kind of person who pursues challenge rather than waiting for it to come to her. That drive is evident in the way she hones in on details to make sure she and her team deliver the very best.

Thoughts on women in tech

“While History teaches, it also repeats,” Shilpa says. She believes that celebrating women in STEM careers empowers women and girls to dream big and strive for great achievements. History shows that when women achieve, society benefits.

On Shilpa’s Bookshelf

Shilpa has been reading Primed to Perform by Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor, which was also an office Book of the Month. The book focuses on building top performing workplace cultures through cutting-edge psychology. Shilpa also has two books in her queue—Strong Woman Stay Young by Miriam E. Nelson and Sarah Wernick and Clean Protein by Bruce Friedrich and Kathy Freston. Her favorite book is Inner Engineering: A Yogi’s Guide to Joy by Jaggi Vasudev.

What Shilpa loves about working at Sterling

“Every day I get to solve an exciting challenge! Even so, it never feels like a burden. I know my colleagues are there supporting me at every step. Our team spirit shows as we fight for the best solution and as we learn from each other.”

At Sterling and SureID, we foster diversity and draw from the unique blend of voices and talents that come together to collaborate in our workplace every day. Learn more about the industry-leading teams at Sterling at https://www.sterlingcheck.com/about/ and SureID at https://sureid.com/about-sureid/.