Diversity in Milwaukee's tech ecosystem

As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the early 1990s, Tina Chang wanted to study engineering, but was encouraged not to, she said.

Reflecting on that experience now is a reminder of the positive strides the tech industry has made in terms of diversity and inclusion, said Chang, CEO of Brookfield-based tech firm SysLogic Inc.

Local academic institutions including UW-Milwaukee and Marquette University have since ramped up efforts and funding to encourage women and minorities to pursue STEM fields — particularly in the last 10 to 15 years, she said.

However, the local tech industry is falling short when it comes to translating that diversity into the workforce, said Chang, who joined SysLogic in 1996. Part of the problem, she said, is that traditional corporations don't offer the flexibility that some women and minorities may need to succeed.

"If transportation is not easy for you, or you have three kids that you have to juggle and you might be a single parent, you need some flexibility if you’re going to have a career trajectory," Chang said. "I think for tech, we can really make some progress now that the world has understood that we can be effective while working remotely."

Chang also pointed out that diversity and inclusion efforts might need to look different for different companies.

For instance, Chang realized about 12 years ago that there were no white males on her leadership team. She set out to recruit white males but it took time to build the trust and relationships needed to attract those candidates, she said.

Speaking about the recent influx of company commitments to diversity and inclusion, Chang said she applauds the effort but doesn't agree with the implementation.

"You’re seeing a lot of (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives pop up," Chang said. "The spirit of it is great, but to me, true DE&I isn’t an initiative, it's an outcome of great culture and practices throughout an organization that aren't actually DE&I practices."

Beyond attracting and hiring diverse candidates, companies should also focus on retention, she said.

"Do they stick around, do they feel included, are they able to make an impact?" Chang said. "It’s about their retention and their ability to affect change, to have influence and to be a great, true, authentic role model to the organization and to the community."

Tina Chang