The U.S. Department of State recently concluded its annual TechWomen program, bringing together emerging women leaders in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), fields from over 20 countries for a cultural and professional exchange.
The month-long program connected participants with mentorships from prominent American women across the tech industry and academia. Through these partnerships, the visitors aimed to build skills, networks and ideas to advance gender equity and opportunity in their home communities and encourage more girls to pursue STEM careers.
“TechWomen was an answer to former President Obama’s 2009 call for increased U.S. engagement with the Muslim world in STEM fields,” a State Department spokesperson noted. “It has since expanded beyond the Middle East and North Africa to welcome women tech leaders from regions including Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.”
This year’s program hosted women from countries like Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan and Tunisia. Their Silicon Valley mentors represented companies such as Apple, Google, Intel, LinkedIn, NASA and Salesforce.
The agenda featured workshops, networking and panel talks hosted by organizations like Airbnb, Amazon, PG&E and the World Bank. Participants connected with role models and collaborators while exchanging ideas.
“Through mentorships with U.S. women leaders in STEM, TechWomen aims to encourage more girls to pursue careers in technology and empower women driving progress in their communities,” the spokesperson added.
Over a decade since its launch under former Secretary Clinton, TechWomen has engaged over 600 women from more than 40 countries as part of U.S. efforts to expand economic participation globally.
