The tech industry’s skills shortage is sending companies to organizations such as the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology in search of ways to find and foster talent. Over the years, the organization has grown into a major force for women in tech, and more and more businesses are taking notice.

“What’s been really exciting the last few days is hearing the stories of how the impact that AnitaB.org has had on the lives of young women, but also mid-career and senior executives,” said Telle Whitney (pictured), former chief executive officer and president of Anita Borg.

Whitney served as the institute’s CEO for 15 years. “[Over] that time period, we’ve grown into a global force with impact [on] well over 700, 000 people. We have well over 100,000 people who participated with Grace Hopper or […] Grace Hopper India,” Whitney said.

Whitney is now passing the baton to new CEO Brenda Darden Wilkerson. She spoke with Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during today’s Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Orlando, Florida.

Tech industry helps Grace Hopper help tech industry

Whitney has seen companies’ participation in Grace Hopper events balloon in her time as Anita Borg’s CEO. This year’s attendance of 18,000 includes groups of up to 1,000 staff members from individual organizations.

“They see the impact that the conference has on retention and advancement of the women who work for them,” Whitney said.

This uptick in businesses’ participation in the Grace Hopper conference makes sense in light of increasing pressure on the tech industry to fill highly skilled positions. “They’re in desperate need of talented computer scientists, and so because of that, more and more organizations are being innovative in how they reach out to different audiences,” she said.

New CEO Wilkerson’s commitment to cross-discipline exposure to tech is one way to pull more individuals into the field. Additionally, there are new avenues open for women and men who left technology to re-enter it, according to Whitney.

“Anybody can start to code through open source,” she said. “There are many ways for anybody — but particularly women — to get back in.”

Here’s the complete video interview, and there’s more SiliconANGLE and theCUBE coverage of Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing:

Photo: SiliconANGLE