In a professional and political landscape marred by vocal opposition to her cause, Lybra Clemons (pictured) provides hope for the future of women and people of color working in tech. Just a month into her role as global head of diversity and inclusion at PayPal Holdings Inc., Clemons is already working to ensure inclusivity plays a prominent role at every point in the employee life cycle.

“There’s a lot of focus on recruiting, but for us we really want to talk about retention and culture. We can bring them in the door — we need them to stay. We need them to build. We need them to ascend through the ranks,” Clemons said about her aspirations for the future of diversity hiring and employee development at PayPal.

Clemons spoke with Rebecca Knight (@knightrm), co-host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing event in Orlando, Florida. They discussed the importance of seeing diversity in leadership positions for prospective hires and how PayPal is leading the charge with its focus on constructive culture, career development and a constant dialogue among employees at every level.

Creating a roadmap for diversity

The importance of encouraging a diverse workforce well before the hiring process is critical to success, according to Clemons, who named initiatives specifically created to support LGBT and veterans groups, as well as young girls with interest in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, jobs.

“When there’s a specific and targeted goal with one particular entity, it helps to build a momentum,” Clemons said.

Consistent targeting of groups that have been historically alienated by tech education is the key to creating a workforce rich with talent from all walks of life, according to Clemons. “There’s a lot of that happening, but we need to pull it all the way through. … I would love for companies to think of more of this kind of middle to high school bridge program, where not only do you learn at the young age, but also you’re starting to invent and be more thoughtful and be entrepreneurs.”

While there is still much work to be done in the name of creating a more inclusive tech labor force, Clemons revealed how to determine if a prospective employer walks the walk when it comes to diversity. “I look to see how many levels down you have to go to find a woman or a person of color. If you can’t see yourself in your senior ranks, you question whether there is a life for you there,” she concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.

Photo: SiliconANGLE