“create a better, more ideal, and perhaps easier pathway for my daughter and girls like her.” - Kimberly Bryant
Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee Kimberly Bryant was born to a single mother on January 14, 1967. Bryant describes herself as a nerdy child growing up who loved and excelled in Mathematics and Science topics in school. Bryant recalls feelings of isolation being that she was, regularly, the only black woman in the room as she continued down the electrical engineering path in school. Kimberly Bryant attended Vanderbilt School of Engineering and graduated in 1989.
Frustrated with the lack of diversity within the STEM industry and motivated by her daughter’s growing interest in STEM, in 2011 Kimberly Bryant started her company Black Girls Code . At the time of Black Girls Code’s creation less than 3% of women of color were receiving degrees in computer science and only 12%, of women in total. Kimberly Bryant is the creator, founder, and director of Black Girls Code , a non profit that serves the purpose of diversifying the coding industry and introducing young black women to the field. This non profit currently reaches around 3000 students and even has a chapter in South Africa. The organization has been recognized within the tech community as a trailblazer for her work with her nonprofit organization as well as the work she has done to make the tech industry more accessible to women of color.
Kimberly Bryant is a seasoned member of the computer science community with over 25 years of experience working with high profile technology companies such as Pfizer and Genentech. She is a board member for the National Champions Board for the National Girls Collaborative Project. Kimberly Bryant has been recognized as one of the 25 most influential African Americans in technology and has been placed on numerous lists that highlight her achievements and influence on the tech industry.