Erica Baker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Erica Baker
Baker and Internetdagama 2016.
Born	1980 (age 44–45) Germany
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Alaska
Occupation	Software engineer
Spouse(s)	B Astrella

Erica Joy Baker (born 1980) is a talented engineer who works in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is currently the Chief Technology Officer for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Erica is well-known for speaking up about the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She has worked at many big companies like GitHub, Google, Slack, Patreon, and Microsoft.

Erica became famous in 2015 for starting a special spreadsheet at Google. Employees could share their salary information there. This helped everyone understand if there were unfair pay differences within the company. A writer from Recode, Kara Swisher, even called Erica Baker the "woman to watch."

Learning and Growing

Erica Baker started learning about computers in high school. She took a class where she learned to program calculators using a language called BASIC. She also taught herself how to create websites. She even hosted her own websites on a platform called GeoCities.

Erica went to the University of Miami to study Computer Science. She noticed she was one of only two Black students in a main class. Because of this, she decided to transfer to the University of Alaska. There, she earned a degree in Information Technology.

Her Amazing Career

Erica's first job was at the University of Alaska when she was 21. She helped manage computer systems. After that, she worked at Home Depot for a year, helping with computer networks and mobile devices. Then, she moved to Scientific Games to provide computer support.

Working at Google

Erica worked at Google from 2006 until May 2015. She had different jobs there, eventually becoming a Site Reliability Engineer. This role involves making sure computer systems run smoothly.

In July 2015, after leaving Google, Erica shared something important on Twitter. She revealed that she had started a special spreadsheet at Google. Employees could add their salary details to it. This spreadsheet helped many of her co-workers realize they were being paid less than others. Because of this, some were able to ask for and get pay raises.

Erica said that many colleagues tried to give her "peer bonuses" for starting the spreadsheet. However, her managers did not approve these bonuses. The spreadsheet led to big discussions about how Google paid its employees. People talked about how pay was decided and if there were differences based on gender or background. The spreadsheet was still being updated in 2017. Its information was even shared in The New York Times.

After Google

From May 2015 to July 2017, Erica worked at Slack as an engineer. In 2016, she and her team accepted an award for Slack as the "Fastest Rising Startup."

In June 2017, news outlets like TechCrunch and USA Today reported that Erica was leaving Slack. She was planning to join Kickstarter as a director of engineering. Even though her job title didn't directly say "diversity," Erica knew that helping with diversity and inclusion would be a big part of her work. However, she ended up staying in the San Francisco Bay Area. She became a Senior Engineering Manager at Patreon. In January 2019, Erica joined Microsoft as a Principal Group Engineering Manager.

In March 2021, Erica Baker became the Chief Technology Officer for the DCCC.

Helping with Diversity and Inclusion

After creating the salary spreadsheet at Google, Erica became a strong supporter of diversity and inclusion. She shares her ideas on her blog and at public events. She started a Twitter movement called #RealDiversityNumbers. This movement aimed to get real numbers from companies about how many diverse employees they kept and how many lawsuits they settled.

Erica has also spoken out about how some companies talk about diversity without truly acting on it. She once criticized a tweet from a CEO during protests. The tweet focused on a company logo instead of the serious reason for the protest. Erica pointed out that this kind of thinking was common in the tech industry.

She also helped start Project Include in 2016. This group helps companies create better strategies for diversity and inclusion.

Public Speaking

Erica Baker has been interviewed by major news organizations like WIRED. She was a main speaker at the Women of Color in Computing conference in 2017. She also spoke at the Bond Conference in 2018. In October 2018, she was a featured speaker at a Berkeley Center panel and The Wall Street Journal's Women in the Workplace Forum. In February 2021, she even appeared on the TV show Jeopardy! as a guest presenter.

Giving Back

Erica is on the board of directors for Girl Develop It, an organization that helps women learn to code. She also advises Hack the Hood and mentors young people at Black Girls Code. These groups help young people, especially girls of color, learn about technology.

Awards and Recognition

Erica Baker was named one of the BBC's 100 Women in November 2020. She also won the Level Playing Field Institute Lux Award in 2015.

Her Life Story

Erica Baker moved around a lot as a child. She was born in Germany while her parents were serving in the US Air Force. Then, her family lived in New Mexico, Florida, and Alaska.

Erica got married while she was in college in Alaska, but that marriage didn't last. In 2021, Erica married her current husband, B Astrella.

Erica is very interested in her family's history. She has spent more than ten years researching her genealogy. She hopes to one day help other African American families fill in the missing parts of their own family histories.

See also

In Spanish: Erica Baker para niños