Megan Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Megan Smith
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| 3rd Chief Technology Officer of the United States | |
| In office September 4, 2014 – January 20, 2017 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Todd Park |
| Succeeded by | Michael Kratsios |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 21, 1964 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, MS) |
Megan J. Smith, born on October 21, 1964, is an American engineer and technology expert. She was the third Chief Technology Officer of the United States (U.S. CTO). This important role meant she advised President Barack Obama on technology.
Before working for the government, she was a vice president at Google. There, she helped develop new businesses and partnerships. She also led Google.org, which is Google's charity part. Megan Smith is also known for co-creating Solve for X and WomenTechmakers. She was the CEO of Planet Out and worked on early smartphones at General Magic.
On September 4, 2014, she became the first woman to be the U.S. CTO. She served until January 2017. Today, Smith is the CEO and Founder of shift7, a company focused on using technology for good.
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Early Life and Education
Megan Smith grew up in Buffalo, New York, and Fort Erie, Ontario. She spent many summers at the Chautauqua Institution. Her mother, Joan Aspell Smith, was the director of the Chautauqua Children's School.
Megan graduated from City Honors School in 1982. She then went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She earned her Bachelor of Science (S.B.) in 1986. She also got her Master of Science (S.M.) in 1988. Both of her degrees were in mechanical engineering.
For her master's degree, she worked at the MIT Media Lab. She was part of a student team at MIT. This team designed, built, and raced a solar car. They drove it 2000 miles across the Australian outback. This was in the first race for solar cars across a continent.
Career Highlights
After MIT, Smith worked at several new companies. She worked at Apple in Tokyo. She also worked at General Magic in Mountain View, California. There, she was a product design leader for new smartphone technologies.
In 1995, she helped launch Planet Out. She officially joined in 1996 as the Chief Operating Officer (COO). From 1998, she became Planet Out's Chief Executive Officer (CEO). She helped the company grow its partnerships and business. She also increased its users and income. Later, she oversaw Planet Out joining with Gay.com.
Working at Google
In 2003, Megan Smith joined Google. She became the vice president of new business development. In this role, she led early partnerships and technology deals. She helped Google buy many important companies. These included Keyhole (which became Google Earth) and Where2Tech (which became Google Maps). She also helped acquire Picasa.
Later, she became the general manager of Google.org. This is Google's part that focuses on helping others. From 2012 to 2014, Smith co-created and co-hosted Google's Solve for X programs. These programs aimed to find solutions to big problems. In 2012, she also started Google's "Women Techmakers" program. This program helps women in technology get more recognition and resources.
United States Chief Technology Officer
In 2014, Megan Smith left Google to become the third U.S. CTO. In this role, she brought many talented tech people to work for the government. They worked on important issues together. These included AI, data science, and open source technology. They also focused on economic growth, helping new businesses, and fixing unfair systems.
Her teams worked on big projects to help everyone. These included "TechHire," a program with both public and private groups. They also worked on the "Computer Science for All" plan. This plan aimed to teach more students about computer science. She also started a campaign called #FindtheSentiments. This effort tried to find the Declaration of Sentiments. This is an important historical document from the Seneca Falls Convention.
After the White House
After leaving the White House in 2017, Smith became the CEO and Founder of shift7. This company uses technology to solve big problems faster. These problems include economic, social, and environmental challenges. At shift7, her team continued to work on projects like the United Nations Solutions Summit.
In 2017, Smith helped start the Tech Jobs Tour. This tour aimed to promote diversity in the technology world. It traveled to over 20 U.S. cities. The goal was to help connect local talent with tech jobs in their areas.
Megan Smith is a strong supporter of STEM education and new ideas. She has worked on many engineering projects. These include a bicycle lock, a space station building program, and solar cookstoves.
Her call for tech experts to work in public service inspired students. Several Harvard University students created a non-profit group called Coding it Forward. This group helps college students get data science and technology internships. These internships are with United States federal agencies.
In 2017, Smith was chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Engineering. This was for her leadership in technology and her work to make STEM fields more diverse. In 2018, she became a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Awards and Recognition
Megan Smith has received many awards and honors for her work:
- World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer in 2001 and 2002.
- Listed by Out magazine in 2012 and 2013. She was named one of the 50 most powerful LGBT people in the United States.
- Reuters Digital Vision Program Fellow at Stanford, 2003-2004.
- Top 25 Women on the Web, 2000.
- Upside Magazine 100 Digital Elite, 1999 and 2000.
- Advertising Age i.20, 1999.
- GLAAD Interactive Media Award for Internet Leadership, 1999.
- Charging Buffalo Award, 2015.
- Matrix Hall of Fame, 2015.
- Business Insider 23 Most Powerful LGBTQ+ People in Tech, 2019.
Family Life
Megan Smith has two sons, Louis and Alexander.
