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 October 21, 1964) is an American engineer and technology expert. She served as the third Chief Technology Officer of the United States (U.S. CTO) under President Barack Obama. This important role meant she helped the President use technology to improve the country.
Before working for the government, Megan Smith was a vice president at Google. There, she helped develop new businesses and partnerships for nine years. She also led Google.org, which is Google's charitable part. She even helped create "Women Techmakers" to support women in technology. Earlier in her career, she was the CEO of Planet Out and worked on early smartphones. Today, she is the CEO and founder of a company called shift7.
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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 was the director of the Chautauqua Children's School there.
Megan graduated from City Honors School in 1982. She then went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She earned two degrees in mechanical engineering, one in 1986 and another in 1988. While at MIT, she was part of a student team. They designed, built, and raced a solar-powered car 2000 miles across the Australian outback. This was for the first-ever cross-continental solar car race.
Career Highlights
After college, Megan Smith worked at several new companies. She worked at Apple in Tokyo and General Magic in Mountain View, California. At General Magic, she helped design early smartphone technology.
Leading at Planet Out
In 1995, she became involved with Planet Out, a company focused on online communities. She officially joined in 1996 as the Chief Operating Officer (COO). From 1998, she became the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). She helped the company grow, find new partners, and increase its users and income. Later, she oversaw Planet Out joining with another company called Gay.com.
Innovating at Google
In 2003, Megan Smith joined Google. She became the vice president of new business development. In this role, she helped Google find new partners and explore new technologies. She was key in many early purchases, like Keyhole (which became Google Earth) and Where2Tech (which became Google Maps). She also led Picasa, a photo editing software.
Later, she became the general manager of Google.org. This is Google's part that focuses on helping the world. From 2012 to 2014, she helped create and host Google's "Solve for X" programs. These programs looked for solutions to big global problems. In 2012, she also started Google's "Women Techmakers" program. This program helps technical women around the world get more recognition and resources.
Serving as U.S. CTO
In 2014, Megan Smith left Google to become the third Chief Technology Officer of the United States. She was the first woman to hold this important position. As U.S. CTO, she brought talented tech people to work in the government. They worked on important issues like AI, data science, and open-source technology. They also focused on making economic growth fair for everyone.
Her teams worked on projects to help more people get involved in technology. These included "TechHire" and the "Computer Science for All" initiative. She also launched a campaign called #FindtheSentiments. This effort aimed to find the original Declaration of Sentiments, an important historical document.
Work After the White House
After leaving the White House in 2017, Megan Smith became the CEO and founder of shift7. This company uses technology to solve big challenges in the economy, society, and environment. At shift7, her team continued to work on programs like the United Nations Solutions Summit. In 2017, she also helped start the Tech Jobs Tour. This tour visited over 20 U.S. cities to encourage diversity in the technology field. It helped connect local talent with growing tech jobs.
Megan Smith is a strong supporter of STEM education and new ideas. She has worked on many engineering projects, from bicycle locks to solar cookstoves. Her call for technologists to work in public service inspired students to create Coding it Forward. This group helps college students get technology internships in U.S. government agencies.
In 2017, she was chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Engineering. This was for her leadership in technology and her efforts to make STEM fields more diverse.
Awards and Recognition
Megan Smith has received many awards for her work:
- World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer in 2001 and 2002.
- Listed by Out magazine as one of the 50 most powerful LGBTQ+ people in the United States in 2012 and 2013.
- 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.
Personal Life
Megan Smith has two sons, Louis and Alexander.
