Tekedra Mawakana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tekedra Mawakana
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Mawakana in 2024
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| Born | 1971 (age 53–54) Mississippi, US
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| Title | Co-CEO of Waymo |
Tekedra Mawakana is an American businesswoman and lawyer. She is currently the co-chief executive officer (CEO) of Waymo. Waymo is a company that develops self-driving car technology. Before becoming co-CEO, she was the chief operating officer (COO) at Waymo.
Mawakana has worked for several well-known companies. These include AOL, Yahoo!, and eBay. She has also served on the boards of important groups. These include the Consumer Technology Association and Intuit.
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About Tekedra Mawakana
Tekedra Mawakana was born in 1971 in Mississippi, USA. She lived in several states while growing up. These included Georgia, Texas, and Virginia.
Education and Learning
Mawakana went to Trinity Washington University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1993. After that, she studied law at Columbia Law School. She received her Juris Doctor degree from there. This degree allows her to practice law.
Tekedra Mawakana's Career Journey
Mawakana started her career as a lawyer. She worked at Steptoe & Johnson. This is a large law firm in Washington, D.C. She focused on intellectual property and telecommunication law. Intellectual property deals with creations of the mind, like inventions. Telecommunication is about sending information over distances, like phone calls.
She then worked for Startec Global Communications. This was a telecommunications company. Later, she joined the legal teams at AOL and Yahoo!. She worked at AOL for about twelve years. In 2013, she became a deputy general counsel at Yahoo! There, she led efforts to protect user privacy. This included working against mass surveillance. Mass surveillance is when governments watch many people's activities.
In 2016, Mawakana became the head of global government relations for eBay. She worked there for about 14 months.
Working at Waymo
In 2017, Mawakana joined Waymo. She started as the vice president of public policy and government affairs. In this role, she helped expand the testing of autonomous driving technology. She also worked on rules and competition for these cars.
In 2019, she was promoted to chief operating officer (COO). As COO, she managed many parts of the company. This included communications, marketing, and business operations. She also oversaw public relations and policy.
Since April 2021, Mawakana has been the co-chief executive officer (CEO) of Waymo. She focuses on the business side of the company. The other co-CEO, Dmitri Dolgov, focuses on the technology. They work closely together. In 2021, an expert noted their strong working relationship. Mawakana is one of the few African American women to lead a self-driving technology company.
Board Roles and Awards
Tekedra Mawakana serves on several important boards. She is on the board of industry leaders for the Consumer Technology Association. She is also on the advisory council for Boom Supersonic. This company is developing faster airplanes. She is also on the board of directors for Intuit, a software company.
She is also part of the advisory board for Operator Collective. This is an investment company. Mawakana is also on the board of Saving Promise. This group works to prevent domestic violence. She has also led the Internet Association.
In 2015, Washingtonian magazine named her a "Top Tech Leader." They recognized her work at Yahoo! to protect user privacy. In 2020, Automotive News listed her among the "100 leading women" in the North American automotive industry. This was for her work at Waymo. In 2024, TIME magazine included Mawakana on its list of the 100 most influential people in AI.
Personal Life
Tekedra Mawakana lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
See also
- List of Columbia Law School alumni
