Prior to joining NetHope in January 2015, Sterling founded and directed the first Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD) professional master’s program in the United States, a program that places equal emphasis on technology, methodology and development studies. Sterling also consults extensively for the United Nations, development agencies and high technology companies interested in utilizing technology for societal benefit.
Sterling previously worked at Microsoft for 10 years, where she spearheaded Microsoft Research’s efforts in gender equity in computer science, as well as working as a software engineer and program manager for several versions of Windows, BackOffice Server and products in the Emerging Technologies division. She has served on the leading gender and technology boards, and testified before the U.S. Congress about the need for more women in the technical workforce. She moved into the field of ICTD to research the impact of technology on women’s empowerment in underdeveloped communities and specializes in creating programs and products for marginalized populations. She is most concerned on the “hidden” barriers to ICTD use and access. Some of these topics include gender and power relations, development readiness, community expectation management and systemic dis-empowerment.
Connect with Dr. Sterling online:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/revisterling
Twitter: https://twitter.com/revisterling
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