Liz is Co-CEO and Head of Design at Webjunto, a user-experience-focused design and development company based in Philadelphia. Liz has a passion for both research and design. Over the past 15 years, she has worked on a wide range of projects including research on motivation theory, cognitive learning theory, and user experience.
After more than ten years of taking on side gigs as a web designer and front-end developer, she earned a master’s degree in information design and technology from SUNY Polytechnic Institute and went on to cofound Webjunto. Prior to starting Webjunto, Liz received a master’s degree in urban planning from the School of Architecture and Planning at SUNY Buffalo and practiced as an urban planner specializing in urban revitalization. Liz continues to do work in the community as a civic hacking enthusiast, event organizer, and public speaker.
Liz will be a part of the panel “Empowering Girls With Tech: Breaking Barriers.” This panel will be a discussion about the drivers to get girls interested in entrepreneurship and STEM, as well as the challenges of getting girls interested in these particular fields.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your background?: My background is interesting and unusual. I have done a lot of things and consider myself the “jack of all trades” type. It took me a long time to realize that wasn’t a bad thing. I landed on user experience design because it allows me to utilize my cross-disciplinary skillset and knowledge. Prior to working in design, I went to school for urban planning and communication. More details on that can be found on my website at www.lizbrown.info.
Q: Can you talk about some of the work you’ve previously done?
A: Previous work includes everything from research to design and development. Overall, I’m a creative problem solver. Some of my favorite work has been related to community development and capacity building with neighborhoods and startup founders.
Q: What made you want to be a part of SXSW?
A: I have always wanted to go to SXSW. I had no idea that my first time going would be as an attendee and a speaker. I’m always happy to share my knowledge and experience with others; I think ideas should be shared, debated, and improved upon in collaborative settings like panels and so on. For the past couple of years, public speaking has been a huge priority for me personally because I want to help people avoid some of the pitfalls that I’ve had to deal with as a woman of color, lesbian, and so on.
Q: How did you get interested in this specific topic:
A: I’m interested in STEM education as it relates to girls, women, and minorities studying and entering careers in STEM. This is extremely important to me as a woman of color working in tech. I grew up surrounded by mentors that were not a reflection of myself and I think that’s a huge problem. I think that too many people think that creating more opportunities for children to experience STEM is enough; it’s not enough.
Q: What key points do you want to discuss during your panel?
A: We’re dealing with wicked problems that are tied into a ton of issues, some of which might not clearly be related. We need to uplift experts with cross-disciplinary knowledge, experiences to collaborate with whole communities and the children that we aspire to bring into STEM. The children most likely have more answers than we do! Bottom-line is that there’s no one solution to any wicked problem – it takes a village and WE are that village. Let’s get to work.
Q: What specific things are you hoping people learn from your panel?
A: What I think other people will learn are different approaches to combating issues related to girls and STEM education and helping people to understand what a “wicked problem” is will be a key point for me personally.
Q: Is this your first time at SXSW? If so, what are you most excited for?
A: Yes, it is. I’m most excited about meeting new people and exchanging ideas. I’m really looking forward to seeing and experiencing as much of SXSW as I can!
Monday, March 12
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Hilton Austin Downtown – Salon A
Find out more: Empowering Girls With Tech: Breaking Barriers
Featured image provided by Unsplash