Joann Anderson, VP of Engineering at Scoop Technologies, had a unique childhood in that her mother was a programmer so it never seemed abnormal to Joann that she was a woman in a male-dominated industry. Because many women, particularly mothers, haven’t had that experience, Joann has made it a mission to be a model for others.

In a wide-ranging conversation, Joann spoke to Peter about her creative approach to finding the best people for her QA teams, why inclusivity is so integral to workplace culture, and her advice for finding a mentor that you click with. Check out the episode for Joann’s tips for a welcoming, collaborative work environment.

[00:24] - Where Joann started in computer science
[01:24] - Crossing over from QA to engineering management
[03:11] - Optimizing hiring to identify good QA traits
[05:39] - Transitioning to Director of Application Engineering at Slack
[06:43] - Modernizing carpools at Scoop Technologies
[08:26] - Tactics for ensuring inclusivity throughout an organization
[17:23] - Mentorship fundamentals
[26:14] - Don't be afraid to ask questions

CTO Connection is where you can learn from the experiences of successful engineering leaders at fast-growth tech startups. Whether you want to learn more about hiring, motivating or managing an engineering team, if you're technical and manage engineers, the CTO Connection podcast is a great resource for learning from your peers!

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to CTO Connection in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Creating Inclusive Workplaces with Joann Anderson