The Milky Way Tech Hub Series: Featuring AmFam Director Leana Nakielski
Since their establishment in 2017, The Milky Way Tech Hub is focused on ensuring diversity and inclusion is at the forefront of Milwaukee’s tech hub through education and resources. The Milky Way Tech Hub is an extension of Nadiyah Johnson’s Jet Constellations: a software company that solves the issues of medical, financial and socially responsible companies through technology.
Although the tech community in Milwaukee is growing, not all of Milwaukee’s diverseness is experiencing the upsides of the industry. Through The Milky Way Tech Hub, Johnson is working to provide spaces for those who tend to be left out of the tech world.
“The advancement of AI will disproportionately impact Black workers, who are more likely to hold jobs that are vulnerable to automation…,” Johnson said. “If we don’t start seeing ourselves as producers of technology, instead of just consumers, we’re in trouble.”
“As a community, we need to encourage, support and invest in Black engineers, biologists and computer scientists,” she added.
To spread their message, The Milky Way Tech Hub has created a video series where they’ve interviewed local key figures who play a role in Milwaukee’s tech community. The goal is to bring awareness to diversity and inclusion in STEM.
The video series starts with American Family Insurance (AmFam) Strategic Partnerships Director Leana Nakielski who explains why it’s important to have diversity in tech.
“When you look at artificial intelligence, for example, some of the software and the way that people who have programmed that, are looking through only one lens, and it leaves out so many other perspectives. It can be actually very harmful and detrimental to produce a good product,” Nakielski said in the video. Yet, she said that’s only the business side of things when it comes to STEM.
“When you think about the opportunities for careers and building wealth…I think it opens a lot of channels and opportunities for many communities, many individuals, many populations that over the last decade, centuries, have often been intentionally left out,” she said.
Nakielski hopes to see The Milky Way Tech Hub continue to influence and impact Milwaukee’s tech community.
“I’d love to see it grow,” Nakielski said.
Eventually, Johnson’s goal is for Milwaukee to be the most diverse and inclusive tech hub in the country.
“Investment in Black STEM workers and entrepreneurs is not only an investment in the Black workforce, it’s an investment in the growth of the economy,” Johnson said.
To find out more about Jet Constellations, click here. To find out more about The Milky Way Tech Hub, click here.
Watch Leanna Nakielski’s interview below: