Dr. Allison Scott
CEO , Kapor Foundation
Dr. Allison Scott is the CEO of the Kapor Foundation, an organization with a mission to increase racial diversity in tech and entrepreneurship. We believe that when the tech workforce and leadership reflects the diversity of the country, innovation will be strengthened and tech can be used to close longstanding gaps across sectors. At the Foundation, Dr. Scott leads efforts to: (a) conduct research on barriers and solutions to racial inequality in tech, and (b) operate programs and invest in pathways into the tech/entrepreneurship workforce, and (c) work in partnership with stakeholders to advocate for transformational change in policies and practices to expand racial equity in technology. Dr. Scott is currently a Principal Investigator on multiple national grants to expand equity in computer science education and increase participation of women of color across the computing pipeline and is co-director for the Computer Science for California coalition, which aims to increase access and equity in K-12 CS education across the state. In her previous role as the Chief Research Officer, Dr. Scott authored foundational research on disparities in tech and entrepreneurship, inequity in K-12 CS education, and interventions to improve STEM outcomes for students of color and girls/women of color. Previous positions include: Chief Research Officer at the Kapor Center; Program Leader for the National Institutes of Health’s Enhancing the Diversity of the Biomedical Workforce Initiative; Director of Research and Evaluation for the Level Playing Field Institute, and Data Analyst for the Education Trust-West. Dr. Scott holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Hampton University.
