Dr. Sue Harnett
Founder and CEO at Rewriting the Code/Latinas de RTC
Sue Harnett is changing the game for young women entering careers in computer science and engineering guided by principles of the game of basketball. The Staten Island, NY native found her first sense of belonging as a member of the girls' basketball team at her primary school. That commitment to contribute her best talent on the court led to life-long friendships, a college and professional athletic career , and ultimately the path to the building communities and belonging for women today. Sue built and exited her first technology company, Replay Photos, in 2013. She found her next opportunity as a consultant to her alma mater, Duke University, where she learned that nationwide, women were exiting their computer science degree programs and giving up on the pursuit of their highest achievement because they lacked support. Her solution was to create a team for women in computing that was not limited by university borders or size. That’s how her current venture, Rewriting the Code was born. With over 18,000 student and early career members worldwide, women are finding a rich digital and IRL community that celebrates their unique identities as they work together to graduate and find work with many of Rewriting the Code’s corporate partners.
Rewriting the Code’s community of women are committed to completing the work required to change the face of computer science. And together, they’re unstoppable.
Harnett’s success with entrepreneurship, innovation and change models comes from her passion and ability to recognize the viability of a concept, develop a foundational infrastructure for it, and quickly scale the idea into a business. She attributes the largest part of her success to creating teams of highly motivated colleagues who embrace a culture of inclusion, independence + motivation to do great things every day.
Rewriting the Code is a non-profit organization which supports and empowers college, graduate and early career women in tech, through intersectional communities, mentorship, industry experience and educational resources, to become the next generation of engineers and tech leaders.
