“In 2014, two women from Capital One’s college new-hire program approached Julie Elberfeld who, at the time, was Chief Information Officer for Capital One’s Commercial Technology team and brought to her attention the issues causing a decline in the number of women in the tech industry,” says Belinda Ragonese, Senior Director of Commercial Technology at Capital One. “Julie formed an initial group of 19 women leaders, and I was lucky to be a part of that movement It’s wonderful to work for a company that does not allow for a ‘brogrammer’ type culture, and I felt like I needed to step up and do my part to ensure women everywhere felt supported.”

Since then, women at Capital One are able to participate in the Women In Tech initiative, a program designed to help foster a diverse and inclusive culture at the company.

Women in Tech at Capital One brings employees together to focus on developing a love of technology in girls; improving the representation of women in the technology field; highlighting the role models in the industry now, and supporting the career development of women technologists. Members are involved through mentoring, speaker training, skill building, community partner work and leadership training.

Below, we talked to both Ragonese and Margaret Mayer, Vice President of Software Engineering and leader of the WIT chapter in Richmond, Va., about their experiences being women in technology and what they would tell young girls everywhere.

Photo: Courtesy of Capital One

Blavity: What do you wish you would have seen when you were younger?

BR: I grew up in a very rural area and technology – actually, most STEM subjects — were not promoted to students. I wish that my teachers had more of a vision to push their students to consider pursuing their passion for these classes. While I was still in school, the number of women in the technology field was at its highest, but I was sadly not aware.

When did you first develop a love for technology?

BR: I remember when my family got our first Apple computer, and I was mesmerized. I always loved math and it really felt like I could use my understanding of math concepts and logic in a new and exciting way.

MM: I took my first programming class in high school, and it was then that I realized that technology could be used to model and solve complex problems that were difficult or impossible to do. I entered college in engineering, going on to major in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering. I have always used my software engineering skills to solve challenging problems.

Was learning technology something that was always encouraged? Did you have a strong support system of women exposing you to the industry?

BR: Education was always a priority for my mom. She earned her degree through night classes while working multiple jobs. While it took her many years to complete her degree, her dedication and perseverance were inspiring to me. The tech field was neither encouraged or discouraged, but I was always told that I was capable of doing anything I set my mind to. This support and encouragement provided me a lot of confidence throughout my life.

MM: My interest in studying engineering was never discouraged. When I entered college, I didn’t have a preconceived notion of what specific field I wanted to study, so I didn’t really think about a support system then. My parents always supported and encouraged my decisions.

How long have you been working in technology?

BR: I’ve been at Capital One since 1999, and working in technology since 2010.

MM: I have been with Capital One for 19 years and have been in the field for over 20 years.

What would you tell a woman in technology who doesn’t have an already-existing group like WIT to turn to?

BR: I would say there are a number of existing technology groups in which they can get involved. Women Who Code has a fantastic national presence, and women could also join or start a Lean In Circle or look for ways to start their own WIT organization where they work.

MM: If you have the passion, you could consider starting your own group at your company. You could also look within your community to see if there is a group like Women Who Code.

How are you personally and professionally working to improve the representation of women in tech? How important is it for us to uplift successful women in tech and share their individual stories?

BR: It is critical for us to improve the representation of women in tech, and by sharing our individual stories, we can inspire school girls to continue in her math and science classes or persuade a female co-worker to stay in Tech. It’s important to take the time to celebrate the successes of other women in our industry and to be advocates for each other. I was recently at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing for my third year and was once again inspired by the women speakers. Their stories of struggles and successes motivate me to continue my work with Capital One to bring more women into tech.

What would you tell an ally who doesn’t have a formal organization like WIT at their company that they can do to support women in technology?

BR: As a first step, allies should look to support the women in their organizations by stepping up to identify when unconscious bias is occurring and help support their female colleagues in fixing the problem. They can also use their voices in meetings to amplify the voices of women. The only way we promote change is to work together.

MM: It’s very basic – talk to the women around you. Ask questions of them and get to know what challenges they’re facing in the workplace and where you can lend support to help them overcome those challenges. Serving as a mentor or an advocate of women in their organization is another important way they can get involved.

What kind of outreach do you do for employees at Capital One to join WIT?

BR: We work with our chapters to have local new hire lunches and breakfasts for new associates, including the women in tech and allies. Each chapter also has an internal intranet site in which associates are able to join to ensure they get notifications of any upcoming training or events.

How do you think other tech companies can learn from WIT at Capital One?

BR: The WIT group is a grassroots effort that started out primarily as a way to help us identify how we could make improvements at Capital One and increase the representation of women in the technology industry. We all did our own research and made sure we stayed authentic and true to our core mission. In order for these types of programs to be successful, you need to have the buy-in from the executive leadership team. Our CIO was personally committed to making this a priority and that’s why it resonated with the rest of the organization.

How different are the agendas and calls to action in the 9 different WIT chapters across the country? Are there some regional themes that you’re aware of?

BR: The nine chapters formed over the past two years and have been driven by the local associates’ desire to both support each other and their local communities. While the specific agendas may differ slightly, the call to action and objectives of the chapters are consistent. First, provide the support for our internal women associates through new skills, training, networking, lean in circles and meetups. Second, support the local community by having a presence at local schools and colleges and championing our message. A big part of their external outreach is through our C1 Coders program, where we expose middle school students to technology by partnering with schools and community leaders to foster a focus on software engineering.

What is your favorite aspect of WIT? Are you a mentor, do you work in skill building, community partner work, leadership training, speaker training, etc.?

BR: I love the fact that WIT is changing the landscape and that there is so much support from an ally perspective. We started out as a group of 19 women and have morphed into more than 3,000 chapter members. I have had the opportunity to mentor a number of women at Capital One, support our community through a number of our C1 Coders events, and to speak or be a panel member at a number of internal and external events.

What does being in the initiative mean for your agendas on a weekly or monthly basis? How does it alter (or does it) how you budget your time or what’s on your task list?

MM: I spend my time in WIT, as my way to give back and advocate for the next generation of women engineers. I also consider when I’m speaking at a conference about my work, as not only sharing my work but also demonstrating that there are successful women in technology.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about you and the other women who are involved in WIT at Capital One? Any upcoming initiative that people would be able to support?

BR: Those involved in Capital One’s WIT program are a passionate group of women who have been empowered by our leaders to help make a difference both here at Capital One and in the broader tech community. With this support we were able to partner with Karen Jackson, Secretary of Technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia, to create the WIT Experience. This event will be held on November 15 at the Richmond Convention Center; it’s a free conference open to all women in the technology field. We are offering two tracks for the professional women attending. One track, developed in partnership with Angel Hack, enables women to develop the skills to support leading a hackathon for local non-profits in their areas. For the second track, we are offering ~20 classroom workshops presented by Capital One’s Tech College. Here is the link for anyone interested in attending. http://www.bit.ly/WITexperience.