The founder of Black Girls Code has been ousted as head of the nonprofit after allegations of 'workplace impropriety'
Kimberly Bryant, the founder of Black Girls Code, has been removed as head of the nonprofit by its board.
"Press release: so it's 3 days before Christmas and you wake up to discover the organization YOU created and built from the ground up has been taken away by a rogue board with no notification," Bryant tweeted.
In an emailed statement to Insider, Black Girls Code's board said Bryant remained on the company's staff while "serious allegations of workplace impropriety are being investigated." It said it had appointed an interim executive director to manage the nonprofit.
Bryant did not respond to a request for comment from Insider. She tweeted earlier that she was preparing a formal statement.
Bryant, an engineer who previously worked in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, founded Black Girls Code in 2011. The nonprofit runs workshops, summer camps, and other programs to teach girls technology skills in areas such as web design, app development, and robotics. In 2016, Insider named Bryant one of the most powerful female engineers of that year.
The Oakland, California, nonprofit has chapters in 16 cities, and its programming has reached more than 30,000 participants.
Black Girls Code has amassed support from companies such as Google, Facebook, IBM, and Nike. Its board, which the nonprofit announced in 2018, includes prominent Black leaders in technology and entrepreneurship.
Among its directors are Stacy Brown-Philpot, the former CEO of TaskRabbit and a member of the SoftBank Opportunity Fund's investment committee; Sherman Whites, a director at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a nonprofit that supports entrepreneurship; and Heather Hiles, the founder of the education-tech company Pathbrite and the managing director of the venture-capital firm Black Ops.
Bryant's tweets drew an outpouring of support and sympathy from many in the tech community who expressed shock at the news of her removal from the nonprofit's leadership.
"This is an unfathomable mess handled in the most unjust way humanly possible to a woman who was a huge part of building this movement," wrote Karla Monterroso, the former CEO of Code2040, a nonprofit focused on racial equity in the tech industry.
www.businessinsider.com
- Black Girls Code founder Kimberly Bryant has been removed as the leader of the nonprofit.
- Its board said it was investigating claims of "workplace impropriety" but Bryant remained on staff.
- Black Girls Code teaches girls tech skills and has partnered with Google, Facebook, and Nike.
Kimberly Bryant, the founder of Black Girls Code, has been removed as head of the nonprofit by its board.
"Press release: so it's 3 days before Christmas and you wake up to discover the organization YOU created and built from the ground up has been taken away by a rogue board with no notification," Bryant tweeted.
In an emailed statement to Insider, Black Girls Code's board said Bryant remained on the company's staff while "serious allegations of workplace impropriety are being investigated." It said it had appointed an interim executive director to manage the nonprofit.
Bryant did not respond to a request for comment from Insider. She tweeted earlier that she was preparing a formal statement.
Bryant, an engineer who previously worked in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, founded Black Girls Code in 2011. The nonprofit runs workshops, summer camps, and other programs to teach girls technology skills in areas such as web design, app development, and robotics. In 2016, Insider named Bryant one of the most powerful female engineers of that year.
The Oakland, California, nonprofit has chapters in 16 cities, and its programming has reached more than 30,000 participants.
Black Girls Code has amassed support from companies such as Google, Facebook, IBM, and Nike. Its board, which the nonprofit announced in 2018, includes prominent Black leaders in technology and entrepreneurship.
Among its directors are Stacy Brown-Philpot, the former CEO of TaskRabbit and a member of the SoftBank Opportunity Fund's investment committee; Sherman Whites, a director at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a nonprofit that supports entrepreneurship; and Heather Hiles, the founder of the education-tech company Pathbrite and the managing director of the venture-capital firm Black Ops.
Bryant's tweets drew an outpouring of support and sympathy from many in the tech community who expressed shock at the news of her removal from the nonprofit's leadership.
"This is an unfathomable mess handled in the most unjust way humanly possible to a woman who was a huge part of building this movement," wrote Karla Monterroso, the former CEO of Code2040, a nonprofit focused on racial equity in the tech industry.
The founder of Black Girls Code has been ousted as head of the nonprofit after allegations of 'workplace impropriety'
In a statement, Black Girls Code's board said that founder Kimberly Bryant would remain on staff as it investigated allegations of "workplace impropriety."
