Season 1: Hello, World! • February 2, 2021

Dana Ledyard, Regional Managing Director at Catalyte

In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Dana Ledyard, Regional Managing Director at Catalyte.

Outspoken With Shana Cosgrove Season 1 Episode 10 Dana Ledyard

In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Dana Ledyard, Regional Managing Director at Catalyte. Dana talks about her time as the managing director of the nonprofit, Girls Who Code, and the work she now does with Catalyte. She also discusses what she’s seen in regards to equity and diversity in the tech industry. Listen to how Catalyte recruits and trains their talent.

QUOTES

  • “Honestly, I think 90% of adulting is showing up and follow through.” -Dana Ledyard [22:35]
  • “I think that if I’m going to spend 40-50-60 more hours a week at a job or free-time, I want it to be something that I believe is like moving the world forward or trying to make things a better place, especially for young people.” -Dana Ledyard [25:24]
  • “You have to come in prepared. Right? Like you have to know the numbers. You have to know what you’re worth. You have to decide what’s important to you.” -Dana Ledyard [56:51]

TIMESTAMPS

  • [00:04] Intro
  • [01:58] Meet Dana Ledyard
  • [03:18] Girls Who Code programming courses
  • [07:31] Dana’s previous role at Girls Who Code
  • [09:30] Equity and diversity
  • [12:31] The importance of parents’ support
  • [13:15] Feeling like you don’t belong
  • [20:49] More about Dana
  • [22:30] How she became such a badass
  • [26:12] Her childhood
  • [29:46] Attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • [32:34] How Dana got involved with Catalyte
  • [34:47] How Catalyte recruits talent
  • [39:39] The environment at Catalyte
  • [41:30] The modules
  • [42:39] Placement and how they find internships
  • [46:42] Who takes the assessment
  • [49:01] Comparing outcomes data
  • [52:44] What makes Dana the most proud professionally
  • [55:29] The best advice she got professionally
  • [57:13] Her best advice for other professionals
  • [01:00:28] A book that has impacted Dana
  • [01:02:25] How she feels gender has affected her professionally
  • [01:05:43] Work/life balance
  • [01:07:19] Dana’s love for cheesy country music
  • [01:08:10] What’s next for Dana
  • [01:09:41] Outro

RESOURCES

RELEVANT LINKS

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