Girls Who Code Welcomes Two New Board Members: Tom Jones, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Women’s World Banking & Karen Pavlin, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at ServiceNow

NEW YORK, NY – (September 4, 2024) - Today, Girls Who Code, a nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in tech, announced additions to its Board of Directors. Tom Jones, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Women’s World Banking, and Karen Pavlin, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at ServiceNow, will join the Board as new members.

"We are thrilled to welcome Tom and Karen to Girls Who Code,” said Dr. Tarika Barrett, CEO of Girls Who Code. “Their diverse expertise and longtime dedication to empowering women and underrepresented groups will be instrumental as we empower our students to take charge and excel in computer science. With their guidance, we are confident that we will further our mission to close the gender gap in tech, and inspire the next generation of innovators."

“I am deeply honored to join the Board of Directors at Girls Who Code, an organization that has long committed to empowering the next generation of female technologists through access to the resources, tools, and support they need to explore their passion for technology and turn their dreams into reality,” said Karen Pavlin, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at ServiceNow. “Just as I’ve learned from my own professional journey, building gender parity creates more successful teams and drives innovation, and it’s my privilege to work alongside Girls Who Code, inspiring the future leaders who will shape our world.”

“The world will not progress if we continue to choose to leave women and girls behind. Working with Girls Who Code to prepare young women as future influencers and leaders is a necessity,” added Tom Jones.

Girls Who Code’s Board Chair, Carol Juel, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology and Operating Officer at Synchrony, also expressed her excitement for the new appointments.

“I, along with the other members of the Board, look forward to working with Karen and Tom as we work to support Girls Who Code students in every step of their journey into the tech industry.”

Since 2012, Girls Who Code has served 670,000 students and has 218,000 college and career-aged alumni – half of whom come from historically underrepresented groups in tech. All Girls Who Code programs and initiatives are created to support students in every step of their educational and tech journeys.

About Tom Jones

Tom is a businessperson and nonprofit leader who has devoted his career to improving the welfare of populations in need through economic development/empowerment and poverty alleviation. Based in New York, Tom serves as the Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Women’s World Banking, the leading voice for women’s financial inclusion. As the head of global programming and shared services, Tom drives the alignment of the organization’s three strategic business lines: advisory services for financial service providers and regulators; impact investing; and policy advocacy and influence. Together, the organization has impacted the lives of more than 68 million women over the past six years.

Independently, Tom is a founder and partner in MohrJones, a management consulting firm focused on helping the C-suites of start-ups and nonprofits to achieve their business objectives and build strong leadership teams.

Prior to Women’s World Banking, Tom spent a decade with the New York City Economic Development Corporation investing in local communities. The company designed and led large-scale capital programs, including infrastructure, job training, community improvements, and support services for minority and women-owned business enterprises. Before that, he spent time in the office of U.S. Senator Jon Kyl in Arizona assisting immigrants separated from their families at the U.S. border.

Tom currently sits on the Boards of the London Stock Exchange (LSEG) Foundation, Global Citizen, ImpactWayv, and HeadCount.

Tom is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, holds a Master of Public Administration from the Eller School of Business at the University of Arizona, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University at Buffalo.

About Karen Pavlin

Karen Pavlin is Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at ServiceNow, the AI platform company making the world work better for everyone.

In this role, Karen leads ServiceNow’s global efforts to build an inclusive culture and ensure equitable opportunities for its people and the communities it touches as the future of work continues to evolve.

Under Karen’s leadership, ServiceNow offers award-winning DEI initiatives to its 23,000 global employees and future ServiceNow talent, having been industry-recognized by Fortune, Great Place To Work®, Glassdoor Best Places to Work, American Opportunity Index, Human Rights Campaign, and more. She also oversees RiseUp with ServiceNow, ServiceNow’s investment in underrepresented communities to break down traditional barriers of entry into a career in tech, by providing access to the technology, knowledge and opportunity through the ServiceNow ecosystem.

An admired leader in equity and inclusion and scaling global technology enterprises, Karen has a deep understanding and passion for nurturing customer relationships through human connection. In doing so, Karen has spent her 30-year career building dynamic and inclusive teams that model and serve the global and diverse nature of their customers.

Prior to ServiceNow, Karen served as the Managing Director and North America Inclusion and Diversity Leader at Accenture, and she spent 20+ years at Xerox Corporation as a global managing director – managing the firm’s largest and most strategic Financial Services clients and global P&L. Karen and led several NYC-based Women in Tech and mentoring programs.

Karen holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters degree in marketing communications and business from the University of Virginia and is certified by Cornell University’s Modern Chief Diversity Officer Program. Karen sits on the Board of Directors of the Apollo Theater and Girls Who Code as a passionate advocate for the arts and developing our next generation of future leaders. She is the recipient of The Network Journal’s Top 25 Black Women in Business and the 4A’s Foundation Elevating Inclusion Award.

About Girls Who Code

Girls Who Code is an international nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in technology, and is leading the movement to inspire, educate, and equip students who identify as girls or nonbinary with the computing skills needed to pursue 21st century opportunities. Since launching in 2012, Girls Who Code has reached 670,000 students through our in-person and virtual programming, and 218,000 of our alumni are college or career-aged.

Girls Who Code has sparked culture change through marketing campaigns and advocacy efforts, generating 14 Billion engagements globally. In 2019, the organization was named the #1 Most Innovative Non-Profit on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list, and in 2023 was named one of Fast Company’s Brands That Matter. The organization was also named one of NonProfit Times’ Best Nonprofits to Work For in 2022 and 2023.