A woman’s view of her high-tech career
From the “Inside Innovation” column of Jan. 2, 2007:
At age 8, Karen Evensen faced the first obstacle on her road to becoming one of Orange County’s few female high-tech executives.
In the late 1960s, she and a girlfriend built a go-kart and tried to enter it in a community group’s race in Gardena, but they weren’t allowed to compete against local boys’ creations.
Instead they were relegated to a newly created girls’ race that included just their go-kart, Evensen recalls.
She didn’t let that stop her from pursuing an interest in science and engineering that ultimately brought her to EADS North America Defense, Test and Services Inc., where she is vice president of engineering for the Irvine maker of high-tech test equipment.
Being female, though, still sets her apart from most high-tech executives in Orange County, who are typically male – more specifically, middle-aged white and Asian men.
The fact that high-tech companies have so few female engineers and executives is potentially an issue not only of fairness, but also of competitiveness. (more)
