Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Google’s Dawn Kuenzi On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience

As a part of our series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dawn Kuenzi.

Dawn Kuenzi creates and manages student inclusion programs sponsored by Google. The programs are designed to help students realize their potential and to encourage them to consider an education and eventual career in STEM.

Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I grew up in a highly religious community in Oregon, where girls were raised to serve their families as homemakers. For girls, there wasn’t a focus or conversation around obtaining higher education or how to take the steps needed to build a professional career. When I was 18, I made the difficult decision to leave my denomination and separate from my conservative upbringing. I moved to Los Angeles at 21 with no college degree or clear career path. I was determined to make a new life for myself and applied to hundreds of entry-level jobs. I was offered a job as a secretary in Investigations at Warner Bros. and worked hard to achieve five administrative promotions through which I gained valuable work experience. After a decade, I was hired by Google Engineering Vice President Shiv Venkataraman to be his Administrative Business Partner (ABP). He expressed his passion for creating and sponsoring programs that empower girls and young women to succeed in STEM careers. I transitioned to the program manager career ladder to help develop these programs into reality.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?

I believe in the transformative power of mentorship and hands-on skills learning. When Shiv offered to sponsor my career growth, it was my first experience having a professional mentor. He taught me how to organize project resources and manage budgets and mentored me in the fine art of successful cross-collaboration across broader teams at Google. His confidence in my skills and unwavering belief in my potential transformed my life. In 2017, Shiv shared his vision to use robotics in early education to allow girls to see themselves in science, math, engineering, and technology (STEM) in and outside the classroom. I shared my experience growing up in a community where girls didn’t have access to technology or quality education. In July 2017, we designed and hosted the first robotics workshop for girls at Google’s headquarters. The goal was simple: put technology into their hands for the first time in an inclusive environment surrounded by other girls to see if the experience would inspire them to explore STEM. The positive impact the experience had on the girls was immediately apparent.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I once had the honor of hosting a fireside chat at a conference, and I admittedly procrastinated on creating the list of questions I would ask my panel of guests. It wasn’t due to lack of consideration, but I was running behind due to the demands of managing the event planning logistics. During the preparatory meeting with the panel that allowed me to run my questions by them in private before the event, I asked what was probably the most no-brainer question an individual could ask. I asked the man who co-created the Internet what achievement he had in his life that he was most proud of achieving. His reply? A warm chuckle along with, “Well, helping create the Internet might be one thought.” Thankfully, he was as humble as I was unprepared. Since that experience, I learned to do my research!

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

Google sponsors many amazing diversity and inclusion outreach programs. The inspiration to create a positive change for girls has evolved into Google becoming a premier sponsor of the Girl Powered initiative in partnership with the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation. It offers an environment where girls can explore robotics at their own pace, providing tools to help them succeed and supplying resources and activities that enable them to build their confidence on and off the robotics competition field. Just as Shiv has empowered me to pursue my dreams and not be afraid of taking on new and difficult challenges, helping girls find their purpose has become my own.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Over the last six years, more than 600,000 girls have participated in nearly 700 workshops at various locations worldwide. This year, the Girl Powered program has registered more than 38,000 teams, the highest number of teams to date. Over 4,500 girls have participated in the two-day workshops hosted by Google, with 100 workshops planned in 2024. The girls focus on the many aspects of building robots. We want to continue this powerful movement to get as many girls interested and engaged with hands-on STEM experiences as possible worldwide.

Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?

I believe we need to continue encouraging the creation of community-specific educational programs that support an inclusive environment for girls and women in the STEM and tech industries to thrive.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women in STEM or Tech that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts? What would you suggest to address this?

Women in tech still represent less than 26% of the global workforce today. We need to continue to create programs and inclusive environments where girls and women can, with confidence, bring their unique perspectives to new technology so that it meets the diverse needs of our customers.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a woman in STEM or Tech. Can you explain what you mean?

It isn’t ever easy if you feel like you are the only woman in a room of men, but it’s important to remember that imposter syndrome is alive and real. And that most of us, despite gender, at one time or another in our lives fall victim to it. I’ve learned from collaborating with and supporting senior executives throughout both my careers in the entertainment and technology industries that, in the end, we all, at times, can feel anxious and question ourselves. This phenomenon is especially true in a high-performance environment where everyone is talented and hard-working. I need to ask my questions even in high-profile meetings to get the job done, and once I realized that everyone hesitates to raise their hand and admit they need more information, I felt empowered to ask for what I needed to get the job done.

What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Do not automatically think that because something is hard, you can’t learn it. If you’d told me when I was a young girl on a farm in Oregon that I’d be a program manager at a top tech company, I wouldn’t have believed you.
2. If you do not understand the instructions, raise your hand and ask your questions. Most likely, other people in the room besides you, regardless of gender, will be thankful that someone was brave enough to ask the question.
3. Simplify how to do your job so that others can step into your shoes as you reach higher levels. I’ve never seen a leader who can teach skills in an easy-to-digest way and not have more success because of the empowerment of the broader team.
4. Praise others and accept praise. Raising the bar on appreciating your colleagues and recognizing a job well done will always serve you right and will only bring positivity to the culture of your work environment.
5. Do not limit yourself because you think people will limit you as a woman. There will be people in the world who try to minimize you, so don’t do it to yourself. You are your own best advocate.

What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team to thrive?

Light the way for other women. When you don’t have the confidence or courage to pursue your dreams for yourself, then do it for others. I’ve had the privilege of being offered excellent career mentorship at Google. I have added tools to my professional toolkit learned through mentoring, and I share that advice and guidance with colleagues and students I now mentor as part of our diversity programs. Personalize your leadership style so that you are vulnerable in your humanity but strong in your convictions. It’s a beautiful balance, and it’s relatable and commendable.

You are a person of influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

We need to give the gift of STEM education to children from every community so that no one is left out of the current technological revolution, including AI. This includes 50% of girls engaged in STEM hobbies, such as robotics education, from a young age.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” ―Helen Keller

Due to low self-esteem and imposter syndrome, I spent many years of my early career looking back and beating myself up over what I didn’t know and what I didn’t succeed in. Once I realized the past cannot be changed and we all make mistakes, I gave myself permission to look forward, and I haven’t looked back since.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I’d like to have a private meal with Cathie Wood, CEO and CIO of ARK Invest, to ask her how she has managed the pressure of the highs and lows of predicting financial growth for investors, keeps on top of technology of the future to invest in, and has stayed successful and empowered through it all.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.