Melissa James: The CEO
Consider Melissa James the tech industry’s super connecter. As the CEO of The Tech Connection and the Black Tech Boston Meetup, this Boston native and proud Caribbean-American (with a Jamaican mom and St. Kittian dad) has been dedicated to strengthening diversity in the industry, connecting underrepresented technical talents with elite companies such as Google and Teradata. James also mentors the next generation of innovators as board member of the Youth Institute of Science and Technology and the Young Black Women’s Society.
Ahead of her presentation this week at the Black Tech Week in Miami, the National Weekly spoke with James about her past inspirations and future plans.
Tell us about your companies The Tech Connection and Black Tech Boston Meetup? How did you come up with the concept?
My company the Tech Connection works with companies to create a recruitment strategy that creates an approachable process to find the best software engineers and IT professionals. The Black Tech Boston Meetup is an industry event, where nearly 400 members come together to talk about tech. We also have our software platform set to launch, so candidates can market themselves to elite companies, so that people outside of Boston can access our resources. Working at Google on the diversity in tech initiative really pushed me to find a better way to engage diverse talent and highlight their strength.
How did you get started in tech? Did you have any particular mentors who encouraged you to venture out on your own?
My first interaction with tech happened shortly after I graduated. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. You know with Caribbean parents, the only option is nurse, lawyer or doctor! And I don’t like blood. But I graduated in the middle of the recession, when lawyers were having a hard time getting jobs. Then a boyfriend suggested I try out for a tech company, Sample 6, which dealt with biotechnology – something I never knew anything about. They do diagnostic tests for food-borne pathogens, which I thought was super important. At that point they were looking for a manager to grow their team. My mentor there, Michael Koeris was the founder of the company, and he let me see the entire process, from board meetings, to financing, to hiring. I got an incredible chance to see the ins and outs of how to start a start-up. It was like going to boot camp every day in how to start and run your own company.
How has technology changed you both professionally and personally?
Technology is the great equalizer. If you have google, you have access to everything. There is no excuse for not learning more or taking advantage of resources. I don’t always know what’s the best decision, but through social media I’ve been able to create my own network of talented people to learn about business, and better understand our industry.
What has been your most memorable moment/project so far in your career?
All of it! So may great moments. But I am really proud of hosting the Black Tech Boston meetup. We went to the Google offices in Boston for our first meet-up with a 100 members. It was such a great chance to give back to my family and community, inviting everyone to see the process behind this company whose products we use every day – that’s just 20 minutes from where they live. We have 400 people in our meetup now. It’s so important to show what it like behind the scenes at these companies. You can see that there is so much opportunity out there, and how much it can impact the socio-economic opportunities of your family.
