Women in Tech: At the Forefront of Innovation

Tyler Podcast Episode 89, Transcript

Our Tyler Technologies podcast explores a wide range of complex, timely, and important issues facing communities and the public sector. Expect approachable tech talk mixed with insights from subject matter experts and a bit of fun. Each episode highlights the people, places, and technology making a difference. Give the podcast a listen today and subscribe.

Show Notes

Join us this Women’s History Month as we shine a spotlight on the remarkable women shaping the landscape of tech and the public sector.

On this episode, Tyler’s Media Relations Manager Rikki Ragland sits down with three women driving change at Tyler Technologies. First, Tyler’s President of the Digital Solutions Division, Elizabeth Proudfit, shares her inspiring story of forging her own path into the tech world. Next, Cybersecurity Architect Erica Burgess explores the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape and her experience navigating the dynamic field. And finally, General Manager of Enterprise Corrections & Civil Process, Mandye Robinson, shares her perspectives on leadership, workforce innovation, and the intersection of technology and public service. We also highlight National County Government Month, which takes place this April. This annual celebration gives counties an opportunity to showcase their programs and raise public awareness of the many services they provide to their residents.

Learn more about the topics discussed in this episode with these resources:

• Tyler Technologies & NACo: Modernized Systems from a Connected County
• Additional Resources for Counties
• Blog: Is it Time for Your County to Move to the Cloud?
• Blog: Women in Cybersecurity See Positive Growth
• Podcast: Leading Change: Women in Cybersecurity

And you can listen to other episodes of the podcast at this link: www.tylertech.com/resources/podcast

Let us know what you think about the Tyler Tech Podcast in this survey!

Episode Transcript

Elizabeth Proudfit: I think that women bring a unique perspective to technology, and I think we're all better for it. It's the same as having diversity within our workforce. If you have different opinions and different perspectives, I think you'll ultimately come out with better products and a better solution.

Josh Henderson: From Tyler Technologies, it's The Tyler Tech Podcast. Your source for insightful conversations with thought leaders, addressing the pressing issues in our communities.

I'm Josh Henderson, and I'm on the corporate marketing team here at Tyler. Thanks so much for joining us. In each episode, we dive into the essential topics shaping our society and shed light on the individuals, places, and technologies empowering the public sector.

If you like what you hear, please consider giving a five-star rating and review, subscribing on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and recommending the show to others. And this month, we're bringing you discussions in celebration of Women's History Month. These episodes will feature conversations with some amazing women, exploring their career journeys, their insights into the tech industry and the public sector, as well as the importance of diversity and equality and the ongoing challenges in the workforce.

On today's episode, Tyler's Media Relations Manager, Rikki Ragland talks with three women who have been making a huge impact at Tyler.

We'll hear a fascinating conversation with Cybersecurity Architect Erica Burgess, and an insight-filled chat with General Manager of Enterprise Corrections & Civil Process, Mandye Robinson.

But first up, Rikki is joined by Elizabeth Proudfit, President of Tyler's Digital Solutions Division, who walks us through her unlikely journey into the tech world. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Rikki Ragland: And joining me today is someone who I always love talking to. That is Elizabeth Proudfit. She is our President of the Digital Solutions Division. And I'm especially excited to talk to you during our Women's History Month right now, Elizabeth. So, welcome to the show.

Elizabeth Proudfit: Hey, thank you, Rikki. It's good to see you again.

Rikki Ragland: It's great to see you again as well. You know, you have had a really interesting journey through your career and through your personal life. So, we're going to delve deep into both sides and how they have become intertwined as you sit today as our President of the Digital Solutions Division. But first, I do want to ask you, can you share just a little bit about your journey in tech and then just touch on how you came to decide to pursue that career.

Elizabeth Proudfit: Yeah, absolutely. I still wake up some days and surprised that I ended up in tech, and my friends are even more surprised because when I order a takeout, for example, I still call the restaurant, and I don't really use any apps to do it. So, they're like, wait, you work in the technology field? But the real way that I came to technology is just out of personal convenience.

So, when I graduated from college, I was working in Washington, DC, and I was actually a lobbyist for Arthur Andersen, part of the Big Six. And one my duties, I was a very important young professional for Arthur Andersen. One of my duties was that we operated a PAC, a political action committee.

And so, we had to file reports on the hill. So, I would have to go to Capitol Hill, and I'd have to go to the House side, and I would turn in paper copies, and they would stamp the copies, and I would head over to the Senate side, and they would stamp my copies, and I would see all of my friends and have some lunch, and maybe have a few cocktails. It was a great day, but I quickly found, and I would come back, by the way, to Arthur Andersen, and I would put those paper files into a filing cabinet, and nobody would see them again. And so, I started to wonder what was the point of this exercise other than the ability to see my friends on Capitol Hill, which was really fun.

And so, I met a group of young technologists who worked with the Federal Election Commission.

And they described to me this concept, so this would have been in the late 1990s. They described a concept of electronic filing where I could sit at my desk and file these reports, and these reports would be instantly displayed on the internet so the public could see where the Arthur Andersen political action committee, the PAC, was giving money. And the thought of that convenience and that transparency of the data was really appealing to me. Around that same time in the late 1990s, we took a trip with Arthur Andersen out to Silicon Valley.

And we went to these incredible companies, Genentech, and learned about all of this technology, and it was really eye opening for me because I was working with this big, you know, Big Six accounting firm, and it felt so slow, and it was regulatory and we reacted to things, and it just felt like these technology companies were on the front end of making things happen. And so, within two weeks of going out to California with Arthur Andersen and meeting these young technology people for the Federal Election Commission, I then was hired by the company that provided that electronic filing solution to the Federal Election Commission. I actually met them at a wedding.

And so, within two weeks, I had left Arthur Andersen, and I was working for, really, a startup. And it was the predecessor to NIC. So, the company was bought, within two weeks of my employment, was bought by NIC, and then NIC was bought, obviously, by Tyler, you know, 20 years later. So, it was an incredible journey. I never really considered myself getting into technology.

I, really, when I joined NIC, I considered myself getting really into this world of, how can we use technology to increase transparency and to increase convenience for people? And so, obviously, I love it because I'm still here doing it, and I'm very happy to be here at Tyler. So that's a little bit about my journey.

Rikki Ragland: Wow, it's an incredible journey as well. And I'm sure too, especially at the time that you're talking about being in tech, you know, kind of on that forefront of where women were going into emerging tech companies.

What are some of those unique challenges that either you or other women, other colleagues faced as you've ventured through this tech industry?

Elizabeth Proudfit: Absolutely. It's really interesting, and I love that question, Rikki, because when I first joined, Arthur Andersen, excuse me, out of college.

I worked, it was a pretty even evenly distributed group. It was half women, half men, for the most part, who I worked with, who came in with my class at Arthur Andersen.

And I feel as I've moved along the journey, that there have potentially been fewer and fewer women in the room. And I notice that sometimes. Sometimes I'll be in a meeting with one of our state partners, and I'll look around and say, oh my gosh, like, this is interesting,

I'm the only woman in the room. So that's something that has occurred to me. I don't often think about it. I just have those moments where I think, oh my gosh, there should be more women representing government, running for office, sitting in these rooms, helping to make decisions about how to help citizens navigate government.

So, I love when I walk into room; in fact, I'm thinking of one contract negotiation with the state of Mississippi, where I was the lead salesperson for the enterprise state contract there, and the entire negotiation team, we’re negotiating payments and financing in legal terms and conditions, was women. And we really enjoyed that negotiation and really applauded everyone who was in the room who was leading this effort to help the state of Mississippi.

So having more women represented, within technology, I think is only a good thing.

Rikki Ragland: And then within, just having women in tech, I mean, obviously, there's even more diversity within a group of women. What are some of the things that you think need to change in order to really promote that diversity and that inclusion?

Elizabeth Proudfit: Yeah, that's a really good thing. And I actually think because we partner and work with government, I think our governments have done a really good job at promoting diversity. And from my standpoint, as a leader of the digital solutions division, the way that I've always viewed diversity, whether it's gender, whether it's race, whether it's fill in the blank, is that the more diverse you are, the better candidates you get in terms of your workforce. And so, I have always encouraged diversity because I think you'll get the best of the best from across the spectrum.

But I think that we can look to government, in terms of promoting diversity, because I think that, we work primarily with state government, I think state government has done a really good job promoting diversity on their side.

Rikki Ragland: I mean, what about the, the mere fact of having women in tech to begin with? What is the importance of women and their impact on technology and on the tech industry?

Elizabeth Proudfit: Yeah, I mean, I always think, you know, even, I referenced that state of Mississippi contract negotiation, I think that women bring a unique perspective to technology, and I think we're all better for it. It's the same as having diversity within our workforce. If you have different opinions and different perspectives, I think you'll ultimately come out with better products and a better solution. I think that having women in technology, one of the things that makes me proudest, I think, of our digital solutions division is when we're tackling real issues, right? So, technology is a piece of it, but we're sitting down with government and working on things like homelessness, like recidivism.

We're working on things about getting more people access to voting, right? And finding their polling place. So, I think having women as part of that conversation and tackling those problems as part of technology is a great thing, right? So, these different opinions and these different perspectives only helps that.

Josh Henderson: Up next, Rikki speaks with Tyler's Architect of Cybersecurity, Erica Burgess. She dishes on how the interests she developed at a young age, led her to a career in tech.

Rikki Ragland: Joining me is a one-of-a-kind person. Erica Burgess is the architect of cybersecurity here at Tyler. And Erica, you have quite a story to tell, so we're very excited to talk to you today.

Erica Burgess: Glad to be here. Thank you for having me.

Rikki Ragland: Starting off, can you please just share with us a little bit about your journey in tech and touch on how you decided to pursue a career in this industry?

Erica Burgess: Yeah, so it wasn't intentional. I like to say that I was a bad teenager who liked hacking. It was a lot of self-taught, and I didn't really think of it as a real career path at the time.

Around the time I was going to college, there wasn't a cybersecurity degree that I can recall or that I knew of. And so, when I went to school, I was sort of looking at things like biology and physics and those sort of things, kind of bouncing around, and I settled on computer science. Now part of that motivation was to help pay off student loans because I knew that programmers were in demand. But the other side of that is I had a lot of different interests, and if you have children or people you know who are really interested in a lot of different topics, I highly recommend pursuing computer science because you can automate a lot of different fields. So, you end up learning a little bit about accounting, for example, here at Tyler, or you might learn about biosciences if you work at bioscience company.

And around 2018 I actually joined my dream job of being a red teamer, and I was able to sort of test things and find bad exploits before the bad guys can and sort of help out that way. And eventually, I was training pen testers on the Tyler cybersecurity team. And these days, most recently, I've been driving R&D for cybersecurity, so a lot of AI work.

And then it seems like you are unique in the standpoint that you're one of the few women who sit in this role and who sit in roles like this throughout the tech industry.

Erica Burgess: Yes. There’s not a lot of women in this field, that's true, especially even compared to the rest of IT.

Rikki Ragland: What has that been like for you? I would assume that you have faced some unique challenges or that you've had colleagues who are women who have also faced unique challenges in the tech industry.

Erica Burgess: Yeah, I mean, it's changed a lot over the past 15 years. So, when my career started, there was some a lot of controversy about the pay gap. And so that can be devastating to a really young person. And if you have an imposter syndrome where you're already wondering what your value is and you sort of add that as well, you have this monetary reminder that it's just not valuable. And so, I encourage other women to lean away from those environments. I'm really happy to say that that's not the case these days. I haven't heard or seen it as much, which is, it makes my heart happy.

And so that can be discouraging. But again, these days, its, the happy news is I haven't seen that sort of thing recently.

Rikki Ragland: What about the, just the diversity among women that are in tech? And especially with you not seeing as much of that dichotomy between having women in tech and not having women in tech. I feel like you're coming in at a different time than say some of the other people that we've interviewed, you've had more of that longevity where they really were a first or an only but still, we need to make some changes. So, what are some of the things that you think need to change to really help promote that inclusivity and that diversity for women in tech?

Erica Burgess: Yeah. I mean, it might sound like a cliche, but it really changes one person at a time, right? And so, I mentioned the imposter syndrome, and that's a very personal thing.

So, whether you think that you are an imposter or you may be on the receiving end of that sort of thing, or you're concerned about it for someone else, there's one thing that I found that really helped a lot. And so, I encourage everyone who wants to work for change to try working anonymously, and I'll show you what I mean. So, because of my background in offensive security, I had a unique opportunity to lead online as an anonymous contributor and so for the safety and security of doing responsible exploit disclosure, I would have to use other names, right?

So, it's genderless, it's faceless. It's nameless, right? And so, by using that word, gender wasn't specified, it was this really interesting experiment for what it's like to lead without those things and gave a little bit of perspective.

And I encourage anyone who's wondering how their work is received to try that. And if you publish something anonymously, whether it's artwork or a paper or an exploit or what have you, and you don't see a difference between the way it's perceived in person, versus online. Congratulations, you actually might be in a really fair situation, right? So, it's a cool experiment.

Rikki Ragland: What impact do you think women are now making in this tech industry?

Erica Burgess: In this field, appreciating your own perspective is so valuable, because if you know what your perspective is and how to use it, you know, you can apply that to fields where you need to sort of perform a craft. And what I mean by that is, my perspectives form my interaction with the world, right? So, being a woman in the world has given me a unique experience. And the beauty of that is that everyone has a unique perspective.

And if you acknowledge that, you might notice that you look at a system differently. If you're an offensive security expert, you might have a different idea about something. That idea generation, that brainstorming, it's really important. And sometimes it's all about your personality and how you choose to approach things. And that can be any kind of creative work.

It doesn't have to be hacking. It could be writing or art or anything like that. And the same goes for any field like that, really. A diverse perspective is a gift, and it's a learning tool.

Josh Henderson: Stay tuned. We'll be right back with more of the Tyler Tech podcast.

Jade Champion: I hope you're enjoying listening to this episode of The Tyler Tech Podcast My name is Jade Champion, and I'm here with Dani McArthur to tell you about a group that plays a huge role in our communities, county governments.

Dani McArthur: That's right, Jade. And we wanted to let our listeners know that April is National County Government Month.

Jade Champion: And April is just around the corner. So, what can you tell us about this month and why it's so important?

Dani McArthur: This annual celebration gives counties the opportunity to highlight their programs and raise public awareness of the many services they provide to their residents.

Jade Champion: I also know that Tyler works closely with local government leaders and organizations like the National Association of Counties and the International City and County Management Association. But how exactly does Tyler collaborate with these county governments?

Dani McArthur: Great question. Tyler offers solutions that modernize systems for local governments, empowering counties to create healthy, vibrant, and safe communities. For additional information and links to resources, please check out our show notes for more.

Jade Champion: That's great. We'll also have some county-focused sessions planned for our attendees at our annual Tyler Connect user conference in Indianapolis in May. We hope to see you there. Now let's get back to The Tyler Tech Podcast.

Josh Henderson: Our final guest on today's episode is Mandye Robinson. Mandye is the General Manager of Enterprise Corrections & Civil Process, and she fills us in on her career pivot moving from law enforcement to technology.

Rikki Ragland: Mandye, thank you for joining us.

Mandye Robinson: Thank you for having me.

Rikki Ragland: You have had such an interesting journey throughout your career, over on the corrections side and especially in tech as well. Can you share with me just a little bit about your journey in tech and touch on how you came to decide of pursuing your career in technology?

Mandye Robinson: Sure. And I think if you would have asked me, I've been with Tyler now for 15 years. If you'd asked me 15 years ago if I was ever going to be part of technology, it had not even crossed my mind.

So, my background's actually in law enforcement and spent several years as a police officer and a dispatcher and working sexual assault investigations.

And then my husband and I met at work, and we decided that we were going to grow our family. And so, we both started to look for jobs in the tech industry, but really trying to find something that would use our experience working in law enforcement. And shortly after we found an opportunity at Tyler Technologies, and we both started working for our public safety and court products.

Rikki Ragland: Can you also tell me, especially as somebody who's been a trailblazer, really in your career, some of the unique challenges that you faced or that you have seen colleagues face as women in the tech industry?

Mandye Robinson: Yeah, you know, I think having a background in law enforcement, which, it's an industry that's predominantly male, has I think made it a little bit easier, to be in a, really tech is male dominated as well when you think about I think the latest stats that I've seen is like 30% of people in tech are women.

And so, while that has presented its challenges, I also think that the experience has given me a really valuable perspective. And the dynamics of being in a woman in any field that's traditionally dominated by men, I think it shares a lot of similarities.

I know as a mom and as a wife, I find that the recurring theme that I hear from other moms, and then my own experience, it really revolves around achieving some kind of work-life balance, which just seems impossible at times. Personally, I manage the needs of, I have several children, but two of my children have disabilities, and that means frequent doctor's appointments, it means therapy sessions and really being active, with school on a deeper level. So, navigating that journey can feel it can it can feel lonely at times. And even among other mothers, because of the complex world that I live in with having a child with a disability, requires firsthand experience. So, it could feel a little bit like you're on an island. But I hear from other moms that that work-life balance can be really hard.

I think another observation I've made is how women tend to under underestimate their capabilities, and I know that I'm absolutely guilty of this. Women often hesitate to apply for a role unless they meet every single criteria. They check every single box.

Or they feel that they have all of the criteria that's sufficient to, to succeed in that role. And in contrast, I think men typically do not exhibit that level of self-doubt, and they're more inclined to put themselves forward for those opportunities, even when they don't meet every requirement.

Rikki Ragland: I have heard the same and I echo what you're saying. I think a lot of women tend to underestimate their abilities and I think a lot of working moms, too, tend to underestimate those abilities where quite often you hear working mothers say, why I'm giving 50% at work and 50% at home. I don't feel like I can give 100% to one and the other at the same time. What advice do you have for those women that you have talked to and some of the women that you haven't, in terms of being that working mom and really not allowing this to affect your psyche, you know, as you're trying to achieve both at work and at home?

Mandye Robinson: It's such an interesting question because I'm always nervous about answering this and making it sound like I have it all together.

Because I don't have it all together.

And I think it's, I think we should normalize that there are ebbs and flows when you are balancing both your work and a career that you love and that you want to continue to grow in while also loving your family, supporting your family and wanting to be a major player there.

From an advice standpoint, I would say to give yourself grace, and to allow yourself flexibility, I feel lucky to work for a company where I have felt supported to have a flexible work schedule.

For me, that might look different than someone else, but for me, it may mean that I take a lunch break, and I'm going up to the school to go to lunch with one of my kids. It might mean that I leave at four o'clock because I have some type of event that I need to take one of my kids to.

It could mean that I'm taking vacation as a half day or, you know, a day here and a day there. But for me, I always try and stay very connected to my kids and to my husband and make sure that we're really in alignment, because that comes first to me.

Rikki Ragland: You also mentioned how tech is such a male dominated industry, and that you know, as women, there's so many different aspects that we bring to this field. What are some of the things that you think really need to change within the tech industry to create a more diverse and inclusive environment?

Mandye Robinson: You know, I think I think we've come a long way, but there's always room for more. One of the things that I think that that we should continue to champion is promoting diversity in leadership.

I know when I see someone that looks like me in a leadership role, it makes me feel proud. It makes me feel like that's a representation of something that I can do and be one day. And I just think that when we put women in leadership positions, that can help serve as a role model and mentors for other women in the industry and in our company. That’s what really helps shape our company culture.

The other, I think, is providing support and mentorship programs. When you establish those mentorship programs and connections that are specifically tailored for women, and women in technology, it can provide the guidance, the advice, the connection for opportunities, as well as career development and advancement.

All of those things really help, I think, to create more diversity in technology.

Josh Henderson: And that's it for today's episode. Many thanks to Mandye Robinson, Erica Burgess, Elizabeth Proudfit, and our guest host Rikki Ragland for such enlightening conversations.

Advancing equity and inclusion for women in the workforce is essential for fostering a diverse and dynamic public sector. Embracing gender diversity not only promotes fairness and equality, but also unlocks a wealth of untapped talent and perspectives. By providing equal opportunities for women, public sector agencies can harness the full potential of their workforce. From leadership positions to technical roles, ensuring gender equity cultivates an environment where innovation flourishes, and government services are more effectively delivered to all residents.

Tyler Technologies creates solutions made for the public sector and has experts with government experience ready to support you on your journey.

I hope you're excited about what the future holds and will reach out to us at podcast@tylertech.com to connect with a subject matter expert if you'd like to learn more.

And whether it's empowering your workforce or modernizing your digital infrastructure, or something else entirely. We want to hear from you about what you'd enjoy hearing more of and how we can make The Tyler Tech Podcast even better.

Fill out our audience survey in the show notes today to let us know how you heard about the show and your ideas for future episodes.

And don't forget to leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts. For Tyler Technologies, I'm Josh Henderson. Thanks for joining The Tyler Tech Podcast.