Teaching Everyone to Code
Age: 39
Strategic initiatives manager
Organization: Apple
Olga is a leader in bridging the gap between government and technology. She is an innovative and strategic thinker and trusted advisor to elected officials, boards, non-profits, and executive leadership teams on issues that intersect technology and government. With a specific focus on education, Olga also has experience in federal and state education and technology policy, outreach and advocacy.
Olga put her passion for workforce innovation, education, and creative strategy into developing the Everyone Can Code Chicago program with her team at Apple. The program launched in 2017 as a public-private partnership between Apple and the City of Chicago to expand opportunities for youth to develop coding skills and explore career pathways. Following the success of the program, Apple held an education-based event at Lane Tech College Prep High School where Tim Cook announced that Apple would create the Center for Excellence in Computer Science Education in collaboration with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and Northwestern University. The Everyone Can Code program is now a national beacon that has been replicated in several cities across the nation.
Olga was born in Colombia and grew up in Chicago, where she attended St. Scholastica Academy. She began her legal career as a law clerk for the Honorable Maria Valdez of the Northern District of Illinois. She also worked as an Assistant to Mayor Richard M. Daley in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. At Apple, Olga was awarded the Top Performer Award in 2018 for her business development and outreach skills. Olga is a graduate of the Chicago-Kent College of Law and the University of Illinois.
Words of wisdom: “My life motto, since attending a Benedictine high school, is to lead with confidence, competence and compassion.”
