In 1995, Bill Gates Sr. asked Susannah Malarkey to lead an effort to study the health and vibrancy of the technology industry in Washington state, forming the basis of what became the Technology Alliance.
Malarkey, who was working with the Greater Seattle Area Chamber of Commerce at the time on an event known as the Leadership Conference, thought the new-fangled project might last a year.
“The first year, we said: “Let’s just do this as an experiment, and see if there are enough issues to work on,'” recalled Malarkey. “Within a year, it became very clear that we needed to be doing this work full time.”
Now, 20 years later, Malarkey is planning her exit from the organization that she helped create. She plans to lead a search for her replacement this fall, stepping down officially from the statewide technology organization in January 2016.
The Technology Alliance officially planted its stake in the ground in 1996 as an advocate for the tech industry, bringing together players from aerospace, software, life sciences and various research organizations. The idea was to think long-term about the health of the innovation economy in Washington state — an industry that was purring with the success of Microsoft and had just given birth to Amazon.com.
“I remember Bill (Gates) Sr. being so clear about how much we had been lucky rather than strategic in the region, his son’s company being a perfect example,” recalled Malarkey, adding that when Bill Gates Sr. calls with an opportunity you jump at the chance.
Malarkey has seen and done a lot in her 20 years, helping to launch programs such as the Alliance of Angels, Ada Developers Academy and The Science & Technology Discovery Series. Entrepreneurship, research capacity and education remain three key cornerstones of the organization. And while progress has been made in many areas, Malarkey admits that some areas — namely K-12 education — has not progressed as quickly as she would have hoped.
“The reason why we have not made a lot of progress on it is that it is not easy,” said Malarkey. “It takes real investment and it takes a real willingness for institutions to truly change.”
Even so, Malarkey said that the Technology Alliance has helped change the conversation when it comes to what kids need to accomplish in order to get involved in STEM fields.
“We are not the only voice anymore. We are a chorus, and I really think it has been an important change,” she said.
Malarkey specifically cited the Technology Alliance’s Youth Apps Challenge — where middle school kids build apps across the state.
“The kids are having fun with it — I think that is a big win that we have more kids, and more girls, pursuing science and tech,” she said.
With her 20 year anniversary approaching and a few key projects nearing completion, Malarkey said it was a good time to “think about my next chapter.” She’s not sure what she’ll do next, perhaps some travel and definitely planning her daughter’s wedding. She hopes she can take her foot off the gas a bit as she reevaluates her next career move.
The work at a non-profit organization like the Tech Alliance never stops, and Malarkey said she hopes to find more project-based work that includes a bit of flexibility. One thing is certain: She plans to stay very engaged with the community.
“I really care about this region. I am a fifth generation Northwesterner. I am not going anywhere,” she said. “But I think it is someone else’s turn to take the Technology Alliance through its next 20 years.”
The organization is taking its time with the transition, with plans to take the summer to really evaluate the role of the Technology Alliance in the larger tech community.
“Since I have been the only executive director, we really do want to take a step back and think about what the Tech Alliance should look like for the next 20 years and what kind of leader that would require,” said Malarkey. “I am excited to do this process. It is pretty cool.”
One key component of the Technology Alliance is its annual luncheon, coming up next Friday featuring a fireside chat with Concur CEO Steve Singh. Lining up the keynote speaker for the annual event — which has featured Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and biotechnology pioneer Leroy Hood — is no easy task. And Malarkey said she felt good about stepping down at this time, knowing that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had committed for the 2016 event.
“It just seemed like it was all aligning perfectly,” said Malarkey about her decision to step down.
Here are some edited excerpts from GeekWire’s interview with Malarkey:
So much has changed in the Washington tech industry of today compared to 20 years ago. What stands out to you? “Oh, wow. Obviously, the world is completely different. When we started the Tech Alliance, no one was talking about the research university and the central role of the research university as a driver of innovation and growth. It was really about banks and insurance companies and natural resource industries. The old economy was still very, very predominant, and the tech industry and it really was Microsoft having gotten such an important foothold, but it was still considered the new kids on the block. And now, of course, technology dominates. And it is what everybody talks about. But, interestingly, the issues that we raised 20 years ago, some of them we have made progress on, but a lot of them we haven’t. It is just that a lot more people are aware of what those issues are, and it is not like we are the only ones telling that story anymore.”
One of the running jokes at the Tech Alliance luncheon is that you are kind of a broken record sometimes talking about where Washington state stands in terms of education. Would you consider that one area where you have not been able to make the strides you’d hope for? “I think that Washington has been a very successful state at importing top talent, and we have done that really well. And we have done a poor job of providing opportunities for Washington’s kids. The reason why we have not made a lot of progress on it is that it is not easy. It takes real investment and it takes a real willingness for institutions to truly change.
We have made some progress, actually. Our latest benchmarking shows that we have made progress in 4th and 8th grade math and science and reading achievement. We are actually in the top third of states, but we are not doing well at graduating kids from high school, and getting kids into college and getting kids through college. And, of course, we are not doing a good job of providing opportunities in STEM disciplines, particularly computer science. It is also just not the job of technology leaders to be solving this problem. This is a problem for the whole state to take on. And, even though we are a broken record, we have to keep saying it because if we don’t say it, who is going to. And we really need to be clear that Washington companies want to hire more Washington kids.”
Is there a disappointment where you felt you could have made a bigger dent? “I think there is an understanding that we need to be doing a better job at the K-12 level, but I still think there is a lack of understanding at how underserved Washington is in higher-ed. How few of our kids actually go from high school into a training program or onto college. People know how expensive college is, but I don’t think they understand how many roadblocks there are. And I think there is an increased understanding that not all college educations are created equal. But I just wish that we were able to really, really accelerate the change to expand the programs that help Washingtonians get family wage jobs in the technology industry.
If I were to make a prediction, I think if we were to look at any one institution that is going to go through massive change over the next decade and half or the next 20 years, say, it is higher ed. It is becoming so much clearer that skills and competencies are what matter. That was a big a-ha for the companies that participated in the Ada Developer’s Academy work was that in six months you can take a smart and dedicated person and turn them into a software developer, and they can be an incredible asset to a company. I think that whole idea we have as Americans about being able to reinvent ourselves and become who we want to become that that idea is going to morph higher ed.”
