Episode 74 : Meet The Speakers - Angela Hurdle

Dear Corner Office

What is going on everybody? This is Michele Heyward. I'm really, really excited to be here with you. If you are new to me new to PositiveHire don't worry, we are going to get well acquainted with each other. We all know each other like weed next door neighbors in South Carolina where I am from, because I have with me tonight, Angela hurdle, who is part of the positive hire community. At positive hire, we focus on connecting black Latina and indigenous women who are experienced scientists, engineers and technology professionals to management roles. And guess what I don't Well, I do often because of the community I built, I get to nerd out with people. But the funny part is, Angela is a data nerd. So we're gonna get into it. She's also one of speakers next week for a virtual Summit. We want to talk about that some but Angela, Angela.
Michelle, for inviting me. Let let the great I told him I'm in South Carolina, where are you from? Like, because they're gonna hear some accents today. Okay, I am from New York, where the lands of where people don't have access? We do not. Yes, we are everything here. Real special. And we don't have access. But people say they can tell. We're from New York when we speak. But, but I do have strong North Carolina roots, a lot of my family's from North Carolina. And so although I've never lived there I call I call it home.
Yes, as I say, everybody, or a lot of people have dirty roots. And so you from the dirty south, you got some dirty roots. That's what I tell a lot, especially black people who have dirty roots. So we are so how did you first find out about positive hire or get connected to the community?
I am not 100% Sure I know at them positivehire quite a few years ago was probably like four. And I was looking to connect looking to work network with other women in tech, specifically other Women of Color in Tech of the minorities in tech. Because we haven't unique experience. It's not the same. And so I'm often in meetings and in work environments where I'm often only so I was looking to make that connection four years ago. And I probably came across an email or an ad for one of your events. And I've showed up for many of them sets
I love it. I love it. I love it. We have some comments like I'm here for the data nerd fest.
Yeah, yes. If you're a data nerd connect to me, I just, I just love it. In fact, I think I was a data nerd from a very young age. So yeah, I always knew I would be doing something like counting marketing or something like that. I was always interested, and why people, people did certain things. And I always felt the numbers would tell me. And I don't know how I knew that. Maybe fifth sixth grade, but somehow, maybe because my dad was an advertising. But I was like, why are people buying that or doing that? Or whatever. So I was always interested. Yes. So I just love it.
It is so funny. I remember it. You have to tell me in elementary school, what did you tell people you want it to be when you grew up? I remember saying a CPA. I read it in a Harlequin romance novel. And it sounded really important. And it had to do with numbers. And I loved math in elementary school, and I still do. But what was like that first? What were some of the things as a kid you thought you would grow up to me? That that were around data around numbers.
I always knew that I wanted to do something with math. But I didn't know what so whenever anybody asked me I never had an answer. So even when I was in school, like college, and I was a math major in college, and they're like, Well, what are you going to do after you finish school? Are you going to teach because of course you know, it was assumed that would teach me like, No, I'm not doing that. Never say But what are you gonna do? I don't know. I'm just going to keep going with this, but we'll see. And I have to say that I fell in all of the right places, right out of college, I was recruited by a company that did marketing data. So that was a very good start for me. And then from that company, I was working at the Nielsen Company where, hey, data insights, why are people doing what they do? Why are they find what they that was where I, I, that was the question I always had. And so I know that later one. I just kept falling into places that were good for me. And that worked really well for me, and I'm looking for, let's see, so much that
Giselle is in the chat with us. Yeah. So we connected. We connect, you were excited earlier this year about some data that was released publicly. Can you share with the audience? What was that data? And what made you so excited? Like y'all, y'all had to be there. And I'm like, she's such a data nerd, but I love her because, but I'm gonna stop, I'm gonna stop, just share with the people what it is about it. Okay,
so this is me being a data nerd. In my private life. This is totally me in my private life, what I do, I am so interested in family history. And so earlier this year, the new census data was released the 1950 census data because they keep when we fill out the census form, it's private for 70 years. So that, you know, no one knows our personnel. But after 70 years, they release it. So I was able to see my family members and where they lived in the 1950s. And I was just like, waiting. And people who, some people who know me, they told me about it, they were like, do you notice I was like, do I know I've been waiting a year for this to happen. So yes, I was so excited. And I was able to find my grandparents, where they were living in the 1950s, where my great grandparents were living and other family members, I was sending data and information around to my family members about where everyone was in 1950. So yes, it was a wonderful time for everybody who likes to do that type of research. And I was so totally there. I forgot I told you about that. So in addition to doing that, let's see what else. What else do you want to know about Michelle?
So I think a lot of people don't understand the depths of data, like how much it's called, has been collected over time, but just how it's how much we can learn about what happened in the 1950s with that data, to compare it to some datasets we have right now. And so getting in first of all, know, most of y'all are probably learning like I learned that the census data is only released every every Saturday year, and so people private data. Now, the Census Bureau, see this is where I go back to my Nielsen roots. And remember all the work I did with census data. So census data, which is rolled up to higher levels and doesn't give anyone any detailed information is released right away. As soon as they compile it. You can get data about the last census online and download that I use that all the time, even my personal professional, but it doesn't tell you the person's name. All of the names are scrubbed from that. What happens is after 70 years, they released the data with the name so you can see the people you can see what someone 70 years ago where they lived, what type of work they did, what type of job, how many people lived in their household, how old they were. So, people who do ancestry day genetics and stuff like that they're very excited about being able to see the details with the person's name and the family members, and just to track people and their movements. Now, if you wanted to use census data for any business purposes, these days, it is available, but you won't get the specific names of the individuals, you will get, for example, a specific zip code. And you'll know for that zip code, how many people live in an zip code? What is their break up their ethnic ethnicity? What is their education levels? And that information is available, right? I say right away, but about a year after the census is taken. But yes, the data for your specific family members day also kicks me out. That's only available seven weeks, I think it's like 72, or something like that. So we just got the 1950 detail, but the 2020 dt 2020 summary is available.
I love it. I love it. So yes, somebody put in the put into one of the comments is, I love how the skills we use in our work naturally transfer into our personal lives. And hey, to you to this. I know it really blows your mind. I know we I know. We get decisions day to day you broke down why? But it was really funny Angeles and our private Facebook group. It's just a couple 100 of us over there. And I've asked a question earlier this year to say, hey, what conferences and summits and things are you going to? And Angela responded back whatever you're hosting, I was like, okay, bad. I said, Hey, Angela, you want to come speak about data. Now you'll see why I asked her to be at the summit, because we're specifically talking about using data to retain and develop underrepresented employees, as she's talked about being the only and that community that we have on Facebook is only a lot of Ollie's in the workplace. And so we haven't really, really focused, then she's part of the positive hire community. Data is her thing she identifies with, with the audience. We're talking about retaining and developing in the West. And so he was like, and she said, Whatever I'm, I'm hosting, okay, you she was checking boxes, she didn't know she was checking. And then I got on a call with her for her to say, oh, my gosh, did you know about the system, y'all y'all got excited to where I got excited. I didn't know this really tells me. And so I love the positive heart community because we have so many talented women. And I love to be able to bring you on to the platform that I've built out over the years and share your expertise and be able to have conversations like this. And some of you have reached out and you say, hey, Michelle, I do X, Y and Z. And sometimes I refer you to other places. But other times I try to find a way to bring into the positive hire community. So if that's you be sure you DM me, if you're like I'm not ready yet. That means you're ready. Go ahead and DM me, because this is so powerful. So Angela, we want to talk we're gonna talk more next week, Thursday.
So Michelle, I say your community, I have gotten so much out of it. I've grown so much with the people I've met through your community. So yes, I'm happy to be here.
Get and see. I love to hear that I take the bat to if you have bad stuff to tell me. I take the bat to the people like why? Because you can't make an improvement. Right? You can't go to the doctor and I was like, Oh, you're doing fine. Like yeah, but I came in for heart palpitations. I'm always having migraines. Am I sold? But you're good. So tell me tell me to because it's the only way to grow and improve and make sure we're building something that I'm building something my team is building something that really helps you change your life. And and that's truly the important part for me is not building something that I like but building something that truly brings change to, to the women we focus on in our community. So any final thoughts around data or the summit you want to share? The
only thing that I can think of now that we can work on to improve is to get more women, and especially minority women to look at this is a career. It is amazing the things that you can do, the type of life you can have the type of roles that you can pick from When you're in this field, and I have to say it's not as hard as everyone thinks there are so many different roles that are available. You can like data, but you can work with data anywhere. You can work in fashion. If you like fashion, you can work in marketing, you could work in business, I read any industry. I'm Michelle's an engineer, you can work in engineering, there's, there's so much and I think, really, more women should know that this is such a career opportunity for them. Yeah.
I love it. I love it. So if numbers are your thing, be sure to check, check out if you're looking for how to better utilize data to really focus and change your organization. As one step one part of the process come join us. We'll be talking about data, we're going to talk about data with recruitment, we're going to be talking about data. When it comes to gender equity, we're going to be talking about data for training and development. We're going to be talking about so much I even have a workforce development director out of Pittsburgh, so if you know, you know, but anyway, literally has generated $300 million of revenue in western Pennsylvania from the work he's done, and have had 2500 employers, partner with them and join their job board. So and he literally utilizes data like Michelle, I don't create the data, I look at the data and see where there are gaps and standing the gaps to present. So come through if you haven't definitely, definitely register because it's it's people are utilizing HR data, people data very difficult to truly make impact and change. So Angela, she's on first day this goes out. And we're kicking it off on Thursday, September 29. We added a second day because I had so many fantastic people. We have four more additional speakers on Friday. If you're like Michelle, I'm not a data analytics person. I'm not a hiring manager or I'm just I'm a mid Manager. This is still for you. This is why I have coming out of the bay is Giselle is minty, who has put together a plan in her organization to retain talent as as a first level manager in the organization, young manager. So I bring in different people at different levels. So Angela, from executive, to first level managers to understand how you can utilize the data could really transform the workplace. So come check us out, registered at diversity data dot positive hire.co. That is not there is no.com. We're not a.com where.co Because we cool like that. And I took it from a shell and off the off the.com. But Angela, any final thoughts where she went to chair?
I am so excited to be part of this. Usually I'm attending and I'm just watching and just commented and asked him questions. So come ask your questions via pot. And who knows next time. Maybe Michelle may call you up.
See, because I got a whole other Summit coming in February. It's for women of color and stuff. So Angela, thank you so much for joining me for this short chat tonight. We will be back next week. Thursday. Actually, I'll be back tomorrow with another speaker for you to meet you're going to love her as well. Christina Smith, this woman oh my god created internal programs to retain talent. And you got to find out a little bit about her her background and she she's she I love Christina, you're gonna come back to Angela. So come join us tomorrow but be sure you register for the virtual Summit. Bye everybody. Have a great night.
Bye. Have a great night. Thank you for coming