In 2015, when considering whether to apply for the position of executive director for the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), I read the book Stuck in the Shallow End by Jane Margolis (http://bit.ly/2zcEZeP). Computer science (CS) remains one of the least diverse of the STEM disciplines, and Margolis' book opened with a compelling comparison between the racial divide in swimming and the divide we see today in CS. Understanding that teachers are critical to access, and how we teach can influence what field students might pursue, I saw that within CSTA there was opportunity to make a positive difference in the world. Fast-forward to 2017, and thanks to Stephen Ibaraki, I had the opportunity to participate in the AI for Good Summit held in Geneva, Switzerland (http://bit.ly/2h494Xi). The Summit crystalized for me the scope, magnitude, and importance of an organization like CSTA to change the world.

U.S. President Barack Obama discussing his Computer Science for All plan to give students across the country the chance to learn computer science in school. In late January, U.S. President Barack Obama asked Congress to approve 4.1 billion in spending in the coming fiscal year to support the Computer Science for All initiative, aimed at providing computer science education in U.S. public schools. Obama pointed out computer science is no longer "an optional skill" in the modern economy," yet "only about a quarter of our K–12 (kindergarten through 12th grade) schools offer computer science. Twenty-two states don't even allow it to count toward a diploma." While many organizations have contributed to the national effort to see real computer science exist and count toward graduation requirements in U.S. public schools, former ACM CEO John R. White said, "ACM has been there from the beginning." Indeed, White contends Obama's Computer Science for All initiative "in a way represents the ...