Empowering Women in Technology: Lessons from Adobe's Grace Yee

Sometimes, a career in tech grows from an intense desire to understand the world around us. That’s the case for Grace Yee, Adobe’s Senior Director of Ethical Innovation, specifically for AI Ethics and Accessibility. She says she’s always had an intense interest in how things work and how they’re connected.

“I think it’s been something that’s been a part of me since I was born. I also really loved to help my dad around the house and build things.” Yee said. “So, for me, I think technology was really just a natural evolution of that because it allowed me the ability to really understand how software is put together at a detailed level and then also understand how it’s connected to our users and how our users are using it. So I think it was just more of a natural progression of how I think and want to learn about things.”

It Takes a Village to Grow a Career

Of course, being curious and helping a parent build things around the house doesn’t make a career in technology, and that’s where Grace leaned on assistance from others in the space. “There’s a saying about how it takes a village to raise a child. I think it’s like a village to raise an adult as well,” she told Lifewire. “I think it really starts out with my family. I’ve come from this long line of really strong women who overcame adversity.”

Yee added that her father was instrumental in supporting her as well. “He always believed that I could do anything and I could be anything, and I think that really gave me that confidence to take on new challenges and try new things and not be worried about failing because it was so important for me to honor that, for my father and his support.”

It is more than just family, though. “I’ve been at Adobe for over 20 years, and I think I’ve had this amazing opportunity to be mentored and sponsored by so many great Adobe leaders,” she explains. “And then I think the other thing is that Adobe has been amazing because I’ve just had this opportunity to do so many different roles in so many different organizations where the people are really our greatest assets.”

Support From Mentors, Managers, and Colleagues

The people who mentor and support you aren’t the only tool you’ll need to grow a career in technology, though. It also takes hard work, and Yee says it’s important to hold to your core beliefs as you grow your career in the direction you want to go. “I’ve had a lot of opportunities to do a lot of different things,” she said. “I think just sticking to my core values, who I am, and what excites me has always led me to the next role. I really want to understand how things work and how things are really connected to each other, because that’s the fascination of work and of life for me.”

Yee has been fortunate to have managers and colleagues at Adobe who have supported her growth over the years, but she says, “I also recognize that my situation is probably very unique. I do believe that women have made great strides in representation in technology, but I think there’s still a lot more work that we need to do so that we can make my unique situation more of a common situation for all women.

Building a Future for Women in Tech

To help achieve that vision, Yee says there are a few things young women entering a technology field can do. “I tell my team you really need to put yourself first. And I think you need to advocate for yourself and prioritize yourself. I’ve always said the most important person in this whole world is you, and if you’re not happy, everybody around you is not happy. You’re the only one who knows how you feel and what you need. So advocating for yourself is really important.”

“I think having more women role models to show that you can have a great job, and you can have the work-life balance, and you could have the kids and the family and all that [is important, too], she added. “Having those role models to show women that this is possible and maybe it’s more about work-life integration versus work-life balance.”

Most important to Yee, though, is to work with younger women as they’re beginning to think about what they want to do in the future. She’s an advocate of technology working within her daughter’s Girl Scout troop. “We can get them to pursue careers in STEM because we’re at this incredible juncture with AI and technology. And, you know, as we develop this amazing technology, I think it’s really important for women to be in these STEM careers… I think there’s just a lot of opportunities available.” She added, “I want them to appreciate it with practicalness versus ‘Oh my gosh, it’s scary and dangerous.'”

“The advice I give my kids is: you need to live in the moment, and you need to experience things. Know yourself. Know who you are. Know what you want. I don’t think it’s trying to measure up to what other people want you to do or think you should do. Is it that what you want? I think it’s about really just staying true to who you are.”