As LinkedIn’s global program manager of diversity, inclusion, and belonging, Andrea Medina oversees the tech giant’s employee resource groups (ERGs). That means she coaches and advises more than eight hundred ERG leaders and crafts solutions to streamline ecosystem processes and systems companywide.
Breaking into tech required the Texan to move to California for a master’s degree in leadership as she prepared to work with a team that is committed to cultivating inclusive spaces of belonging and building equitable systems. “It feels unreal,” she says. “I am so proud of my younger self for breaking past that initial fear, making the most of my networks and experiences, and landing my dream job.”
Overcoming the high expectations Medina put on herself as a Latina and the first woman in her family to move away wasn’t easy. Therapy helped her unlearn toxic thinking pattens, prioritize health and wellness, create boundaries, and overcome. Now, she’s thriving in the workplace, coaching and advising others, and finding additional ways to give back.
Medina carves out several hours each month to mentor individuals from underrepresented and historically excluded backgrounds on topics such as leadership development, breaking into tech, and transitioning into diversity and inclusion. The Latinx community builder has also spent more than fourteen years serving as a senior volunteer with the National Hispanic Institute’s youth leadership programs.
As Medina moves forward, she intends to continue to give back to the people, communities, and programs that helped her get to where she is today.
