Caroline Simard is passionate about building better workplaces for women through evidence-based solutions. As Research Director, she is responsible for leading research designed to build more effective and inclusive organizations. Previously, she was Associate Director of Diversity and Leadership at the Stanford School of Medicine, where she implemented innovative models for increasing work-life integration to increase faculty satisfaction and retention.

Prior to joining Stanford University, Caroline was Vice President of Research and Executive Programs at the Anita Borg Institute (ABI) for Women and Technology, where she led the creation and dissemination of research-based solutions to further gender diversity in scientific and technical careers, working with leading technology companies and academic institutions. She drove ABI’s first collaborative research project with the Clayman Institute, “Climbing the Technical Ladder,” receiving global media attention. She founded and designed the first industry benchmarking initiative for women in technical roles across levels, and created executive programs designed to accelerate change in companies. Prior to ABI, Simard was a Researcher at the Center for Social Innovation of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an Associate Director of Executive Programs.

Caroline holds a PhD from Stanford University and a Masters from Rutgers University. Her publications have focused on technical human and social capital, solutions to recruit, retain, and advance women in technology, underrepresented minority talent in STEM, the diffusion of best practices, open innovation, and social networks. She is a board member of the Ada Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the representation of women in open source technology.