Tamara Clegg Named Director of UMD’s Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity in Computing

Tamara Clegg has been appointed director of the University of Maryland’s Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity in Computing (I4C) for a two-year term effective July 1, 2024. Clegg is an associate professor in the College of Information and program director of the Bachelor of Arts degree in technology and information design.

“I am very much looking forward to working with Tammy and our outstanding I4C team on fostering an inclusive computing computing at UMD. I4C and its programs provide a crucial support structure for hundreds of students, and Tammy’s leadership will make an undeniable impact on their educational progress and growth,” said Matthias Zwicker, chair of the Department of Computer Science and holder of the Elizabeth Iribe Chair for Innovation and the Phillip H. and Catherine C. Horvitz Professorship.

A unit in the Department of Computer Science with support from the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies and the College of Information, I4C is committed to diversifying the tech sector and making all areas of computing inclusive. I4C supports all computing majors on campus through mentoring, tutoring and community-building programs and conducts K-12 outreach in the local community.

“I am very excited about this opportunity to serve our students and the surrounding community. The mission and vision of I4C are quite dear and personal to me. K-12 and undergraduate programs designed to foster inclusion in STEM provided me with enriching learning experiences and a community of support still central to my life today,” Clegg said. “I look forward to joining I4C in building and sustaining an inclusive computing community here in College Park while also studying the impacts of I4C’s programming.”

Tamara Clegg

Clegg’s research focuses on designing technology to support life-relevant STEM learning, such as social media platforms, wearable sensing tools and multi-touch displays. She seeks to understand how learning environments and technologies support young people’s feelings about STEM and critical data literacies, particularly those from minoritized, resource-constrained communities. Clegg’s recent projects include co-designing ethics undergraduate learning experiences for Information College students and several efforts promoting critical data literacy for children and young adults. She has published over 45 refereed journal articles and conference proceedings and advised 21 undergraduate, master’s and Ph.D. students.

Before joining UMD in 2010, Clegg received her Ph.D. in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology and her bachelor’s degree in computer science from North Carolina State University.

In her new role, Clegg will lead an organization that directly engaged more than 2,200 UMD students and over 2,500 K-12 students and educators in 2023-24—with over 75% from populations underrepresented in computing.

Thanks to the efforts of I4C and the Maryland Center for Women in Computing before it, the number of women majoring in computer science has grown from 62 in 2006 to 850 today, which is 23% of the undergraduate majors. In addition, the number of Black and Hispanic computer science majors has almost doubled over the last 10 years.

Select I4C program highlights for 2023-24 include:

• 1,100 students attended 20 community-building workshops hosted by Break Through Tech DC at UMD
• 220 summer campers participated in the AI, Create Tech, CompSciConnect and Cyber Defense programs
• 150 students attended diversity conferences, including the Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing, Grace Hopper Celebration, AfroTech, BEYA STEM, Wonder Women in Tech DC and oSTEM
• 120 students and 43 alumni and industry mentors participated in the peer and alumni mentoring programs
• 22 students participated in the new Represent Excel and Support Equity in Tech (RESET) project for Black, Latina and Native American women
• Received new funding to lead broadening participation efforts for the National Science Foundation-funded Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law & Society (TRAILS)

Clegg has attended I4C events in recent years and was the keynote speaker for the RESET Scholars induction ceremony in 2023. She replaces David Weintrop, who has been interim director of the I4C since 2022.

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History of the Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity in Computing (I4C)

I4C launched at the University of Maryland in April 2019 with a $1 million gift from alum Brendan Iribe, co-founder of the virtual reality company Oculus, to increase diversity and foster a stronger environment of inclusion among computing majors at UMD and the local K-12 community. I4C includes the Maryland Center for Women in Computing (MCWIC) and Break Through Tech DC at UMD, a national initiative brought to UMD in 2021. I4C and MCWIC were founded by Jan Plane, principal lecturer emeritus of computer science at UMD. For more, visit inclusion.cs.umd.edu.