Yvonne De La Peña

Yvonne is passionate about computer science, coding, and making careers in tech accessible through education. She started her professional journey as a software engineer after obtaining her BS in Computer Science from The University of Texas at Austin. She discovered her true passion, prompted by her experience being part of the MIT/UCLA team that developed Scratch, while pursuing her PhD in Education at the University of California – Los Angeles.

Most recently, Yvonne was the Director of BridgeUP STEM at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, a computational science program that supported more than 200 young women in their STEM journeys over seven years and made a lasting impact on the Museum’s science education and equity practices.

Outside of work, Yvonne is a member of the board of NY Tech Alliance, an organization that connects businesses, startups, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, educational institutions, government, and people from all parts of the NY tech ecosystem. She is also a panelist and speaker at technology and education meetups and conferences.