Corporate
Tami DeWeese: How My Working Mom Experience Shed Light on the Need for Allyship
8/22/2023
Samsung is continuing to make progress on our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) journey towards driving meaningful change. And we want to spotlight the DEI champions within our organization that have been and continue to be instrumental in enabling us to make an impact and helping to create a rich sense of belonging where everyone can thrive.
Timed to Women’s Equality Day, an annual commemoration of the passage of the 19th Amendment that gave some women the right to vote, we sat down with Tami DeWeese, Director, People Team – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, a member of our DE&I Council, an ally to and member of all employee resource groups (ERG) and first national leader of Women+ in Samsung Electronics (WISE). Here’s what she had to say about DEI…
1. What has been your greatest learning or most exciting experience in your career journey as it relates to DE&I?
Serving as a DEI leader has broadened my perspective in a positive way. I’ve met so many amazing people and been moved by their stories. During my corporate career spanning 25-plus years, I’ve seen how allyship in action changes lives. I’ve been both a beneficiary of allyship when colleagues stood up for me and I’ve taken action for others when they were fearful of speaking up for themselves.
A lot of my work is behind the scenes, helping employees through the ranks, building and shaping company-wide programs, and influencing change. It’s personally rewarding when I’m a part of empowering people, bolstering their confidence, amplifying their voice, and lifting them up to move the needle. What keeps me going is the gratitude I receive from employees that I’ve been able to help. It’s difficult to quantify and correlate all the positive moments and outcomes in a performance review or a resume, but in my heart, I feel satisfied that I’m living up to my core values and making a difference. We all win when we work together.
2. What obstacles have you overcome as an Asian woman in the technology industry?
I first broke into tech in my late 20s, interviewing for a prestigious Global Account Manager position. It was the toughest, most intimidating two-hour panel interview I’ve ever been a part of. I had to overcome being an industry outsider as I had never worked in telecom or tech. I was perceived as being too junior because I was at least 10 years younger than the team and only had a couple of years of prior outside sales experience. There were two women on the panel who saw my transferrable skills, attitude, and grit. The manager took a chance on me and gave me the job despite other team members’ resistance, preferring someone who could “hit the ground running.” This is why diverse interview teams are vital and this is an example of it in action. That was a pivotal and life-changing moment for me that helped put me on a vastly different career trajectory. It was one of my first big professional breaks and it gave me the confidence to tackle other new, unchartered assignments and roles throughout my career.