• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Leadershipunemployment

Female Business Leader: Here’s How I’ll Embrace Trump’s America

By
Katharine Zaleski
Katharine Zaleski
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Katharine Zaleski
Katharine Zaleski
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 16, 2016, 6:00 AM ET
Katharine Zaleski
Katharine Zaleski, holding selfie stick, with members of the PowerToFly team at the company’s retreat in Las Vegas in July, 2016Photo Courtesy of Zaleski/PowertoFly
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

I should have seen Trump’s election coming.

Working with big companies to diversify their ranks and change how they hire women, I’ve spent over two years crisscrossing this country, and I’ve communicated with women in depressed red areas, desperate for jobs.

I’ve been told by numerous top 100 brands that they can’t fill more tech jobs with women because of a “pipeline problem” in America. My response has always been, yes we need to educate younger women, but there are millions who want to work now. The problem we see at PowerToFly, the company I cofounded, is many of the qualified women aren’t living in the urban areas where companies are doing their hiring. They’re living in suburbs and rural areas, and it’s too expensive for them to move, especially if they have families and are already under-employed.

During the last two years, I’ve met women like Sara who worked for Hearst as a frontend developer from her home in Texas, Laura who lived off a dirt road in Vermont and made a living as a full-stack coder, and Adrianna, a very pregnant QA who operated out of her home in Pennsylvania. I don’t know if they supported Trump, but they live in the parts of America that did. (I’ve changed their names and identifying details to protect their privacy.)

Of course, many women on our platform also work in offices in big cities, but so many are looking for opportunities in the communities that claim they ignored Donald Trump’s racism, sexism, nationalism, and endlessly divisive statements in a quest to better their own futures.

The data from this election shows that both men and women in redder, rural America — including the Rust Belt states– went for Trump, in part because of his promises to bring back lost steel and coal industry jobs. They voted against a blue urban America that offers the jobs of the future. Trump won as a change agent, promising to bring back dying industries but technology has set us on an irreversible course.

Let’s consider that driverless transportation is coming when millions of people in the US make a middle-class living as truck drivers. Losing toll booth jobs to EZ Pass or checkout positions to customer-operated scanners is a relative drop in the bucket. At the same time, more and more jobs are opening up for people who can write code or eventually operate the virtual service centers for these driverless vehicles.

Much of the future of work will be in the hands of people who will write the software and manage the products that are changing the world. And those roles can’t be filled fast enough. Software is also making it possible for people to work from anywhere, including the rural red state areas that won a bloodless revolution on election day.

My company employs women in many red states because we believe diversity of thought, race and gender is how we’ll build a successful business. My cofounder and I live in New York, but we employ a talent manager in Louisiana, a writer in Kentucky, a customer service manager in Florida, an accounting manager in the red part of Staten Island and women in parts of Virginia.

I’ve been crying – and even protesting – since the election and I’m one of the lucky ones because I’m white, I’m straight, and I’m employed. I’m heartbroken, concerned and deeply saddened for my friends who are fearing for their safety. But I’m also sad for the millions of people who voted for retreat because there’s nowhere for them to go if they don’t join the future.

That said, I’m also a pragmatist who realizes that if my company and the businesses we work with don’t act to make Trump’s America economically successful, then we’re all in for an even ruder awakening.

On my part, my company will redouble its efforts with major brands to fill jobs with more women, especially those underrepresented ones in red states. Yes, we’ll focus on lifting up diverse, female candidates more than ever, but white women in red states are key for us to reach out to as well. If we don’t work with them and they don’t have meaningful, promising opportunities, then we’ll never heal the society that feels so broken today. Allowing women to work remotely is one way for companies to diversify faster with people who represent all of America. If companies won’t change their out-of-office policies to include more women then they should set up offices in more areas that went red.

But corporate leaders, startup founders and technologists also have to recognize the rampant skills gap. The digital divide looks remarkably like the new, redder, electoral map. Unlike people’s hard-coded political opinions, new skills can be taught faster and with less friction. It’s on organizations, like mine, and major brands who are serious about building a united and productive America, to step up and fill the gaps where the education system has failed adults who need the skills for today’s opportunities.

These ideas are just the beginning of how we can cross a divide in America– but they’re ones we need to all work on if we want to ensure America can one day be a place that values inclusion and opportunity for all.

Katharine Zaleski is the Cofounder and President of PowerToFly.com, the platform connecting Fortune 500 companies and fast growing startups with women who are looking to work for businesses that value gender diversity and inclusion. She lives in New York with her husband and three-year old daughter.

About the Author
By Katharine Zaleski
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
By John KellJuly 1, 2026
3 hours ago
U.S. Polo Assn. CEO J. Michael Prince
SuccessThe Promotion Playbook
U.S. Polo Assn. CEO was told he wasn’t right for a promotion—so he ‘outworked’ anyone else who wanted the job for 6 months straight
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 1, 2026
5 hours ago
Nikesh Arora, chief executive officer at Palo Alto Networks
SuccessJobs
CEO of $248 billion cybersecurity company says workers are about to face a ‘Darwinian moment’ thanks to AI: Evolve or get cut
By Emma BurleighJuly 1, 2026
5 hours ago
DHL plane being refuelled at airport by man in high-vis jacket
EuropeAviation
The Iran conflict saw jet fuel prices soar—when you use 1.88 million tonnes a year, how you respond really matters (just ask DHL)
By Sam ForsdickJuly 1, 2026
7 hours ago
I know how Gen Z can survive the ‘jobpocalypse’ because I built an AI company — in 2015
CommentaryCareers
I know how Gen Z can survive the ‘jobpocalypse’ because I built an AI company — in 2015
By Jeremy FainJuly 1, 2026
10 hours ago
mr
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
America needs 3.8 million manufacturing workers. This CEO has a blueprint to find them
By Mark RayfieldJuly 1, 2026
10 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
7 days ago
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
13 hours ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
4 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
Newsletters
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
By Diane BradyJuly 1, 2026
11 hours ago
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
Commentary
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.