Black Girls Code Founder Removed as CEO, Pending Investigation On Alleged Workplace Misconduct

By Paige Boyd, Managing Editor

The board of a popular nonprofit organization supporting Black girls interested in STEM-related fields recently made headlines by removing the woman who founded it a decade ago.

Kimberly Bryant, the founder of Black Girls Code, was removed as CEO last week by its board, pending an investigation on her behavior, according to Black Enterprise. The company, through an emailed statement to Insider, said that she will remain on staff while "serious allegations of workplace impropriety are being investigated." An interim executive director will manage the nonprofit while the investigation is ongoing.

In response, Bryant tweeted "Press release: so it’s 3 days before Christmas and you wake up to discover the organization YOU created and built from the ground up has been taken away by a rogue board with no notification." She would go on to reply in the comments, “Yes. This happened. It’s illegal. A mess. Without Cause.”

This situation comes as Black Girls Code continues to make a name for itself, enlisting AT&T, Comcast, and other tech companies as partners, as well as gaining backing from powerhouse companies Google and META (formerly Facebook). Founded by Bryant, a former biotech engineer, in 2011, Black Girls Code "offers programs that include artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, virtual reality, mobile and app design to name a few. The Oakland, California-based organization has chapters in 16 cities and its programming over 30,000 participants," according to Insider.