Micron affirms its support for and empowerment of women to pursue goals and aspirations 

I’m proud to lead Micron’s Boise site — the city where our company was founded, and where Micron engineers have patented thousands of inventions that have helped to transform the world over our 40-year history. Together, we’re driven by Micron’s vision of using information to enrich life for all — people of all races, ethnicities, genders, abilities and communities.

I was deeply disturbed by the sexist and misogynistic comments circulating recently in our community about women’s ability to succeed — or even have a role — in engineering, law and medicine, fields in which many women at Micron’s Boise site hold successful careers.

I was appalled that an educator — and someone in such a position of influence — would promote such divisive and hurtful ideas. As the leader of Micron’s global Technology and Products organization, a team in part made up of many women who are pushing the limits on our technology and product advancements every day, I know how critical diversity is to innovation.

I’m sure the overwhelming majority of Boise State University faculty and staff hold similar views and were called to higher education, in part, by a strong belief in the potential and importance of each student, regardless of gender, ethnicity or socioeconomic background.

I attended Boise State’s rally on Dec. 4 to stand as an ally for the university’s female students, faculty and staff — and anyone whose abilities have been doubted or dismissed simply on the basis of gender. It was heartening to see hundreds of community members, including so many Micron colleagues, demonstrate our collective commitment to safeguarding inclusivity in our community.

The crowd — men and women, young and old — gathered around the administrative building on University Avenue, joined by our passion and our collective belief that, as some signs said, “women should be present wherever decisions are made.”

I was inspired by the positive, hopeful energy of the rally and seeing the Boise community come together. I shared the pride of many others who were in the crowd that day — for our community, their own accomplishments in the face of adversity and the better future we’re building together.

As a father of two daughters and a son who have all grown up in Idaho, as a husband, as a senior Micron leader and as a longtime member of the Boise community, I feel a deep responsibility to act on and voice my commitment to women and girls throughout Idaho, across the country and around the world — your voices are important, and we are counting on you to pursue the future that inspires you. Gender does not define or limit a person’s success. Success is defined by an individual’s passion, talent and hard work.

For three decades, Micron and our foundation have partnered with Boise State to create opportunities for some of the brightest and most promising new graduates entering the semiconductor industry. We’re pleased to have helped fund BSU’s Micron Engineering Center, the Center for Materials Research and the Micron Business and Economics Building, in addition to an extensive list of other collaborations and areas of student and university support over the years.

At Micron, a deep commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion is embedded in everything that we do. If you’re interested in learning more about our progress, I invite you to read our 2021 Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Report, which we released earlier this week.

Please consider joining me and thousands of my Micron colleagues as we support and empower women to pursue their goals and aspirations — whatever those goals and aspirations may be.

This story was originally published December 12, 2021 at 4:00 AM.