Diversity reboot

William A. Adams is a software engineering trailblazer, award-winning DEI innovator, and philanthropist. After rolling out critical XML code globally in many of Microsoft's core products, he was named the first Technical Advisor to the CTO, Kevin Scott. While leading and mentoring young developers, often as the only Black man in the room, William found that DEI hiring was always someone else’s problem – until he decided to make it his. Acting as an intrapreneur, William has founded and overseen global initiatives that revolutionize how underserved communities access jobs and launch careers at the company. He spent three years building the Engineering Excellence program in Hyderabad, India, designed to empower local engineers to succeed on a world stage.