Hackbright Academy Names Sharon Wienbar As CEO

Hackbright Academy, the 12-week computer science program that trains women to become software engineers, has a new chief executive officer. Effective today, ScaleVP partner Sharon Wienbar is taking over as CEO, effectively replacing Hackbright Academy founder David Phillips, who will remain an active chairperson on the board of directors.

“Hackbright has an enormous opportunity to further its impact in changing the ratio in tech,” Phillips provided in a statement to TechCrunch. “We’re at a perfect point to bring in someone with Sharon’s experience. Sharon’s been an advisor to Hackbright for over a year and the transition felt natural given her background and passion for our mission. I feel really excited and optimistic about this new chapter for Hackbright.”

Over 90% of Hackbright’s graduates have landed jobs at companies like Uber, Slack and Yelp. The majority (70%) have gotten roles as software engineers. Hackbright, which launched in 2012, charges $16,570 for tuition.