Beck Spears

Beck Spears is a philanthropy strategist, economist, and systems thinker shaping pathways for women in technology worldwide. As Vice President of Philanthropy and Impact Partnerships at Rewriting the Code, she connects data, capital, and community insight to expand opportunity across 180 countries. Rooted in North Florida and driven by purpose, she builds partnerships that transform workforce access, equity, and long-term impact.

Purpose rarely arrives fully formed. Sometimes it begins as a quiet truth shaped long before leadership titles and professional accomplishments appear. For Beck Spears, that truth was cultivated in the warm stillness of Tallahassee, Florida, where long days in nature and the rhythms of her family’s seafood business taught her that resilience is not loud and success is not accidental. It begins with imagination, discipline, and the willingness to believe that life is bigger than the circumstances into which you are born. As she reflects on her early years, Beck shares a lesson that continues to guide her work. “Life expands when you hold a vision beyond your circumstances.” That belief became the foundation of a journey that would shape institutions, communities, and the futures of thousands of women in STEM around the world.

Foundations of a Quiet Leader

Beck’s childhood in a remote part of North Florida offered an environment that cultivated patience, observation, and deep internal clarity. Homeschooled and surrounded by nature, she learned early to understand people by watching closely and listening without interruption. The family seafood business taught her responsibility. The stillness taught her imagination. These experiences formed the earliest layers of a leadership style that remains intentional and grounded today. Her academic journey brought that early curiosity into focus. Beck earned an MBA from the Kelley School of Business and a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University. Her graduate work in Haiti and Argentina deepened her perspective on global systems, economic mobility, and the barriers women face while trying to access opportunity. It gave her a clearer understanding of the ways policy, culture, and economics intersect to shape people’s lives.

A Career Built on Strategy and Service

Beck’s early career in financial services strengthened her ability to understand complex priorities and align investments with long-term growth. These formative years taught her how executives think and how to listen strategically, a skill that would later become one of her strongest leadership qualities. Over time her impact expanded into higher education, where she led development and philanthropic initiatives at Purdue University, Michigan State University, and Indiana University. In these roles she built high performing teams, strengthened institutional partnerships, and helped secure some of the most significant fundraising outcomes in each institution’s history. Colleagues consistently note her steadiness, intentional leadership, and human centered approach, describing her as someone who sees both the people and the larger system with equal clarity.

Expanding Opportunity Through Rewriting the Code

Today Beck serves as Vice President of Philanthropy and Impact Partnerships at Rewriting the Code, an organization advancing one of the most important missions in the future of technology. She helps expand access, belonging, and opportunity for the 40,000 women in tech who make up the RTC community across more than 180 countries. Her work focuses on building mission aligned partnerships with global corporations, philanthropic foundations, and workforce innovators who recognize that inclusive tech is essential to long term economic strength. She ensures that funding supports scalable programs in AI upskilling, college to career transition, leadership development, and workforce readiness. Her role is both strategic and deeply human, connecting data with story and capital with impact to create pathways that empower the next generation of women technologists.

A Voice Rooted in Purpose and Depth

Beck’s writing reflects the emotional intelligence and systems thinking that guide her leadership. She often explores themes of resilience, belonging, and transformation. After visiting a cancer center she wrote that “purpose turns pain into power”, a reflection on how difficult experiences can generate clarity and compassion. She elevates the brilliance of young women in STEM by reminding the world that “The next Sabrina is already inside our network of more than forty thousand, and she deserves to be seen.” Across topics ranging from upskilling and economic trends to wellness and identity, her voice remains steady and intentional, shaped by her economist background and her commitment to human centered leadership.

Principles That Shape Her Leadership

Beck’s leadership philosophy centers on three core values she calls the three As: authenticity, advocacy, and autonomy. Authenticity calls leaders to show up with honesty. Advocacy ensures that leadership is used to elevate others. Autonomy reflects the trust required for people to grow. She also returns frequently to the belief that “stewarding people is the greatest stewardship of all”, a value that frames how she approaches teams, partnerships, and organizational culture. Her reflections also speak profoundly to first generation leaders and those navigating transformation. She often shares that “Belonging begins when you stop shrinking to fit places that cannot hold who you are becoming.” It is a reminder that personal evolution requires courage and alignment rather than conformity.

Balance, Curiosity, and the Personal Work of Leadership

For Beck, balance grows from habits that restore clarity. Nature walks, exercise, and intentional time for reflection help her remain grounded in environments that demand continuous movement. Books also shape her worldview. “Into the Magic Shop” by Dr. James Doty remains a personal touchstone and a gift she offers to colleagues because it illustrates how inner work creates outer impact. “Half the Sky” by Nicholas Kristof shaped her earlier field work in Haiti and continues to inform her commitment to dignity, agency, and opportunity for women around the world. Whether reflecting on Alexus House in Tallahassee or uplifting the stories of emerging women in STEM, Beck remains connected to the communities and values that shaped her.

Looking Ahead With Purpose and Clarity

Beck’s vision for the future centers on expanding opportunity at global scale. She remains committed to building philanthropic and strategic partnerships that strengthen the tech workforce and empower women to enter, grow, and lead in the economy of the future. Her work at RTC reflects the convergence of her personal journey and professional expertise, showing how leaders can merge data, human experience, and community voice to create lasting change.

Editorial Note

The story of Beck Spears is ultimately a story of transformation born from stillness, imagination, and purpose. Her journey demonstrates that meaningful impact begins with inner clarity and expands through service to others. Her leadership continues to inspire those who believe in equity, representation, and the possibility of rewriting the future of work. Her message to readers of Executives Diary is a quiet invitation to reflect deeply, lead intentionally, and build systems that strengthen both people and communities.

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