Aerica Shimizu Banks

As the Founder and Principal of Shiso, Aerica Shimizu Banks applies an intersectional equity lens to solve the most pressing challenges in tech, policy, and business development. Aerica is a tech policy expert and inclusion innovator. She creates systems and frameworks to elevate and restore equity in our institutions. She was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur and a Tech Titan by Washingtonian Magazine.

She served on President-elect Biden's innovation policy committee; founded Pinterest's DC office and led federal affairs; led diversity and equity initiatives on Google's legal team and served as the Black small business liaison for the DC area; co-founded BEACON: The DC Women Founders Initiative; was a political appointee in the Obama Administration; and advanced environmental justice policies in Washington state. She holds an MSc in Environmental Policy from Oxford University and a BA in Environmental Studies and Public Affairs from Seattle University. To learn more about Aerica, visit aerica.co.