On Saturday, April 22, Drexel University’s College of Computing & Informatics (CCI) faculty members Associate Professor Andrea Forte, PhD, Associate Professor Rachel Greenstadt, PhD, and Assistant Professor Gabriela Marcu, PhD and Dean and Isaac L. Auerbach Professor Yi Deng, PhD lead a panel discussion titled “Information and Technology Career Opportunities in the 21st Century Economy” at the Women in Tech Summit at the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia.
The presentation focused on how today’s expansion of information and technology (I&T) in almost every industry has produced a broad range of information and technology related career opportunities, however there is also a growing I&T talent supply gap facing the US. CCI faculty discussed I&T career trends in the modern economy and why they represent major opportunities for women.
The Women in Tech Summit seeks to “inspire, educate, and connect” women in tech careers, where they are often a minority. At the event, women professionals attended workshops, networked and learned about opportunities within the technology field.
Keynote speakers for the Philadelphia summit included Grace Killelea and Kelly Hoey. Killelea is the founder of Half the Sky, and organization to empower women to take on leadership roles. She is also author of a book, The Confidence Effect, that helps women gain confidence in a corporate environment. Hoey is an expert in networking, and author of Build Your Dream Network, a guide to networking in the digital age.
Other topics presented at the conference included: “The 4 People You Need on Your Personal Board of Directors;” “When Things Break: Managing A Crisis;” and “Building Better Cross-Functional Teams,” among others. To view the full conference schedule and presenters, visit the Women in Tech Summit’s website.
The profits from the Women in Tech Summit go toward TechGirlz.org, a non-profit organization created to motivate middle school girls to pursue careers in tech. Through its TechShopz, the company brings in industry professionals as mentors to give girls hands-on learning opportunities.
The Women in Tech Summit has given women the confidence and connections to excel in the field of technology since 2012. The next summit will take place on July 22 in Boston.