By: Bailey Brianne Shrewsbury—
Muncie, IN— Women and male allies are invited to the 11th Annual Women Working in Technology Conference from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, March 22, at the Ball State University Alumni Center.
With a theme of “Continuous Improvement,” panels and presentations focus on self-empowerment and advancing equity and inclusion within the technology sector. Conference founder Kirsten Smith said the day offers professional and personal development for women working in technology and emerging media fields, with an emphasis on mentoring and career exploration.
“We started Women Working in Technology (WWiT) in 2008 as a way to connect, educate and inspire the current and next generation of technology leaders,” said Smith, the associate director, labs manager and technology officer for the Center for Information and Communication Sciences (CICS). “That need is still real. The annual conference is a place where we can network and work together toward continuous improvement.”
The conference will open with a keynote session titled, “Diversity & Analytics: How Can We Avoid Creating ‘Bias at Scale’? ” with Gail Farnsley, senior executive partner at Gartner, the world’s leading research and advisory company. Tracy Galloway, a regional vice president for Microsoft, will present “Are you Leadership ‘X’ Ready?” during lunch. Interactive breakout sessions with titles like, “Creating Spaces Where Ideas Flourish” and “Artificial Intelligence and Why It Matters to You” will be offered throughout the day.
Registration is $70 for professionals, $60 for non-profits and BSU employees and $40 for students. Visit womenworkingintechnology.org for more information or to register.
WWiT is being held during Ball State’s Centennial. Throughout March, the university is highlighting the College of Communication, Information and Media. Check out other Centennial events at bsu.edu/100.
About Ball State
Founded in 1918 and located in Muncie, Ball State is one of Indiana’s signature universities and an economic driver for the state. Ball State’s nearly 22,000 students come from all over Indiana, the nation, and the world, and its 780-acre campus is large enough to accommodate premier facilities and 19 NCAA Division I sports but small enough to ensure the friendliness, personal attention, and access that are the hallmarks of the University.
