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On November 15^th, 2022, Women & Hi Tech hosted a virtual panel of Latina STEM professionals discussing their experiences and unique journeys. Here are some quotes from our panelists to highlight how insightful, powerful, and meaningful this event was.

Our moderator Doneisha Posey kicked off the event by framing some perspective: Latinos are a diverse population tracing their roots to islands, Mexico, and more than 20 nations across Central and South America. Further, their viewpoints vary widely based on whether they were born in the US or emigrated here. But regardless, many barriers stand in the way of Latinas entering STEM, from societal and familial norms to counselors telling them they should major in something else….The numbers say it all: according to the National Science Foundation, only 2% of Latinas held science and engineering positions in 2021, and that number hasn’t really changed for seven years. 

Paula Angarita Rivera: Living in Colombia, I knew I wanted to be an engineer. But expressing this to my academic advisor was my first obstacle in my career. They told me I couldn’t do this; it was a really hard field to study in the States, and I didn’t speak enough English. But applying to Marian University, I was able to remain in community with my faith…sharing the story with my academic advisor there, they were committed to helping me make it work. Five years later I was the first Latina woman to graduate with a dual degree from Marian in mathematics and IUPUI in biomedical engineering….My question today in this phase of my career is what am I doing now to lay the foundation for the next person coming behind me to start their career without all the same challenges?

Amparo de la Peña: I’m very eager to mentor new people because one of the things that made a significant difference for me was being raised to believe there wasn’t anything I couldn’t do. It wasn’t a matter of being a girl, a Latina, or from Uruguay, a third-world country: it didn’t matter. If you knew what you wanted to do and put in the work, you could do it. That mindset is part of what I want people to take away….It’s so important to be able to recognize those split-second opportunities that can be life changing if you are open to them, learn to spot them, and are brave enough to make the shift.

Maria Alvim Gaston: STEM was always there for me as a child: I even knew a name for the drug I wanted to create. But since then, as a scientist I have had to reinvent myself many times. I’ve been told about my accent, I speak with my hands, and other feedback. Today I have come to think: If I make you dizzy, just don’t look at me while I am speaking. Yet, there used to be a time I would go into a meeting and sit on my hands just to make others comfortable. But you realize with time it takes too much energy trying to conform to be someone else. Take that energy and put it into educating people to accept you the way you accept them—and also put it into your job, your passions, your community.

Jasmin Gonzalez: By definition, professionalism is competence and skills. It has nothing to do with your personality, your appearance, how your hair may look…none of that has anything to do with professionalism. I think instead a lot of these definitions have to do with white supremacy. So Latinas are taught that being quiet is respectful and you have to follow those ahead of you…By my second year in college, I had decided I would remain respectful, but still share my opinion and also speak up for others. I couldn’t stand anything else. Today I am so glad I can speak up and tell organizations and individuals what is needed to be inclusive. I think all of us may have a pivotal moment—or a few—where we are so uncomfortable we simply must speak up.

Whether you attended the event in November or had to miss it, watch the video on our YouTube channel to revisit the full discussion and hear about the career journeys, learnings, and inspiring messages of our panelists.

On February 2^nd, Women & Hi Tech hosted our annual OperationAll panel to share messages about male allyship in STEM. Here are some of the perspectives, statistics, and observations shared by our panelists and moderator.

Prasanna Parthasarathy, CEO, Medvantx: In a survey I saw recently from McKinsey, only 8% of men thought their gender played a role in their not getting a raise or promotion, while 37% of women felt the same way. I am a fan of actions over words and we all have a responsibility to ensure our workplaces are a meritocracy. We have to ensure we are being humble and inclusive within our workplaces. You want to have all different ideas from different perspectives and the best and brightest ideas. I would also highlight flexibility is essential for all genders. Everyone should be allowed to shift their priorities depending on what is going on with their life so they can continue to flourish.

Dan Byrne, Associate Vice President, Market Access Diabetes Incretins, Eli Lilly & Company: Male allyship to me starts within. We have to be willing to admit and accept that we might not have earned everything we think we have earned. I can convince myself I am supporting minority people in the room, but if I haven’t taken the time to understand why I might not be hearing them or their approaches might be different, I’m not being an active ally. I didn’t used to remember my acts of bias because they didn’t happen to me. My least favorite word is “piggyback”—because it’s usually a man repeating a comment and then getting credit for it.

Darrick Hooker, Partner,  Intellectual Property Counselor and Litigator, Barnes & Thornburg LLP:  True allyship is hitting the reason women are underrepresented head on. There’s the aspect of coaching them in their work and giving them feedback so women feel supported and included. There’s also the aspect of elevating their voices and helping them to be heard in the workplace. You also must speak up against the stereotypes. If a woman in the room provides a suggestion, don’t take that and adopt it as your own. When women provide their diversity of thought, make sure it is attributed to them. Women are not powerless spectators—they are on the team to speak to their background, depth, and abilities and contribute to moving work forward.

Ben Phillips, Director, Audit and Assurance Services Group, Katz, Sapper & Miller; Treasurer, Women & Hi Tech: To me a male ally is any man that is willing to advocate and speak up as a force of gender equality. This can be sharing opportunities, sharing the workload, celebrating womens’ achievements, and simply being intentional with your actions. In any industry there is unconscious bias around who opportunities are given to. You can’t make assumptions about what individuals do or don’t want to do—if you’re saying a woman won’t want a project or opportunity because of her family life, well, have you asked her?

These are just some of the amazing insights and tips from the first half of the panel! Watch the full video on our YouTube channel here.

Shanniese Rice joined Women & Hi Tech in 2019 as part of a self-funded sponsor group at Community Health Network. After attending some events, listening to panels, and hearing stories of our members, she decided she wanted to get more involved. She consulted Active Emeritus board member Darcy Lee about next steps, and on her recommendation joined the Networking Events Committee. “It was a great opportunity to marry something I love to do, planning events, with an opportunity to grow.” Shanniese helped plan last year’s Holiday Networking Event and already has some great ideas in the works for our gathering this holiday season.

Soon, she was approached by other board members and encouraged to take a more active role in the organization’s leadership. Shanniese applied for the role of board Secretary and was confirmed in the role in June 2022. “I wasn’t sure I was ready, but one amazing thing about this organization is how much people who don’t even know you will show up and pour into you. That inspired me to want to do the same.”

Today, Shanniese works hard to be present, approachable, and share her story with new members. “Someone else at each of our events is like I was—they want to get more involved but don’t know where to start. I want to present the energy that they can start with me.” While a role on the board is a lot of hard work, she added that the mission of connecting with and supporting women and girls in STEM makes it worth the effort.

One of Shanniese’s goals is to pay special attention to male allies, increasing the engagement, membership, and networking opportunities for all Women & Hi Tech’s members. “Our name can be intimidating to men, but having male allies helps us grow even further.” She pointed out that many men are actively looking to be more supportive to women, but hesitate out of concern they will make things worse instead of better. “Men don’t want to hold so much privilege—they just don’t always know how to give it away. I want our organization to be a safe space men can come for education as well as meaningful connections and their own empowering experiences.”

Shanniese is always collecting feedback about how Women & Hi Tech can provide more inclusive and exclusive opportunities for our members. If you have thoughts or suggestions, please reach out to her at secretary@womenandhitech.org

Stepping into the Women & Hi Tech presidency was a natural evolution of Maria Alvim Gaston’s service with Women & Hi Tech. “After three years as networking director, I was more aware of the full scope of our operations, needs, and unique challenges facing us post-pandemic.” With her daughter off to college and a newer role with Eli Lilly & Company’s Talent Development Academy, Maria felt she had the time to devote to the organization and the board of directors.

Shortly after Maria assumed the presidency in June 2022, Women & Hi Tech hosted one of our most successful Leading Light Awards & Scholarship Galas to date. The organization set a record by awarding over $50,000 in scholarships, including our community-funded #InThisTogether scholarship worth over $7,000. “It was a proud moment to be on stage to award our excellent nominees and recipients,” Maria also mentioned she was grateful her employer showed up to support her volunteer efforts. “Eli Lilly & Company was our first-ever Signature Sponsor for the Leading Light Awards.”

Another goal Maria is set to achieve in her term, is to help Women & Hi Tech to finalize the strategic plan through 2025. “We have a great team, Linda Hicks led us through the process as we work to see ourselves clearly through the eyes of our members and community. Our mission is at the core of who we are, and through this plan we will make our brand and our mission stronger.”

To that end, Maria is passionate about trying to include all four STEM disciplines in Women & Hi Tech’s programming. “Our name might make people think we are tech-only, but we want to advance equal opportunities for all women in science, technology, engineering, and math.” Events like Celebrate Science, which Women & Hi Tech newly sponsored this year, are part of this effort.

“As Women & Hi Tech’s first Latina president, I am also excited to see us get more involved with organizations like La Plaza to get more Latinx students aware of STEM careers and prepared to go to college.”

Maria shared she hopes to leave behind a more diverse and representative organization. “Women & Hi Tech wants to make it easier to get involved and increase the visibility of what we have going on as an organization.” If any readers out there have feedback or ideas for Maria, you can reach out at president@womenandhitech.org.

by Darcy Lee, VP of Strategic Growth & Partnerships, Six Feet Up, and Women & Hi Tech Board Member Active Emeritus

In 2023, mathematicians are in increasing demand in a variety of fields, including energy and healthcare. In fact, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 2021 and 2031 the job market for mathematicians is expected to grow by a whopping 31 percent, much faster than average. Additionally, the median annual wage for mathematicians in 2021 was $108,100.

The once-narrow career field that included finance and education has broadened drastically to include mathematics careers in software engineering, data science, robotics, patent law, biotechnology, energy, climate study, national security, astronomy, space exploration, and more.

Much of this expansion in career opportunities for mathematicians is due to the growing importance of model designs, analysis of complex systems, and Big Data. Companies want to make data-driven decisions, meaning they must rely on problem solvers with deep analytical skills to answer hard questions. Enter mathematicians, who figure out the right questions to ask, make sense of advanced algorithms and complex systems, and bring their problem-solving expertise to the table to provide clarity and solutions to real-world problems.

Recently, we had the pleasure of interviewing a professional mathematician, Jennifer Whaley, Principal Systems Engineer at SAS.

The Early Years

Jennifer’s interest in math began in childhood. As a young girl she played school with her cousin. “She was two years older than me and always wanted to be the teacher, so I was always the student,” she noted. For both, math was their favorite subject. Spoiler alert: her cousin became a high school math teacher, and Jennifer found a career as an applied mathematician.

Around 5^th or 6^th grade, Jennifer’s interest in math became a love of math. She loved that it was rules oriented and fact based; there was a concreteness to mathematics, and she was attracted to the use of logic to solve problems. It was also during middle school when some of Jennifer’s key personality traits began to shine – competition and responsibility. Her math class had a weeklong math competition each spring.  She learned that the top two performers would grade the competition and, you guessed it – she wanted to do that. “I enjoyed the responsibility of being in the top two.”

The College Years

In her senior year of high school, Jennifer was recruited to major in Mathematics at Meredith College, a liberal arts college and one of the largest independent women’s colleges in the U.S. She liked the small student-teacher ratio where professors had an open-door policy. Students at Meredith were encouraged, supported, and challenged to find where they fit in, and Jennifer really leaned into this. For example, Jennifer joined the math club, which brought in former students to present on a variety of topics to help give students insights into how their mathematics degrees proved valuable in a variety of fields (e.g., federal aviation controller).

Like many, Jennifer’s college path was not exactly linear. She began at Meredith as a double major in Mathematics and Computer Science. Although she enjoyed programming, she remembers sitting in the lab thinking, “I’m more interested in real life applications and problem solving that helps people.” So, Whaley dropped the Computer Science major and eventually picked Economics up as a double major.

In the 1980s, there were no clear degree or career paths for data analysts and data scientists, but that’s essentially what Whaley wanted to do. She was able to participate in an internship program that combined these skillsets. There she applied her desire to use logic and problem solving alongside her math chops to solve real world problems. She worked for two semesters with a local electric utility focused on load forecasting. She got hands-on experience in data-step programming with SAS, figuring out relationships and using algorithms to predict reoccurrence. Soon after, Whaley graduated from Meredith College with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Economics.

Career

The stories within data fascinate Jennifer, so after her college internship she knew she wanted to invest her career in the energy space in North Carolina. From 1988 to 2011, she worked in a variety of roles including analyst, programmer, economist, and systems engineer. In each role, her focus was energy and/or sustainability.

“I gained valuable skills and insights from all the roles I had before coming here to SAS in 2011, but even during college I knew I wanted to work at SAS,” said Whaley. SAS is a North Carolina-based organization that builds analytics solutions to transform data into intelligence. From 2011 to 2015, Jennifer worked in forecasting and advanced analytics as a Systems Engineer at SAS and was then promoted to Sr. Systems Engineer in 2015. In 2021, she moved into her current role as Principal Systems Engineer, where she now advises energy clients on emerging topics pertaining to load forecasting, particularly the challenges incorporating DERs and improving renewable forecasts.

In addition to her role at SAS, Jennifer is also a member of Women in Clean Energy (WICE), speaks at industry conferences, colleges and universities (including the Indiana University Analytics Department), and mentors others, including those who participate in the SAS Hackathon.

Advice for young women who want to pursue Mathematics degrees and careers:

     College students:

• Participate in internships. Not only do they help you better focus in on where and how you want to work in your career, they teach you invaluable business and soft skills such as how to participate in meetings, how to send emails, etc.
• Take statistics and public speaking courses. The ability to deliver technical information at the right level is incredibly important.
  
  Career:
• Be prepared when you go into meetings. Do your research prior and always be prepared to ask a few questions, and to share your thoughts (especially if you are an introvert and this is out of your comfort zone).
• At various points in your career, stop and re-evaluate. Make sure you’re focused on the right thing, and that what you’re currently doing is what you actually want to be doing.
• Have mentors, both within your organization and outside your organization. For women, it’s also especially important to ensure some of your mentors are female.
• “Be like silly putty and stretch.” Though early in your career you may go deeply into only a few areas, make sure you’re always growing. Knowing a good deal of things in many areas is key to leadership roles, especially those in consulting.

Careers in mathematics can seem abstract, just like some math itself. But for those who are passionate and in alignment with their goals, it is increasingly possible to build a math-focused career. Math is the foundation of many other STEM fields and learning which industries interest you is a great way to make your passion for math and your career goals add up.

For those in Indiana, Women & Hi Tech provides opportunities to network with other women and organizations across STEM professions and industries. So, if you’re interested in learning more, including opportunities for internships and where or how to apply a degree in mathematics, connect with us!

Connect with Jennifer:

LinkedIn

SAS Profile

Last year, Indiana Oil and Gas Association (INOGA) gave $18,000 in scholarship monies to Indiana High School and College Students. This year's application deadline is April 1! 

The requirements for the scholarship(s) are:

• Be a resident of Indiana and attending any accredited college; or be a non-Indiana resident attending an Indiana accredited college.
• Be a graduating high school senior; or a HS Transcript showing completion through home schooling; or currently enrolled in a post-secondary education program
• Be attending college in the coming fall.
• Plan to pursue a career in the oil and gas industry.
• Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
• Be pursuing a bachelor's degree, with preference given for Earth Sciences, Petroleum Engineering, Chemical Engineering or Geology majors.
• Have a financial need determined by the scholarship committee.
• Submit a short essay which describes the applicant’s interest in the oil and gas industry and which career path the applicant is planning to pursue

Learn more about the scholarship history and 2022's recipients here.

Download the application form here. 

If you have any questions, please email scholarship@indianaoga.org or call 812-838-8135.

2023-2024 Board Committee Callouts

Join a committee and help Women & Hi Tech advance our mission!

The following committees are seeking members for a minimum one-year term:

• Communications Committee

• Membership Engagement Committee

• Executive Women’s Forum Committee

• Fort Wayne Women & Hi Tech Committee

Whatever strengths and talents you bring to the table, joining a committee to support Women & Hi Tech will benefit your professional development by growing your marketable skillset, expanding your professional network, and gaining you experience contributing to a well-established Indiana nonprofit.

See below for information about each of these opportunities and next steps to learn more about or apply for a role! We are so grateful for your interest and can't wait to hear from you.

Communications Committee

Email Lead

• Seeking 1 volunteer to support Women & Hi Tech’s email communication strategy. This includes helping with scheduling email sends (through Salesforce Marketing Cloud) as well as list segmentation and updating. You will also get to put content into emails and share thoughts about email layout and design. This is a great opportunity to grow your skill set with new digital marketing tools and experiences. 

• Time Commitment: 5-8 hours per month, which includes one monthly committee meeting. You will have at least one week advance notice of all tasks that need to be completed.

• Qualifications: Experience with Salesforce Marketing Cloud or other email automation platforms is a plus but not required. Need reliable internet connection and computer. 

• Contact: Amber Peckham, communications@womenandhitech.org

Social Media Lead

• Seeking 1 volunteer to support Women & Hi Tech’s social media strategy. This includes helping with writing and scheduling social media posts, as well as engaging with our followers and community through our social profiles. 

• Time Commitment: 5-8 hours per month, which includes one monthly committee meeting and checking social media on a regular schedule. 

• Qualifications: Experience with Hootsuite and social media best practices is desired, in addition to a strong understanding of Women & Hi Tech’s values. Need reliable internet connection and computer. 

• Contact: Amber Peckham, communications@womenandhitech.org

Membership Engagement Committee

Event Planner Lead

• Seeking 1 volunteer to help lead the planning and implementation of 1 or 2 Women & Hi Tech events.

• Time Commitment: 3-5 hours per month to attend a virtual monthly meeting and independently execute on planning tasks plus provide day-of event assistance for at least the events you plan.

• Qualifications: Candidates should be creative, willing to share ideas, and be comfortable working in a team environment. Planning experience is a plus!

• Contact: Sahara Williams,getengaged@womenandhitech.org

STEM Circle Leads

• Seeking volunteers interested in helping Women & Hi Tech develop programing targeted to the specific area of STEM in which you work – You would work with your industry trade association or other Women & Hi Tech members who are in your field of practice to develop programing important to your industry

• Time Commitment: 3-5 hours per month to attend a virtual monthly meeting and independently execute on 1-3 small group activities

• Qualifications: Ideal candidates are already engaged in their field of practice, perhaps with a trade association and can serve as a liaison between the two organizations to further joint interests. Candidates should be creative, willing to share ideas, and be comfortable working in a team environment. Planning experience is a plus!

• Contact: Sahara Williams, getengaged@womenandhitech.org

Executive Women’s Forum Committee

• Seeking 1-2 volunteers to support Women & Hi Tech’s planning and execution of our quarterly Executive Women’s Forums. This includes partnering with the EWF Director to recruit and brief panelists for events, help craft bios of speakers for events, promote into social media and greet speakers and guests the day of events. 

• Time Commitment: 2-4 hours per month, which includes one monthly committee meeting. You will have at least one week advance notice of all tasks that need to be completed.

• Qualifications: Experience with event planning, speaker solicitation and preparation, and Zoom management are desired. 

• Contact: Linda Calvin, ewf@womenandhitech.org

Fort Wayne Women & Hi Tech Committee

• Seeking 7-10 volunteers to serve on the inaugural Women & Hi Tech: Fort Wayne committee. You'll help to support women in STEM fields in the Fort Wayne area by planning and executing in-person events (e.g., Executive Women's Forums,  Networking Events and K-12 volunteer opportunities). Serving on this committee will give you the opportunity to connect with other women in STEM and raise awareness of Women & Hi Tech with local STEM professionals and organizations. 

• Time Commitment: 3-10 hours per month to attend virtual committee meetings and event planning meetings, planning and execution of events, networking with the community, and various other responsibilities. Roles and associated time commitments vary as does activity levels month-to-month.

• Qualifications: Ideal candidates have the time to commit and are passionate about Women & Hi Tech's mission. Must be (or become) a member of Women & Hi Tech.

• Contact: Hannah Stork, corpsponsor@womenandhitech.org

Women & Hi Tech is seeking candidates to fill a new vacancy in its Board of Directors. This person will serve as our new Signature Event Director, replacing and expanding on the previous role of Leading Light Awards Director. 

We are a volunteer, working board, committed to changing the landscape of women represented in STEM to be equally inclusive to all. We are looking for a member who is not only passionate about our mission, but is also willing to commit their time and resources to help us achieve that mission.

We’d also like to emphasize that this position is open to individuals of all genders. The applicant does not need to be located in Indianapolis, but must have the ability to travel to Indianapolis for board meetings, events, and other meetings as necessary.

Learn more about this exciting new role and its responsibilities by clicking here.

Review the Board Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest policy

To apply, complete this online form by Monday, January 30th, 2023. 

Please share this information with your networks and help us find the next great addition to our board of directors!

Women & Hi Tech Announces
Recipients of Leading Light Awards, Scholarships and Grants

On October 6, 2022, Women & Hi Tech was privileged to recognize over 80 incredible scholarship and award nominees at our Leading Light Awards and Scholarship Gala. Over 550 attendees gathered at the Indiana Roof Ballroom to celebrate these diverse women of excellence and male allies in Indiana’s STEM community. During the program emceed by Jennie Lopez, head of Global Recruiting and Talent Acquisition for Eli Lilly & Company, Women & Hi Tech announced over $50,000 in scholarships and grants to diverse women and girls at all stages of their STEM careers, and recognized 10 Leading Light Award recipients.

“In order to continue our mission, and grow our impact in Indiana’s STEM communities, we must bring educators, leaders, and all STEM professionals together with the future in mind,” said Women & Hi Tech President Maria Alvim Gaston during the event. “Women & Hi Tech firmly believes that together, we will inspire and encourage more elementary, middle school and high school girls by connecting with them through mentoring, modeling and demonstrating all the possibilities for them in the world of STEM.”

Women and Hi Tech would like to express our gratitude to all of our annual sponsors as well as our Leading Light Awards, Scholarship and Grant Sponsors. We thank our Comet Sponsor and the Leading Light Awards Signature Sponsor Eli Lilly & Co. All our community partners provide incredible continued support of Women & Hi Tech’s mission and made our gala possible. This event also would not have succeeded without the work of our Leading Light Awards Director Rebecca Bormann and the 2022 Leading Light Awards Committee: Darcy Lee, Lori Boyer, Amber Peckham, Maria Alvim Gaston, Hannah Stork, Ben Phillips, Stephanie Jeffers, Linda Hicks, Karen Hyman, Heidi Melton, and Jodie Daugherty

We are especially honored to share the announcement of our 27 award and scholarship recipients.

Mentor Me! Award Recipient

Wendy Stein, Senior Vice President, Site Head Indianapolis, General Manager Roche Diagnostics Operations, Roche Diagnostics

Leadership Award Recipient

Danielle Shockey, Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts of Central Indiana

Risk Taker Award Recipient

Brei Cecil-Satchwell, Director of Foundation Operations, Techpoint Foundation for Youth

Rising Star Award Recipient

Michelle Sharon, Manager, Roche Support Network Customer Support Center - Systems & Compliance, Roche Diagnostics

You Inspire Us! Award Recipient

Akilah Darden, President, The Darden Group LLC

Outstanding Educator in STEM Award Recipient

Genevieve McLeish Petty, Computer Science Teacher, Cold Spring School

Outstanding Achievement in STEM Award Recipient

E. ZeNai Brooks, Controller, Corporate Responsibility and Foundation, Cummins
Chief Strategy Officer, Mind Your Business Accounting and Consulting
First Lady, New Liberty Missionary Baptist Church

OperationALL Male Ally Award

Ron Frankenfield, CEO, Bell Techlogix

Equity and Inclusion Champion Award

Sonal Sheth Zawahri, Founder/CEO, Tru You

Change the Landscape Award

Christine Krull, Program Director, Roche

$5,000 Women & Hi Tech Undergraduate Scholarship Recipient

Sara Lake, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Manchester University

$5,000 Women & Hi Tech Graduate Scholarship Recipient

Kelly Orze, Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, Franklin College

$5,000 Women & Hi Tech High School Senior Scholarship Recipient

Jazlyn Collyear, Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, Indiana Institute of Technology

$5,000 Women & Hi Tech Rare Nickel Scholarship Recipient

Lovette Coston, Doctor of Business Administration in Information Services, Indiana Wesleyan University

$5,000 Women & Hi Tech Professional Development Grant Recipient

Dinah Allen, Creator & Owner, MuffySkates

$3,000 Barnes & Thornburg LLP Corporate or Patent Law Scholarship

Anusuya Das, Ph.D., Juris Doctor, Indiana University McKinney School of Law

$2,500 Bell Techlogix Scholarship Recipient

Zoe Barnsfather, Bachelor of Science in Biology - Integrative and Organismal Biology, Indiana University

$2,500 SIM Indy Undergraduate Leading the Future Scholarship Recipient

Evie Iles, Bachelor of Science in New Media and Informatics–Game Development/UI and UX Design, IUPUI

$2,500 SIM Indy Graduate Leading the Future Scholarship Recipient

Michiko Jackson, Master of Science in Information and Communication Sciences, Ball State University

$2,500 Ivy Tech Community College Scholarship Recipient

Corissa McClammer, Associate of Science in Biotechnology, Ivy Tech Community College

One-Year Startup Ladies Membership Grant Recipient

LaJoi Shelton Robinson, Software Architect Analyst, Accenture

$1,000 Professional Management Enterprises Scholarship Recipient

Odessa Lyon, Bachelor of Science in Biology, Indiana University

$1,000 Professional Management Enterprises Scholarship Recipient

Rebecca Boyd, Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Purdue University

$2,500 Central Indiana ISACA Scholarship Recipient

Ella Virt, Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, Purdue University

$3,000 Sallie Mae Scholarship Recipient

Amerti Guta, Cellular and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, DePauw University

$3,000 Jo Basey Spirit Scholarship Recipient

Rashi Tyagi, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, IUPUI

$6,535 #InThisTogether Scholarship Recipient

Jessica Djessa, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Hanover College

Women & Hi Tech Welcomes First Latina President

4 new board members assume roles for 2022-2023

[INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA August 2022] – Women & Hi Tech is happy to announce the new Board of Directors for 2022-2023. This includes the organization’s first Latina president, Dr. Maria Alvim Gaston. Maria is a scientist by training with an educational background across organic, medicinal, and computational chemistries. In her 20+ year professional career in the biopharmaceutical industry she has made impactful contributions in computational chemistry, research IT, discovery operations, open innovation, and talent acquisition.

“I am proud to be the very first Latina to lead the Women and Hi Tech organization. I am eager to grow our impact in Indiana’s STEM communities by bringing all STEM professionals together to support K-12 student accomplishments and connect students with STEM career opportunities.”

Maria is enthusiastic about creating an environment that values diversity, equity and inclusion. She loves to coach and mentor students and early career professionals to help individuals achieve their best throughout their career.

“We are often asked how we can get more women into STEM degree programs and occupations,” she said. “Families, schools, and communities can create an environment of encouragement that can disrupt negative stereotypes about women’s capacity in these demanding fields. By supporting the development of girls’ confidence in their ability to learn math and science, our board helps motivate interest in these fields. Women’s educational progress should be celebrated, yet more work is needed to ensure that women and girls have full access to educational and employment opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. And here in Indiana, Women & Hi Tech is committed to making these STEM fields more welcoming for women and giving women support they need to thrive in these careers.”

The existing Board is also pleased to welcome two new Board Directors to the 2022-2023 term. Shanniese Rice, Manager, IT Business Solutions: Product Line Specialty at Community Health Network, will serve as the organization’s new Secretary.

Tiffany Trusty, Associate Director of Product Management for Digital Health at Eli Lilly, will serve as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

Existing board member Joy Neely, Senior Vice President of Sales, CareMetx, has elevated to the organization’s President-Elect role. See the current full board of directors at https://womenandhitech.org/Board