Dear Women & Hi Tech Members, Sponsors, Partners, and Friends:

Welcome to a new year of Women & Hi Tech, as we continue our mission of promoting, supporting, and recognizing women in STEM in Indiana! As many of you know, 2019 represents Women & Hi Tech’s 20th year as a non-profit organization successfully effecting change to advance women in STEM in Indiana. Founded in 1999, Women & Hi Tech exists to change the landscape of women represented in STEM to be equally inclusive to all.

In honor of our 20th Anniversary, our signature programs and events throughout this year have focused on our theme of "Celebrating our Past and Investing in our Future.” In fact, this very newsletter was launched earlier this year to “celebrate our past,” and recognize so many of the talented female leaders that drive Women & Hi Tech as the all-volunteer working Board of Directors and Emeritus members. We have also strived to highlight a broad spectrum of leadership opportunities, careers, and industries within which women with STEM expertise in Indiana may excel.

In further recognition of our 20th Anniversary, Women & Hi Tech pledged to “invest in our future” STEM leaders by providing $20,000 of scholarships and grants to women and girls pursuing STEM in Indiana (#WHT20for20). We exceeded that goal and will be awarding over $30,000 of scholarships and grants to women in Indiana who plan to remain in Indiana! We are simply thrilled and excited to provide this level of impact to our statewide STEM community, and thank you all for supporting our efforts. These scholarships and grants will be presented to the outstanding award recipients at The Women & Hi Tech 20th Anniversary Celebration Event, Friday, August 16, 2019 from 6-11pm at The Willows on Westfield (6729 Westfield Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46220). Ticket Information Here.

In recognizing past and future female STEM leadership in Indiana, we would be remiss to not highlight present leaders that champion networking and mentorship for the advancement of women in STEM. Notably, the Harvard Business Review recently released an article titled “Women Need a Different Kind of Network Than Men Do.” The article was based on “Research: Men and Women Need Different Kinds of Networks to Succeed ” (Uzzi, Harvard Business Review, 2019) and “A Network’s Gender Composition and Communication Pattern Predict Women’s Leadership Success” (Yang et al., PNAS, 2019). The article states that “[w]omen in the top quartile of centrality who had a female-dominated inner circle found jobs that were 2.5 times as high in authority and pay as those found by peers who lacked that combination…” Id. The article further emphasizes the importance of professional organizations, such as Women & Hi Tech, to help women develop quality networks with limited interconnectivity as necessary to identify and successfully pursue career leadership opportunities.

In this seventh edition of “Grown from STEM,” Women & Hi Tech recognizes two female STEM experts in senior leadership roles at prominent local corporations. Gail Farnsley is a Board Emeritus and Past President of Women & Hi Tech, and is the Vice President and Executive Partner at Gartner. Karen Harris is the Volunteers Director of Women & Hi Tech, as well as the Vice President and Information Officer of Manufacturing and Quality at Eli Lilly & Company. Please read more about Gail and Karen and how their technical expertise, business acumen, and leadership skills focused on mentoring, networking, and inclusion have contributed to successful business outcomes and thriving corporate cultures.

Sincerely,

Angela B. Freeman
Women & Hi Tech President
President@womenandhitech.org