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For Gail Farnsley, few things in her journey through the STEM landscape have proven as important as mentorship. Throughout her career, Farnsley has not only benefitted from the presence of mentors, but committed herself to guiding young women looking to make their way in fields related to science and technology. During her time as VP of Gartner, President of Women & Hi Tech, and then later as Outreach Chair, Farnsley has stayed heavily involved in initiatives, planning, and – most importantly – working one-on-one to provide inspiration and mentorship.

“I am a huge proponent of everyone looking for their own mentors and then, in turn, taking the next step and returning the favor with someone new. I think it’s invaluable. I think having that go-to resource helps you get perspective from someone further along in their career. They can really help you sort through the tough questions.” Farnsley elaborated, saying that the role of an advisor is both challenging and rewarding, requiring a light touch and a commitment to helping at every turn. “I reconnect with people I’ve mentored through the years when they have to make a decision. From watching the people I looked up to, I learned that it’s not about giving someone an answer, it’s about helping them think about what questions they should be asking, and what’s important to them.”

Farnsley’s own foray into the world of technology began in high school. Though her parents supported her academic achievements, the idea of college – let alone a career in business technology – was not something that they pushed for.

“I didn’t know anyone who had gone to college. My mom was a waitress, and my dad was a carpenter. I grew up knowing bricklayers, electricians, and plumbers; all of them certainly hardworking, but none of the adults I knew went to college.”

Thankfully, Farnsley was able to turn to an important mentor. She specifically credits her math teacher, who was the first adult she felt really encouraged her to pursue STEM interests. While assisting him for work study, he suggested she try out his new computer science class. Farnsley recalls painstakingly marking computer cards with Number 2 pencils to complete Basic programming assignments and realizing this was something she was good at.

“He was the very first – and maybe only one – who said ‘You can go to college.’ I told him, I can’t afford that, and that my parents couldn’t provide financial support. But he persisted and convinced me that we would figure it out.”

Farnsley enrolled at Bowling Green State University, where she did indeed earn her BS in Computer Science. After graduating, she took her first job as a programmer at Public Service Indiana, later working for Emery Air Freight and Georgia Pacific. It was at this time that she began moving toward the business and management side of computing and technology. Once again, she was able to glean insight from one-on-one advising.

“I was a good programmer, and people suggested I should try to move up the ladder. I came in to IT at a time when there was a pretty clear path. You went from programmer, to analyst, to project leader, to manager. But as someone who didn’t grow up with the adults around me going to an office every day, I didn’t really understand how the business world worked. I was lucky, though, because I had some great professional mentors along the way who helped me. They saw things in me that I didn’t even see in myself.”

But, while Farnsley was quickly making a name for herself in the tech business world, she noticed something off about her work environments. Namely, the demographics that dominated the workforce.

“I looked around and wondered, ‘where have all the women gone’? When I was in college, 40% of the people in my classes were women. Unfortunately, though, it’s gone down every year since. In my first job I had plenty of women colleagues, but as I moved up through leadership the number got fewer and fewer. When I became a senior systems analyst, I got really used to being the only woman in the room. It was rare to have other women to look up to for leadership roles.”

Farnsley began making it a priority to champion inclusivity in the workplace, especially as it pertains to gender equality. During her tenure as CIO and VP at Cummins, she led the Women’s Affinity Group, which supported the recruiting, retention and promotion of women at Cummins. Though things have gotten better over time, Farnsley is quick to point out that it hasn’t been easy.

“I think people are much more aware of the value of diversity. The business case for diversity has been made. The body of research out there is clear. Most people recognize that diverse teams are better teams. You’d have to be willfully in denial to disagree. Diverse teams outperform homogenous teams by every objective metric. But how do you do something about it? That’s a different question.”

Farnsley decided to take matters into her own hands and jumped at the chance to affect change at a higher level by joining the National Center for Women & IT in 2011. There, she led the launch of an alliance of women’s networks across the globe that could help to unite all the resources available to women who wanted more out of the STEM community. Unsurprisingly, one of the founding networks was Women & Hi Tech.

“We talk about these alliances as lifeboat strategies. You’ve got a lot of programs and initiatives to help universities recruit women, or to help companies recruit, retain, and promote women. But still, you have to keep them from leaving. The reality is that women leave their technical jobs at twice the rate of men in midcareer. We had to do something to stop the bleeding. That’s where an organization like Women & Hi Tech comes in, to give you a support group and to be around other likeminded women.”

Farnsley’s tenure at Women & Hi Tech has largely been spent around that idea of lifeboat strategies. She has made concerted efforts to increase partnerships, both at the university and corporate levels, that can help to support women growing in these scientific and technological fields. But still, Farnsley knows that Women & Hi Tech plays many roles.

“I think the organization has kind of a dual purpose. I want to make sure Women & Hi Tech maintains a strong foothold in being that lifeboat, that place that encourages women working in technology. That place where you can go that’s a no-sale zone, where I can just meet with other women and develop both professional and social networks. The other side, the outreach piece, is taking our resources and targeting them where we can make an impact.”

When Farnsley reflects on her time spent with Women & Hi Tech, she speaks warmly and with optimism. Her story of success is one that is drawn from the presence of mentors and the commitment to paying it forward to young women around her. When asked what she hopes for the future, she knows the right questions to ask.

“How do we find partners? Who are the ones who offer great programs who we can collaborate with? How can we support a woman throughout her career, no matter where she’s at. We need to keep leveraging our resources, because there are so many people doing good work for women in STEM, and specifically tech, and we just want to keep connecting, promoting, and encouraging them here in Indiana”.

LinkedIn Profile

Above all else, Karen Harris believes in lifelong learning and developing others. As Vice President and Information Officer of Manufacturing and Quality at Eli Lilly and Company, and as the Women & Hi Tech board member in charge of Volunteering, she has spent her career growing and developing her own technical and leadership skills, as well as mentoring and fostering others to do the same. Whether in school, on the job, or out forging professional relationships with promising young women, Karen’s story is a testament to the kind of perseverance and persistence found at Women & Hi Tech.

Karen’s journey into STEM began at a young age, thanks to an important role model in her life: her father. “I was already very strong in math and science, but I had a father who encouraged me that the sky was the limit. That motivated me to see what I could do in the field once I got to college.” When deciding what to study at Purdue University, Karen found that she could blend her love of math and science with what she called her “passion for understanding how business works” by pursuing Industrial Management through the Krannert School of Business. After graduating, Karen chose to go into consulting for ERP systems in manufacturing. She soon realized that she would need to pick up new talents and skills along the way to grow her career.

“I like to say my ‘IT degree’ came on the job. Implementing these large software packages required me to learn a lot along the way. I taught myself coding to implement changes in software that the clients requested. I started learning about reporting, databases, hardware, etc. I learned how to write SQL scripts to run data conversions and many other skills added to my technical toolkit along the way. That’s where I built up my strong IT skills and got a chance to combine it with my supply chain background.”

After eight years in the world of consulting, Karen found a home at Lilly in IT for manufacturing and quality. There she held multiple leadership roles spanning across levels of manager, director, senior director, and eventually executive. But while she was learning technical skills in the world of IT, she was also able to pursue another one of her passions: diversity and inclusion. Throughout her career, Karen has been a champion for inclusion and diversity. With Lilly, she chairs the IT Diversity and Inclusion Group, as well as their own Women in IT group. According to Karen, businesses just work better when all are encouraged to be a part of the team.

“At the end of the day a diverse, engaged, and inclusive workforce produces better results. Our patients are very diverse around the world, so I want our team to reflect that.”

After becoming involved in Women & Hi Tech, Karen realized she could leverage her business and recruiting connections to help improve the lives of women not only inside her own company, but across all STEM fields. During her tenure with the organization, she has played a key role in overseeing the volunteer efforts for keystone events such as Passport to Hi-Tech and Ignite Your Superpower! Not only does she get to further the efforts of Women & Hi Tech, but also engage on a personal level with many promising young women in their pursuits of STEM careers. At these events, she said she can usually be found bouncing between the Lilly booth and out on the floor where she can connect with talented young up-and-comers.

“To get these young ladies into majors in a STEM field, you really need to be talking to them in their middle school years. That’s extremely important to drive them toward those science, technology, engineering and math fields.” Motivating young women to go after these areas of studies and careers can be difficult – but to no fault of their own. Often times, Karen explains, it’s a product of the environment.

“Sometimes they already have an interest and you just need to cultivate that to show them what they can do with a STEM degree, which is great. But in many other cases some of these young women may lack role models in their lives. They end up gravitating toward fields that aren’t STEM related because they’re told they can’t or shouldn’t do it. It’s all they’ve been taught throughout their lives. It’s important to open their eyes to what they CAN do.”

But while early intervention and guidance is essential, Karen feels that the efforts of Women & Hi Tech go far beyond convincing women to pursue STEM degrees. “After we’ve encouraged them, it’s then about assisting them through their transition from university to careers. At Women & Hi Tech, they get advice from professional women in how to handle very difficult situations they’ll face. For me, it’s the whole continuum. You have to make sure they have the right support structures as they transition at every step of the way.”

The efforts of Karen and the rest of her passionate peers at Women & Hi Tech have opened doors to the possibility of STEM careers for many young women. Karen says she loves watching the “light bulb flick on” when getting a chance to interact and dialogue with them. But, across the nation, Harris is still disheartened by the lack of progress on a national level when it comes to inclusivity in STEM industries.

“At a very high level, the statistics don’t show that there’s been a huge change. If you were to look at who’s getting computer science degrees in the United States for example, the female percentage is still extremely low, under 25%. It’s been that way for quite some time, so we obviously have some work to do.” But, as Karen points out, Indiana – the headquarters and home of Women & Hi Tech – has been a place of resurgence, renaissance, and change.”

“If we bring it into the microcosm of Central Indiana, I’m extremely excited about all of the strong STEM companies and universities that exist here, and all the different STEM companies and organizations that are coming to Indiana that haven’t been here before. In Indianapolis, in particular, we really are starting to see a movement in organizations like Women & Hi Tech, especially in the way of women – especially young women – are feeling more confident and comfortable pursuing their careers.”

When asked how she feels about the future, Karen’s voice becomes animated and excited. The scholarship funds provided by Women & Hi Tech through their corporate sponsorships and partnerships continually improve the opportunities for young women to pursue STEM degrees and enter into lucrative careers. The growth of the organization is evident by the many events that Harris organizes volunteers, which continue to increase and fill in attendance. That, says Karen, is what Women & Hi Tech is all about.

“I think that the organization is about fostering connections across the different organizations and companies, when you start talking about talent and recruiting talent. You can not underestimate the importance of encouraging that.”

“My hope that all of our events are fully booked out and that we continue to spread the word. If we can provide scholarships for people to help them obtain a STEM related degree, build a professional network, develop their careers, and show them what they can do, we can really catapult ourselves into this tech-driven world.”

As her father did for her, Karen has encouraged her sons to pursue their dreams through STEM related degrees. Her oldest son is in the IT Co-op program at University of Cincinnati and her youngest son will be entering the Engineering program at Purdue this fall.

LinkedIn Profile

Women & Hi Tech is pleased to announce the Board of Directors for the term that commenced July 1, 2019.

Elected Officers of the Women & Hi Tech Board of Directors:

• President: Angela B. Freeman, Intellectual Property/Patent Attorney, Barnes & Thornburg LLP
• President-Elect: Rebecca Bormann, Managing Director of Sales and Services, Bell Techlogix, Inc.
• Treasurer: Bobbie LaFollette, Senior Business Analyst, Baker Hill
• Secretary: Kelly Ragle, Product Manager, Pondurance

Elected Directors of the Women & Hi Tech Board of Directors:

• Collegiate Outreach Director: Merri Beth Lavagnino, Director, Strategic Planning & Enterprise Risk, Indiana University
• Communications Director: Lori Boyer, Software Engineer, Barnes & Thornburg LLP
• Community Outreach Director: Allison Lipps, Research Operations Coordinator, Indiana Hemophilia & Thrombosis Center, Inc.
• Corporate Engagement Director: Joy Neely, Central Area, Regional Business Manager, Roche Diagnostic Information Solutions
• Executive Women's Forum Director: Linda Hicks, Vice President of Midwest Operations for ECC Horizon
• K-12 Outreach Director: Amanda McCammon, President, Ingenuity, LLC
• Leading Light Awards Director: Lauryn Andrews, Project Coordinator Consultant, netlogx
• Membership Administrator: Carol Ganz, Director of Client Experiences, Six Feet Up, Inc.
• Networking Events Director: Maria Alvim-Gaston, Principal Research Scientist, Eli Lilly and Company
• Past President: Darcy Lee, Director of Accounts & Business Development, Metonymy Media
• Volunteer Director: Karen Harris, Vice President & Information Officer Manufacturing and Quality, Eli Lilly and Company

Elected Active Emeritus of the Women & Hi Tech Board of Directors:

• Angie Engel, Sales Executive, Perficient
• Gail Farnsley, VP, Executive Partner, Gartner
• Tonya Hanshew, Proposal Management Team Lead - OLS, Veeva Systems
• Rajinder Heir, Enterprise Security Program Consultant, Information Services Agency, City of Indianapolis | Marion County
• Wendy Maple, Outreach Consultant, netlogx
• Susan Vaughn, CEO, The Project Authority
• Tiffany White, Head of Engineering Operations, Defense Sector, Rolls-Royce

Elected Emeritus of the Women & Hi Tech Board of Directors:

• Jo Basey, Retired, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University
• Deb Hallberg, CEO, Pass the Torch for Women Foundation
• Ali Hromis, Release Manager, Salesforce
• Melissa Lavella, Quality Supervisor, Roche Diagnostics
• Patsy Lentz, Retired Business Development Professional
• Jane Richardson, Executive Director, IT Strategy and Optimization Leader, Cummins Inc.
• Audrey Taylor, Founder and CEO, netlogx
• Tiffany Trusty, President, Trusty Applications and Manager, Mobile Medial Apps, Eli Lilly and Company

"As Women & Hi Tech continues to recognize our 20th Anniversary as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded here in Indiana, we are excited to welcome four new members to the Women & Hi Tech Board of Directors, including Lauryn Andrews, Allison Lipps, Amanda McCammon, and Joy Neely, and to announce Rebecca Bormann as President-Elect," said Angela B. Freeman, President of Women & Hi Tech.

Angela further commented, "as an all-volunteer working Board, our Directors, Emeritus, along with our members, work diligently to promote our mission in order to help recruit, retain, and advance the best and brightest female STEM talent in Indiana. This challenge is no less important in 2019 as it was in 1999, particularly in light of the evolving demographics of our STEM community. As the first African-American President of Women & Hi Tech, under my leadership, our Board will continue to position this organization to have impact and drive change over the next two decades by ensuring that our membership, board leadership, and sponsorships reflect the diversity and inclusivity of the Indiana STEM community that we serve. This is a very exciting time to be involved with Women & Hi Tech as we 'Celebrate our Past and Invest in our Future,' which simply would not be possible without the time, talents, and treasures of all of these women, and so many more who came before us."

To view the biographies of Women & Hi Tech's board members, visit the website at womenandhitech.org/board.

About Women & Hi Tech:
Women & Hi Tech exists to change the landscape of women represented in STEM to be equally inclusive to all. To achieve our goal, we work to connect female STEM professionals with each other and our community in Indiana. 

Contact:
To learn more about Women & Hi Tech, please contact
Women & Hi Tech
133 West Market Street, #220
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2801
WHTInfo@womenandhitech.org

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

Two and a half years ago, while serving as Treasurer, I was asked by the Board to serve as the next President of Women & Hi Tech. It was a surreal moment. I actually looked behind me to see who they were talking to, and said, “You mean me?” Then, filled with emotions ranging from excitement to fear, I cried and said, “Yes!”

Have you had a moment like this in your career or professional life – a moment when someone extended a hand to you and lifted you up? A moment when someone saw something in you that you didn’t see in yourself? A moment when you were scared, but took the leap anyway? A moment when someone shone their light on you? I hope if you haven’t, you will experience this at some point in your life or that you will be the light for someone else.

I’ve learned so much in the past few years. I’ve learned that sometimes the people you think are your friends see you as a mentor, and that mentoring others is an amazingly rewarding experience. I’ve learned that taking the time to understand your own personality and communication styles can make you a better leader. I’ve learned that executing a great vision requires years of planting seeds and nurturing ideas – patience, passion and persistence. I’ve learned that many other women struggle with the challenges of being working mothers, and that although we sometimes think the best path forward is to put down our heads and power through, we’re better off picking up our heads and carving out time to connect with others. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, but I think you get the point.

As I wrap up my term as President, I look forward to continued learning in my role as Past President under our next President, the inimitable Angela B. Freeman, and to celebrating Women & Hi Tech’s 20th Anniversary in August. Thank you to our members, volunteers, committee members, sponsors, community partners, male allies, and to my fellow board members for working together to change the landscape of women represented in STEM to be equally inclusive to all. Together, we are making a significant impact on the future of women in STEM.

In this edition of Grown from STEM, we recognize a math lover who has used her talents to help grow Women & Hi Tech’s impact in the community. Bobbie LaFollette is the Treasurer for Women & Hi Tech and a Senior Business Analyst with Baker Hill Solutions. Her passion for technology and finance has made her an invaluable asset to Women & Hi Tech. Finally, although you may know many people with careers in science, technology and engineering, it seems much rarer to find someone with a career in math. So, in this edition, we explore careers for math lovers. If you’re a parent of a young girl who loves math, you may find this article especially interesting!

Sincerely,

Darcy Lee
Women & Hi Tech President
president@womenandhitech.org

In 2016, Bobbie LaFollette won a scholarship through Women & Hi Tech’s Leading Light Awards. This put her squarely on Women & Hi Tech’s radar just as the org was looking for its next Treasurer – one who could take the organization to the next level. As a CPA with a background in tech and finance, Bobbie was the perfect fit.

In her two years as the Treasurer on the Women & Hi Tech Board of Directors, Bobbie has accomplished a lot. LaFollette originally started out in art and design but circuitously ended up in the world of STEM via accounting. At first, like most young people, she wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do. “I had an interest in STEM fields and had trouble deciding a major. My initial major was biology, but I also had an interest in art and design. Eventually, I changed college campuses and moved closer to home and totally changed programs. I got my associate's degree in Computer Graphics Technology from Purdue, then I started working at a bank, which is when I obtained my Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do as a career, though, because I had an interest in finance and accounting and also in software development and design.”

For a while after getting her Associate’s Degree LaFollette worked as a CPA, but then decided that she wanted to get back to her tech roots. She started taking classes at Eleven Fifty Academy where she was introduced to Women & Hi Tech by Tiffany Trusty, “Tiffany was involved with the apprenticeship program at Eleven Fifty Academy. She got me involved with Women & Hi Tech. My career background prior to taking a coding boot camp was mostly banking or accounting related, but I'd diverged from that. I had some experience as a software developer and now I'm a business analyst at a software company.” Currently, LaFollette works at Baker Hill in Carmel developing banking software. She lends a unique perspective in her role at Baker Hill. “I am a business analyst, which is a bridge between development and stakeholders. Given my experience in both development and business, I can relate to both groups and liaise between them.”

LaFollette brought her impressive accounting skills with her to Women & Hi Tech, as well as her insights into software design and coding, to help make positive advancements to Women & Hi Tech’s financial infrastructure. “Since coming on board, I've made improvements in our software systems, and put together more advanced financial reporting packages. These changes have allowed the board to focus more on strategic planning and future growth.” Her contribution to the Board of Directors is a great example of the variety of ways math lovers help support and grow an organization.

As for the next generation of women in STEM, LaFollette believes talking to girls about careers in STEM at a young age can help them understand they aren’t necessarily bound to traditional gender roles, and can help combat real issues young women face, such as peer pressure and confidence. “ If you can reach them when they are younger and let them know of all the opportunities out there, they may realize they have more options than they think." She also believes in the importance of mentoring for female students and professionals in STEM, and that mentoring can be a great vehicle to spread the word about the growing need and opportunities for women in STEM fields. To pay it forward, Bobbie mentors and provides guidance to female students at Eleven Fifty Academy.

“Mentoring and one-on-one interactions help shed some light on how women fit into STEM fields.”

As a Women & Hi Tech scholarship recipient herself, LaFollette also sees scholarships as an important means to help women get into STEM fields. Helping women pay for college is very near and dear to her heart, especially when it comes to young women living in smaller towns who go to smaller schools. She knows the importance of scholarships and grants first-hand. “I came from a family that didn't have as much money, so I relied on grants and scholarships. For some young women, a scholarship can really make a difference. I’d like to see us reach more girls and young women in rural areas and at smaller schools that don’t have as many STEM-related resources as the larger schools.

She sees her role as Treasurer as a way of helping Women & Hi Tech offer more financial aid to those in need. “We have grown tremendously as an organization in the past few years. Having a CPA as the Treasurer helps us continue to grow and advance our ability to fund scholarships and programs for young girls and women in STEM."

LaFollette sees a bright future ahead for young women because of the efforts of Women & Hi Tech. “Because of organizations like Women & Hi Tech that have taken it as part of their mission to purposefully and strategically try and make more women and minorities aware that there are lots of different options with STEM careers, more girls and young women are looking at STEM careers . Years ago, most software development and engineering roles were predominantly filled by men. Because of our efforts and the efforts of organizations like ours, the number of women in STEM-related fields continues to grow.”

LinkedIn Profile

As you are probably aware, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. If you have studied the former three fields, there are many career opportunities to choose from. But while math is the foundation of every STEM subject from bioengineering to coding, it’s a little more difficult to pinpoint careers that require a degree in mathematics, specifically. Believing we can’t be the only ones with this question, and knowing there are math lovers and parents of math lovers among us, we put together a list of some of the best STEM careers for serious math lovers. By looking at factors such as the 10-year growth rate we have pinpointed fields that will surely have openings in the future. We’ve also highlighted the male to female ratio and racial diversity within the given careers paths. Finally, we’ve pointed out the egregious pay gaps between men and women so that women know what they’re getting into (and how much to ask for).

(Data updated in April 2023)

Actuary¹

• Pay Gap
• • $33,000
• Male/Female Ratio
• • 35% Female

• 10 Year Growth Rate
• • 17%

• Racial Diversity
• • 76% White

An actuary is a mathematical professional who looks at risks and their financial consequences. They use financial theory, statistics and math to study uncertain futures. They usually work in the insurance field but there is a big need for them in government, banking, healthcare, and various types of consulting firms, businesses and unions. Actuaries are responsible for designing plans that mitigate risk or control the impact of potential losses such as loss of income, unsuccessful financial transactions, loss of life or injury. They also assist with implementing these plans, from financing to operations, so this career path requires a strong understanding of business as well.

Market Research Analyst²

• Pay Gap
• • $30,000

• Male/Female Ratio
• • 60% Female

• 10-year projected job growth
• • 17%

• Racial Diversity
• • 72% White

This job requires individuals to analyze marketing and sales trends in order to forecast potential sales for a service or product – what people want, who will buy them, and at what price. They measure the effectiveness of current marketing strategies and gather data about consumers, competitors, as well as market conditions. Additionally, they have to be able to communicate this information in a way that is understandable to those who don’t have a background in the field. This requires someone who has a background in math, but also someone with great communication skills.

Financial Analyst³

• Pay Gap
• • $45,000

• Male/Female ratio

• 10-year projected job growth
• • 6%

• Racial Diversity
• • 66% White

A financial analyst looks at financial conditions on both a macro and micro economic level and uses their knowledge of business to make predictions about the strengths and weaknesses of a company’s potential financial decisions. Some of the more common roles an analyst is given is to recommend what moves a company should or shouldn’t make when it comes to buying and selling stocks or help analyze the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Companies heavily rely on financial analysts to make sure that a company’s growth is not only stable but increasing. While the salary is high at an average of $115,000 a year, it has the biggest pay gap of all the careers on this list.

Technical Writer⁴

• Pay Gap
• • $5,000

• Male/Female Ratio
• • 56% Female

• 10-year projected job growth
• • 7%

• Racial Diversity
• • 79% White

Technical writers rely on both English and Math skills in order to translate complicated processes in a way the average person can understand them. For example, if a paper is published about the discovery of an exoplanet, which took a complicated series of equations to find, it’s a technical writer’s job to explain how the equations worked to determine that the planet exists. They also talk to engineers and scientists and work to manage the information flow between project teams so that everyone is on the same page.

Key Takeaways:

• These careers require great math and communication skills, and the ability to effectively collaborate with other key stakeholders.
• These careers often additionally require a sound understanding of business, a strong understanding of human behavior, and the ability to use software databases.
• There is a lot of forecasted growth in fields that require mathematical acumen.
• Even in fields where women have a majority of representation, there are still monumental wage gaps.
• There is a serious lack of racial and ethnic diversity in math fields.

Just as math is at the core of any STEM career, diversity and equality are at the heart of Women & Hi Tech’s mission. Because many of these roles are vital to how any organization functions and grows, it’s imperative that we encourage young women who love math to pursue these types of careers; there is certainly a lot of opportunity and math majors have some of the highest levels of job satisfaction! To find out about more great opportunities in math-related fields, the Association for Women in Mathematics has some great resources. Also, if you’re interested in learning more about math careers, this article features nearly 25 more careers that math lovers can consider.

¹https://datausa.io/profile/soc/actuaries

²https://datausa.io/profile/soc/market-research-analysts-marketing-specialists

³https://datausa.io/profile/soc/financial-analysts

⁴https://datausa.io/profile/soc/technical-writers

 

Women & Hi Tech members are invited to the Women & Hi Tech Annual Meeting of the Members on June 18, 2019 from 1:30-2:00 pm, followed by the Executive Women’s Forum – You Are More Than Enough. During this meeting, we’ll review what we’ve accomplished together over the past year, some plans for the coming year, and provide the opportunity for you to vote to elect the 2019-2020 slate of the Board of Directors of Women & Hi Tech.

If you plan to attend the Annual Meeting of the Members in person and have yet to register, please CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON. 

Recognizing how busy everyone is, we are pleased to share that you may also vote electronically (by proxy). CLICK HERE TO VOTE BY PROXY for the 2019-2020 board slate if you do not plan to attend the Annual Meeting of the Members. You will be asked to log in to your Women & Hi Tech account before voting.

Voting will end at 5:00 pm on Tuesday, June 18. Votes received in-person or by proxy after 5:00 pm on June 18, 2019 will not be counted in the official tally for election of the 2019-2020 slate of the Board of Directors.

Thank you for being one of over 1,800 valued members of Women & Hi Tech, and for participating in the 2019-2020 Annual Meeting of the Members. If you have any questions, please contact us at WHTInfo@womenandhitech.org.

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

As May comes to a close, it brings along with it the completion of the biggest and best Women & Hi Tech Spring Networking Event with over 200 friends at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500, as well as the Memorial Day Holiday. In reverence, Women & Hi Tech would like to belatedly salute our veterans, current military servicemen and women, and all of the Gold Star families whose loved ones have made the ultimate sacrifice to provide and protect the freedoms that we, as Americans, so richly enjoy. In their honor, Women & Hi Tech will continue to bring attention to our own local heroes and advocates that support and promote the advancement of women in STEM in this community.

For twenty years, Women & Hi Tech has been a leading force to effectuate change in the landscape of women represented in STEM in Indiana to be equally inclusive to all. To date, our growing number of members, sponsors, and supporters evidence the value and impact that our organization has historically provided to women in STEM through its professional development programs, networking events, and recognition opportunities, such as the Leading Light Awards. These programs and events are brought to fruition through the dedication, hard work, and sweat equity of an all-volunteer working Board of Directors. In continuum of our efforts to recognize our local STEM heroes and to “celebrate our past” during our 20th Anniversary, Women & Hi Tech continues to highlight women who have provided great contributions to this organization through their service on our Board of Directors.

In this fifth edition of “Grown from STEM,” Women & Hi Tech would like to recognize two business leaders who have given their time, talents, and treasures to this organization. Jo Basey is a founding member of Women & Hi Tech who remains a driving force of the organization as she has over its two decades, particularly after her retirement from a trailblazing business career. Rebecca Bormann is an IT business development professional who serves as Women & Hi Tech’s Corporate Engagement Director and focuses her attention on building, growing, and sustaining meaningful relationships. Please read more about Jo and Rebecca and how their STEM backgrounds, business acumen, and passion for helping other women fuels their involvement in Women & Hi Tech.

Profile:  Jo Basey, Board of Directors Emeritus

Profile:  Rebecca Bormann, Managing Director of Sales & Services, Bell Techlogix, Inc. 

In 2016, Rebecca Bormann took on the role of Managing Director of Sales and Service for Bell Techlogix, a Gartner-recognized leading IT managed services and solutions firm headquartered here in Indianapolis. “Myself and my peers across the country are the faces of Bell Techlogix in our respective communities. We listen to IT leaders speak about what’s important to them in their organizations, and what functions of IT they need most help with. We also host technology events and participate in national IT symposiums,” Bormann explained. “Bell Techlogix is extremely proud to have predominantly women in these outward-facing roles, and each is highly successful. My peers and I are proud that as female technologists we get to represent women in STEM through our engagement in local and national IT forums and symposiums, presenting at the executive tables and boardrooms of our clients, and building strong and lasting relationships in the IT community.”

Around the same time Rebecca took on her role at Bell Techlogix in 2016 is when she joined Women & Hi Tech. “When I joined, I started out as a volunteer just helping set up for the Leading Light Awards. I quickly realized this is an organization that aligned with my core values and my passions of supporting other women and inspiring and empowering our youth. When I heard about Ignite Your Superpower (IYS) I knew I had to help launch this event. I asked to be part of the IYS exhibitors committee, since I knew that was an impactful way I could contribute,” said Bormann. Her involvement in that committee led to Rebecca’s nomination as Director of Corporate Engagement, where she has served for two years.

Relationships are one of the things Bormann appreciates most about her seat on the board, and also a big part of why she enjoys her business development career. Originally, she was enrolled in pharmacy school, following the footsteps of both her parents. “As much as I have always loved science, after a couple of years working as a pharmacy technician, I knew it wasn’t the career path for me,” she said. So, Bormann dropped out of pharmacy school, did some research about companies she might like to work for, and landed a sales and service job in Verizon’s business division after a rigorous interview process. “Working at Verizon introduced me to the broad world of technology. Tech is continually advancing and changing. I love that there is always something new and different to learn. And I love that with each new IT innovation I get to help my clients learn and advance their businesses.”

In the two years Rebecca has served on the Women & Hi Tech board as Director of Corporate Engagement, both the number of corporate sponsors and the amount of corporate contributions have nearly doubled. “I see our corporate sponsors as vital to Women & Hi Tech’s continued success and growth. Our sponsors directly empower us to make the future of STEM more inclusive to all by enabling us to expand our programming and events that support women in STEM, as well as reaching more girls to inspire them to pursue a passion in STEM. Our corporate sponsors enable us to provide scholarships and grants to females seeking STEM degrees and certifications. And our sponsors allow us to reach more women working in STEM today, by helping us spread our mission within their organizations and encouraging both their male and female employees to become active Women & Hi Tech members.”

When it comes to her predictions for what the next twenty years of growth for Women & Hi Tech will hold, Bormann thinks more robust diversity will be an essential factor. “I believe deeply in the mission of Women & Hi Tech--we need STEM career opportunities and paths to be equally inclusive to all.” Rebecca says she sits at executive IT meetings and across the negotiation table with women more often than she used to, but that breaking down gender barriers is just the beginning of the work required to diversify STEM fields. “Race, religion, age, and socioeconomic backgrounds are all part of changing the landscape of women represented in STEM to be equally inclusive to all,” she said. “Historically, one perspective has dominated these industries."

"We all recognize that advancement and innovation can’t happen in a bubble. Each unique and diverse perspective brings new ideas, new angles, and new strategies that make us, our businesses and our organizations better.”

Bormann says that in the next two decades, she wants the vision and reach of Women & Hi Tech to empower individuals of all backgrounds to have the hope and vision to chase their dreams in STEM. “I want to see us do more to reach out, inspire and teach underserved girls about all the possibilities in STEM fields. I want to see male allies recognized at the Leading Light Awards—much sooner than twenty years from now! I know there will be a day that we will look at our membership and event attendance and see a diverse group of men and women representing all of the STEM fields. This is Women & Hi Tech’s future because from the beginning this organization has been committed to the idea that it takes all our contributions to drive meaningful progress. Whatever that mission looks like in the future, I know we will rise to meet it.”

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As a founding member of Women & Hi Tech, Jo Basey was one of a core group of women who agreed twenty years ago to take action against the implicit bias they saw in the STEM community around them. “The original intent was to involve, recognize, & promote women in STEM. There were roles we knew women were not getting recognized for taking on, and not getting promoted into because it wasn’t believed women could fulfill them.” Today, Basey remains an emeritus member of the board of Women & Hi Tech, where she feels her role is as a guide to help the organization keep focused on that mission.

“We have come very far in twenty years, but the girls we reach with events like Ignite Your Superpower and Passport to Hi Tech certainly aren’t stepping into management positions or joining the C-Suite of a company any time soon,” Basey points out. “For a while in the nineties, you could point to ten or more large Indiana companies with female CIOs. Now, it’s gone down again. Is that because women aren’t choosing those roles? I’m not sure. But if barriers exist, we need to continue to help raise awareness and break them down."

"When we aren’t at the board table, that means our perspective isn’t actually being included.”

Basey’s own career in STEM was not along a traditional linear path. As the oldest of five children, when she graduated high school, she had acceptances to study pharmacy at both Purdue and Butler. “But I was ready to get married, and five years of school just seemed like too much.” So, Basey got jobs in three different research centers at Indiana University, and didn’t start college until her youngest child entered kindergarten. “I had bosses that would not let me off work to go to school. It wasn’t like it is today. I had to make up any time I took off.” Jo described the hard work of carrying a stack of FORTRAN computer cards between campus buildings in the middle of the night to check her programming work. “My husband would say when I was crawling in bed at 2am, ‘What are you doing? You know you have three kids? You know you have to be at work at 8am?’ But I was determined to do this.”

Though Basey’s studies for her business degree involved learning computer programming, she never ended up working an IT or technical job. The Indiana University MIS research center where she worked was able to stretch five years of funding from an IBM grant into eight while they were developing The Information Management Affiliates Program. Kelley School of Business decided to keep those efforts as part of the Indiana Business Research Center. This early coalition focused on helping IT decision makers deal with pressing issues in their fast-changing field. “I’m not tech savvy so to speak, because I never had to apply it myself. I was staffing the programs to teach executives what they needed to know. I listened to the membership as to what kept them awake at night, what topics were on their list of worry and why? We then found the people the best at solving those issues, because they had already tackled them. They had success or failure stories to share. Our approach was, let’s come together and talk about this stuff, not reinvent the wheel.”

Basey’s experience with building contacts and her network of connections are part of the foundation of Women & Hi tech today. “In the early years I helped identify not only speakers for our forums, and potential corporate sponsors, but also suitable board members.” Jo also served as Women & Hi Tech’s treasurer for seven years, where her talent stretching a budget would find more application. “One of our first goals we achieved was hosting the Leading Light Awards, the first one in affiliation with Lilly Women’s Network and Women in Business. We didn’t give any scholarships or awards—just paying for the food was scary enough. But we kept doing it. Today, there’s a heck of a lot more of a cushion to be able to do things like the $20,000 in scholarships we are giving away at the anniversary celebration. The increases in corporate membership are allowing us to do good work that will make a difference in the lives of undergrads, graduate students, and professional women who all need dollars to further their education in STEM fields.” In 2018, Jo herself was recognized at the Leading Light Awards as a recipient of the inaugural Gustafson-Miller Change the Landscape Award, named in honor of two other founding women of the organization.

Jo says that in twenty years, she plans to be rolling up the ramp with her walker to attend another Leading Light Awards, one she hopes will fully reflect Women & Hi Tech’s deep impact on the STEM landscape. “In 20 years, I want to be able to point to things happening in politics, in university leadership, in the c-suites of private companies and say—we were part of that.”

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