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

Whenever someone asks me what makes Women & Hi Tech special or important – why I spend so much time committed to this organization – many reasons cross my mind. We invest in the future of women in STEM by awarding scholarships. We make it a priority to recognize and celebrate women of achievement in STEM. We connect with young girls to inspire and encourage them to pursue careers in STEM. The list goes on. But when you look deeper, the number one thing that makes our organization so impactful is our members and the meaningful connections we forge with one another.

When Tiffany White was President, I heard her refer to Women & Hi Tech as “my tribe.” That has really stuck with me, and I see it each day with more clarity. We are all very different, but as women we face similar challenges. Together with our male allies and sponsors, we pursue common interests – to attract more girls to STEM, and to retain and support those women working in STEM careers. As we pursue these interests, we stand by one another, support one another, promote and advocate for one another. It’s this softer side of what we do that really makes our organization unique. This article about Why Women Need a Tribe sums it up pretty well. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read it, and to watch this video we produced for the 2018 Leading Light Awards to understand why what we do is so important and the full impact our work achieves.

We’re grateful for your support these past 20 years and look forward to continuing to serve women in STEM in Indiana for many years to come. One way we’re investing in this future is by offering $20,000 of scholarships to female STEM students in Indiana via our “#WHT20for20” campaign*.These honors will be awarded at our 20th Anniversary Celebration Event on Friday, August 16, 2019. We’ll be announcing details about these scholarships soon, so keep your eyes peeled for more information.

Finally, I invite you to learn a little bit more about our all-volunteer Board of Directors – the women who dedicate their time, energy and resources to make our mission a success. This month’s featured Women & Hi Tech profiles are President-Elect Angela B. Freeman, and past President/emeritus member Deborah Pollack-Milgate. These colleagues share how their professional journeys and current careers intersect with STEM and give perspective on how far we’ve come in supporting the advancement of women in STEM in Indiana.

Profile: Angela B. Freeman, President-Elect of Women & Hi Tech and 20th Anniversary Committee Chair, Patent Attorney at Barnes & Thornburg

Profile: Deborah Pollack-Milgate Past President/Emeritus Member, Partner at Barnes & Thornburg

Sincerely,

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

*For more information on sponsoring a scholarship, please contact Rebecca Bormann, our Corporate Engagement Director at corpsponsor@womenandhitech.org.