By: Janice Levenhagen, CEO at ChickTech
It’s 2017, yet women still face significant barriers when entering the technology sector. In fact, the ISACA conducted a survey on women in technology-based careers to discover why they are still underrepresented in the workplace. The results show there’s a lot of work that needs to be done: equal pay, for starters, and the confidence that employers are committed to fostering growth, development, and success within their roles.
ChickTech is helping address these challenges by providing a supportive community for young girls and women to develop skills and advance their education and careers in technology.
Our organization has been growing at a rapid pace, as there’s a significant need to address these disparities in education and the workplace. In fact, ChickTech recently opened new chapters in Michigan, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Orange County, bringing our total chapter count to 18!
Meet our daring duo from Michigan
Southeast Michigan is the first ChickTech chapter started by STEM teachers. Directors Amy Farkas and Karen Dave are both STEM and computer science enthusiasts and are excited to help develop the high school program while also increasing girls’ access to tech in Detroit and surrounding areas. Even though the chapter only started 2 months ago, their meetup group already has over 45 members, which shows that the local community is ready to get involved and support women in tech.
Denver dives on board
As a senior vice president for Contact Center Technology at Ticketmaster, Elizabeth Gotto is getting ChickTech: Denver off the ground and running. Starting the chapter all on her own, she is already building her leadership team and planning her first fundraiser – be sure to stay tuned for news coming out of this new and eager chapter!
Salt Lake City plans for a total takeover
James Thompson and Natalie Mitchell launched the Salt Lake City chapter this month and already have some exciting plans. The team will host their first career event in August and are planning their official kick-off for winter 2018. The pair is currently building their leadership team and will soon be prepared to take over Salt Lake City.
Orange County taps ChickTech veteran for fast success
As a participant at multiple ChickTech events in Chicago, Christine Cunliffe is not new to the organization. After attending a handful of networking events, she decided that her local community needed the support ChickTech provides. Christine is also in the process of building her leadership team and will host an information session and training for a Microsoft camp in the weeks to come.
Join us in welcoming our new team
Interested in getting involved with your local ChickTech chapter? Get in touch with our stellar line up of new regional directors, and join us in welcoming them to the ChickTech team:
Southeast Michigan
- Co-Director: Amy Farkas – [email protected]
- Co-Director: Karen Dave – [email protected]
Denver
- Director: Elizabeth Gotto – [email protected]
Salt Lake City
- Co-Director: James Thompson – [email protected]
- Co-Director: Natalie Mitchell – [email protected]
Orange County
- Director: Christine Cunliffe – [email protected]
You can also view the full list of our other established chapters here: https://chicktech.org/locations/.