Students engage with industry professionals at 19th annual Women in IT conference

With around 200 attendees coming “together with technology,” The 19^th annual Women in Information Technology Conference brought together women to network and learn from others currently building their careers in information technology. It was hosted by the Center for the Management of Information Systems (CMIS) on March 2 in the Memorial Student Center at Texas A&M University.

Female students with an interest in information technology participated in roundtable discussions on topics such as lessons learned from senior executives, managers, professionals and new graduates in the workforce. They also discussed advice such as finding a job, career building, finding a mentor and new technology trends.

After a welcome speech by Executive Professor and CMIS Director Robin Starnes, the conference attendees heard from three keynote speakers:

• Amy Suhl, CIO, Shell Oil – #Makethefuture & ‘Aha’ Moments in Leadership
• Diane Schwarz, VP and CIO, Textron – Tech Trends From My Career to Yours
• Tammy Hermann, Director of IT, H-E-B – Mind-Blowing Tech – at the grocery store?

In her presentation, Suhl advised the women to “get clear on what you will be measured on.” This is done through credibility, reliability, and intimacy, which all culminates into trust. Key components of leadership Suhl spoke on were performance, image, and exposure.

When sharing “Tech Trends,” Schwarz shed light on self-healing, shared insights from security in the past, explained the concept of how technology constantly changes, and highlighted the benefits of mentoring and listening.

Hermann’s presentation on “Mind-Blowing Tech – at the grocery store?” outlined Gig economies, the desire for conversation, short attention spans, and how tech

The conference ended with the announcement of door prize winners including two iPads provided by the Texas A&M IT department, a Katie Decker pendant donated by David Gardner’s Jewelers, $500 in scholarship funds, and many more. All guests received gift bags as well.

Feedback on the event was positive, with guests commenting that “the ratio of company representatives to students ratio at the tables was perfect this year,” and that the “speakers were great, but the best part was interacting with the students and being able to trade advice.”

CMIS will celebrate its 20^th annual Women in IT Conference on March 1, 2019, at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center.