News Articles – Women Tech Council

Navigating your career, skill development and work from home in 2021

Today in our remote home offices with constant video calls, taking time to connect with others that inspire and energize us has become critical. Six incredible tech leaders, mentors and sponsors helped lead conversations around topics we are all dealing with – how to navigate our careers, the skills we should be developing and best practices for remote work – and helped provide insight and clarity that helps each one of us grow and develop.

These inspiring tech leaders included Archana Thiagarajan, Director of Experience Design, Adobe, Erica Cuttitta, Director of Software Engineering, Pluralsight, Heather Zynczak, Former CMO of Pluralsight and Domo, Mandi Fang, VP & GM, Dealertrack DMS, Vicki Sudlow Vice […]

Mike Thomas2021-01-26T19:31:50-07:00

A New Year message from WTC President Cydni Tetro

Welcome to 2021, and Happy New Year. We all had the unexpected experiences of 2020 with its ups and downs, its growth and opportunities, and its trials. As the year ended, I reflected on how grateful I am personally and professionally for the people in the Women Tech Council community. This community, at every turn and twist, looked for ways to lift each other up, learn from each other, and find ways to connect and support each other.

As an organization, we, like all of you, had to modify the way we approached every program and interaction to find ways that would create value, impact, and […]

Mike Thomas2021-01-25T12:53:01-07:00

Women Tech Council honors women, diversity and inclusion at 2019 awards

The Women Tech Council held its 12th annual Women Tech Awards on Wednesday at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, recognizing and honoring women in technology for their impact on the tech industry and economy. Among the 22 finalists were several women who work for Utah County companies, such as Adobe, Domo, Workfront, Instructure and more.

Although most of the award winners work for Salt Lake City-based companies, Utah Valley University physics student Jessica Jones walked away with the STEM Pathway award, and Adobe was given the Impact Award for their efforts to increase industry inclusion and diversity.

Besides the finalists and their families, friends and coworkers, the event also brought 150 female high school […]

Kristin Wright2019-11-25T21:26:27-07:00

Women Tech Council 3×3 Connections Event

The Women Tech Council will be holding its first 3×3 Connections event — a new series focused specifically on expanding networks for women and men. This will be a chance to hear from industry experts while engaging in active networking to build mentoring and career opportunities. At each 3×3 Connections event, there will be three topics led by three connectors. The connectors create a dynamic environment where everyone interacts with the connectors and others in their group.

This first event is from noon to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at MX in Lehi, and will feature Jacqueline White, Scott Jensen and Susan Cashen, three sales tech and marketing connectors. They will discuss executive pathways, tech marketing, and […]

Kristin Wright2019-05-02T14:40:22-07:00

Two Organizations Working To Get More Girls Into Tech

In Utah, women only make up around 23 percent of the technological workforce throughout the entire state. However, tech organizations throughout the state, like the Women Tech Council and DevMountain are working hard to get more women involved in the ever-expanding world of technology.

Organizations like these take pride in providing the tech-minded women of Utah with access to continued education, seminars, and even networking events. Without these organizations, the percentages of women in tech throughout Utah would be even lower than they are now. Here are a few of the organizations throughout the state that are working hard to get girls (and women) more involved in the world of technology:

Women’s Tech Council

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, […]

Kristin Wright2018-08-10T17:14:58-07:00

Utah biz leaders look out for slowed growth, speak out against tariffs and ‘protectionist’ policies

In order to elevate Utah business, leaders in both the private and public sector said the state’s focus needs to be on planning for the future, at the 12th annual Utah Economic Summit on Friday in Salt Lake City.

To adequately plan for Utah’s economic future, two major themes summit presenters looked at are business growth and skills education.

Growth

While 2018 will continue to be a very strong year economically, Gochnour cautioned that she foresees slower business growth for the state in 2019. Utah’s economy […]

Kristin Wright2018-04-30T20:28:58-07:00

Utah girls get hands-on experience at SheTech

OREM— American Fork High School senior Abbie Rogers has a plan for the future, and it’s one that was shaped in part by a novel effort to boost the number of young Utah women seeking careers in technology fields.

On Friday, the SheTech Explorer event drew almost 1,200 girls from 90 high schools to the Utah Valley University campus for a day of activities designed to show them that tech careers are not just for boys.

Cydni Tetro is the founder and president of the Sandy-based Women Tech Council, which started SheTech three years ago. She said women are drastically underrepresented in advanced-industry employment, even now as Utah’s tech sector experiences rapid growth.

“Women are only represented by […]

Kristin Wright2017-09-20T15:37:57-07:00

SheTech Explorer Day

March 1 marks the first SheTech Explorer Day of the year. 300 different STEM industry experts will be at UVU to mentor the 1,500 high schools girls expected to attend.

The event offers engaging hands on experience. Attendees can expect to dabble in robotics, coding, diamond cutting, pixel art, biotech, and forensics under the guidance of experts. This exposure helps inspire girls to pursue STEM in their educations and careers.

“As the technology sector continues to grow in Silicon Slopes and worldwide, so does the demand for skilled, qualified workers to fill the multiplying number of jobs in […]

Kristin Wright2017-04-14T03:10:44-07:00

Tech summit highlights Utah’s Silicon Slopes

SALT LAKE CITY — Developing more home-grown talent is a major concern for Utah business and technology leaders gathered at a two-day summit at the Salt Palace.

“We have to get more into our high schools and into our colleges to create the skills that we need in this state,” said Cydni Tetro, co-founder and executive director of Women Tech Council, at Thursday’s opening of the inaugural Silicon Slopes Tech Summit.

With about 5,000 tech companies in Utah, and more created each year, the need for qualified, educated talent is constantly growing, Silicon Slopes executive board member Carine Clark said. The tech industry needs to help develop a statewide program that can cultivate and inspire more young […]

Kristin Wright2017-04-12T05:11:07-07:00

Where are the women in computer science?

Women earn 57 percent of undergraduate degrees, but only 18 percent of degrees in computer and information sciences, according to the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT). This trend starts before college where girls comprise 56 percent of Advanced Placement (AP) test takers, but only 19 percent of computer science AP test takers.

In the workforce, this discrepancy widens. The National Science Foundation’s 2016 report cited that only about 15 percent of women are part of the engineering and computer science workforce.

What causes this gap? Three Utah women share their observations and opinions on the gap, and what’s being done in the state.

Dr. Shalini Kesar is […]

Kristin Wright2017-04-06T00:24:43-07:00

SUU professor receives Women Tech Council award

Shalini Kesar, associate professor of information systems at SUU, received the education excellence awarded at the 2016 Women Tech Awards on Sept. 22 in Salt Lake City.

The event, hosted by the Women Tech Council (WTC), recognizes Utah women in tech fields “who are innovators, leaders and key contributors in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields,” according to a news release.

“It was an honor to be nominated among such talented woman with great accomplishments,” Kesar said. “To win an education excellence award was inspiring and motivating to continue work on efforts that increase participation of women in IT.”

Kesar was one of six Utah women to be receive the distinction this year. The recipients represented some of the […]

Kristin Wright2017-04-06T00:02:44-07:00

Women in tech honored for outstanding achievement

Being a high-achieving woman in the world of technology or business requires intelligence, determination, grit and the unwavering belief that success is attainable.

“The seed of entrepreneurship begins with a dream, and one dream can transform a million realities,” said Julie Hanna, Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship.

She was the keynote speaker at the Women Tech Awards Thursday at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, presented by the Women Tech Council — a Utah-based nonprofit trade association that provides mentoring, visibility and networking for women in technology fields.

Born in Egypt, Hanna said her family fled civil wars in two countries — Jordan and Lebanon — before settling in the United States in the early 1970s. […]

Kristin Wright2017-04-06T00:07:47-07:00