On April 21, the Women in Tech initiative at the University of Nevada, Reno’s College of Business hosted a roundtable networking event featuring local leaders in technology. The event was designed to educate students about potential careers in the technology industry and encourage young women to consider joining the field.

“Among the confluence of factors that collectively conspire to create a gender imbalance in the technology profession, the feeling that one is not good enough and thus does not belong in the IT profession is one of the most pervasive and damaging factors,” Dr. K.D. Joshi, professor of information systems and director of the Women in Tech initiative, said. “Such events where tech leaders address biases and misconceptions about tech careers create powerful narratives that dispel stereotypes, which in turn can encourage more women to pursue careers in technology”

The event featured five speakers who shared their experiences working in technology-related professions. Lauralyn Sandoval, vice president of new markets at Aristocrat Technologies Inc., began the event with opening remarks. Nicole Beaulieu, vice president of software engineering at Figure, Jodi Patton, director of channel partnerships at 1upHealth, Bob Whitefield, vice president of growth marketing at KPS3, and Jackie Zuker, vice president of data engineering at Upland Capital Group, led the roundtable discussions. The event concluded with a closing presentation from Nancy McCormick, senior vice president of business retention, expansion and workforce at the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada.

“As both a student and president of Women in Tech, I am proud to have organized and participated in this event,” Zoe Patton, president of Women in Tech, said. “It was a great opportunity for students to learn from successful professionals in the industry and to network with individuals in their fields of interest. Our goal is to inspire and encourage more young people from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in tech and help create a more inclusive industry for all. I am honored to be a part of this initiative and excited for the impact we can make.”

The Women in Tech initiative aims to provide leadership, programming and support to improve the representation of women in the technology industry. Established in 2020, the initiative is funded through the generous philanthropy of Maureen T. Mullarkey-Miller ’88 MBA and Steven Miller. Women in Tech offers a broad range of co-curricular and extracurricular activities, such as networking events, to broaden the participation of women in technology careers.

"This student organization is young but has already created more connections and opportunities for me and my peers,” Lindsey Haley, treasurer of Women in Tech, said. “Before joining this organization, I did not know many women involved in information systems and it introduced me to my amazing future professor and new friendships. I am proud to have been involved in this event and look forward to next semester's roundtable. We have a lot planned for the next year and look forward to the campus experiencing them and getting more women involved in technology."