WITI hosts 2007 Women and Technology Summit: Innovation

Women In Technology International’s 12th Annual 2007 Summit, Sept. 26 – Sept. 29, was all about innovation. Held at Hyatt Regency Hotel in Santa Clara, Calif., the first day of the conference was filled with roundtables featuring innovative women who are pushing the envelope.

Thursday, Sept. 27, kicked off with breakfast keynote speaker Christine Comaford-Lynch, CEO and founder, Mighty Ventures. Following breakfast, sessions were held titled “Eliciting the Creativity in Everyone — A World Café” and “Bringing Innovation to Market.” Lunch panelists included Helen Greiner, co-founder and chairman, iRobot Corp.;

Padmasree Warrior, executive vice president and chief technology officer, Motorola, Inc.; and Nilofer Merchant, CEO and principal, Rubicon Consulting. More sessions took place throughout the day and during the trade fair.

The Hall of Fame Dinner and Awards Ceremony held Thursday night celebrated four trailblazing professionals and thought leaders who were inducted into WITI’s 2007 Hall of Fame program. This year’s honorees were acknowledged for their impressive work and accomplishments in areas of science and technology. Additionally, they have utilized their influential positions in top companies to advance diversity and acceptance for women in the workplace.

The 2007 WITI Hall of Fame inductees are:

• Wanda M.Austin, senior vice president of the National Systems Group at The Aerospace Corporation
• Lucinda Sanders, CEO and co-founder of the National Center for Women and Information Technology and executive-in-residence for the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado at Boulder
• Helen Greiner, co-founder and chairman of iRobot Corp.
• Padmasree Warrior, executive vice president and CTO at Motorola, Inc.

“These brilliant women are excellent leaders, and role models for young women eagerly seeking an academic or career path in a technology or science field,” said Carolyn Leighton, CEO, chairwoman and founder of WITI.“Their accomplishments surpass the greatest of our expectations, and provide inspiration and encouragement to us all.”

During the last two days of the conference, guests had a plethora of workshops to attend such as: “Smart Thinking Smart Talking Women,” “Innovative Branding: Thriving on the Edge,”“Effective IT Governance and Building Business Cases that Pass the Big Gate,”“Search Engine Marketing for Innovators,”and the last session held was “Powerful and Connected:Women Transforming Technology Environments.” For more information on WITI, visit www.witi.com.