2021 Conference
Over 225 women and a few good men attended the 4th WIT Conference powered by RockIT Women - held at the Galt House East. Although small in numbers, due to Covid, the conference was a huge hit!
But don’t take our word for it:
“The conference was wonderful. The speakers were all very relatable and inspiring. I will definitely be promoting it with our group in the future.”
— Kim Skipworth, Director of Software Engineering at CSI
“The Water With Blessings team is so impressed with this conference! We loved the opportunity to share how we use GIS technology in our mission, and we learned so much from other participants and speakers. We can't wait for the next RockIT event!”
— Sister Larraine, Water with Blessings
“It was incredibly inspiring to see so many women in technology in one room during the WIT Conference. From the keynote to the breakout sessions, and even just the ladies I had the pleasure of having lunch with, I was so happy to be part of a conference that was focused on women in tech and inspiring other young women to pursue a career in STEM.”
— Jessica Bledsoe, CEO, RCN Technologies
2021 Sponsors
Presenting: AWS
Technology Sponsor: DigitByte Blockchain
Virtual Sponsors: DELL Technologies & AHEAD
Silver Sponsor: Software Guild
Bronze Sponsors: SalesForce, Brown-Forman, & Farm Credit Mid-America
Networking: TEKsystems & Digital Age Media Services
May 18 Dinner Sponsor: QTS
Breakout: Papa John’s, Breakpoint Technology, Snowflake, Yum! Brands, Kindred
Cocktail Sponsor: Twisted Sisters
Marketing Sponsors: DBS Interactive, Pitch & Catch Creative
Media: Louisville Business First and GLI
Energy Sponsor: LG&E/ KU
2021 Speakers & Activities
May 18, 2021
Free Frozen Margaritas and Bourbon Slushies
Dinner
Entrepreneur Panel Discussion
Jenna Ahern | Founder & CEO | Guardian Owl Digital
Basha Roberts | Founder & President | LexTech
Deon Stokes | Founder & CEO | Joint Effort
Jessica Bledsoe | Founder & CEO | Pav*r
Conclusion and Door Prizes
May 19, 2021
Welcome
Journey to CIO: Leading, Listening & Gratitude
Shally Pannikode | Senior VP, Chief Information Officer Healthcare Services | Humana Inc.
Advancing Tech Talent in Greater Louisville
Sarah Davasher-Wisdom | CEO | Greater Louisville Inc.
From Obstacle to Opportunity: From Cell Block to C-Suite. The power of second chances and supporting women
Michelle Cirocco | Chief Social Responsibility Officer | Executive Director
WITLOU Conference to RockIt Women
Shannon Fehr | CEO | RockIt Women
Breakout Sessions 1
The Start of New Beginnings: The Role of Technology in the Future of Work!
Gauri Bhalerao | Director of Infrastructure | Yum! Brands
Panel Includes: Debbie Orandi, Moumita Dutta, Janie Sharber | Yum! Brands
Cybersecurity Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) vs. Open-Source
Flo Wright | Sr. Director, Product Management-Information Security Group | Lowe’s
Trina HelmWhite | Senior Manager, IT Risk and Compliance | GE Appliances
Laura Mattingly | SVP, Chief Information Office | Altour
Shellie Dreistadt | VP, Chief Security Officer | Appriss
Learn the Secrets of Leveraging Technology to Win with Social Media
Sarah Moon | President and CEO | Digital Age Media Services
Trends in Global Connectivity
Jennifer Toeppner | Sales Executive in the Eastern US | QTS Data Centers
Power BI Workshop
Lunch and Tech Showcase
Special Announcement and 5 $100 Digibyte Giveaway
AWS Title Sponsor Spotlight
Heather Holbrook-Cales | Enterprise Sales Leader | Ohio/Ky at Amazon Web Services
The Modern-Day Citizen Experience: How technology played a critical role in the pandemic and set the stage for revolutionary future change
Kim Majerus-Skonie | Leader, US Education, State, and Local Government | AWS
Breakout Sessions 2
The Balancing Act: Innovation, Managing Costs, and Keeping it Real
Angela Ciliberti-Riedling | Global Director - IT Business Partner, Development & Innovation | Brown-Forman
Navigating a Global Career and Machine Learning Algorithms
`Presented by Ritika Nevatia | Software Engineer | Apple
Championing Women in Tech & a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Strategy
Panel Discussion
Mpho Komanyane, Michelle Kahan, Bonnie Kane, Erica Hawkins, Ahead
How can cryptocurrency and blockchain technology play a role in building social and solidarity finance?
Desiree Thayer, CEO/Enterprise Talent Architecture Genius Loves Company
Power BI Workshop
Afternoon “Energy” Boost and Frozen Margaritas
What do current digital trends mean for women?
Jaynene Hapanowicz, | CTO and Senior Vice President | Technology Transformation and Services
RockIT Women Social Impact Partner: How to get young girls involved in Tech
Alisia McClain | CEO of Tech-Nique | Director of the Louisville Future of Work Initiative powered by Microsoft and Metro Louisville Government
Photo credits to Austin Ozier:
https://austinozier.myportfolio.com/rockit-woman-in-tech-conference
2021 Photos
