The Women of Color STEM Conference is set to begin on Thursday for its 28th year. Attendees will have the option to participate either in person or virtually.
The conference schedule is available here, with events tagged as "In-Person" or "Online" based on their location.
This event celebrates women who are breaking barriers and shaping the future of STEM. It provides an excellent platform to explore and learn about the vast possibilities that lie ahead. Here's an overview of the seminars scheduled for Thursday:
The "Women in FinTech Startups: Pioneers in Reshaping the Financial Industry" seminar will focus on women in fintech startups and the potential of the fintech industry.
The panel will share their stories about how they accessed the world of fintech. Speakers include Michelle Gardner-Ince, Women Veteran Small Business Initiatives Director, and Dana Williams, a Chief Strategy Officer.
The "Changing Faces in FinTech: Embracing Technology for Growth" seminar will focus on fintech trendsetters revolutionizing the financial industry.
Speakers include Shadane Ferraro, Youth to Youth Mentor, World Bank Group, and Christine Burkette, CEO of Promising Integrations Consulting.
The "Glass Ceiling Is Still There! Elevating Women to Financial Leadership Roles" seminar will discuss methods for closing the gender gap in the financial industry and creating opportunities for women in leadership roles.
By investing in diversity, financial organizations can lead to higher job satisfaction, organizational dedication, and less burnout.
Panelists include Sondia Christian, director of business integration at HII, and Michelle Gardner-Ince, director of Women Veteran Small Business Initiatives.
Thursday's seminars will cover various topics such as the industrial internet, digital twins, and the metaverse, exploring the different applications of these technologies and their potential impact on society and the economy.
The speakers include Heidi Batres, a software engineer at Leidos, and Tyrone Taborn, the CEO/COO of Career Communications Group.
The "Your People, Your Technology & Your Processes: Creating Excellent Financial Reports" seminar will focus on collaboration, conducting employee reviews, and providing automatic updates for better reporting.
The panel will feature Christine Burkette, the CEO of Promising Integrations Consulting, and Angela Peek, an ICD analyst task manager at Leidos.
Other seminars will explore techniques for successfully acquiring job interviews and strategies for promoting oneself during an interview.
The panelists include Natoshia Anderson, the CEO of Nerdy Brain, LLC; Rashida Abdul-Ganiyu, a research scientist at Abbott; Erika Monae, the CEO of Erika Monae Group; Asima Silva, a principal web/full stack developer and tech lead at Raytheon Technologies; Cynthia Miller, a senior executive of the National Security Agency, and Shoba Subramanian, the top university partnerships manager at Amazon.
The final session for the evening is "Women Empowered to Engage," which will be presented by a panel of powerhouse women who will share their career challenges and successes.
Speakers include Laura Luengo, senior engineering supervisor at Lordstown Motors; Kathleen Jolivette, vice president and general manager at The Boeing Company; and Jessica Vilani, director of product management at Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Whether you are an experienced professional, an aspiring student, or someone passionate about women's progress in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), this conference provides an excellent platform to explore and learn about the vast possibilities.
