The 20th Anniversary Conference for Women in Technology, conducted at the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Murray Center on March 27, is deeply rooted in promoting the competence of women tech-makers and their ability to work with the technologies of the future.
Murray Center, dedicated in the name of Constance A. Murray, who served as NJIT’s Dean of Student Services for 16 years, continues to encourage academic achievement and student leadership for female students. The Director of the Murray Center for Women in Technology, Nancy Steffen Fluhr, was all smiles during the conference. In her address, she noted that “the days are long, but not the years,” a testament to the persistent efforts of Murray Center.
Though NJIT President Joel Bloom could not make his speech in person, he was present via virtual means to address the Murray Center audience. Guest speaker Leecia Eve, vice president for State Government Affairs for the Tri-State Region at Verizon Communications, was given the honor of speaking for a conference that so intimately reflected her desires of positive, progressive change for women techies.
Eve stressed the importance having these conferences, as she estimated that over 80 percent of all jobs in the next decade will require STEM skills.
“Currently, women hold only about 25 percent of jobs in technology fields,” she shared.
For Eve, Verizon is a company that represents that desire for change for women. As one of the top companies across the country for executive women, Verizon was named one of the 2015 NAFE Top Companies for Executive Women by the National Association for Female Executives. In addition, the company was also ranked as one of the best companies for multi-cultural women by Working Mother Magazine.
“I am proud to work for a company that has an extraordinary breadth of talented women that are at the helm holding key positions.”
Following Eve’s inspiring keynote address, three workshop panels were held throughout the day, with discussions led by prominent female figures who told their stories of success in technology, science, art and design.
Judith Sheft, associate vice president for Technology and Enterprise Development at NJIT, Karen Stovell, Executive Director of Forward Ever, and Leslie Weisman, professor emerita and former associate dean, were the respective moderators of the three panels.
