Panel to explore the successful careers of women in information and technology

Panel to explore the successful careers of womenin information and technologyMarch 11, 2005Edward Byrnesedbyrnes@syr.edu

Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies (IST) and Women in Information Technology (WIT) are hosting an Alumni Career Panel, April 8 from 3-4:30 p.m. in Room 4-201 of the Center for Science and Technology. A reception will follow. The event is free and open to the public, and complimentary parking will be available for this event in the Comstock lot.

An all-female panel of five IST alumni will discuss the professional positions they hold and the factors that they feel helped them attain such positions and become successful. Panelists will discuss their education, internship experience, leadership experience, mentors and faculty who made a difference, and their technical skills, while adding their insights on the future of their field or industry.

“Having these alumnae here to tell their success stories and give real-life insights into the workplace benefits every student about to enter the job market. It especially empowers and tells our female students that they too can be very successful in fields historically dominated by men,” says Barbara Settel, WIT advisor, panel organizer and IST’s director of alumni relations and annual giving.

Representing IST graduating classes from 1994-2004 and the fields of financial services, publishing, software, and management and technology consulting, the panelists are: Allyson Hughes, BS ’94, IBM Software Group; Kisha Pugh ’98, Metlife Financial Services; Ngoc Thai ’04, Booklinks Publishing Service; Sarah Hagelin ’95, Accenture, and; Aimee Scanlon ’95, Booz Allen & Hamilton, Inc.

WIT, established in February 2002, is a student-led undergraduate organization dedicated to increasing the participation of women in information technology,

and to closing the gender gap in the field. WIT has a three-fold mission: To improve perceptions about women in the IT industry and represent successful

alumni; to empower women in the School through programs of support and education; and to increase the enrollment of women in IST. WIT membership is open to all students, faculty and staff.

The School of Information Studies at SU is a center for innovative programs in information policy, information behavior, information management, information systems, information technology and information services. The School offers an undergraduate degree, three professional master’s programs, and a Ph.D. Additionally, the school offers three certificates of advanced study and scholarships for service in information security management. The School is a National Security Agency National Center of Academic Excellence in information assurance education (www.nsa.gov/ia/academia/caeiae.cfm). Among the school’s nationally renowned research centers are the Center for Natural Language Processing, Systems Assurance Institute, Center for Digital Literacy and the Center for Emerging Network Technologies. For more information, visit the School’s web site at www.ist.syr.edu.