A nonprofit trade association has launched a new initiative in hopes of expanding IT career opportunities for women and igniting their interest for jobs in the industry.
The Advancing Women in IT Community aims to empower women with knowledge and skills to help them pursue successful IT careers and inspire them to choose IT as their profession, CompTIA said in a release Feb. 29.
The group will serve as information resource and provide mentorship and networking opportunities. It will also develop member-driven initiatives and programs, and actively work with issues related to legislation involving women and careers.
Although women have seen many breakthroughs in the workplace, “the truth is our progress has stalled in IT," said Nancy Hammervik, CompTIA’s senior vice president of industry relations.
Research by the National Center for Women & Information Technology shows that women composed 36 percent of IT professionals in 1991, but the number of technology jobs held by women has declined since, Hammervik said, citing unconscious bias, gender pay gaps and lack of role models as contributing factors.
The community, which launches with members in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and South Africa, is led by chair Sandy Ashworth, global director of channel relations and warranty for Unisys Corporation, and vice chair Jean Mork Bredenson, president of SERVICE 800, Inc.
The CompTIA Advancing Women in IT Community is hosting a webinar titled "Insights from a Leader and Her Path to Success," featuring Marci Meaux, vice president if sales enablement project and ACT at Cisco Systems, Inc. The free webinar is slated for 1 p.m., March 14.
Posted by Camille Tuutti on Feb 29, 2012 at 10:52 AM1 comments
Former New York Republican Rep. Susan Molinari has been named Google’s top lobbyist in its Washington office, the company has confirmed.
Molinari will be vice president of public policy and government relations for North America and South America, effective in mid-March, according to the Politico newspaper, which first reported the appointment in an article on Feb. 23.
Molinari, who is from Staten Island, first won election to the House of Representatives in a special election in 1990, replacing her father, former Rep. Guy Molinari, who resigned from Congress to become the Staten Island Borough President.
During her tenure from 1990 to 1997, Molinari was elected to the House GOP majority leadership and became the highest-ranking Republican woman in the House.
After leaving Congress, Molinari became co-anchor of CBS News and since has served at several lobbying firms, most recently in her own firm in Washington. She is married to former GOP Rep. William Paxon, who is senior adviser at the Akin Gump law firm.
Posted by Alice Lipowicz on Feb 24, 2012 at 8:26 AM1 comments
Former Federal Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra is returning to the Advisory Board Co., a health care research and consulting firm where he worked before his government service, the company announced.
Chopra left the White House on Feb. 8. His new title is senior adviser for health care technology strategy for the Advisory Board. He will be consulting with hospitals on technology and data issues, and contribute to the Advisory Board’s business development and strategic planning.
Chopra previously was a managing director for the Advisory Board, prior to became Secretary of Technology for Virginia. He was appointed as the first Federal CTO by President Barack Obama in 2009.
"I am excited to return to The Advisory Board Company, where I spent close to a decade of my career," Chopra said in a statement released by the company. "The firm has always been dedicated to identifying and disseminating best practice research, and I am thrilled about how the Advisory Board has grown to offer best-in-class technology products. This combination of research-driven insights and innovative software is creating groundbreaking change in the health care industry by equipping members to capitalize on the power of technology to improve health outcomes while reducing costs."
Posted on Feb 22, 2012 at 8:22 AM0 comments