I (Keith) helped organize and got to attend the Ohio Celebration of Women in Computing (OCWiC) 2017 conference, a biannual event that gives young women the opportunity to explore careers in IT, to network with other young women and to meet possible mentors.
OCWiC inspires women to complete their studies in computing by expanding their awareness of career possibilities and learning from women leaders in business, industry and academia.
On February 24 & 25th, almost 300 people attended the conference at Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron, Ohio.
- The best way to learn what happened is to read the conference recap (that I helped write) and explore the links to social media feeds and additional information.
Ohio, and the Toledo region, are leaders in addressing gender diversity issues in the IT industry. Local companies like Owens Corning and Marathon were conference sponsors. BGSU has had an emphasis on women in computing since I worked there in the 80s and 90s.
Helping out with OCWiC 2017 is just 1 part of Tech Toledo’s efforts to build a tech talent pipeline for the region. We will work with the community to do more in the region for women in computing, and for other audiences.
Photo by Ruthe Farmer, just before her keynote presentation at the conference. I am at the far left: she was too fast with the camera, our side had not started the “wave” yet.