Kristin Wright – Page 9 – Women Tech Council

Utah Women in Tech: What’s Already Happening

So there’s a problem. Not enough women in the tech industry, and definitely not enough women in tech in Utah. And we know things need to change. We need to acknowledge that we have a problem. We need to let women know that they are needed and necessary in the industry. We need to recognize and overcome the stereotypes women face when entering the tech industry. And we need to stop making women feel like being a mother and a valuable part of the tech industry are mutually exclusive.

The good news is, there are already groups and individuals in Utah working to implement these changes, get more […]

Kristin Wright2017-04-06T00:53:05-07:00

Women Tech Council Announces 2016 Award Finalists Driving Technology, Innovation and Business

Winners to be announced September 22 at awards luncheon

SALT LAKE CITY, June 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Women Tech Council (WTC) announced today the finalists for the ninth annual Women Tech Awards, a prestigious honor recognizing technology-focused women who are driving innovation, leading technology companies, and are key contributors to the technology community. The finalists represent 20 women in a wide range of technology industries, including 3 collegiate finalists. Winners will be announced Sept. 22, 2016 at an awards luncheon from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City (555 S. Main Street). The Awards are sponsored by Domo, EMC, Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Vivint Smart Home, EY, USTAR, […]

Kristin Wright2018-07-11T21:53:36-07:00

It’s Time to Change One of Utah’s Tech Traditions

It’s no secret that the tech and startup scene here in Utah, and throughout the country, is predominantly controlled by males. While there are many organizations — such as Lean In, which was founded by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg — that have committed to assist women by offering support and inspiration to help them achieve their goals, as a society, and more specifically, as a tech community, there’s still a lot more work to be done.

So, what’s the plan? How can we solve this problem of inequality and gender bias within the tech community here in Utah?

Kristin Wright2017-04-06T00:57:33-07:00

Women Tech Council and Leading Tech Companies Partner to Drive Opportunities For Women in Tech

Partnership creates platform to highlight impact women have in the technology economy

SALT LAKE CITY, May 12, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Women Tech Council (www.womentechcouncil.org), a non-profit, today announced its 2016 industry partners. The partnerships enable opportunities, visibility, mentoring and networking for women in technology. The Women Tech Council was created 9 years ago to build a community of collaboration and performance around women in tech. Headquartered in Utah, where more then 5000 tech companies are located, the Women Tech Council has a community of more than 10,000 that work together for this cause.

“Our organization has always focused on the impact women have on the technology economy. The support for that focus is demonstrated by our […]

Kristin Wright2018-07-11T21:48:50-07:00

5 things you didn’t know about being a woman in tech

1. I use the words “what if” a lot.

We all go through life wishing things could be done differently. Technology has the power to change the way we live and work. I helped launch video and e-book products that impacted hundreds of thousands of educators to coach them in teaching best practices. Imagine how many student lives were impacted by helping teachers be more effective. A lot of technology is being created for the first time. Being able to create is incredibly energizing and accesses the highest levels of thinking. So a lot of conversations with my teams start with “what if we did this?” Women have incredibly innovative minds, and often they […]

Kristin Wright2017-04-06T01:04:17-07:00

Tech Leaders Discuss Ecommerce Market, Future

In the constantly shifting landscape of ecommerce, it can be tough to keep up.

During a discussion sponsored by the Women Tech Council’s three leaders in the industry talked about the ways they try to stay ahead of the curve—and compete with other tech giants, like Amazon.

Stormy Simon, president of Overstock.com, said the industry has advanced to the point of allowing unprecedented opportunities for drawing customers. That advantage is half of a double-edged sword, with the other half being the increasingly specific demands of shoppers, she said, particularly those who are younger.

“It used to be someone would look for ‘red couch.’ But Millenials, these dang kids, they look for ‘red couch, three cushions, buttons on the back,’” […]

Kristin Wright2017-04-12T04:23:42-07:00

1.2K high school girls participate in STEM event

OREM — More than 1,000 high school girls filled up the Utah Valley University UCCU center Friday.

They were there for SheTech Explorer, a STEM event put on by the Women Tech Council and Utah Valley University. It was sponsored by Ancestry.com and the Utah STEM Action Center.

To kick off the conference, STEM-advocate Thelina Smith and Angela Trego addressed the girls. Trego told them, “it’s about you discovering things you like and don’t like.”

The girls could discover their interests through an interactive TechZone exhibit and an assortment of female-led panels and workshops. Ninth-grader Sidnee Meyers said she liked the TechZone the most because “you get […]

Kristin Wright2017-04-14T03:11:17-07:00

Girl power: SheTech links growing number of high school girls to STEM

When Angela Trego read a feedback survey where a girl admitted she didn’t know she could do things in science, technology, engineering and math until she attended SheTech Explorer Day, she knew the event was doing what it was meant to.

“We want girls to come and do this and create a wow factor,” said Trego, assistant professor of technology management at Utah Valley University and part of the leadership for the Women Tech Council. “They come and do this and say, this is fun and I can do it.”

Around 1,200 high school girls from 121 schools across the state, including as far away as Monument Valley, registered for SheTech Explorer Day, held […]

Kristin Wright2017-04-14T03:11:38-07:00

Registration for SheTech Explorer Day Now Open

Registration for SheTech Explorer Day now open

Registration is now open for the third annual SheTech Explorer Day, an event to introduce more than 1,000 high school girls in grades 9-12 to programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

This year the event is sponsored by Ancestry.com and the STEM Action Center, and hosted by Utah Valley University and the Women Tech Council. It aims to create a safe and fun environment that encourages young women to explore opportunities in STEM fields.

Numerous technology companies will have displays set up featuring interactive projects for participants to discover throughout the day. Girls will spend the day involved in different workshops, which they choose. Areas of study include aerodynamics, […]

Kristin Wright2017-04-21T19:35:20-07:00

Recap: Talent Innovation Summit.

We’ve all heard about the serious dearth of women in tech roles. At Google, for example, women make up 30% of the company’s workforce, but hold 17 percent of the company’s tech jobs. At Facebook, women fill 15 percent of tech roles. At Twitter, it’s just 10 percent.

Worse yet, women stand to gain one new STEM job for every 20 that are lost in other disrupted industries.

But how do we close the tech industry gender gap? Last week’s inaugural Talent Innovation Summit, sponsored by the Women Tech Council and held at Adobe’s Utah office, aimed to get the conversation started. Senior executives, HR personnel, business leaders, and a standing-room-only crowd gathered to discuss […]

Kristin Wright2017-04-12T05:20:09-07:00

Women’s Tech Council Discusses Wage Gap, Workplace Diversity

Lehi—It’s no secret that Utah, despite the overall health of the state’s economy, still has a long way to go in recruiting, retaining, promoting and fairly compensating women in many of its industries. Recent figures by Voice for Utah Children show that Utah only pays women 70 cents on the dollar (as opposed to the national average of 79.2 cents), which leaves $1.6 billion in personal income that would be added to Utah’s economy each year if Utah’s wage gap were no larger than the nation’s. The technology industry, despite—or perhaps, because of—its recent boom in the state, is hungrier than ever to attract female talent.

Now, initiatives like the ElevateHER challenge and groups like the […]

Kristin Wright2017-04-12T05:28:52-07:00

MX Attends Women Tech Council Talent Innovation Summit

Hiring and diversity was the focus of the Women in Technology Council’s first Talent Innovation Summit. We had the opportunity to be in attendance with so many successful women in tech and it was truly an impactful morning. The last panel of the event featured four women from top companies in the area. Jill Layfield, former CEO of Backcountry, led the panel with Dianne Rivera (Goldman Sachs), Denise Leleux (eBay), and Alison Lutjemeier (Adobe). The panel shared great ideas for innovative recruiting and maintaining diversity. Some of their tips include:

1. Have women on your recruiting board.
2. Remove all unconscious bias by educating your employees
3. Set up a diverse slate of candidates, […]

Kristin Wright2017-04-12T05:31:59-07:00

About Kristin Wright

1. I use the words “what if” a lot.