Shalini Kesar, associate professor of information systems at SUU, received the education excellence awarded at the 2016 Women Tech Awards on Sept. 22 in Salt Lake City.
The event, hosted by the Women Tech Council (WTC), recognizes Utah women in tech fields “who are innovators, leaders and key contributors in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields,” according to a news release.
“It was an honor to be nominated among such talented woman with great accomplishments,” Kesar said. “To win an education excellence award was inspiring and motivating to continue work on efforts that increase participation of women in IT.”
Kesar was one of six Utah women to be receive the distinction this year. The recipients represented some of the best minds of women working to increase the presence of females in the Utah technology industry, WTC President Cyndi Tetro said.
Kesar has spent more than 20 years working to increase awareness about the value of computing as an education and career option for women.
The SUU professor, who holds a doctorate in cyber security from Salford University in addition to two masters degrees, has recently devoted her time to leading the Southern Utah Aspiration in Computing (SUAIC) program.
The program works with high school girls from 10 rural counties in southern Utah to increase both interest and diversity in the computing field.
By Bree Burkitt, The Spectrum