Women in IT 2023 - March 24

2023 Women in Information Technology Conference to take place March 24

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) has announced its annual Women in Information Technology (IT) Conference will be held Friday, March 24, 2023 at Scott Community College's Urban Campus in downtown Davenport. All area women, both those already employed in the field as well as those interested in learning more about IT, are invited to attend.

“There are many women working in the profession, but those numbers are not nearly what they could be,” said EICC IT Instructor Roberta Osmers. “These are great jobs that women are especially well suited for. This conference is one way we are attempting to draw more attention to the profession and the role women can play in it.”

The conference includes concurrent sessions and roundtable discussions so that there is something for everyone. The 2023 WIT Conference will also have two distinct tracks this year. The technical track looks for technical presentations and hands-on opportunities. The professional track will include presentations based around working in IT or leadership topics.

“We're really working to provide information that will appeal to both those women who are already working in IT, as well as those who are just curious about how they might enter it,” Osmers said. “The hope is that we are both rewarding those who are currently in the profession and also attracting more women to it.”

She said there is a constant demand in this area for qualified people with graduates of the college’s program easily finding rewarding employment.

EICC’s Information Technology Department delivers training in a wide area including computer networking and programming, cybersecurity, virtual and augmented reality, and web development. That training is available at all three of its Clinton, Muscatine and Scott Community Colleges, as well as through the college's high school Career Academies. More information about the program is available at eicc.edu/it

Call for Presenters and Sponsors 

Event organizers are currently welcoming submissions from presenters for the one-day conference. If you are interested in presenting at this year’s conference, please fill out our form at: https://web2.eicc.edu/forms/witproposal.php  with your presentation submission and information by December 2, 2022. Contact Roberta Osmers at 563-336-3455 or by email rfosmers@eicc.edu if you have any questions.

Sponsors are also welcome! Fill out the form at eicc.edu/WITDonation. 

Past Sessions Examples: 

• How a Global Pandemic Shaped IT in Healthcare
  Dr. Jordan Brautigam
  
  The COVID 19 global pandemic shifted and re-shaped industries of all shapes and sizes, including the healthcare systems in our own backyard. This case study will take a look back at the last two years on how information technology changed in how we deliver care in the Quad Cities. From Zoom meetings, to telehealth, to predictive modeling, come hear on how these technologies emerged during this turbulent time.
  
  
• Drone Technology and Geographic Information Systems
  Ray Weiser and Darrell Inskeep
  
  Learn how Scott County GIS is integrating drone technology to enhance services provided to Scott County.
  
  
• Presenting Your Brand
  Samantha Koehn and LeAnn Weber
  
  Using the Power of Being You and frameworks discussed in the session we will develop our personal brand statement to differentiate ourselves from the rest.
  
  
• Cyber Security – Good vs. Evil
  Katie Spain and Ben Potaracke
  
  Session Description: There are many bad actors out there attempting to gain access to your information. In our presentation we will share ways to protect the external forces and also how to be proactive from the inside. Sometimes our greatest threat is the unknown. We want to share best practices in personal responsibility for information security.
   
• Work Reboot: Strategies to Work Health & Fit from Anywhere
  Dr. Traci Nelson-Johnson
  
  This session will provide practical tools to help you be feel more energetic with less pain at the end of the work day.
   
• Panel Discussion - IT at the center: Disruptive change and the COVID-19 pandemic
  Cheryl Welsch
  
  Panelists: Danielle Dagama, Stephanie Macuga, Michelle Rasmussen, Jordan Brautigam, and Michelle Baumann
  
  The COVID 19 pandemic has changed how we all work. Information technology, often considered operational, transactional, or worse yet, a “cost center” of an organization, was suddenly at the forefront of the Great Pivot of 2020. In the mad rush for online everything, IT was suddenly seen by leadership as the Strategic, Transformative and Indispensable heart of an organization, in the way that we always knew it was. Join us for this panel discussion, where we talk to IT professionals from a variety of industries to discuss their experiences, both good and bad, between 2019 and no. You can expect to leave this session with some tips for maintaining the image of “Strategic IT” within your organization.