By Kara Kavensky

Women have been integral to Indiana’s tech landscape for decades, serving in various roles such as Agile experts, software developers, cyber analysts and process leaders. Despite making significant contributions to technology, women in IT roles and tech careers across our state and nation have often been overlooked. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau, only 17 percent of Chief Information Officers are women, and only 25 percent of all jobs in the tech industry are currently held by women — this is the lowest number of women in technology since before 1980 – and STEM careers are anticipated to grow by nearly 8.5 percent by 2029.

This disparity has not gone unnoticed. Efforts, such as TechPoint’s Mission 41K, have been designed to attract more women into the growing technology field as Indiana strives to be a leader in this area.

Recently, Governor Holcomb signed the first-of-its-kind-in-the-U.S. proclamation dedicating Women IN Tech Week, September 15-22, 2024. Women IN Tech Week presents an opportunity for companies, communities and educational institutions to acknowledge and celebrate the invaluable contributions of women across the state.

As an advocate for women in tech, Karrah Herring, Indiana’s Chief Equity Inclusion & Opportunity Officer, has worked tirelessly for the past four years with an affinity group, Government Women in Technology. That effort has focused on creating a supportive ecosystem for women in technology, advocating for the empowerment and elevation of capable women in technology, and motivating and modeling ways to inspire women to choose STEM careers.

“I am pleased that Governor Holcomb and his team have issued a proclamation declaring September 15-22 Women IN Tech Week for Indiana,” shares Herring. “We must continue to create pathways to success and promotion for women in technology across diverse industries. Because of the amazing advocacy of Linda Calvin and Kara Kavensky, this state proclamation will help reinforce and elevate the importance of those efforts.”

Contributions of women in the technology workforce have been critical to the development of our new economy, our culture and artistic achievements, our social and technological advancement and all areas of accomplishment. Indiana has reaffirmed its commitment to promote the recruitment, retention, and support of women in technology by supporting Women IN Tech Week.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau, women account for nearly half of the workforce in this country. Women of every race, class and ethnic background play a key role in the advancing technology, contributing to the growth and strength of Indiana, our nation and the global community. Additional stats from the Women’s Bureau:

• Women make up 47 percent of all employed adults but hold only 28 percent of computing and math roles.
• Black and Hispanic women account for only 5 percent of the computing workforce, and representation has declined by 10 percent from 2018 – 2022.
• Only 8-9 percent of women hold positions like CIO, CTO or Senior IT Manager.

“Building Indiana’s tech talent pool is essential for driving innovation, boosting the state’s Gross Domestic Product and creating rewarding career opportunities for Hoosiers across various sectors,” says Linda Calvin, Chief Impact Officer, Reboot Representation and President of Transcend Consulting. “Women are pivotal to achieving these objectives, and Women IN Tech Week opens the door for meaningful discussions on how we can better support women and girls in Indiana’s tech economy.”

This initiative will play a crucial role in inspiring more girls to pursue careers in tech by celebrating role models, sharing success stories, and hosting events highlighting the diverse contributions of women of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities to Indiana’s tech ecosystem. As the saying goes, “When you see us, you can be us.”

To join in this celebration, any and all organizations, municipalities and companies may celebrate on any given day during the week or throughout. A downloadable media kit and ideas to celebrate Women IN Tech Week are available on the website, as well as Events, female IT Speakers Bureau, videos of female tech leaders and more.

Ways to celebrate include:

• Utilize the Women IN Tech Week logo in social media posts with the tag #womenINtech
• Create social posts (in Canva, for instance) with co-branded logos of your organization (templates on website).
• Already have a set meeting that week? Brand it to celebrate Women IN Tech!
• Include the names of these amazing women to your internal eNews to celebrate them!
• Send these amazing women working in tech within your organization a note of gratitude.
• Leverage the momentum of Women IN Tech Week to help attract more women to enter the tech field and to help retain talent.
• Have your local elected official sign a proclamation (draft in media kit) for a Women IN Tech Day in your community.

For more information, contact Kara Kavensky or Linda Calvin via LinkedIn.