Minding the Gap: Ensuring Accessibility and Representation for Young Women in STEM

The gender gap remains stubbornly rigid in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) despite the increase of training programs around the globe. There are many factors inhibiting the closure of this gap: accessibility, representation, engagement, visibility and mentorship. The HIMSS Global Health Equity Network brings together a panel of women each of whom are deeply involved in furthering equitable opportunities and increased representation. Hear how they are working to help young women everywhere overcome these barriers and close the gap once and for all.

During this webinar we will:

Describe the current disparity among women in the fields of STEM
Identify current barriers young women face when seeking out STEM training
Discuss ways in which you can help to close the gender gap in the fields of STEM

Aashima Gupta

Director of Healthcare Solutions
Google Cloud

Bio info: Aashima Gupta is the Global leader for strategy and Healthcare solutions at Google Cloud. She is the executive...

Aashima Gupta is the Global leader for strategy and Healthcare solutions at Google Cloud. She is the executive responsible for transformative Healthcare solutions that define new models for care, revenue generation and improved patient experience leveraging AI, Cloud and APIs. Aashima serves on the Board of HIMSS North America, and was recognized as Most Influential Women in Healthcare IT by and recipient for the Top 100 Women in Fem Tech and Health Tech award.

Alyssa Levicky

Manager, R&D
Hyland

Bio info: Alyssa Levicky is an R&D Manager in the Hyland Experience Platform program at Hyland, where she leads a team...

Alyssa Levicky is an R&D Manager in the Hyland Experience Platform program at Hyland, where she leads a team that delivers Identity and Access Management solutions for Hyland products. She started at Hyland as an intern, then was hired full-time as a developer focused on back-end solutions before transitioning to a leadership role. Alyssa is on the STEM Advisory Committee for the Girls Scouts of Northeast Ohio, whose goal is to engage Girls Scouts in STEM experiences. She earned an MBA and an undergraduate degree in Computer Science and Mathematics. Alyssa also enjoys playing volleyball, reading, and playing with her two kids.

Elisabeth A. Holm

Founder
Sisterhood of Native American Coders (SONAC)

Bio info: Elisabeth Holm, an aspiring computer scientist with a passion for AI/Machine learning, has been an ambassador and...

Elisabeth Holm, an aspiring computer scientist with a passion for AI/Machine learning, has been an ambassador and advocate for girls in STEM for 8 years. Elisabeth is a former intern at the San Diego Supercomputer Center and “graduate” of the Qualcomm (Q-Camp) - Women in Technology (WiTech) multi-year program for girls in STEM. Raised in a multi-generational home and with ancestry from Indigenous Americas, Elisabeth founded SONAC: “Sisterhood of Native American Coders” to apply her talents to support an underserved community that is both personal to her and honors her late grandmother. Elisabeth hopes to bring access, exposure and mentoring to underrepresented Native American girls so to address the disparities in their opportunities to learn and inspire the next generation of young female innovators! Ms. Holm is an avid programmer, the Founder of the “Best in Class” Python Club at her school, and currently enrolled in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 6-month online science technology and engineering community program (MOSTEC).

Kira Wetzel

Founder & Executive Director, girls + data
Analytics Manager, Facebook Reality Labs

Bio info: Kira is a full-time Analytics Manager at Facebook Reality Labs in Menlo Park, CA. Her past experience includes 10 ...

Kira is a full-time Analytics Manager at Facebook Reality Labs in Menlo Park, CA. Her past experience includes 10 full lifecycle data analytics implementations, 3 training engagements as the lead trainer, and building and managing teams.

In addition to her work in the tech industry, Kira is the Founder and Executive Director of a national non-profit and 501(c)(3), girls data (www.girlsplusdata.org), which focuses on providing middle school girls with hands-on STEM workshops in data analytics and improving data literacy.

She is building a national team of passionate volunteers that has grown 175% since May 2017. To date, the girls data team has taught around 550 students nationally with approximately 83% of those students wanting to learn more about careers in data analytics, and 80% of the students wanting to attend more hands-on workshops in data analytics.

Lisa M. Chambers

National Executive Director
TECH CORPS

Bio info: Lisa M. Chambers has 20 years of experience building cross-sector strategic alliances and developing nationally...

Lisa M. Chambers has 20 years of experience building cross-sector strategic alliances and developing nationally recognized and award-winning, Computer Science (CS) and Information Technology (IT) programs for K12 students and teachers. Lisa joined TECH CORPS as the State Director of the Ohio chapter in 1999. In 2011, she was named the TECH CORPS National Executive Director. In this role, she has overall responsibility for creating, planning, implementing and integrating the strategic direction of the organization. This includes responsibility for all components and departments of the organization.
Under her leadership, TECH CORPS has experienced significant increases in the number of students served, programs implemented, and revenue secured.

TECH CORPS is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring K-12 students have equal access to computer science programs, skills, and resources that enhance early learning and prepare them for college and career. TECH CORPS develops CS and IT programs and deploys tech-savvy talent to assist K-12 schools and youth-serving organizations across the country. Over the years, partners such as JPMorgan Chase, Nordson Corporation, Battelle and Cognizant have provided TECH CORPS with the fuel to deliver much-needed technology resources to K-12 students and teachers. Since 1995, more than 15,000 TECH CORPS volunteers have shared their time and talents assisting schools and nonprofit organizations in their communities. TECH CORPS was founded in 1995 by Gary Beach, Publisher Emeritus of CIO Magazine and author of The U.S. Technology Skills Gap.

Lisa’s work has been recognized and honored at the local, state and national levels. She was named a
“Modern-day Technology Leader” by US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine and a
“Technology Rising Star” by Women of Color magazine. She received the comSpark Tech Power Player award, was featured in Who’s Who in Black Columbus, received the Technology Innovation Award in Nonprofit Service Delivery from TechColumbus, the 2019 Top-Rated Award from GreatNonprofits and the National Telecommunications Partnership Award from The SBC Foundation and Partners in Education. Lisa was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority Board, serves on the Franklin University, Center for Public Safety & Cybersecurity Education Advisory Board and is a member of the National Center for Women and Information Technology, K-12 Alliance. Lisa is a graduate of The Ohio State University.