DETROIT – Technology leaders from some of America?s largest corporations gathered Sept. 23 with more than 500 Michigan IT professionals, business executives and students to discuss IT trends and opportunities at the IT Executive Connection Summit at Detroit?s Westin Book Cadillac.

The event focused on thriving in a connected world. Various women role models shared their leadership point of view to Michigan Council of Women in Technology members and partners in attendance.

?With great support from Michigan businesses and strong programs to help women get interested in IT, MCWT is working toward its aspirational vision to make Michigan the No. 1 state for women in technology,? said MCWT President Maru Flores.

The event was sponsored by Ford Motor Company, General Motors and Chrysler Group LLC. This is the second annual MCWT summit to offer participants an opportunity to hear from and network with CIOs from major U.S. corporations and

government agencies.

The conference featured a keynote from Teri Takai, now a consultant, but former CIO at the Defense Department, as well as the states of California and Michigan. She was joined by Rebecca Jacoby, Senior Vice President and CIO of Cisco. Other keynotes speakers came from GE, Felxtronics, and the Big Three automakers.

The event also included some interactive panel discussions and time for questions from the audience in a packed room. Detroit Economic Club President and CEO Beth Chappell and Michigan Matters Producer and Host Carol Cain moderated the discussions.

?It is critical that the industry develops a pipeline of technically trained professionals and that we create opportunities for students to become more engaged in the IT fields,? said Nick Smither, VP and CIO at Ford. ?At Ford we need technical talent across all elements of our business. This year we achieved among our highest percentage of female IT employees and look forward to growing that trend.?

In two panels, one on technology leadership and the other with automotive CIOs, presenters discussed the demands and opportunities of the connected world in transportation and other industries, including the impact of social media, increased data availability, and need for data privacy. The upsurge in new connectivity technologies for vehicles requires even more IT expertise, opening up greater opportunities for women in these fields, they said.

Chrysler Group?s CIO Scott Sandschafer pointed out that employment in the IT sector is expected to grow 13.7 percent over the next 10 years, more than twice as fast as the total job expansion in Michigan.

?Not only will we need more educated, skilled professionals who can keep pace with the needs of the marketplace, but we also will need to attract more women,? he said. ?Nearly two-thirds of all IT-related jobs are filled by men.

?At GM, we are always looking for women engineers and information technologists,? said CIO Randy Mott. ?Their perspective is important in every step of the product development and sales process. We set out to attract, engage, develop and retain the most talented workforce and diversity is a key component of GM?s business strategy.?

The event did an excellent job leveraging social media with broadcast screens, contests, and many connections made throughout the event.

The primary mission of MCWT is to help women consider, advance and remain in IT. The organization provides opportunities for learning and networking, and its IT Executive Connection Summit highlights role models of women in IT positions. Through events like this, women and men can deepen their knowledge on the value of diversity and help drive that vision.

Find more information about the Michigan Council for Women in Technology, click on MCWT.Org You also can connect with MCWT on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Associate Editor Nicole Johnson leads MITechNews.Com?s efforts to foster STEM education, as well as provides coverage for her fellow women in computing. If you have a story idea for Nicole, email [email protected] Follow Nicole on Twitter: @tech_nicole