SAN FRANCISCO, CA ? More than 25,000 people poured into San Francisco on May 18 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Cisco LIVE where customers and partners heard industry leaders, took certification courses, and joined a community of like-minded techies. It also marked the second year that the Cisco Empowered Women?s Network provided a series of events for female attendees and for men advocating for more women in technology.
This year Cisco LIVE featured several sessions from the network that enriched the experience for women attending the conference. For many attendees, there are few women on staff or they generally are one of the few women in the room during technical conversations. These events provide a platform for women to work together to help create a cadre of strong female tech leaders.
The Cisco Empowered Women?s Network was started by Cisco?s technical leaders, Anuja Singh, Rima Alameddine, and Priscila David, and supported by a group volunteers who contribute beyond their daily responsibilities.
The main event on Sunday, attended by 450 people, was called Today. Tomorrow. Transformed. The focus was on the challenges and opportunities of today and new ways to inspire empowered women of tomorrow. It also provided a unique networking opportunity. The format featured a room of tables, each manned by a Cisco executive. Keynotes and panels were sprinkled in throughout the evening. The agenda held a nice mix of speakers including Padmasree Warrior, Cisco CTO, and Carlos Dominguez, Senior Vice President.
Elizabeth Bagnas from Eaton Corporation, said she ?was energized and inspired by the speakers, panelists and tablemates. It was a well executed event with a phenomenal line-up of speakers and panelists. I can only imagine how much effort went into planning but the heart and soul of the team came through.?
The charity component was linked to Girl Rising (girlrising.com), which helps girls all over the world get into formal education programs. Throughout the event, the group raised more than $5,000 that will help provide more educational opportunities for young women. There was also a call for women to volunteer for the Million Women Mentors (www.millionwomenmentors.org/) program, which is geared to increase the interest and confidence of girls and young women to persist and succeed in STEM programs and careers.
?At CEWN we are celebrating the extraordinary talents of females in a male dominated industry, applauding their efforts and tenacity, and declaring that we will continue to help those women around us,? said Samira Panah a Cisco Account Manager who helped with the Girl Rising Fundraiser.
?However, it is of vital for us to recognize the millions of women in the world who will never be given the opportunities we have been given,? she said. ?These are the forgotten women, the women with no voice. For CEWN to give back to an organization like Girl Rising, standing in solidarity with our sisters around the world declaring that fundamental human rights like education and freedom from slavery are of the greatest importance, is a tremendous feat and one that I am honored to have helped to lead.?
There was also a career acceleration panel session held on May 21 called Your Future in Technology: Discover the Possibilities. The panel for this discussion centered on technical career growth, leadership opportunities, and way to keep up with the fast pace of technology. The panel included a diverse collection of Cisco leaders such as Rebecca Jacoby, CIO and Senior Vice President, as well as Denise Fishburne, Customer Proof of Concept Team Lead; Rong Pan, Distinguished Engineer, and Ana Pinczuk, Senior Vice President. Also involved was Denise Donohue, Cisco Press Author and Respected Network ?ART-chitect? and Lauren Malhoit, Virtualization/Data Center writer and technologist.
According to the National Center for Women in Technology, only 26 percent of professional computing occupations in the US were women in 2013, which is staggering compared to the 57 percent of women that hold a professional occupation. Without programs like CEWN, technology could lose these visionary women currently in the field sharing as well as the younger generation of women yet to come. It also allows the women to have the support, tools, and shared experiences that help maintain them in technology positions, and brings to the table a unique and valid world view.
Cisco LIVE is the premiere event for Cisco partners with more than 600 breakout sessions focusing on business relevance and technical acumen. It provides a comprehensive World of Solutions featuring hundreds of Cisco partners and technology demos, and several vertical and technology specific keynotes throughout the week. The addition of the Empowered Women?s events were inspiring and will hopefully help the inspiration continue to grow within the Cisco technical community.
Nicole Johnson, who is an Associate Editor for MITechNews.Com, also is a Cisco engineer. 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
