Professional Women to Speak About Careers in Technology

by Rashad Mulla

Six professional women will speak about their career experiences during the Women in Technology college-to-career panel discussion on Thursday, Nov. 11, from 3–5 p.m. in the Edwin Meese III Conference Room in Mason Hall. The women work for a variety of companies in technological roles, ranging from IBM to departments at George Mason University. The event was organized by the George Mason University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Division of Instructional Technology, Women and Gender Studies, Career Services and Women in Technology.

The event is designed to help students discover career paths in the kind of technology fields that may be considered unconventional for humanities and social sciences majors. The panelists will recount the winding roads that led to their present careers and offer advice to help students prepare for a variety of occupational choices.

Evan Baum, assistant dean for undergraduate programs in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, said it is important for the college to give students opportunities to network and gain knowledge of different career fields.

“We talk about students being able to use what they learn in our majors for any career field choice, so this event is an example of exactly how someone can make that possible,” Baum said. “The technology industry wants talented students from our subject areas for their positions, just as they want students from computer science and information technology majors.”

The event is open to all students, of both genders, within the university, though, as the title implies, the panelists will talk about their own experiences and discuss women going into similar technology fields. Registration is free, but attendees are encouraged to RSVP beforehand.

The event will begin with an organized panel discussion, with a question & answer session to follow. Then, students will get to network with the panelists on an individual level.

“Aside from recruiting students to venture into their companies and industries, the panelists want to give the students an opportunity to get general career advice,” Baum said.

The six panelists (and the event discussion moderator), listed below, will begin speaking at 3:00 p.m.

  • Maribeth Luftglass – CIO, Fairfax County Public Schools
  • Courtney Bromley – IBM
  • Julia Drabowski – VMWare
  • Joy Hughes – Vice President and CIO, George Mason University
  • Regina Kunkle – NetApp
  • Ashley Woodward – NetApp
  • Sharon Pitt (moderator) – Executive Director, Division of Instructional Technology, George Mason University