2022 NCWIT vSummit on Women and IT

Join the virtual experience, May 16-19, 2022.

The 2022 vNCWIT Summit is free and open to the public.

Replays of all 2022 vNCWIT Summit sessions can be viewed online; see the session descriptions below for links. Get ready for conversations, Q&As, on-demand videos, and more! Connect with educators, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and social scientists from across industries and disciplines. Fully immerse yourself in research-based recommendations and peer-to-peer discussions to further your efforts in creating inclusive cultures.

With NCWIT being the trusted source for research-based strategies that facilitate reform in computing classes and technical organizations, the NCWIT Summit continues to be the world’s largest annual convening of change leaders focused on significantly improving diversity and equity in computing.

“I always learn from both presenters and other attendees — either a new perspective on something I’m struggling with or a new idea about how to tackle different challenges. [NCWIT challenges] me to think differently and act differently… It’s also a very engaging conference; we don’t just sit back and listen, we work.” ~ NCWIT Summit Attendee

Agenda

All events listed will take place in Mountain Time.

Monday, May 16, 2022

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Conversations for Change | Harnessing Power for Positive Impact

Julie Battilana

In this live talk, Julie Battilana, the Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the Alan L. Gleitsman Professor of Social Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School, will discuss the fundamentals of power, debunk the common myths surrounding it, and discuss how to harness power for positive impact in our lives and in the world. As the Founder and Faculty Chair of the Social Innovation and Change Initiative at HKS, Professor Battilana has taught and worked closely with hundreds of leaders in social innovation over the years. Building on this work and nearly two decades of researching the politics of change in organizations and society, she will share her insights into what power really is and what it is not, as well as how to identify one’s own sources of power. This discussion will help the audience understand and navigate power in their relationships, organizations, and society and see power not as dirty business, but instead energy that can be used for good. Watch the replay, and read the transcript, here.

1:00 – 2:00 pm

Conversations for Change | Powertilt: Examining Power, Influence, and the Myth of Meritocracy Within Technology Teams

Brad McLain and Catherine Ashcraft

Evidence demonstrates that even when tech companies diversify their workforces, members of historically marginalized groups still face difficulty accessing core innovative technical roles. This lack of influence in key innovation processes results in what we term a powertilt phenomenon — that is, a differential distribution of power and influence along lines of gender, race, and other intersecting social identities. We present findings from our study examining what counts as power and how it operates on technical teams and provide an overview of a practical assessment tool that leaders can use to assess how power and influence are distributed within their teams. This instrument also helps teams implement strategies for creating more inclusive team cultures that improve team decision making and technical innovation. Watch the replay, and read the transcript, here.

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

11:00 am – 12:15 pm

Conversations for Change | Navigating the New Normal: Renewal, Allyship, and Joy During the Twin Pandemics

Damon A. Williams

Led by nationally recognized DEI scholar and expert Dr. Damon A. Williams, this session will feature a discussion on Inclusive Excellence, strategic diversity leadership, and allyship. It will also explore other relevant DEI concepts such as microaggressions and unconscious bias and their impacts and roles in learning environments and in the workplace. Dr. Williams will also share simple, yet effective strategies for how leaders can work to confront and address their biases to become stronger allies to diverse and marginalized communities—helping leaders to level-up from bystander to up-stander. By leveraging national data, introspective stories, and the pragmatic voice that can only come from having led DEI-related organizational change efforts at all levels of leadership, this session aims to empower, educate, and inspire hope in all of those that attend. Watch the replay, and read the transcript, here.

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Conversations for Change | A Queer Endeavor: Queering Leadership

Bethy Leonardi and Sara Staley

Want to learn about creating cultures that are affirming of gender and sexual diversity? These workshops bring attention to policy, climate, and social and cultural norms and practices. While our focus is on gender and sexual diversity, our commitments extend to issues of equity more broadly. Working toward liberation requires always looking through an intersectional lens and questioning how our practices reinforce harmful norms along lines of race, class, language, and other identifiers and their intersections. This session will focus on queering leadership in higher ed and workforce environments. Watch the replay, and read the transcript, here.

1:00 – 2:30 pm

Conversations for Change | A Queer Endeavor: Inclusive K-12 Education

Bethy Leonardi and Sara Staley

Want to learn about creating cultures that are affirming of gender and sexual diversity? These workshops bring attention to policy, climate, and social and cultural norms and practices. While our focus is on gender and sexual diversity, our commitments extend to issues of equity more broadly. Working toward liberation requires always looking through an intersectional lens and questioning how our practices reinforce harmful norms along lines of race, class, language, and other identifiers and their intersections. This session will focus on the K-12 space and will also touch on ways curriculum can be made more inclusive. Watch the replay, and read the transcript, here.

Thursday, May 19, 2022

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

NCWIT Pioneer in Tech Award Celebration

Frances “Poppy” Northcutt

The NCWIT Pioneer in Tech Award recognizes technical women whose lifetime contributions have significantly impacted the landscape of technological innovation, amplifying the importance of capitalizing on the diverse perspectives that girls and women can bring to the table. Pioneer in Tech Award recipients also serve as role models whose legacies continue to inspire generations of young women to pursue computing and make history in their own right. In this session, we celebrate the 2022 recipient, Frances “Poppy” Northcutt. Watch the replay, and read the transcript, here.