White walls fluorescent lighting, sculptures and carefully painted pieces mixed with cupcakes as heavy as a paper weight and the most enthusiastic women in technology meant that last night’s Sweets and Tweets: DC’s Most Influential Women in Technology was not your ordinary social media panel discussion. The Hamiltonian Gallery hosted the event, one of many being held during Digital Capital Week.
Are there enough women in technology? Well, we wouldn’t be gathered in an art gallery, tweeting every word, if women were dominating this field. Sadly, only 3% of tech firms are led by women. Debbie Weil, moderator of the discussion asked if we really need a separate list of Women in Technology and the panelists all agreed that a separate list is essential to identifying where women in technology work and what they do.
The panelists also discussed how to advance in this field, the importance of mentorship and a brief mention of other countries that strongly push for women to have a presence in technology. I left the discussion feeling like I wanted more, which is why I’m anxious to have one of the panelists, Katie Stanton, Special Advisor on Innovation at the U.S. State Department and former Google Product Manager, join us in our Hill & Knowlton studios for a video segment on government and technology. Stay tuned!
