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Last month, the inaugural NJ Women in Technology Forum was held at Bell Works in Holmdel, bringing together more than 60 guests and a panel of female technology leaders from across the state.

The April 20 discussion was organized and hosted by NextTech Communications in partnership with TechUnited:NJ and the Bell Works Co-Lab. The organizers say events like this forum are critical – especially as women executives face continued barriers to entry – serving as an integral first step to affect change and make resources more accessible to women in and outside of STEM.

The forum featured a panel discussion with a lineup that included:

• Jenna Gaudio, COO and co-president of Vydia
• Amanda Pietrocola, president and CEO of Momentum Technology
• Jasmine Ward, vice president of strategy & operation at TechUnited:NJ
• Janine Saverese, founder and CEO of NextTech Communications, who served as the moderator of the panel and a subsequent Q&A session

“If you have an entrepreneurial mindset and treat your position as if it were your own company within a bigger organization – that’s the way to really succeed,” said Savarese as she opened the panel.

The discussion centered around a number of critical topics:

• Factors faced by women in traditional and nontraditional science, technology, engineering and mathematics pathways, like imposter syndrome, gender bias, leading organizational transformation and capitalizing on growth opportunities;
• Challenges the panelists have faced;
• Successes they’ve been able to capitalize on as women leaders;
• The importance of diverse teams;
• Diversifying AI and hiring practices;
• Helping other women climb the ladder; and much more.

“Because there is this competition to get to the top, sometimes we are unintentionally pushing down other people instead of rallying arm-in-arm and doing it together,” Pietrocola said about diversity. “When you go to the symphony, you’re not expecting to just hear 50 of one instrument. It’s so much better when you’ve got different instruments – and their uniqueness, and the beauty of their differences coming together and doing something amazing.”

“I realized early in my career that influencing the situation for my own good and the good of others would be an absolutely necessary skillset in changing my trajectory – and the trajectory of all women in tech,” said Gaudio.

The event also included a networking session before and after the panel discussion.

On May 10, part two of the conversation takes place when the panelists will reconvene for a discussion on the NextTech Communications’ LinkedIn channel.

Join us

NJBIZ Panel Discussion: Join us virtually May 18 for the 2023 NJBIZ Women in STEM Panel discussion. Click here to learn more or register.