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WITI South Florida Regional Network
About this Network | About Us | Membership About Us
Covering the Palm Beaches to Miami, the South Florida technology market is an interesting and dynamic environment where the opportunities to innovate are boundless. Some of the top technology companies in the world are based in South Florida and of course it is the birthplace of the IBM PC. Some of the largest technology employers also have large bases in South Florida - Carnival Cruise lines, First Data Corp., and JM Family. Our goal is to develop WITI South Florida into a group that supports not only the growth of women in the technology field and showcases the technology industry as an interesting and challenging career option for women but to also provide support and guidance to all women in business that are affected by technology.
The WITI South Florida Network provides the following value to its members:
Regional Director Ann has focused her professional career in developing and managing marketing, communications, and training initiatives for industry leaders for the past 18 years. Specialized in Information Technology integration with business processes, Ann is skilled at quickly understanding the client's business and developing action oriented plans. She conceptualized and implemented new eLearning programs that received widespread acceptance for government multi-agency user base at Mantech. She provided leadership to cross-functional project teams and served as client liaison, developing project plans and technology studies for the School Board of Broward County, Florida. Over the years, Ann has contributed to numerous winning proposals for new business through her skilled writing and proposal strategy. For a leading online university, she organized and planned initiatives for onsite, Internet, and CBT training of business applications. While raising her daughter through her formative years, Ann contributed to large-scale consulting projects for technology implementations for IBM, the Sports Authority, and Office Depot. Ann has always been active in school and community based activities. She coached girl's basketball teams on young teen community leagues. She has contributed to the WITI South Florida network leadership and continues to create bonds among professional women and showcasing their talents. Ann earned her M.B.A. in Management from the New York Institute of Technology, and a B.S. in Liberal Studies from Dowling College.
Heidi's 16-year career in the IT industry began as Developer, and she quickly progressed to team lead and then onto project management roles. Since high school, Heidi was drawn to technology with interests specifically in new ways to structure information and applying technology to simplify processes. She holds multiple degrees, including: A.A.S. equivalent Degree in Banking, a B.S. equivalent Degree in Management Information Systems, and an M.S. Degree in Management Information Systems. Her biggest enjoyment is mentoring others in her role as the Mentorship Chair position for WITI South Florida. Heidi's definition of success is coaching a junior team member or preparing a customer for a big presentation as well as completing projects and deliverables that enable everyone to be proud of. Some of Heidi's project successes include setting up a large product development effort and simultaneous implementation with one of the largest US based banks. This project included 120 people working on the design, development and testing of the product and a 35-person strong implementation team. Heidi set up all the project management structures and communication structures that were the foundation for making this project a success. For an International Banking Institution, as Delivery Manager, she led all aspects of the Global Equity Primes Services IT group engagement in strategic global markets, which included teams working in Montreal, Bangalore and New York. For the Kansas Dept. of Revenue, Heidi managed a 35-person internal and consulting staff team to test and install a data capturing system for income tax, sales and withholding tax, and corporate tax data. The work processes she managed handled over one million taxpayer returns during peak season. In 1994, Heidi decided to leave Switzerland and adopt the U.S. as her home. She is a proud U.S. citizen since 2005. Heidi's hobbies include diving, traveling, sea kayaking, photography and spending time together with her husband in their home in Key Largo, Florida.
Tamara's strong negotiating skills resulting in multi-million dollar contracts with national and global companies at the best interest of both parties, including contracts between Broadwing (Level (3) Communications) and Tyco, Global Crossing and Club Med, and MCI and JMFE, Owcen Financial and Knight-Ridder . Tamara led the launching of Harmon Homes Buying Guide Magazine in Broward and Dade market centers for Keller Williams. Tamara is a strong team player, keeps up-to-date with new technology, and networks regularly with leading industry contacts and WITI. Tamara's recent management experience includes managing the Keller Williams office, the 4th largest Real Estate office in the U.S. market, in which she received the Growth Partner Award for her recruiting abilities. Tamara received her MBA in Business, focusing on Marketing Management and E-commerce. She is involved with His Caring Place, an organization to help and support teenage single mothers through their pregnancy and life skills. She enjoys travel, collecting antiques, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
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Ann Jakits is principal and founder of Millennial Group, LLC, producer of contemporary learning initiatives for technological companies across multiple channels to align with strategic business objectives.
Heidi Waters is a certified PMP, Sr. Project Manager for Assurant, and holds to her credit over 10 years in leading custom, full project life cycle engagements. Whether she is managing a large project or overseeing a portfolio of projects, Heidi has worked both public and private sectors in diverse cultural environments. For her customers, Heidi's focus is typically solving business problems and removing project obstacles, together with aligning people and processes to achieve the business goals.
Tamara Ketcham is an Information Technology professional with over 15 years experience with Fortune 500 clients in developing new account relationships, managing the negotiation and closing of sales contracts, and executing customized business solutions. She has Organized Tradeshows and assisted in the launch of a nation-wide advertising campaign.