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Program Overview

Keynotes & Featured Speakers

Afternoon Keynote - Ecosystems, Partners and Social Media: 10 Minute Warning
Sandy Carter, CEO | CMO | Ecosystems | Business Development Information Technology, Silicon Blitz
September 13, 2:45 pm - 4:00 pm

If American owned female businesses were their own country, they would have a bigger GDP than France, Italy, UK, and the combination of Canada, India, and Vietnam! Growth in the next decade comes from ecosystems of smarts -- made global through social media techniques. Come and hear best selling author and WITI Hall of Fame speaker, Sandy Carter, give you the keys to successfully negotiate the partnering space. This is your 10 minute warning to act!


Keynote Lunch
Kathrin Winkler, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, EMC Corporation
September 13, 12:30 pm - 1:40 pm

The World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable growth as, “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” As more industries grapple with the challenge of sustainable transformation, the information technology (IT) industry has an increasingly critical role to play and is making important strides in mitigating its own impacts. However, the expanding role of IT in addressing social, environmental, and economic development is one of the drivers of a growth in demand that threatens to overwhelm the industry's technological and structural advances. In her keynote, Kathrin will explore IT's sustainability challenges and the industry's opportunity to provide access to health care, education, and economic opportunity; tap into energy efficiency as a means to abate global greenhouse gas emissions; and offer the potential for information, rather than mother earth, to serve as a source of economic value.


Keynote Lunch: “Cloud Computing – the New Normal and the impact for IT Departments”
Leah Sweet, VP Flagship Advisor, CA Technologies
September 14, 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

With the advent of virtualization and cloud computing, technology has moved from a tactical necessity to a strategic imperative, leaving many IT departments ill prepared to deal with the transition. The question facing almost every IT department is whether IT can meet the new normal of an "always on" expectation. IT departments need a new strategy -- something that disrupts the normal and meets the growing demand for superior technology service and delivery.


The Reinvention Workshop
September 12, 2:30 pm - 3:45 pm

Whether you love what you are doing, or are thinking about ways to reinvent one or more aspects of your life, reinvention can be exciting, daunting, life-renewing and health-restoring.

Learn from expert career and life coach Dr. Miriam Reiss how to make your reinvention process gentler, smoother and more successful. Discover powerful reinvention techniques, based on key lessons from those who've listened to their heart, challenged their comfort zone and created a trail for you to follow. Leave the workshop with tools you can use to can support your own, individual goals and dreams.


The SuperHero In All Of Us
Nilofer Merchant, Entrepreneur, CEO & Chief Strategist, Rubicon Consulting
September 14, 9:00 am - 10:00 am

What would the world be if we each made the choice to be as big as we can be? What could we accomplish, inspire and support? Being powerful is as much about choice as it is about destiny. The mythic characters that were granted power also had to choose whether and how to use it. The same is true for us ordinary mortals. This talk is about how each of us can be more powerful in our work, our network, our world.


WITI Summit Wrap Up / VIP Networking Reception and Executive Auction
September 14, 4:45 pm - 7:00 pm

One of the most popular evening events during the WITI Summit. Insights, perspectives, questions & success stories from the WITI Summit. Speakers and VIP attendees come together to share insights, perspectives, questions, success stories. The VIP reception will feature the revered WITI Executive Auction as well as the opportunity to win raffles, prizes, etc. A not-to-miss closing event


Breakout Sessions

Cloud: Dark Cloud
Bernard Golden, CEO, HyperStratus
Jean Pawluk, Chief Architect, Visa
Becky Swain, Program Manager, Security Assurance Services, Cisco Systems, Inc.
R "Ray" Wang, Partner for Enterprise Strategy, Altimeter Group
Chenxi Wang, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research, Inc.
September 14, 2:15 pm - 3:15 pm

Business and consumer trust as well as security, risk and how to safeguard digital assets in an evolving fast-paced online environment.


Cloud: Horizon Watch SAS
Lauren Flaherty, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Juniper
Jessie Jiang, Product Management, Google
Chirag Mehta, Office of the CEO, SAP
Ann Saydah, General Business and Channel Sales, IBM
R "Ray" Wang, Partner for Enterprise Strategy, Altimeter Group
September 14, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

What's the future of our digital livelihood and how will we access, share, manage and protect ourselves and our business data. What are the future innovations and how will they impact our business structure and lives.


Emerging Markets: Search Technologies
Ayalla Goldschmidt, Program Director, Application Infrastructure Marketing, WebSphere Software, IBM
Elissa Lee, Vice President, Research, TiVo Inc.
Amanda McConnell, Head of Product, rent.com
Michelle Robbins, Vice President of Technology, Third Door Media
September 14, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

What's happening in Search and Search Engine Optimization and how are they influencing business globally and in our own backyards.


Emerging Markets: Greening Tech
Melody Haller, CEO, Antenna Group
Joel Makower, Executive Editor, GreenBiz.com
Bill Weihl, Green Energy Czar, Google
Lorie Wigle, General Manager of Eco-Technology, Intel
September 14, 10:15 am - 11:15 am

Sustainability leaders across the high-tech and clean-tech disciplines discuss practices, products, and how collaboration in technology is creating a platform for innovation in energy, materials, transportation, and other business solutions to be more efficient and environmentally sound.


Emerging Markets: Mobile Markets: New Opportunities
Jeni Bell, Director of Marketing - Greater Los Angeles, AT&T
Anne Bezancon, Founder & President, Placecast
Cheemin Bo-Linn, President and CEO, Peritus Partners
Laura Anne Edwards, Founder, SheCanHackIT.org and Alura Entertainment, LLC
Lisa Garza, Market Manager, Service Provider Mobility Marketing, Cisco
September 14, 2:15 pm - 3:15 pm

Exploring the vast range of the mobile universe including Mobile vs web and why this matters from a numbers and intimacy standpoint; Push vs Pull information retrieval from applications to automatic settings; Product and brand marketing in context and relevance to the consumer through mobile devices; what are the advantages and disadvantages of mobile and how is it changing business.


Growth: "Raising capital, financing alternatives for business"
Nat Goldhaber, Founder and Managing Director, Claremont Creek Ventures (CCV)
Joey Tamer, Consultant, Expert, JoeyTamer.com
September 14, 10:15 am - 11:15 am

This panel will explore the many ways to finance the growth of a business from seeking seed funding, venture capital, angel funding to discovering the best ways to cover start-up costs for both the entrepreneur and special projects at larger companies.


Growth: Capitalizing On New Revenue Streams
Laurel Kaufman, CEO, Los Angeles Consulting Group (LACG)
Sophia Lopez, BPM Product Marketing Manager, Process Modeling, IBM
Adrian Ott, CEO, Exponential Edge
Lizzie Widhelm, Vice President of National Advertising Sales, Pandora
September 14, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

With all that technology has to offer and the Web's relentless evolution how can we decipher the best new opportunities, capitalize on them as they come to light so our businesses, no matter the industry, can thrive and generate the most possible revenue, sales and brand awareness.


Growth: Moving Ahead By Giving Back: The New Culture of Social Responsibility in Business
Kathy Chou, VP, PSG Americas Sales Strategy & Operations, Hewlett Packard
Rebecca McQuigg Rigal, Arts & Culture Ambassador, GOOD Projects
September 14, 2:15 pm - 3:15 pm

Presentation will draw on executive experiences and share how successful women can “move ahead by giving back”: to their community, their coworkers and business partners.


Social Media: Adapting The Executive Profile
Emilie Choi, Director of Corporate Development, LinkedIn
Paula Gould, CMO, GreenQloud
Melinda Matthews, IBM Director SWG Business Partners, IBM
KL Moore, Executive Coach, KL Image Group
Michelle Price, CEO, Social Media Savvy
September 14, 2:15 pm - 3:15 pm

Will explore how an executive's individual social media influences overall brand and corporate identity. Additionally, how this is changing the way we present ourselves online, research each other and companies and find balance between corporate and personal lives online.


Social Media: Applications and Other Online Business Solutions
Colleen Bisconti, Marketing Program Director, IBM
Liza Mandeville, Sr. Program Manager, PayPal (ebay Inc.)
Stephanie Quay, Director of Business Development, Meebo
Teresa Zobrist, President & CEO, Zobrist Consulting Group, Inc
September 14, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

As we study Social Media as a phenomenon that shapes how we live and interact with each other on the web, we turn our attention to how businesses and corporates leverage social media. Our panel, composed of experts from IBM, Paypal and Meebo will share their experiences and lead us through a discovery of what Social Media means for Online Businesses.


Social Media: Why It's Imperative To Integrate Social Media into Your Business Strategy
Patricia Santamaria, WebSphere Demand Program Marketing Manager, IBM
Paula Satow, President & CEO, Satow Strategies LLC and Buzzuka.com
Ghennipher Weeks, Consultant, Agile Marketing Partners
September 14, 10:15 am - 11:15 am

Will focus on the many ways / reasons to incorporate a social-business strategy into a business plan to improve brand awareness, manage customer and employee relations, inspire their advocacy of the brand and products and increase revenue


Schedule Event

Break
September 14, 10:00 am - 10:15 am


Break/Networking in Exhibit Area
September 14, 11:15 am - 12:30 pm


Special Events

15th Annual WITI Hall of Fame Awards Dinner
Katie Boehret, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
September 13, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the inception of the WITI Hall of Fame. Throughout the years WITI Foundation has recognized the significance of the contribution of women to both science and technology. Every woman and man involved in these fields should attend this event to honor this year's WITI Hall of Fame Award recipients as well as celebrate those women who have been acknowledged before them. These extraordinary women cultivate our future and serve as role models for the next generation.


WITI Summit Speakers, Panelists and Moderators

Cloud: Applied Cloud
Vanessa Alvarez, Industry Analyst, Frost & Sullivan
R "Ray" Wang, Partner for Enterprise Strategy, Altimeter Group
James Watters, Sr. Manager, vCloud Solutions, VMware
September 14, 10:15 am - 11:15 am

How Businesses are adapting to and taking advantage of internet-based on-demand computing. Panelists will discuss the business value, efficiencies gained as well as the costs, benefits and most efficient path to immediate adoption.


Special Events

Collaborative Philanthropy: Touching Lives Locally, Nationally and Globally
Wanda Gass, DSP Systems Group, Texas Instruments
Duy-Loan Le, Senior Fellow, Texas Instruments
Melendy Lovett, President, Texas Instruments Education Technology
Judy Shaw, Director, Advanced Module Development, External Development and Manufacturing, Texas Instruments
September 13, 4:45 pm - 5:30 pm

Hear the stories of how four women have chosen to give back to people in their community, across the nation and around the world. There are so many ways that we can give of your time, money, and expertise to worthy causes. The secret to giving back is to identify a cause that you are passionate about so that you can pour your heart into it. When you give of yourself, you not only help those that are in need, you also receive the satisfaction of building a better world and inspire others to do the same.


Founders Reception
Carolyn Leighton, Founder/Chairwoman, WITI
September 12, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

This is a great opportunity to meet Carolyn Leighton, Founder of WITI, and many of the speakers, executives and others attending the conference!


Special Presentation
Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Fellow, New York Academy of Medicine, Yale and Princeton Universities
September 13, 11:10 am - 11:30 am

WITI Hall of Fame Honoree and renowned educator, Dr. Ruth Westheimer will address the women of WITI during this special morning engagement.


Taste of Technology Reception
September 13, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Network over drinks and hors d'oeuvres with your peers and leaders to make new contacts, discuss the day's events and spark new business opportunities


WITI Summit Speakers, Panelists and Moderators

The New Rules of Brand Transformation
Sally Jenkins, Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, Symantec
September 13, 1:45 pm - 2:45 pm

Building and refreshing a brand is one of today’s most critical business challenges, especially when that brand is already known around the world. A brand must evolve over time to tell a story, emotionally connect with consumers and be relevant. Layer on a major societal issue like cybercrime and the fact that consumers consider being victimized part of the internet experience and the stakes become even higher. Join Norton’s Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Sally Jenkins, for frontline insights on how the Norton brand is adapting to changing market realities and consumer expectations to shape a category and deliver world-class products that guard against dangerous cybercriminals. Sally will share lessons learned that brands large and small can immediately apply to their own transformation challenges and offer fresh perspective on the time and investment required.


The World Cafe
Anne Adams, Ph.D., President, ACS
Nancy Margulies, Co-Developer, The World Café
September 13, 8:00 am - 10:00 am

A structure in which you can achieve concrete deliverables while expanding your ability to innovate, collaborate and reinvent.


What's Your Story? How Personal Storytelling online Can Help You In Business
Cathy Brooks, Founder, Other Than That
September 13, 10:15 am - 11:10 am

How social media storytelling works both to start your own endeavors and to lead success in the corporate infrastructure


Career and Professional Development

Let's Put the "Business" Back Into Business Casual
KL Moore, Executive Coach, KL Image Group
September 12, 4:00 pm - 5:15 pm

Whether you telecommute or work in a traditional office-setting, you're probably confused about the intricacies of Business Casual. While there's a steady increase in companies who are trying to enforce guidelines for a minimum standard of dress, others have thrown out dress codes altogether. The mishmash of it all has created maximum confusion and a host of fashion faux-pas, particularly with women. With very little guidance, women who dress too casual in the workplace are unknowingly sabotaging their careers. Men with poor professional image are more likely to rise up the ladder unscathed, while women who miss the mark hit the glass ceiling prematurely.

Join KL Moore, owner of KL Image Group, and get updated information on the Do's & Don'ts of Business Casual. Discover the principles that well-dressed people use to refine their professional image and learn how to use your attire to enhance your overall appearance. Updating your professional image can be time-consuming and frustrating, but the benefit can amount to dollars and cents. Enhancing your appearance is sheer economics; it can garner up to 5-20% more pay, increase likelihood of promotion, and help secure choice assignments.

In this session, you'll learn the following:


And more to be announced soon!

Session program subject to change