GM and Walmart execs headline tech event

General Motors’ director of information technology, Kim Clower, and Walmart vp of strategy for innovation, governanance and communications are keynote speakers for the 9th annual Women in IT Conference.

The event, presented by the Information Technology Research Institute at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, will focus on celebrating innovation and developing opportunities for women in technology. It will be held at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, Ar.

"The conference is structured in a way that helps women expand their information technology skills and to both think about and to apply those skills in new ways," said Eric T. Bradford, the research institute’s managing director.

Others presenting at the conference include Katie Ertz, senior operations director for the National Center for Women and Information Technology; Alan Harvill, senior application sales executive and mobility applications consultant for AT&T; Helena Gadison, founder and chief executive officer of EMW Enterprises Inc.; Patti Leith, managing partner and founder of EDGES Inc.; and Jeff Woods, the managing member and principal of Arkansas Legal Tech.

On Thursday, conference participants will tour the University’s new RFID Research Center facility and attend a dinner and ceremony recognizing recipients of the Aspirations in Computing Award from the Information Technology Research Institute and the National Center for Women and Information Technology. The regional award seeks to recognize high school women in Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma with outstanding achievements and aspirations in computing and technology. Six young women were recognized with awards last year.

"It is a way to encourage more young women to choose a career in technology," Bradford said.

The second day of the conference features session topics such as the state of women in information technology, cloud computing, innovation, mobile security, building effective relationships and a panel discussion on celebrating innovation and developing opportunities for women in technology.Registration information and the event agenda can befound here.