Downloadable 2024 Program and Schedule at-a-Glance.

2024 IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) Forum USA East 


Thursday, November 7

3:00pm-6:00pmREGISTRATION
4:30pm-6:30pmNETWORKING RECEPTION
7:00pm-10:00pmAN EVENING ON YOUR OWN

Friday, November 8

7:00am-4:30pmREGISTRATION
7:15am - 9:00amBREAKFAST BUFFET
8:00am-8:10amOPENING REMARKS:
Charlotte Blair & Maryam Alibeik
2024 WIE Forum USA East Conference Chairs
8:10am-8:15amWELCOME NOTE:
Bala Prasanna | IEEE Region 1 Director
8:15am-9:00amKEYNOTE:
"Why Women Speakers On-Stage at Conferences and Events Will Change the World"

Bobbie Carlton | Founder & Speaker | Innovation Women
9:00am-9:45amKEYNOTE:
"Owning Your Career For The Future"
Kathleen Weslock | Vice President of Human Resources | Ansys
9:45am-10:15amCOFFEE BREAK & EXHIBITS
Track 1: EMPOWERMENT IN ACTION
Track 2: ENGINEERING THE FUTURE
Track 3: NAVIGATING CAREER SUCCESS
10:15am-10:50am"Optimizing Performance: Goal Setting Strategies for Industry and Academia"
Soheli Farhana | Research Associate | Harvard University
"Preparing Women Engineers for Global Challenges: A Path to Positive Change"
Uma Balaji |Professor and Chair of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering | Fairfield University
WORKSHOP
"Innovative Leadership: Enhancing Skills and Techniques for Thinking Outside the Box"
Carolyn Matheus |Professor of Information Systems | Marist College
10:55am-11:30am"Bridging the Confidence Gap: Strategies for Women to Speak Up and Lead with Authority"
Isha Desai | Security Technical Specialist | IBM
"Data - The Key to Your Future!"
Melissa Handa | Program Director - Technical Activities | IEEE DataPort
"ChatGPT as Your Interview Coach"
Neeta Basantkumar | Engineering Manager | Northrop Grumman
11:35am-12:10pmWORKSHOP
"Use and Application of Artificial Intelligence Tools for Problem Solving in Learning Contexts"
Marie Hronik-Tupaj | Dean of STEM &
Peter Shea |Director of Professional Development | Middlesex Community College
"Overcoming Challenges in Cross-Functional Teamwork for New Product Success"
Dianna Deeney
Coach & Consultant | Deeney Enterprises, LLC
"Collaborative Negotiation: Step Into Your Power Skills for Success"
Lyla Cookson | Empowerment Coach | Cookson Coaching
12:10pm-1:25pmLUNCH BUFFET
12:35pm-1:25pmKEYNOTE:
"Women In STEM: Challenges and Opportunities"
Jill Gostin | Principal Research Scientist| Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI)
Track 1: EMPOWERMENT IN ACTION
Track 2: ENGINEERING THE FUTURE
Track 3: NAVIGATING CAREER SUCCESS
1:25pm-2:00pm"Mastering Performance Reviews: A Path to Empowerment and Leadership"
Raman Kaur | Head of Platform, Prior Auth & Population Health | The Cigna Group
WORKSHOP
"The Career Kaleidoscope: Perspectives on the Ups and Downs of Professional Growth"
Laila Salman | Principal Technical Specialist Engineer | Ansys Canda Ltd;
Alexandra Small | Investor & Entrepreneur;
Narimane Soliman | Semiconductor Design Technologist | Intel Corporation
"Balancing Creativity and Work-Life: Strategies for Fostering Innovation in the Tech Industry"
Kavitha Bangalore | Cybersecurity Analyst |Cleveland Clinic
2:05pm-2:40pm"From Contributor to Leader: Navigating the Transition"
Tashwin Khurana |Staff Tech Lead | Aurora Innovation &
Mahima Bansod | Data Science and Analytics Lead | LogicMonitor, Inc.
COFFEE BREAK, EXHIBITS & CAREER FAIR
2:00pm-4:45pm
2:45pm-3:20pm"Setting Goals: Helping to Empower Women in STEM through Mentoring Networking and Positive Role Models"
Joan DeBello | Associate Professor & Chair, Division of CS | St. John's University
"Neurosp{AI}cy: Improving Cybersecurity Training Programs with AI"
Tennisha Martin | Executive Director & Founder | BlackGirlsHack &
Aleise McGowan | Assistant Professor | The University of Southern Mississippi
3:25pm-4:10pmPANEL
"Navigating Difficult Workplace Conversations: Strategies for Success"
Moderator: Michelle Gellert
Panelists: Julia Andrusenko, Meghana Doddapaneni, Lauren Johnson, Amy Long & Mary Ann Saunders
Rampart Communications
WORKSHOP
"Strategically Leading from the Middle (SLfTM)"
Monique Ofori | Program Manager | SAIC
4:10pm-4:45pm COFFEE BREAK & EXHIBITS
4:50pm-5:35pmPANEL:
"What's New in CHIPS Act and How it is affecting CT"
Moderator: Russ Harrison Managing Director | IEEE USA
Panelists: Nicholas Donofrio | Executive in Residence & Industry Advisory | Northeastern University’s Center for
Technology Management and Digital Leadership
Barbara Fernandez | Director | Connstep;
Paul Lavoie | Chief Manufacturing Officer | State of Connecticut
5:35pm-5:50pmDAILY WRAP-UP
Charlotte Blair & Maryam Alibeik
2024 WIE Forum USA East Conference Chairs

Saturday, November 9

7:00am-10:00amREGISTRATION
7:15am-9:00amBREAKFAST BUFFET
7:50am-8:00amOPENING REMARKS
Celia Shahnaz | 2024 IEEE WIE Committee Chair
8:00am-8:45amKEYNOTE
"Full STEAM Ahead: Propelling Communities to STEM Success"
Donna Hylton | President & CEO | Steam Train Inc
8:45am-9:30amPANEL
"Engineering with AI: Distruptive Innovation or Just Another Tool?"
Moderator: Charlotte Blair | Global Technical Support Leader | Ansys
Panelists:
Bill Fowlkes | VP Analytics and Workflow Solutions | IP.com;
Amalia Rusu | Associate Professor | Fairfield University;
Peter Kootsookos | Instructor | CT State Middlesex;
Maryam Alibeik | Assistant Professor| Temple University
Track 1: EMPOWERMENT IN ACTION
Track 2: ENGINEERING THE FUTURE
Track 3: NAVIGATING CAREER SUCCESS
9:35am-10:10am"A Different Approach to Performance Management"
Amy Long | Director of Administration | Rampart Communications &
Michelle Gellert | Director of Professional Development| Rampart Communications
"How to Work with Your Marketing Colleagues"
Janine Love |Technical Marketing Program Manager | Samtec
"The Agile Leader: How to Harness Agile Methodologies for Personal and Professional Growth"
Qurat-ul-Ain Schaller | Sr. Technical Product Owner | Cisco
10:15am-10:50amWORKSHOP
"Build and Refine your Network: How to Tawk!"
Lauren Johnson | HR Manager | Rampart Communications
"Future-Proofing Your Power Skills for 2030"
Rhonda Farrell | CEO & Transformation Strategist | Global Innovation Strategies
"IEEE Women in Engineering Meet and Greet Networking Event"
Coffee Break with your WIE coordinators (Regions 1 & 2), and meet other WIE leaders.
10:55am-11:30am
"IEEE MTTS Meet and Greet Networking Event"COFFEE BREAK & EXHIBITS
11:35am-12:10pm
KEYNOTE
"Nontraditional Power Skills"
Nita Patel | Vice President of Engineering | Otis
12:10pm-12:40pm
2024 FORUM WRAP-UP
Charlotte Blair, Maryam Alibeik & the 2024 IEEE WIE Forum USA East Organizing Committee