WE Build Bridges, SHE Breaks Barriers: Empowering Women in IT and Fostering Allyship

Join BWIT at our Signature Event of the year, WE Build Bridges, SHE Breaks Barriers: Empowering Women in IT and Fostering Allyship. We intend this panel to leave our members with powerful advice and meaningful actions to resolve what's currently preventing them from entering the IT profession or having the confidence to apply for tech and tech leadership positions. The discussion will be around bridging bias, perceptions, limiting beliefs, and other inhibitors (such as the recruitment process) holding females from taking action. How can we build a collaborative allyship support system with male supporters to overcome these biases and help instill confidence for those female professionals. Complimentary heavy hors d'oeuvres and desserts will be provided as well.

Panelist are:

Charles DeCroes – VP of Technology at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama  Charles Decroes | LinkedIn

Delphine Carter – Founder and CEO of Boulo Solutions  – https://www.linkedin.com/in/delphinecarter/

Dr. Jeff Gray - Co-Chair of Governor Ivey Computer Science Advisory Council (CSAC) and CS Professor at the University of Alabama  Jeff Gray | LinkedIn

Lisa Evans - CIO of North American Car Manufacturing for Mercedes-Benz  - Lisa Evans | LinkedIn 

As a business, product, and technology leader, Delphine Carter uses transformational change and agile practices to solve complex business challenges. She is the founder and CEO of Boulo, an innovative recruitment platform that matches experienced female candidates, who also happen to be mothers or caregivers, with progressive companies. Delphine is on the Board of Storytellers Live, Vestavia Lacrosse Organization, and is a Women’s Foundation Fellow. She was recently named Top Birmingham Woman and nominated for CEO of the Year by the Birmingham Business Journal.

Dr. Jeff Gray is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science (College of Engineering) at the University of Alabama. He serves as the Director of the Randall Research Scholars Program, the oldest interdisciplinary research-based Honors program in the United States. As a first-generation college graduate, he received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Vanderbilt University and also a BS/MS from West Virginia University. Jeff is a National Science Foundation CAREER award recipient and was named the Professor of the Year (Alabama, 2008) by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. He is a Distinguished Member of the ACM and a Distinguished Contributor of the IEEE Computer Society. Jeff is chair of Alabama Governor Kay Ivey's Computer Science Advisory Council, served on the Education Advisory Council of Code.org, and is the co-chair of the College Board’s Development Committee for the AP CS Principles course.

Over the past two decades, he has mentored students at the high school (35 projects, with 11 International Science Fair finalists), undergraduate (over 160 student projects), and doctoral (chair of 17 completed Ph.D. dissertations) levels.  His passion is advancing K-12 computer science opportunities throughout Alabama and the nation for both students (summer camps, various contests, research mentoring) and teachers (professional development for teaching computer science in all of K-12; he has trained over 2,600 Elementary teachers and through a grant from Google, initiated an online course that prepared over 2,100 high school teachers across that nation for the first year of AP CS Principles). All of these efforts are founded on the need to diversify and broaden participation in computing by offering opportunities for all students. For example, he coordinates the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing awards for high school young women and was the PI for the NSF-sponsored LEGACY project that prepared Black high school girls for the AP CSP course. More information about Dr. Gray, including links to an extended resume/CV, can be found at http://gray.cs.ua.edu

Lisa's professional journey in the automotive industry began over three decades ago, a voyage marked by a diversity of roles from Quality Engineering to Development, and from Human Resources to Information Technology. It's her cross-functional expertise that has honed her insight into business imperatives, particularly within the realm of tech. As a self-described "Technology Social Worker," Lisa has been the driving force behind enhancing team efficiency and effectiveness in her role as the CIO of North American Car Manufacturing for Mercedes-Benz since 2014, overseeing operations in Alabama and Mexico.

An alumna of the University of Alabama, Lisa's dedication to fostering growth in others is evidenced by her involvement with several advisory boards and her past contributions to the Alabama CIO Advisory Board and the American Cancer Society. Currently, she serves on the University of Alabama Computer Science Advisory Board, the College of Continuing Studies Advisory Board, and the Alabama Credit Union Board of Directors. Residing in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Lisa balances her professional aspirations with a love for family, boating, outdoor activities, and the thrill of college football. Her story is one of continuous learning and leading by example, encouraging the next wave of tech professionals in their ascent.