Thank you for your interest in Women & Hi Tech!

Here are some of the different ways you as a member can get involved with our operations and mission. Women, male allies, and all diverse people from among our membership are invited to apply for these opportunities.

Check back regularly as this page will be updated every so often as our needs and goals change! 

Committee Opportunities

Current Committee Callouts

Join a committee and help Women & Hi Tech advance our mission!

The following committees are seeking members for a minimum one-year term:

• Leading Light Awards Committees

• Membership Engagement Committee

• K-12 Committee

• Executive Women's Forum Committee

• Corporate Engagement Committee

Whatever strengths and talents you bring to the table, joining a committee to support Women & Hi Tech will benefit your professional development by growing your marketable skillset, expanding your professional network, and gaining you experience contributing to a well-established Indiana nonprofit.

See below for information about each of these opportunities and next steps to learn more about or apply for a role! We are so grateful for your interest and can't wait to hear from you.

Leading Light Award Committee Opportunities

About the Leading Light Awards: Every two years, Women & Hi Tech hosts the Leading Light Awards (LLA) to recognize women of achievement in STEM who made great innovations in their industries, and have shown qualities of expertise, professionalism, leadership, service, courage, and tenacity as they built their careers. Women receive awards for excellence as mentors, risk takers, and more. We also award scholarships during this ceremony, as do our sponsors. 

Sponsorships LLA Committee

• The LLA Sponsorship subcommittee will have the opportunity to connect with statewide organizations to ask them to be a part of an amazing opportunity to sponsor and attend one of the most fabulous evenings in STEM by recognizing the many amazing women of achievement. This committee will  be responsible for determining the scholarship levels for the Leading LIght Awards, reaching out to current member organizations and outside organizations to obtain sponsorships, finalizing sponsorship benefits before and after the event, and working with communications on communications with sponsors.
• Committee Volunteers Spots: 3-5 openings
• Time Frame: July 2023 - October 2024
• Contact: Kayci Spandau, events@womenandhitech.org

Awards & Scholarships LLA Committee

• This Awards & Scholarship LLA subcommittee will be an integral team for LLA. This committee will be responsible for marketing the award and scholarships so we can recognize women in STEM who made great innovations in their industries, and have shown qualities of expertise, professionalism, leadership, service, courage, and tenacity as they built their careers as well as students who show high promise in the field of STEM. This committee's tasks will include: approving the awards and scholarship descriptions, creating and maintaining the application process, partnering with universities and high school partners to market the scholarships, manage the judging process, procuring awards, obtaining video footage of nominees and winners, and managing communications with award nominees and winners.
• Committee Volunteers Spots: 3-5 openings
• Time Frame: July 2023 - October 2024
• Contact: Kayci Spandau, events@womenandhitech.org

Communications LLA Committee

• The communications LLA subcommittee will be responsible for creating marketing materials for the 2024 Leading Light Awards based on the 2024 LLA brand and messaging guide. Marketing materials will include email, social media, registered attendees, sponsors, press releases, thank you letters and packages, and event presentation materials.
• Chair: Amber Peckham
• Committee Volunteers Spots: 2-5 openings
• Time Frame: July 2023 - October 2024
• Contact: Kayci Spandau, events@womenandhitech.org

Event Experience LLA Committee

• Every two years, W&HT hosts the Leading Light Awards, a spectacular evening to recognize women of high achievement in STEM and students who are the next generation of leaders. With W&HT celebrating our 25th anniversary next year, the 2024 LLA is looking to be even brighter than before! The Event Experience LLA Committee will be responsible for the full attendee experience including branding, attendee registrations, decor, food & beverage, seating assignments, entertainment, vendor relations, volunteer coordination, printed materials, gift procurement and the evening run of show.
• Committee Volunteers Spots: 2-5 openings
• Time Frame: Late 2023 to October 2024
• Contact: Kayci Spandau, events@womenandhitech.org

Membership Engagement Committee

STEM Circle Leads

• Seeking volunteers interested in helping Women & Hi Tech develop programing targeted to the specific area of STEM in which you work – You would work with your industry trade association or other Women & Hi Tech members who are in your field of practice to develop programing important to your industry

• Time Commitment: 3-5 hours per month to attend a virtual monthly meeting and independently execute on 1-3 small group activities

• Qualifications: Ideal candidates are already engaged in their field of practice, perhaps with a trade association and can serve as a liaison between the two organizations to further joint interests. Candidates should be creative, willing to share ideas, and be comfortable working in a team environment. Planning experience is a plus!

• Contact: Sahara Williams, getengaged@womenandhitech.org

K-12 Outreach Committee

• Seeking volunteers to help attract more girls to STEM careers by increasing STEM exposure, engagement, and mentorship opportunities.
• Time Commitment: 2-3 hours per month for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Committee meetings are the 1st Monday of each month from 4pm-5pm
• Qualifications: Candidates should enjoy working with youth.  Ideal candidates would have a background in education.   
• Contact: Cynthia Bennett, k12@womenandhitech.org

Executive Women's Forum Committee

• Seeking 1-2 volunteers to support Women & Hi Tech’s planning and execution of our quarterly Executive Women’s Forums. This includes partnering with the EWF Director to recruit and brief panelists for events, help craft bios of speakers for events, promote into social media and greet speakers and guests the day of events. 

• Time Commitment: 2-4 hours per month, which includes one monthly committee meeting. You will have at least one week advance notice of all tasks that need to be completed.

• Qualifications: Experience with event planning, speaker solicitation and preparation, and Zoom management are desired. 

• Contact: Linda Calvin, ewf@womenandhitech.org

Corporate Sponsorship Committee

• Seeking up to 3 volunteers to help identify and support corporate sponsor activities including identifying new annual corporate sponsors, signature event sponsors including Leading Light Awards and Networking events, as well as engaging with existing sponsors to ensure quality engagement.
• Time Commitment: 4-6 hours monthly for the 2023-2024 fiscal year
• Qualifications: Committee members will be requested to attend corporate sponsorship committee meetings, assist in outreach to new and renewing corporate sponsors, and participate in Women & Hi Tech events.
• Contact: Heidi Melton, corpsponsor@womenandhitech.org

Volunteer Opportunities

Women & Hi Tech makes it a central part of our mission to connect our members to volunteer opportunities across Indiana. Our mission is to change the landscape of women represented in STEM to be equally inclusive to all, and we recognize achieving our goals requires action on many different scales.

We rely on our members to develop and staff all of Women & Hi Tech's programming and work in the community. We are also so grateful to be able to provide volunteer opportunities for our members to connect with and support K-12 students, college students, and other community organizations and nonprofits who share our values!

Please visit the Women and Hi Tech Volunteer Portal on SignUp.com to learn more about any current opportunities for our members to volunteer. If you have questions, reach out to us. 

Speaking Opportunities

ClickSide Chats

We are always excited to hear from our members who want to present at one of our ClickSide Chats. These monthly virtual discussions help attendees share ideas and perspectives and build new connections. Past successful topics have included:

• Tips for Navigating STEM Careers
• Overcoming Unconscious Bias
• Personal Branding Best Practices
• The Importance of Volunteering
• Mental Wellness and Work-Life Balance
• And More!

Your passion and interest in the topic can grow from one of these themes or might be a completely new idea.

Chats are typically held the third Wednesday of every month, but may move by a week or two depending on the needs of our presenters,, holidays, and other occurrences. Reach out to us to share your idea for a ClickSide Chat.

Share Your Story

Are you interested in sharing your story as part of a panel or other Women & Hi Tech program? We would love to hear from you about the message you want to convey and how you aspire to impact the audience. We know so many of our members have incredible stories of problem-solving, innovation, perseverance, hard work, and more! Contact us to share your story and start a conversation.

STEM Circles

You can get involved with Women & Hi Tech's STEM Circles to connect with fellow members who share your professional background and interests. If you do not see your industry listed below, you could start a STEM Circle in your industry or specialty.  Learn more about starting or joining a STEM circle!

Corporate Champions 

Women & Hi Tech Corporate Champions take initiative within their workplace to get colleagues who share our mission, vision, and values more engaged with our organization. This is a great opportunity to share your passion for equal inclusion in STEM with others and help us all change the landscape together. If there is an existing Corporate Champion for your organization, find them below, or reach out to volunteer.

New Member Support Services

Welcome Committee

Sometimes brand new Women & Hi Tech members feel awkward attending their first Women & Hi Tech event, especially if they do not know anyone. To make sure our new members feel welcome, we are inviting our current members to become part of the Welcoming Committee. Your job is simple. For events that you already plan on attending, you are simply paired with a new member who is attending the event too. You meet them and help them get to know other members during the event. It’s a great way for current members to get to know new members and vice versa! 

Please reach out to volunteers@womenandhitech.org if you are interested in being on the Welcome Committee. 

Member Match Program

Our Member Match Program is a great opportunity to connect one-on-one in a meaningful way and form strong bonds with another Women & Hi Tech member. In this program, newer members will be matched with more established members for a 6-month period to help our newer members become acclimated in Women & Hi Tech. There is no specific time requirement for this program. Member Matches can connect online or in person on a schedule that works for them and share their interest in or experiences in Women & Hi Tech. To make the most of the Match, meeting in person at least once per month is recommended. We encourage our Member Matches to attend Women & Hi Tech events together whenever possible.

We are currently seeking established members to volunteer to be Matched with new members. If you are interested, please email volunteers@womenandhitech.org with your contact information. Please include any Women & Hi Tech committees, volunteer roles, or events in which you’ve been involved. You may also include your professional/work position, interests, and contact information. Once we understand your needs, we will work to find the best match for you! Matches will primarily be based on Women & Hi Tech and professional areas of common interest. 

• Join the Welcome Committee
• Become a New Member Mentor
• Request a New Member Mentor

Cross-Organizational Opportunities

Do you think Women & Hi Tech would make a great partner for your non-profit? Is there an event or community initiative you think we should be sharing with our members? Could we help you achieve a goal for women and girls in STEM? We would love to hear from you! Send us the information so we can connect and see if it's a good fit. 

Mentoring

Mentorship is an importantly critical way to contribute to women’s academic and career growth and success, and to help increase the presence of female leaders in STEM fields. "Although the number of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is growing, men still represent a significant majority. Mentoring programs have been identified as a useful tool to alleviate this gap and therefore have been developed in an effort to attract and retain women in STEM careers. However, research suggests that women are still being mentored less often than their male colleagues, which could have a detrimental effect on women’s career development and growth."¹ As such, Women & Hi Tech has strategically partnered with Pass the Torch for Women Foundation to ensure that all of our members interested in being a mentor have such an opportunity.

Pass the Torch for Women Foundation (PTTFW) is a national non-profit mentoring program, originating in 2011 from an Indianapolis-based organization (i.e., Mentoring Women’s Network), and formally launched in 2014. In partnering with Pass the Torch for Women Foundation, Women & Hi Tech is pleased to provide opportunities for mentorship, including mentoring certification programs, networking, and leadership training to its members through three key programs:

* Project Grow – Female college students receive mentoring and leadership development opportunities to keep them on their path of completing their education goals and to propel them in their careers post-graduation.

* Developing Professionals –Professional women in entry to mid-levels of their career are paired with an executive mentor while also serving as a mentor to a student, with additional opportunities for networking and sharing best practices with others in the community.

* Legacy Leaders – Senior female and male leaders and executives serve as mentors in both the Project Grow and Developing Professionals programs, connect with other executives to share best practices, participate in peer mentoring, and support Pass the Torch for Women Foundation through programming initiatives and tax-deductible contributions.

To sign up to become a mentor/mentee or to learn more about Pass the Torch for Women Foundation, please go to: http://passthetorchforwomen.org/contact-us

Note: Members of Women & Hi Tech should be sure to mention they are members of our organization when reaching out to Pass the Torch for Women Foundation.

¹ Maria Carolina Saffie Robertson. "It’s not you, it’s me: An exploration of mentoring for women in STEM", Academy of Management Proceedings, August 1, 2019, Vol. 2019, No.1. https://journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/AMBPP.2019.18872abstract