Women have faced many obstacles in the workplace such as confidence hurdles, exclusion from professional and social networking, multiple forms of harassment, lower wages and less opportunities of promotion to name a few. With the continuous struggle to find support and advocacy in the work environment, how do we know who we can count on as an ally?
Male Allies that recognize the importance of an inclusive and equitable workplace culture can help break down these barriers and help give women their voices again in situations where they felt they had less of one. However, a 2019 report revealed that while 77% of men reported doing “everything they can” to achieve gender fairness, 59% of women believed more could be done.
Join Women & Hi Tech members Dave Meeker of Bringing Tech 2 You and Shabbir Qutbuddin of Ivy Tech alongside ClickSide Chat Facilitator Tori Harper Mercado for an OPEN-MIC discussion on what it means to be an ally, how can we identify allies, and what can allies do to advocate for women in the future. Tune in to this month’s ClickSide Chat to listen and share experiences with other fellow members who have battled gender inequality in the workforce.
Shabbir Qutbuddin is the Assistant Vice President - School of IT at Ivy Tech Community College. He is responsible for tech partnerships, IT pathways, program marketing, curriculum enhancement, industry reports, community engagement, grant management, cross-functional initiatives, faculty professional development, designation efforts, and campus support. Shabbir was previously the Director of "IT Sector Partnership" at Ivy Tech South Bend Campus.
He pursued his Master's in Human Resource Management from Purdue University and his Bachelor's in Civil Engineering from the National Institute of Technology. Shabbir is passionate about innovating things that would positively impact our tech community and workforce. His hobbies include traveling, filmmaking, and adventure sports.
Dave Meeker is a Healthcare Cyber Consultant for Bringing Tech 2 You that helps top-level executives understand proactive methods to protect their cyber security and data. He brings over 35 years of experience in the healthcare/architectural and clinical/biomedical sectors. Dave earned his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in a unique biomedical engineering program that involved introductory courses to five different engineering disciplines as well as premed.
Dave is a board member for InSPN (Indiana Security and Privacy Network), has been a volunteer mentor and summer camp counselor for 30 years at YMCA Camp Eberhart, and is a past male president of the Indy Chapter of Women and Communications Inc.
The driving force behind Dave’s role as a male ally started in the early 80’s when his wife said no to a promotion that had “inappropriate strings attached” via her male boss. In the 90’s Dave also guided his three daughters through non-inclusive situations with their male coworkers and/ or bosses. Dave and his wife currently live in New Palestine.
The event is FREE and exclusive to Women & Hi Tech members! Space is extremely limited, and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Once registration is filled, no wait list will be initiated. Registration for ClickSide Chat is required in order to provide you with the final login instructions.
Women & Hi Tech’s ClickSide Chats are monthly, virtual discussions amongst our members to share ideas, resources, and perspectives about the professional and personal challenges we are facing and serve to build new connections with fellow members. ClickSide Chats are held on the third Wednesday of each month, except July, from 4-5pm. One or more members serve as co-hosts and share their experiences, advice, talents, and resources for our greater good. ClickSide Chats are presented by the Membership Engagement Committee, led by Women & Hi Tech Board Member Sahara Williams and facilitated by committee member Tori Harper Mercado.
Sahara Williams is an attorney at Koenig, Oelsner, Taylor, Schoenfeld & Gaddis PC (KO Law), focused on data privacy and cybersecurity compliance law as well as general commercial and corporate matters. Previously, she operated her own engineering and construction management firm for nine years and served as the executive director of a nonprofit equestrian learning center for youth for five years.
Sahara earned her J.D. from the IU McKinney School of Law. She graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University and earned a MS in Civil Engineering from Purdue University. She is an alumnus of the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series (Class XXXVII), the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series (2012-2013) and the IBJ 2013 Forty Under 40 Class as well as a Soror of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
Tori Harper-Mercado joined the Women & Hi-Tech organization in October 2022 and joined the tech industry just under two years ago. She has previous experience in civil engineering and sports & entertainment working in a variety of marketing roles. Currently, she works as an Account Executive for Onebridge, a local data and analytics consultancy, that specializes in decision intelligence and helping their customers become heroes in their own organizations.
Tori participates and involves herself in areas where she feels she can give back to her community such as coaching and mentoring athletes of her high school track and field team and being an active committee member for Rebuilding Together Indianapolis.
In her spare time, she is a new experience fanatic that thrives off of fun adventures, connectivity, and the love of animals (especially dogs).
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***PLEASE NOTE: W & HT event registration is non-transferable. ***