Volume VIII

Summer 2006

In this Newsletter:

WIT.Connect Rewinds

Leading from the Front
February

Will Girls in Technology become Women in Technology?
April

Articles

Avoiding the Trappings of Professional Complacency

Womenomics

WIT Woman in the Spotlight: Charlotte Pelliccia

February WIT.Connect Rewind:

Leading from the Front
by Deborah Chase

Out of 180,000 Marines at any given time only about 1,000 are female officers.
Two of those officers, Courtney Lynch and Angie Morgan, co-founders of Lead Star and co-authors of Leading from the Front, spent a riveting evening enlightening Women in Technology on 10 key strategies they developed from their Marine Corp officer training that they apply to their everyday lives.
Lynch and Morgan, after completing a combined 18 years of service as Marine Corps Officers and spending time as private sector professionals, found that women who were intelligent, technical experts and great communicators were just missing that little something extra that could make success much easier and more profound. They knew the little something extra was and is leadership skills. Drawing from the leadership training in the Marine Corps, Angie and Courtney used real life examples from their experiences to reveal how to take control of your environments--both professionally and personally. They presented 10 key practices that turn women into leaders and improve their decision making, focus, and performance. Meet and exceed the standards you ask of others - - Lead from the Front. Make timely decisions – find the 80% solution . Seek to take responsibility before you begin to place blame. True Leaders dedicate themselves to service – take care of those you lead. Think before you act … especially before you overreact. When faced with a crisis: Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. Courage + Initiative + Perseverance + Integrity = Success Be cautious before you cry over something that won’t cry over you. Only say you are sorry when you are at fault. Lead as you are … Always ! Prior to the main presentation, Courtney and Angie lead an interactive roundtable sharing leadership wisdoms and best practices with Women in Technology’s government attendees. Many ideas were exchanged and both speakers discussed specific ways to leverage Lynch and Morgan’s leadership insights and methodology in the government arena to achieve their professional goals, obtain a healthy work-life balance and control their daily lives. Leadership, contrary to popular belief, is not about notoriety, prestige, a job title or a fancy corner office. Instead it is about character and performance. Everyone has areas of their life where they need to influence outcomes and inspire others. Angie and Courtney encouraged us to take the title leader and claim if for ourselves; not waiting for the title to be bestowed upon us. Whether we are a CEO or a mail room clerk, a mother or a volunteer, we have lots of outcomes we influence each day and many who are looking to us for inspiration.
Update on Leading from the Front After being on store shelves for over a month, Leading from the Front was already in its 4th printing due to consumer demand.  The book also hit its first bestseller list, placing as high as # 3 on Amazon.com’s Women & Business Bestseller listing. The book was also ranked in the top 200 at Barnes & Noble’s website… exciting when you consider they rank 4 million books! Congrats to Angie and Courtney!

June WIT.Connect Rewind:

Is Technology Making the Grade?
by Krista Curtiss

There was a great turnout for the fourth annual Government Program where federal leaders at the helm shared insights and advice on Federal IT initiatives. Another activity that evening included voting and the introduction of the new WIT board members.

The panel of four government CIOs was facilitated by Carla von Bernewitz, Vice President of Scitor. Von Bernewitz was among her peers as she had also been a CIO for the Defense Logistics Agency. The panelists included: Janet Barnes, CIO of the office of Personnel Management at the Office of Management and Budget, Linda Cureton, CIO of NASA Goddard, Karen Evans, Administrator of E-Government & Information Technology and Jacquelyn Patillo, Deputy CIO, of the US Dept. of Transportation.

Questions began with asking the panel of Government CIOs what their top three key priorities were. Linda, from NASA, began with Information security and creating an IT governance structure. She had the additional objective to re-engage her IT team that was put on hold after a lengthy reorganization. Jacquelyn said she has an important role to help her boss, a DOT political appointee, reach his objectives which include the President’s management agenda, getting the new building up and governance. Janet is the longest serving CIO in the Federal government. Her priorities are focused on doing more with less, changing a score card from red to green and the ongoing issues of IT security. Lastly, Karen from OMB looked at her objectives from the big picture perspective; improving citizen services while staying married and seeing her kids grow up.

Security was a hot topic for the evening with issues ranging from getting security clearances to ensuring business continuity. Discussion was brisk on how secure technology can make our systems when humans are part of the equation. The consensus was that the organization has to develop a culture of security that is supported from the director level. All agreed that there are many good plans in place that are audited and tested regularly but risk changes and plans must be monitored and adjusted constantly. Linda brought up a key variable in a crisis situation; every plan needs to deal with how to handle people’s fears in a crisis situation.

There was discussion on the many new initiatives happening to help identify and train new leadership within government. These programs include: an IT exchange program with the private sector, a scholarship for service program to help provide tuition funds and a virtual job fair video which has just been completed that promotes the opportunities for a career in Federal IT.

Each speaker closed with their request to the industry. Linda wants vendors to bring industry best practices to government. “We’ll tell you what we need, you tell us how it can be done.” Jacquelyn is looking for just a bit more than the contract delivery requires. Janet is looking for intellectual contribution to her programs - not just a body shop. Karen would like vendors to treat the Federal government as one big enterprise organization. She summarized it by explaining that the public sector has a different motivation – we aren’t interested in profits but making our nation better. It is your country too and everyone benefits when government programs are successful.

WIT Strategic Plan
President’s Key Strategies
2006-2007 Fiscal Year

Strategic Alliances

Form mutually beneficial long term strategic alliance relationships with significant organizations that will enable us to grow exponentially and maximize our reputation as a result of the alignment of our organizations.

Sponsorship

Significantly expand our impact, influence and scope by broadening the range of sponsors to include categories with goals, objectives and benefits for: targeted recruiting firms (member talent); targeted leadership companies (executive talent); targeted associations (member access); and venture capital firms (innovation trends).

Leadership Talent Pool

Leverage the excellence in leadership of the organization to cause firms to recruit from current and past WIT leaders to fill management and executive positions. Serving in our leadership is a highly referenceable opportunity to become part of an area wide talent pool.

Technology

Bring bleeding edge technology discussions to the members to increase their knowledge and preparedness. Provide an information and resources home for technologists with an emphasis on the new, and deepen their relationship with the organization because we are the frontrunners. Attract general audiences for awareness and education on the “T” in WIT across a vast array of technologies beyond just IT.

Member Satisfaction and Loyalty

Achieve world class member satisfaction and loyalty results that translate to world class retention rates by delivering what members want, need, and should have to excel professionally. Loyal members become our most beneficial recruiting source.

Reputation and Branding

Thoughtfully and aggressively manage the look and feel of the organization so that WIT is always thought of, easily remembered and first to be considered when perspective is needed. Our members are quoted on behalf of WIT in local newspapers. We have significant visibility with corporate executives. Our reputation is underscored with the credibility of all of the amazing people behind the organization face. All of the bits and pieces that comprise WIT effectively sell the brand and receive due accolades. When these are combined with our overall method of operations, the result is a cohesive pattern that is the whole reputation.

WIT thanks its newest media sponsor — Round2 Communications.

As a result of their generous support, WIT will be able to continue to expand its visibility in the DC Metro area.

Avoiding the Trappings of Professional Complacency
by Le-Marie Vanessa Joan Thompson

There comes a point as a professional when you come into your own and begin to reap rewards from challenges endured in the work place. Co-workers and supervisors now recognize your fortitude and dedication when dealing with tough clients and deliverables. Consuming thoughts arise as you begin to contemplate how to sustain the momentum without burning out or becoming complacent. These thoughts can be overwhelming if not molded into opportunities that can take your professional career to the next level.

Begin by accepting the reality that you are not only knowledgeable about your particular craft but have become the expert. Yes, you, an expert! An expert not built upon pure arrogance but of skillful execution. As an expert you have a duty to share with others your experiences, so they may learn and grow as you have. Seek out opportunities to speak during company wide meetings or professional events; these activities serve as confidence builders and occasions to optimize your professional brand.

Building on your expert status, create a personal professional brand. A great professional brand can easily translate into successful business relationships which in turn can lead to exclusive professional opportunities. Nevertheless, your brand will need refinement like a well-cultivated garden. Touch base with trusted colleagues to assess what promotional items should be included in your optimized brand. Then share your brand with others, strategically discussing your skills, experiences and the next steps you see for your career. Make your professional brand know not only among co-workers but with your peers in industry.

Also, take the initiative to not only work effectively with clients but to bring new clients into your organization. As an expert it is your responsibility to become forward thinking within your company. Seek out knowledge about the next ground breaking product that can increase the productivity of your business. Then take that knowledge and translate it into actions that can bring new customers to your organization.

As an expert you will be identified for your skill, knowledge and ability to produce results. These qualities should not make you complacent but motivated to move your career to the next level. At this stage in your career journey, you have become the driver and will set the pace for your future professional growth.

WIT Leadership Awards Bring Together Washington’s Superwomen

On May 18th Women in Technology (WIT) celebrated the achievements of 22 “superwomen” at the annual leadership awards banquet. Led by Mistress of Ceremonies Maureen Bunyan, primary news anchor for Washington’s ABC 7 News, over 250 attendees enjoyed an evening of networking and celebrated the success of the finalists, honored for their ability to demonstrate the values behind the WIT guiding tagline, Connect, Lead and Succeed.

“It was difficult to choose winners from such an accomplished group of business women,” said Gayle Sweeney, president of WIT. “We were flooded with nominations this year — more than 80 women were submitted for five awards. While it made selection difficult, we are so pleased to honor these extraordinary women who are making an impact within their company and the technology community at large.”

The Women in Technology Leadership Awards recognize women for their outstanding contributions in the areas of mentoring, leadership and success. Winners were named in the following categories:

• Government — Karyn Hayes-Ryan — Deputy Director, Acquisition Engineering/Program Manager, Engineering Enterprise — National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
• Entrepreneur — Debra Ruh — President and CEO — TecAccess
• Corporate — Barbara Anderson — Vice President, State & Local Government — EDS
• Rising Star — Leah Hooten-Clark — Senior Electronics Engineer — Northrop Grumman
• WIT Champion — Charlotte Pelliccia — President — Pelliccia Communications
• President’s Awards — Kathy Albarado — President — Helios HR and Toni Townes — Vice President and Partner — Unisys
• Founder’s Awards — Dede Haskins — Managing Principal — Cigital

Deborah Ruh, winner in the entrepreneur category commented, “… (with the success of TecAccess) my dream has become a reality, as there are now over 60 associates with disabilities working at TecAccess in the technology arena. The leadership award presented on May 18, 2006 by Women in Technology serves to solidify this dream even further. WIT’s mission echoes the very values in which my company was founded.”

WIT would like to extend congratulations and a thank you to all of the finalists:

Government

• M.J. Pizzella — Associate Administrator, Office of Citizen Services and Communications — General Services Administration
• Lynne Puetz — Director, Office of the Americas, Analysis and Production Directorate — National Geospatial—Intelligence Agency
• Carol Macha — Chief Architect — Department of Defense, Business Transformation Agency

Entrepreneur

• Dolly Oberoi — CEO — C2 Technologies
• Kelly Harman — President — The Harman Group
• Cindy Troutman — President and CEO — CGH Technologies

Corporate

• Patrice D’Eramo — Director, U.S. Federal Marketing — Cisco Systems
• Ellen Glover — Executive Vice President — ICF Consulting
• Beverly Seay — Senior Vice President and Business Unit General Manager — Science Applications International Corp (SAIC)

Rising Star

• Rebecca Torzone — Systems Engineer — Northrop Grumman
• Miranda Conroy — Executive Officer — National Geospatial—Intelligence Agency
• Jessie Miller — Owner — Diamonized Computer Services

WIT Champion

• Sandy Scearce — Business Development Executive — Grant Thornton LLP
• Margaret (Peg) Weir — Manager, Internal Control Group — U.S. Postal Service

Executive Committee:

President: Marguerete Luter, Vice President Global Bid Management, Unisys
President Elect: Charlotte Pelliccia, President, Pelliccia Communications
Treasurer: Louise Peabody, Partner, Watkins, Meegan, Drury & Co., LLC
Secretary: Debbie Thacker, Executive
General Counsel: Kathryn Harris, Principal, Resolution Law Group, plc  

Board Members at Large:

Advisory Board Chair/Immediate Past President: Gayle Sweeney, Director, Web Presence, Sprint Nextel Corporation
Government Outreach: Margaret (Peg) Weir, Manager Internal Control Group, U.S. Postal Service
Member Development: Mary Ann Wagner, President, XIO Strategies
SIG Liaison: Sue Liblong, Vice President, Marketing, Communications & Outreach, SiloSmashers
Special Events: Toni Townes, VP and Partner, Unisys
Strategic Alliances: Eva Neumann, President, ENC Marketing & Communications
WITEF Foundation Board Member at Large: Angela Drummond, CEO, SiloSmashers

Elected Committee Chairs:

Communications: Jen Norman, Marketing Executive
Membership: Marie Russell, President, Rising Multimedia
Programs: Ardell Fleeson, Director, Federal Business Development, Appian Corporation
Sponsorship: Kim Shanahan, Client Partner, Korn/Ferry International

“I am very excited to have the opportunity to lead this wonderful organization for the next year,” said Marguerete Luter, WIT president. “WIT is made stronger and more vibrant by the diverse array of talent in our leadership team. In 2006-2007, our legacy will be the substantive progress we will make towards achieving the vision: To be the premier organization contributing to the success of professional women in the technology community. Together with our dedicated and committed volunteers, we will work to fulfill the WIT mission and make the vision a reality. I am passionately committed to this effort and look forward to a highly successful year.”

WIT Woman in the Spotlight: Charlotte Pelliccia
by Joanne Lozar Glenn

A person to watch. That’s how Jaye Helferd, chair of WIT’s Program Committee and project director at InterImage in Fairfax, VA, describes Charlotte Pelliccia, this year’s winner of the WIT Champion Leadership Award and incoming WIT President-Elect.

Since joining WIT only four years ago, Pelliccia has served as member, Vice-Chair, and Chair of WIT’s Communications Committee. “She always has a lot of energy and good ideas,” Helferd said. Pelliccia was the first to suggest putting a communications committee liaison on the programs committee, which ensured that programs would get the publicity they needed to draw larger audiences. She also succeeded in moving WIT’s branding initiative forward after it had stalled as a committee charge a few years earlier, and was responsible for raising the industry partnership initiative to a new level. “I was most amazed,” Helferd said. “We had always looked at sponsorship as donating money. Charlotte saw that we could negotiate a more strategic connection with [industry partners], for example, getting their recommendations and connections for speakers, and a lot more publicity.” “ Charlotte is one of the most highly respected communications professionals in this industry,” said Elizabeth Shea, cofounder and principal of SheaHedges Group in McLean, VA, and the person who recruited Pelliccia into WIT. “Some rise to the top quickly, and some you see once and never see again,” Shea said. “ Charlotte stepped up quickly and [moved] many of the communication initiatives WIT wanted to implement. She was always a leader, always in charge, always driving the train.” Told the story of Pelliccia’s childhood wish to be a cheerleader and her mother’s response (see “Favorite Advice,” below), Shea burst out laughing. “That’s a great story,” she said. “ Charlotte is very smart, very intelligent, and no, she’s not sitting on any sidelines.” In her own words . . . Career highlights: After 15 years of shuttling between the agency side and in-house marketing communications and PR for technology startups and large companies, I finally got the courage to go out on my own. I love it, and having been in-house I can sympathize with what clients are going through and their challenges. Most important thing you’ve learned in your career: The importance of building and maintaining relationships over the years. Your next career goal: I want to be able to work with companies and people who are interesting and whom I can learn from - and someday to have my own B&B out in the country. Why WIT: Four years ago [when I first heard about WIT through Elizabeth Shea] I was out of agency life and in-house at a software company. Whenever I’m in-house I start to feel isolated. You work with the same people and there’s lots of comfort and consistency, but you also feel like you’re losing touch with what is going on. So WIT gave me that connection with community. Do you have role models? They’re generally others who have the same goals... and there’s my mother. She really taught me the importance of being independent, yet also being connected to family, friends, and community. Most important thing you’ve learned about leadership: That it’s really about building a team of people who have complementary strengths to your own and to each other, and putting people in positions where they’re going to excel. It’s about creating the team and letting them do what they do best. It’s also important that “the buck stops here.” If things go great, praise goes to the team. If things don’t go well, it’s really your responsibility—as the leader, you cannot “pass the buck.” Kudos: WIT President-Elect, 2006; WIT Champion Leadership Award, 2006. Challenges: Staying connected. When you’re on your own you have fewer opportunities to be a mentor and to be mentored. I get all of that through WIT. I never feel isolated or lonely, which was one of my concerns going out on my own. In my free time: I run and regularly enter 10K races. I’ve done a half-marathon (and don’t know if I’ll ever do another!). I also garden, and I love to cook. I like reading, too—mysteries, and particularly books about food and cooking and chefs. This Summer: I’m going to the Outer Banks in July, and also to the beach in Bethany. Favorite advice: When I received the WIT Champion Award and we had to say who our superhero was, I said that my mom was the one who inspired me. She was career-oriented and family-oriented. When I was young and asked her if I could be a cheerleader, she said, “No, you’re not standing on the sidelines and cheering, you’re going to get in the game.” Email: charlotte@pelliccia.biz

Contact

Editor: Piper Conrad
piper.conrad@apogen.com

Contributors:

Deborah Chase
Krista Curtiss
Joanne Lozar Glenn
Charlotte Pelliccia
Linda Slonksnes
Le-Marie Vanessa Joan Thompson

Information contained in this email may be an advertisement or solicitation.

To subscribe to WIT emails, respond to this message with "Subscribe" in the subject.

To leave the WIT email list, simply send us a blank e-mail here. Your request will be processed within 10 days after receiving the request.

Copyright © 2006 Women in Technology. All rights reserved.

We protect your privacy
All logos and names are the copyrights of the respective owners