The end of 2018, wait… how did that happen??
In the blink of an eye, that time of year has come and caught us all by surprise as we reflect back on what exactly we did this past year. Where did the year go?
Ms Claudia Chan in “This is How We Rise“, advises us that instead of focusing on things we didn’t get done today, CELEBRATE all the things we did! Be honest…. You know you actually “SLEIGHED” the year! #slayallday #bossgirl #thisishowwerise
That nasty “To Do” list never stops filling up with tasks! It’s time to take a break from it and take a deep breath. Even if you’re not where you want to be, look around to find what you can be thankful for and exercise some plain old fashioned gratitude. We are what we invest our time in albeit family, self, career, employer, community, friends, or finances.
After all, you helped make 2018 an amazing year for Women in Tech ! The movement is growing and we’re making strides towards true change for equality for women in technology!
We are thankful for an AMAZING 2018 – Here we grow again!
We have so much to be thankful for this year! With your help, we’ve been able to recognize a >95.25% year to year growth of participation and impact! (See September impact report.)
getWITit.org
Thanks to a lot of work from Ms. Kalyn Breneman, we successfully launched the new highly demanded website getWITit.org, officially transitioning our brand from Columbus Women in Tech. We’ve also changed up the mix of the board of directors with newly appointed Katie Detore and Secretary, and Executive Advisory with Co-Chairs Terri Bettinger and Maureen Metcalf.
Columbus
September 12th: ~750 women united to Make HERstory at the Ohio State Student Union, and first youth track launch to unite girls from all races and socioeconomic backgrounds with special thanks to Deb Bitzan and Jennifer Cable. We also made the local 10TV news, and were featured in an article about women in tech in Columbus Business First! See Photos 
Conference wouldn’t have happened without help from Michelle Harris, Julie Dorazio, Eva Bradshaw, Theresa Mesaros, and Dawn Logan.
A thanks to a special group of ladies that worked extremely hard this year on developing leadership programming with EvolveWIT Oksana Shmaliy, Tracie Cleveland Thomas, Manisha Mahawar.
Cleveland
November 5th: Ladies of “The Land” made HERstory by launching their first annual conference and first chapter outside of Columbus. Marking a huge milestone for the movement to advance women in technology! Cleveland’s community is while close geographically, ends up splitting across east, west, and northeast Ohio. The new chapter leaders Kelly Brucker, and Erin Stoll.
This conference most certainly wouldn’t have happened without help from Jen Flaitz, Andria Loczi, and Maria Moore.
Notable Men
Equality can not happen without the participation of men. Approximately 15% of our participants for events, conferences, and volunteering were men! We’d love to see that rise in the coming years!
We’d like to recognize two very special notable men Ben Blanquera and Doug McCollough for supporting the cause through their participation, advisory, support, and evangelism. Their leadership has helped open doors and helped drive the cause this year!
Another notable man that seriously has our backs without blinking an eye is Newton Olivieri. We hope this list grows and that all men feel welcome to participate and join us!
Sponsors and Partners
Without the support and dedication to all our our Columbus and Cleveland partners and sponsors we really couldn’t do this! We appreciate all the companies that believe in the cause and relentlessly work towards our mission!
2019 and Beyond
We are working diligently to not only structure the organization in such a way to give more opportunity for women to help drive the mission to increase equality for women in tech but develop into the next generation of technical leaders. We believe the best pathway forward is to develop and unite communities to create true lasting change for women in tech!
Coming 2019!!! Columbus and Cleveland Chapter Elections
If you have about 4-10 hours/month (depending on the month)…. We have open positions for our chapters in Columbus & Cleveland, as well as at the national board level! Columbus needs a VP, Treasurer, and Secretary and Cleveland needs Secretary and Treasurer. Nationally we’re looking for a Director of Operations, Controller, and Strategic Marketing & Communications. Details coming soon!
There will opportunities for committee appointments after the board is established. Please consider this opportunity as a chance to not only improve or demonstrate your leadership skills, but to expand your network, and best of all… drive the mission to advance women in technology for your community.
We highly recommend some rest and relaxation, because you’re going to need all your strength because we have a LOT more work to do and we need a lot of help!
Thanks again to all the ladies and gentlemen that helped us Sleigh the Year 2018!
Grateful and Honored to Serve You,
The getWITit.org Board of Directors
P.S. Don’t forget to follow us on Social Media! See Photos on Facebook Page , Instagram, LinkedIN,