By Amy White
The Texas Catholic

On Sept. 14, Women in STEM Leadership will hold its 2024 Women in STEM Leadership Conference in collaboration with the University of Dallas’ Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business.

Women in STEM Leadership is an organization founded in 2018 by Ogechi Ugwulebo, an alumna of the University of Dallas’ cybersecurity graduate program and the founder of the Association of Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals.

WISL’s mission is to provide a space for women in STEM to connect with and learn from each other as they pursue professional leadership positions within their traditionally male-dominated fields. In pursuit of this mission, the organization provides opportunities for professional development, mentorship, and networking.

The upcoming WISL conference will be an all-day event, open to both women and men, and will include meet-and-greet opportunities, a panel discussion, guest speakers, and an awards dinner.

“I look forward to connecting with inspiring women leaders and gaining insights on navigating the industry,” Mercy Oji, a cyber intelligence student at the University of Dallas, said of the upcoming conference. “This will definitely be a chance to learn from diverse perspectives and build networks that will empower me in my academic and professional journey.”

The theme of the event is “the journey from the classroom to the boardroom.”

“That has been our vision, to have students graduating and walking into leadership roles waiting for them,” Ugwulebo said, adding that this vision can be realized when young women build critical connections to other women in leadership.

Ugwulebo stressed that the mission of WISL—to connect, educate, and empower women leaders in STEM—benefits not only the women leaders but also the STEM fields themselves.

“Having diversity in STEM brings a variety of perspectives and ideas that can lead to more innovative solutions to complex problems,” Ugwulebo said. “When women are equally represented in these fields, it ensures a wider range of viewpoints, experiences, and approaches that can drive scientific and technological advancements.”

Dr. Sandra Blanke, a member of the WISL advisory board and the director for the Center of Cyber Security Education at the University of Dallas, concurred with Ugwulebo, noting the expansive professional opportunities available to women who pursue careers within these fields.

“Science, technology, engineering, mathematics—These are fields that young boys [and] young girls can all partake in and really have successful careers in; and we see that it’s not equally divided,” Blanke said. “We’re wanting to encourage the young girls… to consider this field and show them other [women] who have been incredibly successful in it.”

Ugwulebo noted the impact that professional collaboration has had in her own career and said she hopes the conference will provide similar opportunities for other professional women, whether they are new to STEM or firmly established in their careers.

“There are so many women who are making a lot of impact in their communities, making a lot of impact in the lives of other women,” she said. “When young girls can see women who are successful in STEM, it motivates them; it empowers them.”

Cutline for featured image:  The honorees of the 2023 Women in STEM Leadership International Conference participate in a panel discussion during the conference. From left, Kelly Flowers, Sheryl Gillihan, Jeffrey Price, Dr. Sandra Blanke, and Dr. P. Christian Nielsen.