Keynote Speaker: Theresa Rowe, CIO of Oakland University

Post date: Apr 12, 2013 4:35:28 PM

We are very excited to announce our first keynote for June’s Open Apereo 2013 in San Diego, CA:

"Challenges, Encouragement, and Women in IT - Does it Matter?"

by Theresa Rowe, Chief Information Officer, Oakland University

There's much in the news about women seeking successful careers in IT.  We read about the lack of young women choosing computer science as a major, at a time when we need more graduates in technical fields.  The news tells us about the challenges women face in technology careers, such as the Adria Richards incident at PyCon.  Finally, Sheryl Sandberg has started a national conversation with her book Lean In:  Women, Work and the Will to Lead .   What are the challenges facing women seeking careers in information technology?  What can we do about it, together?  And does it matter?  Let's explore our roles in attracting and retaining the best talent to our profession - male or female.

Theresa Rowe is currently the Chief Information officer at Oakland University, a position she has held since 2002. Rowe has been at Oakland University since 1990, where she has served as a Senior Systems Analyst, the Manager of Student Information Systems and Director of Information Systems before stepping into her current role. Rowe is active with EDUCAUSE and other organizations focused on technology in higher education. Some of her project experience includes creating a ten year network plan, upgrading data-center facilities, implementation of two ERP systems, and implementing an open-source portal. She has a lot of experience and insight to share!