Leadership and talent development is a critical issue businesses need to address over the next five years in order to remain competitive. Employees are more tech-savvy than ever and expect engaging and interactive learning programs that will further their careers and foster corporate loyalty. As part of its WIT.Connect series, Women in Technology (WIT^SM) presents Business Avatars — Utilizing Simulations and Emerging Technologies for Talent Development, a program that will show WIT.Connect participants innovative learning options using simulations and emerging technologies for training, leadership, and talent management programs.

Lori Kavle, President and CEO of Simulations International, will define business avatars and how they can be incorporated into simulations, gaming, and blended learning workshops to create a more highly skilled and motivated workforce. The session will offer several interactive simulations offering risk-free, virtual environments that are highly engaging, intrinsically motivating, scalable, accessible and that are tailored to address a new generation of employees. Kavle will also discuss the basics of developing simulations, their cost components, and recommended implementation strategies within the enterprise.

Speaker:
Lori Kavle, President and CEO, Simulations International

Pre-registration for this event will close at 5pm the day before. Onsite registration will be accepted at the event for an additional $10 fee. Notice of cancellation must be received by the WIT office no later than 48 hours in advance of the event. All no shows will be charged. Thank you.

January Ready to Work

"Ready to Work and Wondering Where To Go" session includes an encouragement network hour led by Ardell Fleeson followed by a job search skills practicum. Workforce Development Committee Chair Phyllis Kolmus will facilitate.

Ardell Fleeson, Managing Director, Business Development, Human Capital Advisors LLC, will lead a session of tips, observations, realities, good news, and food for thought for the job seeker. Guest speakers, those with expertise in the job search and human resources areas and those who have recently found work will also address the group. Participants will be able to share recent challenges and victories.

Pre-registration for this event will close at noon the day preceding the event. Onsite registration will be accepted at the event on a space-available basis. Notice of cancellation must be received by the WIT office no later than 48 hours in advance of the event. All no shows will be charged.

Women Business Owners: Goal Setting and Techniques in Holding Ourselves Accountable

Setting Goals: Making Goals Work for You

Come join us as we discuss goal setting and our own personal accountability. As owners of our businesses, it is often a challenge to continually hold ourselves accountable. Come participate in a discussion where we not only share our annual goals, but commit to the milestones to which we will be accountable. Holly Williams, founder of Magus Group, will lead us in a fast and fun 45-minute workshop that will provide each of us with a workable goal-setting model and a framework for accountability. By the end of the workshop you will be clearly focused on what you want to accomplish in 2008 and how that looks!

Speaker: Holly Williams, Founder and President, Magus Group

Pre-registration for this event will close on Tuesday, January 8 at noon. Onsite registration will be accepted at the event for an additional $10 fee. Notice of cancellation must be received by the WIT office no later than 48 hours in advance of the event. All no shows will be charged.

WIT New and Prospective Member Orientation

January WIT.Connect: Women at the Helm of Military Health Care: Four CIOs Share Their Views

Military health organizations are leading the way for exploitation of information technology to improve and expand quality of care. Development of electronic medical health records has been in progress for over 20 years in the military; find out how each service is attacking the challenge. The panel will include the four women leading their respective DOD agency IT organizations and healthcare adaptation of information technology capabilities.

Speakers:
COL Vaseal Lewis, CIO, US Army Medical Department
COL Lee Harford, CIO, US Air Force Surgeon General
Mary Ann Rockey, CIO, Naval Bureau of Medicine
Sharon Larson, Program Manager, Military Health Systems

Pre-registration for this event will close at noon the day before. Onsite registration will be accepted at the event for an additional $10 fee. Notice of cancellation must be received by the WIT office no later than 48 hours in advance of the event. All no shows will be charged. Thank you.

Lunch Bunch — ROI-Driven Marketing: Building Quantifiable Marketing Programs

Building Quantifiable Marketing Programs

This presentation will:

• Explore gaps between theory and practice
• Provide illustration through real-world examples
• Demonstrate how to benchmark and measure the success of marketing programs
• Define success through revenue-driven marketing program results
• Explore answers to your questions during Q & A.

Pre-registration for this event will close on Friday, January 18 at 3:00 pm. Onsite registration will be accepted at the event for an additional $10 fee. Notice of cancellation must be received by the WIT office no later than 48 hours in advance of the event. All no shows will be charged.

Meet the Company: Deltek

Save the date! Details to come. Check back for more info.

The WIT office will be closed Monday, December 24^th through Wednesday, December 26^th. The office will close at noon on Monday, December 31^st and re-open Wednesday, January 2^nd at 9:00 am.

The annual WIT Leadership Awards gala recognizes women who have demonstrated leadership in the local technology industry. We are currently recruiting committee members to help plan the 2008 event. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Marcie Cheney at marcie.cheney@gmail.com.

WIT Web Presence Committee Volunteers Needed

The Web Presence Committee is looking for energetic volunteers who want to use their HTML and/or Wordpress skills.  We are looking for people who can assist us with updating the Women in Technology^SM website and help us expand it for the future. Volunteers should be available for monthly meetings and one to four hours/month to assist with projects. If interested, please contact Dagny Evans (dagny@dagnyevans.com) or Colleen Connelly
(cconnelly@echosolutions.com).

Call for WIT.Word Volunteers!
 
WIT.Word needs you!  Volunteers are needed to be reporters, writers, and graphic web designers! Volunteers for these positions should be self-starters who are able to adhere to deadlines. Workload would generally be light depending on how many volunteers respond to our call for help.  
 
We welcome reporters/writers with previous experience, as well as those willing to learn. General assignments that might be assigned to reporters/writers include profiles of executive women in technology, interviews with technology leaders, coverage of WIT events, and feature articles. Graphic web designers need to have a working knowledge of Dreamweaver or equivalent HTML editing package and will assist in the layout and design of the WIT.Word issues. (Template already exists.)
 
If you're interested in being a volunteer for WIT.Word please contact
Le-Marie V.J. Thompson or call 301-452-2258.

Share a Little WIT.Wisdom and Enter to Win! What clients, connections, contracts, or career advancements have you gained from your involvement in WIT?

Share a story, anecdote, or just a few thoughts about how your participation in WIT has been of value to your business, career, company, or philanthropy goals by sending a brief email to Women in Technology (put WIT.Wisdom in the header), or filling out a WIT Testimonial Card at one of our monthly programs.

We will read one of the submitted stories at each WIT.Connect. The author will receive a free certificate redeemable for an upcoming WIT program.

Help us voice the benefit of our organization — share your WIT experience, and we'll share in celebrating your success!

Members on the Move — WIT.Word

Changed jobs? Received a promotion? Know someone who deserves recognition for a recent career move? Let your fellow WIT members know about it! Send a brief description to Joanne Lozar Glenn for inclusion in the “Members on the Move” column in the next WIT.Word newsletter.

Add WIT to Your Address Book

Don't miss an issue of WIT.Wire! Make sure to add staff@womenintechnology.org to your email address book to ensure that all WIT emails come right to your inbox. If you do not wish to receive future emails from WIT, respond to this message with Unsubscribe in the subject line. Your request will be processed within 10 days after receiving the request. To subscribe to WIT emails, respond to this message with Subscribe in the subject line.