FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. —WorldWITT, a free global online networking organization for professional women in business and technology, has officially launched an Arkansas chapter, called ArkWIT. The decision to open the chapter followed a recent conference sponsored by the University of Arkansas Information Technology Research Center. ArkWIT is the 65^th chapter worldwide and will be led by Executive Director, Amy Robinson.

During its first 14 days from launch, ArkWIT enlisted a record-breaking 100 members, more than ChicWIT (Chicago’s WorldWIT chapter) and the San Francisco chapter enlisted at their start-ups. According to WorldWIT, ArkWIT is currently the fastest growing chapter overall.

The idea for ArkWIT, an online and offline discussion group for local business women, sprang from the recent collaboration between WorldWIT and the Information Technology Research Center (ITRC) at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas. Liz Ryan, WorldWIT founder, recently served as the keynote speaker for an ITRC-hosted conference for Women in Information Technology. Over 200 professional women from Arkansas and the surrounding region attended the conference.

"When the business community responded in such a positive way to the conference, we realized that we needed to capitalize on the event’s energy to provide a more consistent resource for area professional women," said Brad Lawless, managing director of the ITRC.

Robinson is the principal owner of AR Robinson & Associates, a business management consulting firm that focuses on best practices and administrative streamlining. With a background in legal administration, business banking and general management, she founded her company in San Francisco in 2000. Now located in Fayetteville, Ark., Robinson serves the needs of small- to —medium-sized companies, helping them realize and capitalize on efficiencies in their business processes.

"The energy surrounding the proposal of ArkWIT at the conference was tremendous. We

couldn’t see letting the moment and momentum pass us by. I think that women in Arkansas have

so much to offer to the state, the nation and the world. ArkWIT is the perfect tool to help women do just that and more," Robinson said.

Arkansas is home to such well-respected companies as Wal-Mart, Tyson Foods, ALLTEL and Dillard’s. Female entrepreneurs and independent companies are also finding many opportunities in Arkansas, as the phenomenal growth in Northwest Arkansas exemplifies.

WorldWIT CEO and Founder, Liz Ryan said: "Arkansas is overflowing with women who make a difference to the state’s prosperity. With support from the ITRC, Amy will guide this group to reach its goal of uniting friendly, accomplished and resourceful women throughout Arkansas to share their experiences and help one another advance their careers."

In addition to the online discussion, WorldWIT holds seminars, presentations and events in major metropolitan cities all over the globe, offering women professionals the opportunity to meet face-to-face with industry leaders. In fact, WorldWIT will honor International Women’s Day this March in several cities around the world, and in May, it will hold a first-of-its-kind event for women that focuses on professional and entrepreneurial development, creativity and wellness, called Camp WorldWIT: Upward Bound. 

The WorldWIT membership is comprised of women who range from corporate CEOs to home-based consultants and entrepreneurs. Over 35 percent of WorldWIT members have master’s degrees, and 19 percent have PhDs.

Women interested in joining ArkWIT can visit the WorldWIT Web site at http://www.worldwit.org/ or send e-mail directly to ArkWIT-join@worldwit.org.