Governor to Participate in the Women in IT Conference

Photo by Ryan C. Versey

Participants in a previous Women in IT Conference.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson will participate in the 2017 Women in IT conference Wednesday, April 12, on the University of Arkansas campus.

The conference, presented by the Information Technology Research Institute at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, runs April 11-12 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development.

Hutchinson will address attendees as one of several speakers covering professional, lifestyle and technical topics important to women in the field of technology. Sarah (Scott) Daigle, the chief executive officer and chief technology officer for Currant Technology Group, will facilitate the conference.

Rita Carney, retired Walmart executive, and Lisa Tuttle, chief information security officer for SPX Corporation, will be the conference's keynote speakers on Wednesday, April 12.

The conference will feature two panel discussions. Executives from Dillard's, Forecast5 Analytics, UGAM and Casestack will discuss business analytics and big data. Elizabeth Keiffer, an instructor in the Department of Information Systems, will lead the discussion as moderator. A second panel, including experts from the University of Arkansas Fort Smith, SPX Corporation, Walmart, NCWIT and Tyson Foods, will address the theme of the conference "Progress — Putting Theory Into Practice." Susan Bristow, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Information Systems, will moderate that panel discussion.

On Tuesday, April 11, the winners of the seventh annual National Center for Women and Information Technology Aspirations in Computing Award will be recognized at a dinner for their achievements and aspirations in the field of technology. Twenty-two high school students will be honored.

Tickets for the event are $225 for the general public, $180 for university faculty or staff and $20 for students. Students are required to provide a student ID.

For more information and to register, visit the Women in IT Conference page.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.