Careers in Action Summit Recap

by

On October 9, 143 members of our community came together for the Women in Technology (WIT) Careers in Action Summit. Ninety-nine women in tech spent the morning focused on their next career move, and 44 speakers, coaches, and volunteers showed up to help them get there.

We created the Summit to bring together the most impactful elements of WIT Forums, Technology Uncorked, and Career Exploration into one morning of connection, learning, and professional growth. The room brought together college students, women just starting their careers, professionals exploring new roles or returning to tech, and women working toward leadership. Every part of the morning was intentionally designed to meet attendees where they are in their career journeys and help them leave with new connections, practical insights, and a clear next step toward their goals.

Inside the Summit

Breakfast and networking came first, so attendees had a chance to meet other women and allies in tech before the program started.

Our mainstage panel, “The Future of Women’s Careers: Leading Through Change in a New World of Work,” opened the program. Executives, technologists, and talent leaders spoke about AI, career paths, and leadership. They also discussed Gen Z and Gen Alpha in the workplace and which credentials matter today, then took questions from the audience.

Once the panel ended, attendees split up for Skill Sparks, our short, hands-on breakout sessions. Each one focused on a specific takeaway, and the average group was about 25 people.

Coaching Corners ran alongside Skill Sparks. Attendees sat down with a coach to work on a resume and career storytelling or to practice talking about their experience in an interview. Our coaches held 95 of these sessions over the course of the morning.

Industry Insights was open all morning for anyone who wanted to drop in. Attendees talked with WIT corporate partners who are actively investing in women in tech about skills, career paths, and the day-to-day work at their companies. The participating companies were CDW, Fiserv, Georgia-Pacific, Infor, QTS, State Farm, The Coca-Cola Company, The Home Depot, and Truist.

The Impact

Everyone who completed our post-program survey said they feel more confident about their tech career, and 65% described that change as “big” or “strong.” Seventy-eight percent said they now see their next step clearly. Most of the rest said they’re getting there.

Many attendees plan to follow through quickly. Seventy-four percent expect to use their resume, interview, or branding tools this week, and the others know which one they’ll start with. Almost everyone (96%) made at least one new connection at the Summit. Forty-three percent made four or more, and 22% made six or more. Eighty-three percent said the event made them more committed to staying in tech.

Among survey respondents, 96% attended the panel, 87% visited Industry Insights, and 74% had at least one coaching session.

Skill Sparks in Action

Of the attendees who filled out the survey, 74% went to at least one Skill Sparks session. Sixty-five percent left with something they could use right away, like a draft, a plan, or a prompt, and 70% feel more confident putting what they learned into practice. Sixty-one percent know their next step. Forty-eight percent said they’ll take it this week, and 22% plan to within 30 days.

Get Credit for What You Already Do drew the most interest. Attendees came away with two or three phrases to bring to their next performance conversation or one-on-one. Your LinkedIn Profile Is Your First Interview and AI for Your Job Search were close behind. The LinkedIn session helped people update their profiles to reflect where they want to go next. In the AI session, attendees used AI tools to improve their LinkedIn profiles and resumes and to rehearse interview answers.

Attendees in Build a Network That Actually Works for You created a 90-day relationship-building plan. Respond Without Retreating gave people go-to language for pushing back in three common workplace situations. In Design Your Next Chapter, each person wrote a next-chapter statement and chose one step to get started.

In Their Words

“This is a great event of inspiring women!”

“This was SO INFORMATIVE!”

“I think there was just the right amount of parts going on… and the right amount of time too (the 4 hours).”

“If you host these more frequently that would be amazing.”

Thank You

We’re grateful to our speakers, coaches, volunteers, and partner companies for making the Summit possible. And to every attendee who spent the morning with us, thank you for showing up ready to work on your careers.

Check out the photo album here.

Interested in more programming to support your career? Check out our calendar of events to see what’s coming up.

WIT Campus Career Exploration Day 2026 Recap

by

Eight women stand in front of a vintage yellow Coca-Cola delivery truck inside a building.

Six Companies, One Day of Possibility

On Friday, September 25, college women from WIT Campus chapters across Georgia stepped out of the classroom and into the workplaces of six leading WIT Strategic Partner companies: The Coca-Cola Company, Cox Enterprises, Fiserv, Norfolk Southern, Salesforce, and State Farm.

Women in Technology (WIT) Campus Career Exploration Day gives students a real look at what a career in technology can be. Over the course of the day, they toured offices, worked through case studies alongside company teams, experienced practice interviews, and interacted directly with women leading in tech.

The Results

Campus Career Exploration Day exceeded all four of its program goals. WIT surveyed students before and after the day, and the change showed up in every area:

  • Job readiness: 98.7% agreed they have the skills and preparation to apply for jobs, up from 67.4%.
  • Career pathways: 91.4% agreed they understand the career paths open to them and the roles that fit them, up from 70.3%.
  • Connections: Every student who responded left with at least one new contact in technology, and 71.1% made three or more.
  • Belonging: 94.7% felt they belong in the tech community, up from 68.6%.

Uncertainty nearly disappeared. Before the day, about one in four survey answers were neutral. Afterward, fewer than one in twenty were.

Afterward, many of them posted about the day on LinkedIn. This recap draws on what they wrote about their experiences.

There’s No Single Path Into Tech

If one message came through louder than any other, it was this: there is no one right way to build a career in technology.

A computer science student entering her final year at college said hearing from women already at State Farm reminded her “that there isn’t one perfect path into tech.” Another student, who has many interests within tech, called the day “a great reminder that there isn’t one set path you have to follow.”

At The Coca-Cola Company, students heard from women working across a wide variety of technology careers. One student said it showed her how many different paths exist in technology, and how valuable it is to learn from women willing to share their experiences and advice.

At Salesforce, a panel of professionals talked about how many shifts a career can hold and how rarely the path is linear. For one student who changed her major from healthcare into tech, that advice landed close to home. She said it felt like someone telling her, “you’re exactly where you need to be in this moment.”

At Fiserv, an information systems student interested in marketing learned that you don’t have to stay in one role for your whole career. Seeing how people moved across different teams showed her how to explore, discover what she enjoys, and keep growing.

For students still deciding where they fit, that permission to explore matters. It turns uncertainty into curiosity.

Seeing Technology and AI at Work

Students didn’t just hear about technology. They saw how it runs real businesses every day.

At State Farm, an AI prompting game let students test how changing the way they communicate with AI changes the results they get. One computer science sophomore who has been exploring AI through her own projects said she “loved getting to see that in action.” A senior said it was rewarding to see concepts from her coursework applied outside the classroom. Another student heard directly from software engineers about how AI and prompt engineering are used on the job.

At Fiserv’s Alpharetta office, students learned how technologies like Clover, tap-to-pay, and AI show up in everyday transactions and are shaping the future of financial services. At Norfolk Southern, a graduate student was struck by how a company with roots in the 1800s has transformed into an organization built on data and innovation, including AI-driven approaches to rail safety. She said it gave her “a new appreciation” for how technology keeps transforming traditional industries.

Learning by Doing

The most memorable moments came when students rolled up their sleeves.

At Norfolk Southern, teams took on the “Hurricane Lucille: Railroad Response Team Challenge,” a case study on how the company might respond to the operational fallout of a major hurricane. One student called it a chance to practice problem-solving, collaboration, and decision-making. Another worked side by side with employees from Engineering, Safety, IT, and the Network Operations Center, exploring how GIS mapping, signal monitoring, sensors, and large-scale data keep trains moving. A few students also tried a train-control simulation.

At Cox Enterprises, students went behind the scenes of the hiring process, picked up tips for building a standout resume, and participated in mock interviews led by Cox early career recruiters. One student said the feedback and conversations were “incredibly valuable” as she prepares for her next career step.

At Salesforce, workshops helped students explore different roles and experience day-to-day responsibilities. Students also had their resumes reviewed and toured the company’s tower.

At State Farm, workshops and hands-on activities, like learning how important AI prompts are to creating quality output,  gave students practical skills they could take straight back to campus.

Career Skills You Don’t Learn in Class

Beyond the technology, students left with advice they can use right away.

At Fiserv, one student came away with guidance on owning the room with confidence, understanding the difference between a mentor and a sponsor, staying open to pivots, and preparing for future opportunities. Another valued learning how to present herself professionally, build connections, and navigate her career with intention.

At Norfolk Southern, a panel of women leaders encouraged students to reflect on each day, build strong critical-thinking skills, and know their values well enough to write them down. Another student summed up her biggest takeaways from the panel: stay curious, be adaptable, build meaningful connections, and never be afraid to use your voice.

These are the lessons that often take years to learn on the job, yet, thanks to this experience, WIT Campus students got a head start in a single day.

Confidence and Belonging

For many students, the biggest shift wasn’t about skills. It was about seeing themselves as part of the technology workforce.

A senior at State Farm, graduating in December, shared that balancing classes, a capstone project, and a job search had left her unsure of what comes next. After a day of conversations with the women she met, she said her energy and confidence “grew exponentially.” One line she heard that day stayed with her: “We all received help at some point to get where we are today.”

A sophomore left “reminded that I don’t have to have everything figured out yet.” Her takeaway was simple: keep showing up, keep learning, and keep putting herself in spaces where she can grow.

And a graduate student said the day reminded her why she chose technology in the first place: “There is always something new to learn, problems to solve, and industries to transform.”

One computer science student was so inspired that she made WIT Campus Career Exploration the subject of her very first LinkedIn post.

A Community That Lasts Beyond the Day

WIT is more than a network. It’s a community, and WIT Campus Career Exploration Day showed that in action.

Students came from college and university campuses across the state of Georgia. One chapter president traveled from Statesboro to Atlanta with three fellow Georgia Southern members to spend the day at Norfolk Southern together.

A WIT Campus chapter president who spent the day at The Coca-Cola Company left excited to keep growing, networking, and building her future in technology, alongside the other women she connected with there.

The connections didn’t end when the day did. Students’ LinkedIn posts filled up with comments from peers they met, often from different schools and even different host sites, saying how glad they were to have connected. Host company professionals joined in too. One host professional told a student her “curiosity, initiative, and eagerness to learn really stood out.” At Salesforce, another told a student, “You’re gonna absolutely crush it in tech!”

For one student at Cox Enterprises, the day made a long-held goal feel closer. She has admired Cox for years and left hoping to one day call it her workplace.

Thank You to Our Hosts

WIT Campus Career Exploration Day is only possible because WIT corporate partners open their doors. Thank you to The Coca-Cola Company, Cox Enterprises, Fiserv, Norfolk Southern, Salesforce, and State Farm, and to every panelist, volunteer, and team member who gave their time, shared their stories, and made students feel welcome.

When companies invest a day in students, the impact reaches far beyond it. Students leave with sharper skills, clearer goals, and the confidence to pursue them. Host companies meet the next generation of tech talent up close.

Hosts felt the impact, too. At The Coca-Cola Company, one host told students, “We loved spending the day with all of you!” One of the Norfolk Southern leaders who helped build the partnership said the students “asked thoughtful, engaging questions and demonstrated genuine curiosity.” As she put it, “Investing in future talent is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do.”

At Cox Enterprises, a product manager who helped lead the day saw herself in the students. Just two and a half years ago, she was in their seat, wondering what a career in technology would look like for her. This time, she was the one showing them, and reminding them there’s a place for them “no matter their major, specialty, or experience.”

Explore What’s Next

The WIT Campus program connects college women interested in tech with career opportunities and mentorship. Whether you’re a student ready to explore or a company ready to host, there’s a place for you in our community.

Learn more about WIT Campus

Explore. Pursue. Persist. Lead.

The Retention Equation. Insights from the September WIT Forum

by

Three people stand and smile in front of a blue Women in Technology (WIT) backdrop at an event. Two women and one man are dressed in professional attire.

September WIT Forum | September 16 | 7:30–9 am ET | Maggiano’s Buckhead

Presented by Tier4 Group

The September WIT Forum tackled a subject every technology professional runs into at some point, whether they’re managing a team or building their own career: retention. Presented by Tier4 Group, “The Retention Equation: Personal Investment + Organizational Responsibility” asked what it actually takes to keep good people, and made clear the answer runs in both directions. It’s not just what organizations owe the talent they’ve invested in. It’s what individuals owe their own career journeys, the choices they make about where to grow and when to move on. Attendees, themselves technology professionals navigating that exact equation, gathered over breakfast before settling in for a panel discussion, table conversations, and audience Q&A.

Katie Logan, Chief Strategy Officer at Gozio Health, moderated a panel that brought together Oneka Jefferson-Cornelius, Senior Director of Human Resources and Atlanta Hub HR Lead for Digital Technology & Data at Cargill, and Mike Park, SVP and Chief Information Officer at Infor. Katie opened by pulling the word “retention” apart. It comes from the Latin retinere, to hold back, the same root as detain and contain. The point landed early and set the tone for the rest of the morning: retention isn’t the absence of people leaving, it’s the presence of reasons to stay. Those are two different measurements, and two different plans.

From there the conversation split cleanly along the line the title promised. On the organizational side, Mike talked about giving people the tools and room to grow rather than trying to hold them in place, including making sure teams have real access to AI so they don’t fall behind. Oneka described the work being done to future-proof the company’s tech organization over the next 12 to 18 months, from individual development plans for every employee to a hard rule held as a leadership standard: if someone doesn’t want to be held in a role, it’s the leader’s job to help them move up, out, or over, inside the company or outside it. 

On the individual side, both Oneka and Mike pushed back on the idea that a company should already know what someone wants from their career. Employees, they argued, have to own that story themselves, document their goals, ask for stretch assignments, and treat a next move as something to run toward rather than something to run from. Katie closed that thread with a line that landed hard in a room of women in tech: that too many of us still undersell ourselves or wait to be asked, instead of raising our hand.

Notable Quotes

“Retention comes from the Latin retinere, to hold back, the same root as detain, the same root as contain. Maybe we think about it not as the absence of people leaving, but the presence of reasons to stay.” 

“We want people to be excited about staying, as opposed to containing people. So we’re trying to give them the tools and the environment to grow in their roles, and really encouraging them to be curious on their own.”

“I am not a firm believer that any organization should hold someone who doesn’t want to be held. It’s my job to clear barriers and help you move up, out, or over, whether that’s in this organization or outside of it. I didn’t fire you. What I did was untether you.” 

“There are times when people do leave an organization because the dynamic has shifted, especially for women, women of a certain age, women of a certain background. Those things aren’t within our control. But you can control the controllables.”

Tactical Takeaways

For your own career:

  • Write down your own career narrative — goals, wins, what you’re building toward — rather than waiting for a manager to infer it. One panelist put it directly: it’s on you to give your leader “the story to tell.”
  • Before a 1:1 or review, ask for something specific rather than a general “what do you think.” A targeted ask reads very differently than “I’m ready to be promoted, what do you want to do?”
  • Use the “running to, not from” gut check before making a move: if you’re chasing something that excites or challenges you, that’s a good sign. If you’re only trying to escape something, slow down.
  • Raise your hand for the tools, not just the assignments. Multiple panelists pointed to AI fluency specifically as something people wait to be invited to instead of asking for outright.
  • Think in skills, not titles. Treat your capabilities as portable across roles and industries rather than tying your identity to a job description that may already be outdated by the time it’s posted.

For managers and organizations:

  • Equip teams with real AI tools and clear governance, so people are experimenting safely and openly rather than finding workarounds or falling behind quietly.
  • Ask people directly what they need to do their best work, and ask it as an open question, not a checklist. The exact prompt one panelist uses: “What needs to be true about this role, our culture, and our environment for you to do your best work?”
  • Build individual development plans for every employee, not just top performers or people already on a leadership track.
  • Plan for early-career talent on a realistic 2-to-3-year horizon instead of assuming long tenure, and build reasons to stay into that shorter window rather than treating it as a loss.
  • Treat departures as reversible, not personal. Stay connected with people who leave. Several panelists pointed to boomerang hires as evidence that a good exit is still a relationship worth keeping.

Check out the photos from the 2026 September WIT Forum.

Thank You to Our Partners

This forum is made possible by the generous support of our partners.

A special thank you to our Presenting Partner, Tier4 Group, for their commitment to advancing women in technology and making conversations like this one possible.

The TIER4 GROUP logo with TIER above GROUP in gray text, and a blue geometric symbol resembling 4 and a person to the right of TIER..

Thank you to our additional WIT Forum Partners

We’re also grateful to our additional partners for their continued investment in this community: Adapture, Brooksource, Cargill, CDW, Cox Enterprises, Fiserv, Genuine Parts Company (GPC), Georgia-Pacific, Google Cloud, Infor, Kimberly-Clark, Norfolk Southern, Pyramid Consulting, QTS, Rollins, Salesforce, Southwire, State Farm, Synchrony, The Coca-Cola Company, The Home Depot, and Truist.

Women in Technology (WIT) creates possibilities for more women to explore, pursue, persist, and lead in technology. Learn more at mywit.org.

Meet the 2026 Campus Club of the Year Finalists

by

The Campus Club of the Year Award recognizes an official WIT Campus Club that has created meaningful opportunities for students to connect, develop skills, and build confidence and community in technology.

The logo for Georgia Gwinnett College features a bold, stylized green and black G above the college name in black text on a white background.

Georgia Gwinnett College

Georgia Southern University logo featuring a stylized eagle head in blue, white, and gold above the university name in bold blue text.

Georgia Southern University

University of Georgia logo featuring an arch above the year 1785, with University of Georgia written below in bold letters.

University of Georgia

The 2026 WIT Awards winners will be announced October 22 at the Georgia Aquarium. See all 2026 finalists →

Learn more about the WIT Awards →

Meet the 2026 Graduate Success Finalists

by

The Graduate Success Award recognizes a graduate of WIT’s Single Mothers’ Program who is thriving in her technology career, growing her skills, and delivering real results that show what is possible when determination meets opportunity. Here’s a closer look at this year’s three finalists.

A woman with straight, long dark hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a black blazer and is posed against a plain, light background.

Delilah Freeman, Bank of America

Delilah Freeman is an AVP, Delivery Lead–Technology at Bank of America, where she supports Global Merchant & Payments Technology. After completing graduate studies and the WIT 2021 Cohort, Delilah transitioned into technology and was recruited by a cybersecurity firm. As a Technical Project Manager, Delilah applied her knowledge of information systems security to lead delivery efforts, coordinate stakeholders, and support technology outcomes. Over the past four years at Bank of America, Delilah has built a strong foundation in servant leadership, agile delivery, change management, risk mitigation, and strategy execution. She is known for maximizing team strengths, embracing opportunities for growth, and helping teams move work forward with structure, accountability, and collaboration. Her professional development includes earning PMP and Certified ScrumMaster certifications, and she continues to expand her impact across product delivery, release management, and cross-team execution.

A woman with long blonde hair, black glasses, and a black blazer over a white blouse smiles in front of a plain gray background.

Marilyn Scott, Equifax

Marilyn Scott is a Business Information Security Officer at Equifax, where she bridges the gap between business operations and security to drive compliance and risk mitigation. Her career accelerated following the 2021 Women in Technology (WIT) Single Mothers Program, where she was honored as a Single Mother of the Year Finalist. After the program, Marilyn secured a role at Equifax and quickly advanced to her current position through her distinguished performance.

Driven by lifelong learning, she earned industry credentials including CompTIA Security+, Google Cloud Digital Leader, and Generative AI Leader certifications. Marilyn holds an Associate in Cybersecurity with a Cyber Crime minor from Gwinnett Technical College, and is pursuing her Bachelor’s degree at Kennesaw State University.

Her journey exemplifies resilience and technical excellence. Deeply passionate about encouraging others, Marilyn stays grounded outside of work through her faith, running, and family time.

A person with short, curly blonde hair wears a maroon blazer, white shirt, and striped tie, standing indoors with a confident expression.

Shana Shell, Norfolk Southern

Shana N. Shell is a high-performing Technology Analyst and DevSecOps professional known for delivering secure, scalable, and data-driven solutions that drive enterprise transformation. She excels at embedding security into the software development lifecycle, leveraging automation, CI/CD pipelines, and advanced data engineering to improve system performance, reliability, and compliance.

With a strong foundation in business analysis and consulting, Shana translates complex challenges into actionable, high-impact technical strategies—enabling smarter decisions and measurable results. A continuous learner and innovation advocate, she stays at the forefront of DevSecOps, cloud technologies, and data platforms, consistently elevating the teams and organizations she supports.

The 2026 WIT Awards winners will be announced October 22 at the Georgia Aquarium. See all 2026 finalists →

Learn more about the WIT Awards →

Meet the 2026 Early Career Excellence Finalists

by

The Early Career Excellence Award recognizes an early-career technology professional whose initiative, creativity, and investment in others significantly exceed what is typical at her stage. Here’s a closer look at this year’s three finalists.

A young woman with straight, light brown hair, wearing a dark green blouse, smiles at the camera. She is indoors with blurred windows and greenery in the background.

Vivian Milender, Cox Automotive

Vivian Milender is a Product Manager II at Cox Automotive, where she supports innovation in the digital wholesale automotive marketplace.

A graduate of the Terry College of Business at University of Georgia, Vivian earned her BBA in Management Information Systems with an emphasis in Information Security. She began her career at Cox as a LEAD Analyst in the company’s flagship early career development program, quickly gaining hands-on experience in solving real-world challenges and delivering value to clients in a fast-paced, evolving industry as first a product owner and now a product manager of a highly visible, high growth and profitable product line. Vivian was recently nominated for an Innovator Excellence Award at Cox within her product and technology group.

Passionate about leadership, innovation, and community impact, Vivian is actively involved in Women In Technology (WIT), where she continues to champion opportunities for women in STEM.

A young woman with long black hair, wearing a beige blazer and white top, smiles at the camera against a plain light background.

Roshina Rafee, The Home Depot

Roshina Mohamed Rafee, Sr. Systems Engineer, Agentic Solutions at The Home Depot, where she leads engineering efforts at the intersection of personalization, AI infrastructure, and enterprise technology. She spearheaded the Component Selector expansion initiative — a critical personalization system powering homedepot.com, one of the largest retail websites in the U.S. with over 2.2 billion annual visits — enabling marketing teams to run large-scale A/B experiments that drive customer engagement and conversion. Roshina also owns the engineering infrastructure behind The Home Depot’s Gemini Enterprise AI platform, serving over 6,500 associates nationwide with secure access to enterprise-grade AI tools. Her work on access provisioning, agent sharing, and GCP infrastructure has been instrumental in scaling the company’s AI capabilities. Roshina is passionate about driving innovation and empowering teams through technology.

A woman with long dark hair, wearing a navy blazer, white top, and a necklace, smiles at the camera against a plain blue-gray background.

Nicole Rebolledo, Southwire Company

Nicole Rebolledo is a Project Manager in IT Governance at Ocean Bank and incoming Senior Analyst in IT Governance Operations at Southwire Company. At Ocean Bank, she leads enterprise AI governance initiatives at the intersection of technology, risk, and compliance, helping shape frameworks that enable responsible AI adoption in a regulated financial environment.

An MBA candidate at Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business, Nicole serves as a Student Ambassador and President of Scheller Pride and is a Dean’s List scholar. She began her career mentoring high-risk youth in behavioral health, bringing a distinctive human-centered lens to technology leadership. Her recognitions include FIU’s Researcher of the Year and a 2025 Young Professional of the Year nomination.

The 2026 WIT Awards winners will be announced October 22 at the Georgia Aquarium. See all 2026 finalists →

Learn more about the WIT Awards →

Meet the 2026 Woman to Watch Finalists

by

The Woman to Watch Award recognizes a mid-career leader in technology who has already delivered measurable results beyond her formal role, expanded her scope of influence over time, and made a deliberate, visible investment in advancing others. Here’s a closer look at this year’s three finalists.

Woman with long, wavy black hair wearing a dark blazer and white top, smiling in front of a gray mottled background.

Devi Battina, Primerica Financial Services

Lalitha “Devi” Battina is the Enterprise API Practice Lead at Primerica, with over 28 years of experience delivering enterprise technology solutions across telecommunications, aviation, financial services, and enterprise platforms for organizations including Primerica, Delta, Cox, and Verizon. For the past six years at Primerica, she has led a 20+ person cross-functional team with full lifecycle ownership of a shared-services ecosystem supporting 300+ Kubernetes-hosted enterprise APIs — driving platform modernization, operational excellence, and engineering mentorship. Beyond her enterprise role, Devi founded Covenant (withcovenant.app), a platform helping women recognize, document, and understand the value of their financial, and household contributions, including a “Career Sacrifice” calculator. An AWS Certified Solutions Architect and Primerica’s internal WIT chapter lead, she is committed to mentorship, technical excellence, and using technology for lasting social impact.

A woman with long, wavy brown hair, wearing a brown short-sleeve top with gold buttons, smiles in front of a dark blue background.

Selma Dogic, Carter’s

Selma Dogic is Senior Director of Data and Analytics at Carter’s, Inc., where she leads the Analytics Center of Excellence, Business Intelligence, and AI Center of Excellence. Her work spans analytics strategy, data governance, machine learning, and enterprise AI enablement. Prior to Carter’s, she held analytics roles at The Home Depot and NCR. Selma is a contributing author of Analytics Interpreted and has served on the board of the Technology Association of Georgia’s Analytics & AI Society. She has spoken at industry conferences including DataConnect and is a mentor in the Women in Analytics community. She holds a Master’s in Economics from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

A woman with braided hair, wearing a light blue blazer, patterned white top, and colorful earrings, smiles in front of a plain brown background.

Stella Ihenacho, Red Hat

Stella Ihenacho is Team Lead of the RTE Organization for Red Hat’s Data & AI division, the first person appointed to this role. She leads RTE assignment strategy, talent alignment, and delivery coordination while driving Agile transformation across 200+ people in 20+ globally distributed teams delivering enterprise data platforms, AI solutions, and business intelligence products. With over a decade in enterprise technology, Stella has held progressive roles spanning program management, Agile coaching, team leadership, and organizational transformation. She is Co-Founder of NSTAR Technologies, helping 800+ professionals enter enterprise tech careers, and Co-Founder of the African Immigrant Collective and AIM Women’s Conference. Stella is a TEDx speaker, PMI Global Steering Committee member, and certified Leadership and Agile Coach. She holds an MBA, PSM II, PMI-ACP, and ICP-ACC.

The 2026 WIT Awards winners will be announced October 22 at the Georgia Aquarium. See all 2026 finalists →

Learn more about the WIT Awards →

Meet the 2026 Enterprise Executive Impact Finalists

by

The Enterprise Executive Impact Award recognizes executives who have delivered sustained, large-scale impact within a major or highly complex organization. Here’s a closer look at this year’s three finalists.

A woman with long black hair, wearing a sleeveless yellow top, smiles in front of a gray stone wall.

Arati Chavan, McKesson

Arati Chavan is Vice President of Cyber Security at McKesson, where she leads with purpose to advance health outcomes for all , keeping patient safety at the core. A visionary leader with exceptional business acumen , she has lead multiple $100M+ cyber and technology transformation portfolios safeguarding a global healthcare ecosystem. With over two decades of experience across Fortune 50 companies such as Elevance Health , General Electric, Synchrony Financial, she has a proven track record of delivering large scale Digital and Cyber transformations. Known for building high-performing teams, mentoring next generation leaders , championing for Girls and Women in Tech. She also serves as National Chair of McKesson’s oldest ERG, advancing inclusion and belonging.Her impact has earned recognition as WIT Women of the Year Honoree (2025), Top 50 Women Leaders of Georgia and Technology (2023), and Impactful Cyber Executive, alongside her work mentoring with Girls Who Code and Women Who Code.

Professional woman with long, straight, light brown hair wearing a dark blazer over a white blouse, smiling at the camera against a dark background.

Naomi Lariviere, ADP

Naomi Lariviere is Chief Product Owner and VP of Product Management at ADP, where she leads ADP Workforce Now and Next Gen Payroll, products used by millions of employees and HR teams daily. With 20+ years across product management and technology, she operates at the intersection of AI, human capital management, and enterprise-scale product delivery. Naomi is a MIT Sloan Management Review panelist, Forbes Technology Council member, and vocal advocate for responsible AI design. She is deeply committed to mentorship and leadership development for women in technology and product management. Naomi holds master’s degrees in Business and Management from Webster University and has pursued advanced studies at Stanford University and MIT.

Woman with long straight dark purple hair wearing a black blazer and white top, smiling at the camera, with a plain light-colored background.

Missy Lawson, Fiserv

Missy Lawson, SVP of Technology, heads cyber, risk and business operations for Finxact, a division of Fiserv Inc, a global leader in technology and payments that enables commerce, banking and the safe and secure movement of money. Missy is accountable for the delivery and operational stability of technology enabling our businesses, achieving revenue realization through client implementations of our digital products, roadmap enablement, and delivery of strategic technology initiatives.

With 30 years of IT experience, Missy has been a Fiserv employee since February 2006. During that tenure she has served the company in a variety of Operations, Engineering, Architecture, and Merger & Acquisition roles, as well as Portfolio Delivery positions within Fiserv Technology Services.

An Expert Engineer at Fiserv, Missy is an active member of Women In Technology and Women we Admire and has been twice recognized as a Top 100 Women in Fintech by Fintech Magazine.

The 2026 WIT Awards winners will be announced October 22 at the Georgia Aquarium. See all 2026 finalists →

Learn more about the WIT Awards →

Meet the 2026 Organizational Executive Impact Finalists

by

The Organizational Executive Impact award recognizes executives driving meaningful, measurable transformation within their organization, regardless of company size. Here’s a closer look at this year’s three finalists.

Woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a white blazer with a black grid pattern and a black top, stands smiling with arms crossed against a dark blurred background.

Caroline Cochran, Candescent

Caroline Cochran is the Chief People Officer at Candescent, the leading cloud-native digital banking platform serving 1,300+ U.S. banks and credit unions. She leads global people and talent strategy, driving employee engagement, talent development, and a high-performance organizational culture with a data-driven approach. Caroline’s career spans HR leadership, enterprise technology, and risk and compliance, including executive roles at QGenda and Secureworks, a Dell Technologies company. She serves as a Board Member & Executive Committee Member of the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and is a graduate of the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia.

A woman with long, wavy hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a navy blazer over a white shirt and stands against a plain gray background.

Tasha McCall, Synchrony Financial

Tasha S. McCall is VP, Payments & Agentic Commerce at Synchrony Financial, where she leads emerging payments product strategy, contributing to $6B+ in YTD sales toward a $12B digital payments portfolio goal. With more than 20 years in FinTech and financial services, including leadership roles at Fiserv, Worldpay, Truist Bank, Ceridian, CheckFree, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan Chase, Tasha is a proven FinTech Digital Transformation executive who has launched 50+ products and enhancements and managed multi-million dollar P&Ls.

She holds degrees from Yale University, Columbia Business School, and Middlesex University, U.K. A dedicated champion for Women in Technology (WIT), Tasha serves as co-lead of Synchrony’s WIT partnership, securing ~$100K in overall WIT sponsorship.

Additionally, Tasha serves on the Leadership Perimeter Board developing impactful Atlanta community leaders through a focus on civic engagement and regional impact.

A woman with medium-length black hair, wearing a navy blazer and gray blouse, smiles in an office setting with a blurred plant and window in the background.

Jaga Saravanan, MagMutual Insurance

Jaga Saravanan, Chief of Technology Operations at MagMutual, is a senior technology executive with 25+ years leading enterprise transformation, reliability engineering, cloud modernization, and AI enablement across financial services, fintech, and healthcare insurance. She pairs deep technical expertise with strategic business leadership to drive innovation and growth.

At 24, she founded Vupusaki Software (Chennai, 1998; acquired 2013), built with a predominantly women technology team. At MagMutual, she led the enterprise SRE transformation reducing post-refresh defects 75%+ and burnout ~40% while governing 1,600+ annual production changes. At Bakkt, she lifted platform availability from 95% to 99.99% and CSAT from 78 to 88. She is a Georgia State Certified VEX coach and FIRST head coach (2017 VEX IQ World Excellence Award), an MIT Sloan AI alumna, and a community mentor advancing women through technology and the arts.

The 2026 WIT Awards winners will be announced October 22 at the Georgia Aquarium. See all 2026 finalists →

Learn more about the WIT Awards →