2017 WELD Pittsburgh Leadership Series September

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1 2017 WELD Pittsburgh Leadership Series September Partnering with: Suzy Teele Kelley Benson Julia Poepping Patti Rote September 28, 2017 Thursday Networking 7:30am-8:00am Program 8:00am-9:30am Ascender 6401 Penn Ave Pittsburgh, PA (Located in the same plaza as Trader Joe s on the other side of the free parking lot) - Registration Fees - Member: $25 ($30 after 9/10/17) Non-Member: $35 ($40 after 9/10/17) No refunds or credits after 9/10/17 For sponsorship opportunities, contact Rhonda Carson Leach at rcleach@innovation.pitt.edu. Register at: It s 2017: Why Aren t There More Women In Tech? WELD is excited to partner with Thrival for our September Leadership Series Panel Event. Too frequently we hear about the challenges that women who chose technical careers face, whether it's sexual harassment or manifestos stating that women aren't biologically suited for these roles. Statistics have shown that the number of women obtaining technical degrees in the US has dropped by 50% since the mid 1980s. Is this a coincidence? We'll explore the possible answers, and discuss how various Pittsburgh organizations are taking on this challenge. Suzy Teele, Managing Director, Advance Robotics for Manufacturing Institute, and Co-Chair, WELD Pittsburgh Chapter Steering Committee, will moderate the following panel of amazing women leaders from our region: Kelley Benson, Director of HR & Inclusion, InnovationWorks Julia Poepping, Founder, Red Chair Pittsburgh Patti Rote, Founder, Carnegie Mellon University Girls of Steel Robotics Program Registration closes on September 22 nd! Late fees apply after registration closes. Contact Mindy Koenig at mkoenig@weldoh.org if you have questions. Only a limited number of walk-ins can be accommodated at the door. WELD Members are also invited to attend Marquee Intelligence Humans X Tech at the Carnegie Museum of Art at 6:30 pm on 9/28/2017 for FREE. Please register using Promo Code WELD at

2 About Our Moderator Suzy Teele Managing Director, Advance Robotics for Manufacturing Institute Co-Chair, WELD Pittsburgh Chapter Steering Committee Suzy Teele is a highly-respected executive who has been an integral part of the Pittsburgh technology and business community for over 25 years. She is currently Head of Marketing and Communications for the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute, a national public-private partnership focused on advancing robotics and workforce development to grow US manufacturing. Prior to joining the ARM Institute, she was the COO of two technology start-ups. Suzy is currently the co-lead for the WELD Pittsburgh chapter, a 2017 Pittsburgh Business Times BusinessWomen First Awardee and a Finalist for the 2014 Greater Pittsburgh Athena Award. She has strong ties with Indiana University of PA (IUP), where she has been recognized as Distinguished Alumni, Eberly College of Business and Technology Hall of Fame Inductee, and Commencement Speaker. Suzy also provides education and mentoring for the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, PowerLink, Ascender, and Innovation Works through AlphaLab and AlphaLab Gear.

3 Kelley Benson Director of HR & Inclusion, InnovationWorks Kelley Benson, Director of Human Resources & Inclusion, Kelley Benson helps Innovation Works portfolio companies build the skills and culture necessary for high performance and growth. Kelley works with new and established leaders to help them develop strategic and innovative programs that improve performance, profitability and employee engagement. Kelley collaborates with leaders to determine a clear path for their business and career development, ensuring a commitment to diversity and inclusion while creating an environment where people can do their best work. With more than 10 years of human resources experience in both the private and nonprofit sector, Kelley shares her experience with technology start-ups and develops their knowledge related to human resources strategies and assists with mitigating risks. Kelley is committed to educating all on a diverse and inclusive environment. She believes it begins with the senior leaders where the tone for the culture of the organization is set. Kelley joins the IW Team from a diverse background. Her history working in various industries, include financial services, global legal, insurance, technical environments, and a public utility. Responsibilities have included coaching C-Suite employees, recruitment, retention, leadership training and development, conflict resolution, organizational development, benefit administration, Human Resource policy interpretations. Prior to joining IW, Kelley was the Director of Human Resources for the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. Previously, she was Regional Human Resource Manager at K&L Gates Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Chicago offices. Kelley also managed the Employee Relations department at Highmark Health Pittsburgh office as well as managed the Camp Hill office for a period of time. Kelley also held a number of roles while working at United Way of Allegheny County for over 10 years. Kelley received her B.S. in Business and M.B.A. from Point Park University. She was the recipient of the Exceptional Performance Award multiple years and also received the Exceptional Customer Service Award during her tenure with United Way.

4 Julia Poepping Principal Consultant and Founder, Copasec Founder, Red Chair Pittsburgh Julia Poepping is Principal Consultant and founder of Copasec. Julia founded Copasec in August 2015 after a 30-year IT / business career in which she successfully developed, delivered and managed business-focused information services solutions. Julia has experience in establishing well-regarded cybersecurity governance and compliance programs, leading IT merger teams and conducting IT due diligence for mergers and acquisitions. Julia received her BBA in MIS from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and her MBA from the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business. Julia has a passion for giving back. She serves as a board volunteer for University of Pittsburgh Katz MBA program, a technical advisor for 412FoodRescue non-profit and is the founder and champion for RedChairPGH - a network of women and men who advocate for gender equity in the Pittsburgh tech community.

5 Patti Rote Founder, Carnegie Mellon University Girls of Steel Robotics Program Patti Rote, co-founded Girls of Steel in 2010 and is currently a part time employee to manage this high school robotics outreach program at the Field Robotics Center, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Occasionally she serves as an adjunct professor instructing undergraduates and MBA students. Prior to becoming an employee at CMU, Patti served as an independent contractor given the title of Robotics Industry Program Director for CMU reporting to Government Relations. In this capacity, she led several initiatives that she managed at her previous full time position, i.e., a regional robotics alliance and the Congressional Robotics Caucus. Prior to her recent consulting work, Patti was Vice President of Marketing & Marketing Communications for The Technology Collaborative (TTC). While at TTC she assumed an additional role of establishing and later directing a newly formed Congressional Caucus and she continued to manage this special interest group under CMU. During her four years managing the caucus she gave over 200 presentations to Congressional offices, and she was on a team that convinced the House of Representatives to establish a National Robotics Week that was passed through legislation. In 2012, she was invited to the White House twice where she was one of fifty business leaders at a round table with President Obama s economic advisors. Before founding her first consulting firm, Patti was employed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation/CBS meeting the development and strategic planning needs of the various business units. There she developed expertise in business planning, conducting feasibility studies, analyzing industries, marketing research, and executive logistics. As an advocate of international buying and selling in the emerging and lesser-developed countries, Patti traveled extensively throughout Asia primarily focusing on doing business in Mainland China. Earlier she concentrated on joint ventures with the Japanese to evaluate multi-million-dollar capital expenditures that would be used in projects that earned Patti a prestigious customer service award. She played a fundamental role with Westinghouse s international strategic management team that would direct, support and co-ordinate the logistics of the executive office. In this capacity, Patti reported to the International Management Forum, which consisted of the CEO and an executive from each business unit, and contributed her extensive knowledge of the rotocols necessary for doing business globally. In her role as Senior Manager, International Strategic Business Development, she focused on the media and entertainment industries and in this position, she participated in a study to determine the viability of a CBS broadcast center in the Middle East. Patti holds a MBA from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA and a B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh. She attended Carnegie Mellon s Technology to Commercialization course and Northwestern Kellogg s Executive E-Commerce course. She participated in the Darden Executive Management Forum at the University of Virginia, and McKinsey & Company s Strategic Management Program. She is a recipient of the Girl Scouts of Western PA 2014 Women of Distinction Award.