Briefly explain what your Staff Organization does/its mission:
The University of California Women in Technology Committee (UC WIT) is a self-chartered, independent entity that promotes a supportive, inclusive environment to advance the professional goals and aspirations of UC women in technology. To fulfill this mission, the committee pursues initiatives at the university-wide level, leveraging and supporting the work of location-based Women in Technology (WIT) committees and partnering with other leadership and systemwide committees.
How does your Staff Organization benefit UC Berkeley staff?
UC WIT benefits women-identifying staff at UC Berkeley by creating community both at the campus level and UC system-wide. Our organization provides a global, university-wide perspective of WIT issues, serves as a resource for other leadership groups, and works collaboratively across UC locations to build a strong ecosystem of women in technology. We offer professional development opportunities, initiatives, and events, to promote an inclusive environment and ensure fair and equal access to opportunities for women.
How can UC Berkeley staff get involved with your Staff Organization?
- Visit our website to read articles, learn about upcoming events, and more.
- Join the #women_in_tech Slack channel, open to anyone at UC.
- Follow the UC Women In Tech LinkedIn page to keep up with news, spotlights, and more related to women in tech across the University of California system.
- Share stories of your journey in the tech industry or of Berkeley, or UC womxn who inspire you via this form.
- Submit pertinent news, events, podcasts, videos, and more to cmanel@uci.edu. Find out more via the resources page on the UC Women in Tech website.
- Download UC WIT Zoom backgrounds to help promote our community.
In what kinds of events and/or outreach does your Staff Organization engage?
Our local Berkeley UC WIT org is in the early stages of development but in the future we do hope to connect with Cal Women's Network (Rita Rosenthal, Director of Communications in Berkeley IT is a founding member of the org) to team up on brown bag lunches or other types of events that would bring tech topics to a wider audience of women on campus.
Our UC WIT system-wide committee is also growing each year and offering more events including hosting a virtual series with two amazing speakers in celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 4 and March 7. Both discussions will focus on this year’s IWD theme, Inspiring Inclusion. In the spirit of the theme, these events are open to all. Learn more and register here.
We also collaborate on a story for the UC IT Blog each year to celebrate Womxn Who Rock IT and host a session at the annual UC Tech conference (held at UC Berkeley this past year). See all our initiatives here.
What’s the best part of being in this Staff Organization?
I feel a true sense of belonging in this organization surrounded by amazing womxn. I enjoy hearing about the various journeys of how each woman has come to work in the tech field whether it be for decades or just a few years. I'm inspired by our collective resilience of how we all continue to evolve and adapt to the ever-changing landscape of the tech world we live and work in. Leading the communications for the org, and being able to lift and amplify the voices of our community brings me back to that sense of belonging, a feeling that I have a role in all our efforts, it makes me happy to bring what I can in support of UC WIT.
Name one thing you learned by being part of this Staff Organization:
Collaboration and networking are so important for everyone, especially women in a male-dominated industry. It's beautiful to have the ability to share in a safe space to find understanding, to identify issues we may be able to help shift or make change, and to generally support one another.
What are your Staff Organization's current and future goals?
In support of its mission, the UC WIT engages in the following:
- System-wide action: Provides a global, university-wide perspective of WIT issues, serves as a resource for other leadership groups, and works collaboratively across UC locations to build a strong ecosystem of women in technology
- Change initiatives: Advances an agenda, including initiatives and events, to promote an inclusive environment and ensure fair and equal access to opportunities for women.
- Awareness and solutions: Raises awareness about and addresses disparities and inappropriate actions that occur to the detriment of women; engages with and recommends solutions to senior leadership.
- Professional development: Provides opportunities for women to network and receive support for professional advancement.
- Intercampus exchange: Communicates and shares ideas, strategies, resources, and models among the location-based WIT committees, leveraging the contributions of local teams for the benefit of the systemwide community.
