Women Who Code Launches in Raleigh / Durham, NC
Global Tech Nonprofit Establishes Network to Support Local Engineering Community
Raleigh / Durham - April 26th, 2017 — Women Who Code (WWCode), an international 501c3 that provides programs and training for career aged tech professionals, announces the launch of their latest Network in Raleigh / Durham, NC. This local group will act as a source of support and inspiration for the engineering community in the city while also working to advocate for more diverse and inclusive practices in the technology industry as a whole.
Women Who Code Raleigh / Durham will be led by Directors Lisa Smith, a Web Developer at New Media Campaigns, and Emily Stamey, an Application Developer at North Carolina State University. Together they will be tasked with planning and executing events, empowering members to take on leadership roles, working with local companies to secure sponsorships, as well as advocacy and outreach efforts to engineers in the city.
Lisa described her motivation for becoming a Women Who Code Network Director, “Workforce diversity is crucial for overall success and I want to provide as much support for women to discover and enjoy careers in the tech industry as possible. I have almost always been the only woman doing what I do in any organization and I want to see that change.”
The launch event for Women Who Code Raleigh / Durham is taking place Wednesday, April 26th, at the offices of Iron Yard in Raleigh. The event is scheduled to include a panel discussion as well as a networking session, with refreshments available throughout.
Director Emily Stamey spoke about her goals for the Network, “ A lot of the local organizations have been devoted to helping people get started in technology. They've given me the opportunity to help people learn. I love teaching and helping. It has been rewarding and raised my confidence. However, these groups don't usually provide growth opportunities for Intermediate to Advanced technologists. Our lives and jobs spread us all over the Triangle, and we may not have opportunities to be in the same room as other women in tech at our jobs. That’s why there is a real need for Women Who Code in Raleigh/Durham!”
The Raleigh / Durham Network currently has 118 members, and is part of the greater international Women Who Code community which consists of over 80,000 tech professionals located in 60 cities and 20 countries around the world. This group is part of the organization's new “cohort” launch system, that has allowed them to develop more than 20 new Networks in the last three months.
Joey Rosenberg Women Who Code’s Global Leadership Director, spoke about the Network Launch saying, “We’re so excited to be able to bring WWCode to the Raleigh / Durham area. Lisa and Emily are incredible people and they are going to make great Directors. I’m looking forward to seeing the good that they can do for both the local community and the economy.”
About Women Who Code
Women Who Code (WWCode) is an international nonprofit dedicated to inspiring women to excel in technology careers. WWCode is building a world where women are proportionally representative as technical leaders, executives, founders, VCs, board members and software engineers. The organization has executed more than 4,200 free events around the world, garnered a membership exceeding 80,000, and has a presence in 20 countries. Help empower even more women to advance in tech with the training and community they need to succeed by supporting WWCode . Learn more at womenwhocode.com.