Key takeaways from Women in Tech USA

On May 5-7, 2025, six of our Credera women traveled to National Harbor, Md., to attend the Women in Tech USA conference. Hosted by International Telecoms Week, the event featured presentations by Google, Red Hat, Salesforce, and other notable tech companies on the conference's theme of "Leading the Digital Revolution."

The sessions ranged from industry-specific excerpts to fireside chats with experienced leaders in the tech space. The group agreed that a couple of them especially stood out.

Noteworthy Women in Tech USA takeaways

Padma Vellanki from New York Life Insurance Company delivered a highly informative talk on the critical role of data in AI. She outlined the types of data and AI models, emphasizing the "five pillars of data": volume, velocity, variety, veracity, and validity. Padma highlighted the importance of high-quality data in training AI models and advocated for ethical data governance and robust data ecosystems, encouraging attendees to approach data with intention, innovation, and integrity.

The group also enjoyed hearing from Kim Morick from IBM Consulting, who discussed how AI is revolutionizing the workplace, especially in the HR sector. She addressed the necessity of AI literacy and governance, encouraging organizations to adopt AI to streamline tasks and enhance employee skills. Morick also shared how IBM's approach to integrating AI in HR functions has yielded significant efficiencies and cost reductions, including 21% lower total costs of the HR function per employee, 13% more employees services per HR function FTE, and 25% less time HR employees spend on repetitive or redundant tasks.

Overall, the three main takeaways were that continuous learning is imperative, strategic alignment to our values in our careers will ensure we thrive, and to embrace AI as a tool for empowerment while tied to intentional data governance. As we navigate all the oncoming and present changes AI introduces, staying curious and proactive will be crucial in shaping a future that utilizes this powerful tool well.

Fostering community at Women in Tech USA

Aside from the conference, the women explored the local spots in Old Town, Alexandria, where they stayed, and enjoyed several different cuisines. They agreed their favorite restaurant of the trip was Ada's on the River, a scenic American restaurant set on the waterfront of the Potomac River. Most of all, though, they loved getting to know one other better, as the three pairs of them each represented a different geo.

Attendees included Grace Pnacek (Chicago Consultant), Sreeti Ravi (Chicago Architect), Rose White (Dallas Senior Consultant), Chelsea Cline (Dallas Senior Architect), Lilia Brown (Denver Consultant), and Ellen Honganen (Denver Architect).

Credera's Women in Engineering program aims to foster a community of connection, empowerment, and growth for women in engineering and technology roles, globally. The program provides a supportive environment to discuss and share experiences, build networks, and develop skills through internal and external events.

• Women In Tech
• Women In Technology
• Google
• Salesforce