Looking Back at Women in NOVA Panel Series

The chapter's Women in NOVA (WIN) started a panel discussion series that began in fiscal year 2018. Each panel had government executives sharing their experiences, challenges and expertise on a variety of topics. The series began last July with the cloud, human resources transformation and financial accountability as the topics for individual roundtable discussions with representatives from the U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy. Participants could speak with each of the panelists as they rotated through the tables. In October, risk management was the topic with officials from the Army, the Defense Health Agency and industry represented by Thundercat Technology. Speakers shared techniques for identifying, analyzing and communicating risk and methods to mitigate it. Representatives from the U.S. Defense Department, the Marine Corps and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense tackled the topic of Defense Department technology trends in February. The panel discussed the importance of securing non-information technology systems, developing "minimum viable products," and "providing a 22 percent solution and iterate" as well as the challenge of balancing innovation with law, regulation and policy. In May, female technology leaders was the topic, with representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard and Air Force, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, and National Security Agency sharing their varied experiences. All had different routes to their positions as leaders in information technology, but they agreed that women need to be prepared to do their homework, speak up and take advantage of opportunities as they arise.

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