UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Members of the Penn State community are invited to join alumni of the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) for "IST Alumni Identity Talks – Women in Tech," to be held virtually from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28.
In the talk series, IST alumni from underrepresented backgrounds share the diverse experiences they’ve gained, and challenges and opportunities they’ve faced, through their educational and professional journeys.
The Feb. 28 panel coincides with the 9th Annual Lean In Panel, organized by the college’s Women in IST (WIST) student organization to bring together IST alumnae who can share insight in STEM careers. The annual Lean In Panel is based on the national “Lean In” movement from best-selling author and chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg of Meta Platforms, which aims to empower women to lean into their ambitions.
Alumni panelists for the Women in Tech/Lean in Panel talk on Feb. 28 include:
-
Janay Coles, a senior cyber analyst at Textron who has worked with IT teams on a variety of projects, including upgrading anti-virus software, installing and maintaining new security products, and monitoring and responding to security incidents. She has been with Textron since earning her bachelor’s degree in security and risk analysis in 2015, and also holds certifications in GHIC, GSEC and GCFE.
-
Shelly Gasperine, a director in PwC’s consulting solutions practice focused on helping clients in the technology and telecom sectors navigate company-wide transformation programs. In her more than 15 years of consulting, she has managed programs ranging from M&A integration, finance transformation and talent management. As a part of enhancing the employee experience, Shelly also worked as a product manager for an internal PwC application, focusing on improving the natural language processing for PwC's digital assistant app, Astro.
-
Angela Govila, executive director and head of product for payments and banking platforms with JPMorgan Chase’s Corporate Investment Bank. Govila has gained deep experience in end-to-end customer success lifecycles and new product innovation in digital banking through her current and past roles at Chase for Business, Capital One, Ernst & Young and General Electric. She earned her degree in information sciences and technology in 2005, and currently serves on the college’s Dean’s Advisory Board.
-
Neha Sharma, senior consultant at IBM, provides analytical support to clients while leveraging technology to uncover new opportunities. She earned a bachelor’s degree in information sciences and technology in 2017 and a master of professional studies in management and organizational leadership (MOL) from Penn State in 2018. She also holds professional certifications in project management (PMP) and AWS Cloud Computing.
“I am a huge believer in sharing my experience and giving back to the Penn State and IST community,” said Sharma. “I also love advocating for others as I too know the significant impact that minorities have in the world of technology and business.”
The IST Identity Talks series aims to inspire an open dialogue for students and alumni, and provide unique viewpoints to help all attendees be better prepared to thrive in diverse professional and personal communities. Members of the IST and Penn State community are invited and encouraged to attend the talks, which continue this spring semester with the next talk on April 5 focused on Strength in Diversity.
For more information on IST Identity Talks and to view recordings of past panels, visit ist.psu.edu/identity-talks.