FRAMINGHAM, MA — (Marketwire) — 11/30/11 — In its most successful fundraising year ever, has raised $54,000 for college scholarships that will go to girls who are pursuing degrees in technology and engineering.
ITWomen, a Florida-based organization founded by senior women in the technology industry, has raised $254,000 and awarded 48 four-year scholarships in the past eight years through its annual fundraiser that centers on the CIO community.
Victoria Usherenko, founder and president of ITWomen, credits the group-s blockbuster fundraising, in a time of economic recovery, in part to growing recognition that “women must be part of the solution to a shortage of degreed professionals and leaders in technology and engineering within the STEM areas.”
“More female CIOs and managers are talking openly about the challenges facing executive women in the male dominated industry,” said Pamela Stenson, senior VP and general manager of the CIO Executive Council, and the chair of the Council-s Executive Women in IT (EWIT) program.
The CIO Executive Council, a global peer-advisory service for senior IT leaders powered by IDG, the largest technology, media, event and research company in the world, is a major supporter of the ITWomen scholarship fundraisers.
“ITWomen and the CIO Executive Council are a natural fit. We share a commitment to inspire young people to enter the profession, engage senior leaders to give back, and help identify strategies for success for executive women in the IT profession,” said Stenson.
The centerpiece of ITWomen-s successful fundraiser is a “CIO Celebrity” poker tournament in which CIOs of significant staffs and critical job sectors are invited to compete with players who donate scholarship funds to be in the tournament.
ITWomen-s popular poker tournament and casino night also drew a record number of major corporate sponsors. Women made up nearly a third of the poker players and of the CIOs at the tables this year.
Scholarship donations go to ITWomen-s Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that operates the scholarship program. Applicants must be females graduating from a South Florida high school with plans for earning degrees in a technology or engineering field.
ITWomen scholarship recipients have gone to out-of-state colleges such as MIT, the University of Rochester, Vanderbilt and Emory, as well as major universities in Florida.
ITWomen is the premier South Florida-based organization dedicated to the advancement, advocacy, and development of professional women in technology and engineering. Its Role Model Speakers program encourages girls 8 to 18 to consider technology and engineering careers, and its scholarships support young women pursuing engineering and technology degrees.
The CIO Executive Council serves strategic thought leaders who are passionate about driving the evolution of the IT profession. This global community is comprised of hundreds of the world-s leading chief information officers who together form the most trusted peer-consultancy resource available to the profession. The Council-s Executive Women in IT (EWIT) community of practice provides peer-advisory and leadership development opportunities for female IT leaders navigating the challenges of career advancement. For more information, please visit .
CIO Executive Council is part of IDG Enterprise, an International Data Group company. Company information is available at .
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