PRITS to hold virtual conference on women in innovation & tech
By The Star Staff
On Wednesday, the Office of Innovation and Technology Services (PRITS) will hold the virtual conference “M•Power: Women in Innovation and Technology,” in which five women from various professions will speak from their perspectives about the changes that must be made to achieve equity in the fields of technology and innovation in Puerto Rico.
The event will feature the participation of Delphine Donné from Logitech, Rosanna Durruthy from LinkedIn, Marilé Colón Robles from NASA/SSAI, Jöelle Romeu Mejía from Boeing and Nannette Martínez Ortiz, the interim director of PRITS.
“Over the years, the fields of technology and innovation have been characterized by gender inequality,” Martínez Ortiz said. “Even when other industries have made progress in this regard, the participation of women in technology careers has remained at 21 percent in part due to lack of female representation and conditions that negatively affect the work culture.”
The PRITS interim director added that “in this virtual event we will be hearing from four women who, from different professional fields, have led innovation and technology efforts.”
“It is important to give these role models a platform, especially to counteract the impact of the pandemic on the workforce,” she said.
Martínez Ortiz referred to a study conducted by the Women in Tech Council, which revealed that by 2021 there were still 1.4 million mothers of school-age children yet to recover jobs from COVID-19.
M•Power: Women in Innovation & Technology will be held virtually from 10 a.m. to noon. Those interested in being part of the virtual conference must register at https://mpower.pr.gov/