UW–⁠Madison Information Technology
Connecting & supporting our digital campus

UW–‍Madison Women in Information Technology

Empowering women in IT—recruit, retain, advance

UW–‍Madison Women in IT (UW-WIT) is a vibrant community dedicated to improving the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in technology roles across campus. UW-WIT offers mentoring, networking opportunities and engaging professional development and leadership events. Membership is open to people of all genders. Join us in creating a more inclusive IT workforce at UW–‍Madison!

What we do

UW-WIT hosts events designed to support the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in information technology at the university, including:


Professional development


Women in leadership panel discussions


Networking gatherings and opportunities

Our group also participates in the Big Ten Academic Alliance Women+ in Technology monthly coffee catchups on the 3rd Wednesday of each month and their mini-conference each February. Join the WIT email list and get involved.

Join our email list

Mission, values and history

UW-WIT is committed to developing strategies that enhance the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in information technology at UW–‍Madison. We value inclusion, collaboration and recognition of the vital contributions women make in the field of information technology. While our primary audience is women working in IT roles at UW–‍Madison, we welcome and encourage participation from all university community members who share our mission of supporting women in tech.

UW-WIT was founded in 2014 by Brandon Bernier, Deborah Helman and Brenda Spychalla after they completed the Information Technology Leadership Program (ITLP). They leveraged their ITLP skills to create an organization to support women in IT at UW. UW’s chief information officer at the time, Bruce Moss, charged the group with building relationships, engagements and trust to promote innovation and problem-solving. In 2018, UW-WIT helped establish the Big Ten Academic Alliance Women+ in Technology peer group, expanding UW-WIT’s reach and influence beyond the university’s borders. In the 10 years since it started, the representation of women in information technology at UW has been trending upward, especially since 2015. While UW-WIT can’t take full credit, communities like this have been crucial in making the environment friendlier and more desirable for women to stay and grow their IT careers at UW.

Who we are

Co-leads

Portrait of Mehrnaz Ahmadi Jooban

Mehrnaz Ahmadi Joobaneh

Position title: Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research (DAPIR), BI Developer

Portrait of Amanda Thornton

Amanda Thornton

Position title: Space Science & Engineering, Vice Chancellor for Research

Steering team

Join the steering team (1-2 hours/week).

Email the UW-WIT steering team to join

UW-IT Connects

UW-WIT is part of IT Connects, a coalition of volunteer IT professionals from across the university dedicated to breaking down silos by providing resources and opportunities for UW’s IT community to learn and grow together.

Explore IT Connects initiatives

UW–‍Madison IT Connects events