Women in IoT Center of Excellence Panel Discussion
Session Abstract:
This panel will explore effective strategies for promoting and encouraging women in the tech industry. We will bring together industry leaders and advocates to share insights on mentorship, networking, and leadership development tailored for women. Discussions will focus on successful initiatives that foster inclusive environments, highlight the importance of representation, and offer actionable steps for organizations to implement. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the challenges women face in tech and practical tools to create a more equitable and supportive industry. Together, we can drive meaningful change and inspire the next generation of women leaders in IoT, AI, and other technologies.
Speakers:
Emily Dilday is the Principal Business Solutions Manager for SAS’ IoT Division, driving the successful engagement of partner-driven solutions powered by SAS technology. Emily orchestrates a cross-functional team of R&D, customer advisory, support & enablement, analytics, and marketing experts to facilitate channel partner success. She also leads the development and strategy for the Microsoft Azure/SAS IoT partnership. Prior to joining SAS, Emily spent over 20 years at Cisco, leading teams in Information Technology, Enterprise Information Security, IoT/Network Security and Customer Experience. She holds a B.S. in Math and Computer Science from Meredith College, an M.B.A. from Pfeiffer University and has completed professional certification in project management from Stanford University. She is a licensed Project Management Professional, certified by the Project Management Institute. As a Tech and IoT industry leader, Emily is passionate about supporting women in STEM and helping students enter STEM careers through mentorship and advocacy. She is a member of the IoT Community Women in Technology Center of Excellence and volunteers as a group mentor for AI4ALL. In her free time, Emily enjoys spending time with her family, travelling and boating.
Kelly Ireland founded CBT in 2001 as a value-added reseller (VAR) focused on unparalleled client service. However, having a keen eye for technology trends and always taking the time and opportunity to listen to industry experts, she assessed the impending changes in the industry early on. She built up CBT’s engineering expertise, data science practice and partnerships to revolutionize the company’s offerings and make the difficult transition from VAR to Domain Expert Integrator. Since that time, the Company has flourished. CBT is now in rarefied air, bridging the gap between operational technologies (OT) and information technologies (IT) with groundbreaking projects like the Refinery of the Future (RotF) at Texmark Chemicals. Successful initiatives like RotF in Industrial IoT and High Performance Computing have positioned CBT as a key partner to industry-leading companies such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise, RealWear, PTC, Intel, ABB, Rockwell Automation, GuardHat, Relimetrics and more. This has spurred explosive growth for CBT, adding dozens of net new logos in 2020-2022. Kelly’s leadership has also led to a myriad of accolades, including seven consecutive CRN IoT Innovators awards, 2019 Triple Crown Award from CRN, nine consecutive Boeing Performance Excellence Awards, and the 2019 & 2020 Women Presidents’ Organization’s 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies. Kelly has also achieved numerous personal awards, including CRN’s Women of the Channel and Power Solution Providers yearly since 2018.
Chandra is a dynamic thought-leader dedicated to transforming companies and their leadership. She specializes in crafting sustainable value creation strategies that enable organizations to seize pivotal opportunities during growth, transition, and transformation. Chandra inspires her clients to be mission, values, and purpose-driven organizations that attain long-term resiliency. Her thoughtful and strategic guidance helps clients enhance their position as innovative industry leaders who consistently realize their vision and outperform their competition. Beyond her client work, Chandra’s passion for transformation is evident in her industry and community contributions. She serves on numerous Boards and has been an Advisor to the Transformative Leadership in Disruptive Times program at George Washington University School of Business. Chandra earned an Executive MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, where she also served on the Alumni Council. Currently, she is actively involved in leading local alumni events. In addition, Chandra serves on the Board of Advisors for NC TECH. Her dedication extends to personal interests as well; she enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending quality time with her husband and family. Through every endeavor, Chandra remains focused on fostering authentic alignment between personal growth and organizational success.
Tara Chklovski is CEO of Technovation, a nonprofit that has empowered 450,000 underserved participants across 120+ countries to tackle local problems using cutting-edge mobile and AI technologies. Technovation recently released a strategic plan to empower 25 million girls with AI & technology entrepreneurship skills over the coming years – to support 100 countries to meet the UN 2030 Sustainable Development goals.
Jelane Caspar serves as the Communications Ecosystem Development Executive for Oracle Communications. With over 30 years of experience in the telecom industry, Jelane has led strategic client teams across a variety of verticals for organizations such as Sprint, Focal, AT&T, Vodafone, and Oracle. Joining Oracle in 2021 as a Global Vice President in the Strategic Client Group, she led teams supporting North American communications and media companies. In her current role, Jelane is dedicated to fostering growth by expanding partnerships, both internal and external, particularly dedicated to the Oracle Enterprise Communications Platform (ECP). A passionate advocate for client-focused collaboration, Jelane thrives on driving innovation and delivering measurable business success. Beyond her professional endeavors, she is actively involved in charitable initiatives and serves as Vice Chair of the Board for Neighbors Link, a non-profit organization. Jelane earned her degree from Michigan State University and continues to leverage her expertise and leadership to make a positive impact both professionally and within her community.
Gayathri Jeganmohan is a Software Engineer at Microsoft with nearly a decade of expertise in IoT and Embedded Software development. She currently leads several projects within Azure IoT Operations, focusing on building solutions that enhance observability and improve the developer experience for highly scalable, distributed brokers. Previously, Gayathri made significant contributions at Intel as part of the Windows OS team, where she worked on improving device drivers and optimizing Azure Cognitive Services for Intel platforms. In 2017, she represented Intel at the Microsoft Ignite Conference, showcasing an Anomaly Detection application powered by Edge computing. She also holds few patents with her contribution to tech industry. Passionate about mentorship and community building, she actively mentors aspiring young girls through Global Give Back and serves on the leadership team for Microsoft’s Women in IoT and Early Career groups.