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IPC APEX EXPO 2024: A Preview of the Women in Electronics Reception
March 18, 2024 | Alicia Balonek, IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Women comprise about 47% of the workforce and are statistically underrepresented in STEM fields, yet the number of women in STEM positions has steadily increased. In 1970, women comprised 8% of STEM roles. Today, they represent 27%. This jump is an encouraging sign for aspiring women in tech, but it shows there’s still a long way to go in ensuring the tech and STEM industries reflect the general workforce.
In the early years of this event, we introduced the Women in Electronics reception to allow the very few females at this event to meet and network with each other. Since the launch of IPC APEX EXPO in 2000, we’ve seen an increasing number of females attend the event each year.
Thankfully, through the years, we have had plenty of female trailblazers paving a path for the younger women entering this industry. Each year, we look forward to helping these women build their network so they can share their journey, learn from each other’s experiences, and support each other well beyond IPC APEX EXPO.
This year’s Women in Electronics Reception is scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9. It will feature a panel discussion led by IPC Hall of Famer Karen McConnell, Northrop Grumman, on work-life balance. Panelists include:
· Debie Vorwald, Collins Aerospace
· Despina Davis, Ph.D., Boeing Defense, Space & Security
· Paige Fiet, TTM Technologies
· Christina (Tina) Landon, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane)
They will discuss and highlight success stories and lessons learned on managing a successful career and family and how it’s possible for women to do it all.
Anyone attending IPC APEX EXPO is invited to this event, and we look forward to seeing you there.
Alicia Balonek is the senior director of trade shows and events at IPC.
This article originally appeared in the March 2024 issue of SMT007 Magazine.
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