Greetings, Family!
What an incredible S1-23 Symposium in New York! We answered the challenge! I hope you enjoyed the event as much as we did. Perhaps one of the most rewarding aspects of the spring symposium is our prestigious Technology Leaders Awards and Gala where we celebrated the best of the best—passionate, Black technology leaders who are making a difference in our companies, communities, and the world. This year we recognized 18 amazing leaders! We were excited to award the inaugural Carl C. Williams Leadership Award to two deserving leaders, Doug Ash and Greg Morrison.
Another highlight was the Founders panel reflecting on the mission of ITSMF. The Founders also reflected on the legacy of Carl C. Williams. Carl was one of the first to hold the title of Chief Information Officer and was ITSMF’s first Board Chair.
ITSMF is very proud to have successfully hosted over 420+ Black technology leaders at the Gala and raised over $220,000 at the Technology Leaders Awards and Gala this year. A record for this event! We awarded four scholarships totaling $16,000 this year and next year we will be able to award more scholarships and support more students in the College Mentoring Program and IGNITE. We could not have done this without you – and We Thank You. Because of you, we are now more equipped to push boundaries and ensure a strong representation of Black leadership in the C-suite and other progressive positions of influence at Fortune 1,000 companies.
Another highlight of the Symposium was the Pitch Competition. We heard pitches from three innovative Black Tech Founders and award two winners. Our 1st Place winner: Carlanda McKinney of “Bodify” received $10K; and our People’s Choice Award winner: Georgianna Wright of “Paper” AI received $5K.
As we prepare to graduate 120 leaders in the Global Institute for Professional Development Class of 2023 Commencement ceremony in Atlanta, we have renewed energy and excitement about the future possibilities ahead of these great leaders. Graduation is a time to see the mission of ITSMF in action. I am looking forward to the beautiful processional of leaders. I am also looking forward to the Capstone Projects. I hear that we will all be blown away by the presentations this year.
We are answering the challenge – As we continue our Founders’ mission and vision for a more inclusive industry and nurture the next phase of our organizational growth. This includes an emphasis on funneling $3M+ to Black tech entrepreneurs IGNITE Academy), scaling the Global Institute for Professional Development (GIPD), and growing the College Mentoring Program, all while continuing to nurture Black IT leaders – mind, body, and soul.
We Thank You for your continued support of ITSMF. We are growing and momentum is building. We would not be here without you.
We look forward to seeing you at the S2-23 Symposium on October 29th – 31st, in Austin, TX. Registration information will be available in the weeks ahead.
President and CEO, ITSMF
About Information Technology Senior Management Forum
Since 1996, Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) has been dedicated to increasing the representation of Black professionals at senior levels in technology to impact organizational innovation and growth. We do this by developing and nurturing these dynamic leaders through enrichment of the mind, body and soul. At its inception, only 3% of senior-level positions in the technology industry were held by Blacks. With a half-million new computer-related jobs expected by 2028, ITSMF is committed to increasing the number of qualified Black professionals for these positions. For more information about ITSMF, visit www.itsmfleaders.org.
