Bridging the Gaps: Gender Equity in STEM and Cybersecurity

Hello all,

Happy April!
This week I want to highlight again the Women in Academia newsletter and draw your attention to 2 reports in their most recent edition.

1. The Gender Gap in STEM Majors is Shrinking at Top Universities and Growing at Other Institutions. This is some good news, although the gender gap persists and still needs our attention. The report makes clear however that even more work is needed to close other gaps...
   "Notably, the authors highlight that women of color continue to remain significantly underrepresented in physics, engineering, and computer science, even at institutions where the gender balance is improving. To reverse these negative trends, the authors suggest federal, state, and local programs aimed at improving gender diversity in STEM should allocate more resources to less selective institutions. They also suggest that increasing faculty gender diversity and expanding partnerships between colleges and organizations dedicated to advancing women’s equality could encourage more women to pursue STEM degrees."
2. Women Represent Less Than a Quarter of the Global Cybersecurity Workforce. This is bad news, and will have negative impacts on our successful cyber protections for years to come. According to the report:
   "This shortfall in cybersecurity professionals could be significantly improved by recruiting new talent and promoting diversity in the field. Although women represent 36 percent of all technology-related roles, they are vastly underrepresented in the cybersecurity workforce, comprising less than a quarter of all professionals in the field. Even in the Americas, where the majority of the world’s cybersecurity vendors are located, women are just 25.4 percent of the overall workforce. In Asia Pacific, Europe, and Africa, women represent 24.8 percent, 22.4 percent, and 13.5 percent of cybersecurity workers, respectively."

Our SUNY colleges and universities have a role to play in maintaining forward advancements in both these areas, and all of us can help by supporting our degree offerings, encouraging promising students to pursue these areas of study, and in making sure that programs and services supporting underrepresented students are maintained.

And of course—many SUNY employees are also SUNY students! If you or a colleague are considering an additional degree or credential...please consider SUNY!!

All the best,

Holly

Women's History Month - MythBuster #4

Hello all,

I'm writing from the Computers in Libraries conference in DC this week, where the main focus is on how AI is changing the field of information research.
I will be providing some details in a later post after I figure it all out!

SUNY Mythbusters for this week:

Myth #1: Women are not interested in or passionate about technology

"In my career as an administrative tech leader, I have known many women who have been as passionate about technology as anyone else on my team. Gender has never been the defining characteristic in measuring a staff member's interest in technology as a problem-solving solution. Curiosity, humanity, and a desire to help others have been much more critical."
- Holly Heller-Ross, SUNY Plattsburgh

Myth #2: Tech careers are only for individuals with strong mathematical or technical skills

"I have a Bachelor's in Speech Communication and a Master's in Sports Studies. I am in a tech career now because I can listen and learn about technology. I may not be able to code, configure a firewall, or install a server, but I know when those services are needed and I know who can perform them. I am able to gather requirements and help both technical users and end users understand what those requirements are. I also understand customer service and that everyone is a customer of IT, even other IT people. I especially understand that the students are IT customers and at the end of the day, they are our most important customer."
- Bill Grau, Executive Director, SICAS Center

Myth #3: Tech is a male-dominated field and not welcoming to women

"Unfortunately, tech does seem to be male-dominated, not sure why, however our entire team is supportive and welcoming to women!"
- Mike Notarius, CIO, ITEC

Myth #4: Women cannot balance family and personal life with a career in tech

"Speaking from my experience at a SUNY institution, the organizational culture promotes a healthy work/life balance."
- Dana Laird, Head of Technical Services, SUNY Brockport

"Balancing family, personal life, and a career in IT can be challenging, but it’s absolutely possible. Women continue to break barriers in tech, proving their resilience and leadership. While the industry is still male-dominated, a strong support system and a focus on priorities make a fulfilling work-life balance achievable. For me, that means channeling my passion into education, where I can inspire the next generation of IT professionals. Teaching allows me to make a lasting impact, ensuring that the future of technology is diverse, inclusive, and filled with opportunities for all."
- Maria C. Garrity, Buffalo State University

Thanks to everyone who contributed this year!

All the best,
Holly

Women's History Month - Mythbusters #3

Hello all,

This week I'm sharing 2 wonderful compilations of women achieving in technology spaces.
The first is from the University of Kentucky WIT: UK The Unconventional Paths of Women in Tech and the full panel discussion recording is also online: UK Women in Tech: How did I get here? Panel Discussion.
The second is from the European Space Agency: Celebrating International Day of Women in Science.

SUNY Mythbusters for this week:

Myth #1: Women are not interested in or passionate about technology

"While I wish we had a much higher percentage of WIT, we have over 8%, several of which have children. Not only are they passionate about technology, they are committed and make themselves available after hours to help support our customers for production down situations. One woman heads up our networking team and does an outstanding job. Another woman has been a strong advocate and leader in the Oracle User Group for many years."
- Mike Notarius, CIO, ITEC

Myth #2: Tech careers are only for individuals with strong mathematical or technical skills

"My educational background was not in STEM, however throughout my career I’ve held roles that rely on leveraging technology. While at Xerox Corporation as a Business Analyst I used Access and other MS tools to create reports for work processes, tracking, and decision making. Being curious and open to learning from others, I gained confidence in creating queries and was able to assist in various projects and data gathering activities. There are so many ways to continuously learn throughout a career that can lead to new and exciting opportunities to use technology in any field."
- Dana Laird, Head of Technical Services, SUNY Brockport

Myth #3: Tech is a male-dominated field and not welcoming to women

"In my experience, if you have the skills needed to perform a job, you are welcome."
- Bill Grau, Executive Director, SICAS Center

"I've often been the only woman-identifying person in a technology-related group or meeting. I have regularly run into the brick wall of being passed over in conversation or given a curious look when I walked into the room. And at the same time, I have always been welcomed by other male-identifying people in those groups and have had those inclusive folks make sure that the rest got the message...we aren't standing for that kind of exclusion here in SUNY. Whether the attempted dismissals have come from administrators or from vendor partners, my SUNY colleagues have always had my back."
- Holly Heller-Ross, Librarian and former CIO, SUNY Plattsburgh

Myth #4: Women cannot balance family and personal life with a career in tech

"I hate this myth for every career. This reminds me of a time when my children were young and it was my day to stay home with them during school break. Someone said, 'oh, you are babysitting your kids.' My response was, 'no, I am their dad and today is my day. I don't babysit my own children.' It is both parents' responsibility to balance career and personal life and it is a challenge that one accepts when deciding to become a parent."
- Bill Grau, Executive Director, SICAS Center

Thanks to everyone who's contributed thus far, please keep sending in your stories!
And male-identifying allies...we want your stories too! How have you seen women busting these myths? How have you helped women bust these myths?

These are the myths we are busting in 2025:

• Myth #1: Women are not interested in or passionate about technology
• Myth #2: Tech careers are only for individuals with strong mathematical or technical skills
• Myth #3: Tech is a male-dominated field and not welcoming to women
• Myth #4: Women cannot balance family and personal life with a career in tech

You can still email your stories to me or submit them to this online Google form.

All the best,
Holly

Women's History Month - Mythbuster #2

Hello all,

Why do myths persist, and why is it important to counterbalance negative ones? One important consequence of negative myths about women in technology is that these translate to a lack of support. So busting through the myths can change perceptions that can limit the offers of support.

For example, mentors are critical to developing leadership skills and getting leadership opportunities. But, according to published reports cited on the CIO.com website:

"The tech industry has been a predominantly male industry for decades, and as a result, there is a lack of sponsorship and mentorship for women in the industry. According to the Women in the Workplace 2023 report from McKinsey, men are ‘disproportionately’ benefitting from mentorship and sponsorship, and they do not struggle with having their accomplishments recognized and rewarded when working on-site in an office setting. Mentorship is an important aspect of becoming a leader, but while 58% of women say they aspire to be in leadership positions, only 39% say they feel they have a mentor who can help them achieve that goal."

So, let's bust the myths, and let's make sure everyone in our workplaces has the support they need to be successful.

Here are our SUNY Mythbusters for this week:

Myth #1: Women are not interested in or passionate about technology

“In my 30 years in Higher Education, I have not seen any difference in interest or passion about technology between men and women. Actually, that is not correct. I believe women in this industry are more passionate than men because they need to be. The fact that all these myths exist creates barriers to women, and they need to be more interested and more passionate to succeed.”
- Bill Grau, Executive Director, SICAS Center

Myth #2: Tech careers are only for individuals with strong mathematical or technical skills

“There are a wide range of technology careers that do not require strong mathematical or technical skills. For example, technical writing, user experience design, technical support, quality assurance testing, instructional technology, web design, project management, and more. My career in technology probably started when my parents made me take typing and Microsoft Office as electives in high school. From there, it seemed I just couldn’t shake my involvement with technology... The most important things aren’t mathematical or technical skills but curiosity, not being afraid to make mistakes, and not being afraid to ask for help or admit you don’t know something.”
- Jennifer Webb, User Services Manager, Computer and Network Services (CNS) SUNY ESF

Myth #3: Tech is a male-dominated field and not welcoming to women

"Not true. As I said in Myth #1, a few of my best mentors throughout the years were women that had degrees in other things such as philosophy and economics. More and more, we need better soft skills to be in this field. Tech people don't just sit at a desk in the corner and code anymore. We have to participate in meetings, talk to users, and be able to communicate with them on their level. I would say being well-rounded is much better."
- Michelle Paine, Director of IT Compliance, SUNY Empire State University

Myth #4: Women cannot balance family and personal life with a career in tech

“We have several women who balance marriage, children, and family while doing an exceptional job at the workplace.”
- Mike Notarius, CIO, ITEC

Thanks to everyone who's contributed thus far, please keep sending in your stories! And male-identifying allies...we want your stories too! How have you seen women busting these myths? How have you helped women bust these myths?

These are the myths we are busting in 2025:

• Myth #1: Women are not interested in or passionate about technology
• Myth #2: Tech careers are only for individuals with strong mathematical or technical skills
• Myth #3: Tech is a male-dominated field and not welcoming to women
• Myth #4: Women cannot balance family and personal life with a career in tech

You can still email your stories to me or submit them to this online google form.

All the best,

Holly

Women's History Month - Mythbuster #1

Hello all,

This week, to start celebrating Women's History Month, we are beginning our MythBusters series, highlighting the stories of SUNY folks whose career journeys break through some of the myths that hold some of us back from achieving our highest potential.

Stories are powerful.

According to the LS3 Studios media company, these stories create "The Power of Legacy: Preserving Cultural Heritage":

"Family stories are not just individual narratives but threads in the rich tapestry of cultural heritage. They carry within them the traditions, customs, languages, and values that define our cultural identities. Whether the recipes passed down through generations, the songs sung at family gatherings, or the rituals that mark significant milestones, these cultural treasures deserve to be celebrated and preserved. By documenting and sharing these aspects of our family stories, we contribute to preserving our cultural heritage. We ensure that the unique flavors of our traditions and the beauty of our languages are preserved to time. In doing so, we enrich our understanding of the diverse tapestry of human culture."

I believe the SUNY family can contribute to preserving our university's cultural heritage by sharing our stories. Yes, there are factors holding us back. And yes, there are also many factors helping us move forward!

Myth #1: Women are not interested in or passionate about technology

"Over 35 years ago, when I graduated from college with a BS in Computer Science, women were more of a minority in the tech world. I have seen that turn around over the years with some amazing women I have learned from. Most of my mentors over these years and in the 3 different places I have worked were women. Many of these women didn't even go to school for technology but immersed themselves in this field and excelled at it."
- Michelle Paine, Director of IT Compliance, SUNY Empire State University

Myth #2: Tech careers are only for individuals with strong mathematical or technical skills

"I have an environmental science and library science background, and both of these prepared me with the skills of research, methodical inquiry, and logical thinking. In addition to that, my continuing education focus has been on supervisory, strategic planning, and leadership skills. All that combined gave me the right skillset to effectively serve my college as Associate Dean and then Dean of Library and Information Technology and CIO for over 15 years. Of course, I relied on staff colleagues with more specific technical expertise to make recommendations, just as any CIO who moves into administration must rely on their staff with more current tech expertise. My successful tech career was built on ‘power skills,’ not math skills."
- Holly Heller-Ross, Librarian and former CIO, SUNY Plattsburgh

Myth #3: Tech is a male-dominated field and not welcoming to women

"In my over 20-year career at SUNY Delhi, I have found the exact opposite of this. I have worked my way up from an entry-level position and have always felt valued and supported in my roles by both the men and women around me. Currently, half of the business unit leaders (managers) in CIS are females, and over half of the enterprise systems (Programming) staff are female. The current CIO is encouraging to everyone and values the diverse input and approaches that are found when your team has variety. When what is often a natural tendency for women is embraced, women have an opportunity, especially in a male-dominated field, to bring a more empathetic approach to what can be a harsh black and white (zeroes and ones) field."
- Kristy Fitch, Leader of Enterprise Systems, State University of New York College of Technology at Delhi

Myth #4: Women cannot balance family and personal life with a career in tech

"I worked the last 35 years in tech while being married and raising 2 children. My husband had a job where he couldn't just take a day off for a sick child or an emergency. I still flourished in my work even though my home life had to take priority over work. Luckily most of my supervisors over the years believed in work-life balance, men and women, so that made it easier for me. I do feel that there was a difference in the kind of company you worked for though. The one job I had where we were a public company, the work-life balance was not a priority but I was able to still move up and make a difference because of my work ethic, my capability, and my dedication. Once I moved to SUNY though, putting my family first was always expected and embraced."
- Michelle Paine, Director of IT Compliance, SUNY Empire State University

Thanks to everyone who's contributed thus far, please keep sending in your stories! I plan to post one for each of our 4 myths each week, so if you've contributed to more than one myth it could get posted in multiple weeks.

And male-identifying allies...we want your stories too! How have you seen women busting these myths? How have you helped women bust these myths?

These are the myths we will be busting in 2025:

• Myth #1: Women are not interested in or passionate about technology
• Myth #2: Tech careers are only for individuals with strong mathematical or technical skills
• Myth #3: Tech is a male-dominated field and not welcoming to women
• Myth #4: Women cannot balance family and personal life with a career in tech

You can email your stories to me or submit them to this online Google form.

All the best,
Holly