The OCWiC ACM-W Professional Chapter is a state wide community of women and men technology professionals from industry and academia, dedicated to the OCWiC mission:
Engaging and empowering Ohio women in computing by building community, celebrating success, and illuminating possibility.
Professional Chapters fit within the ACM-W established framework to provide a stepping stone between local chapters and the (inter)national organization. These community connections are reinforced by biannual regional Celebrations. Ohio is the home of the first ACM-W Professional Chapter, a proof of concept that may be replicated in other regions where Celebrations are already established.
More to learn about OCWiC and ACM-W
- OCWiC Organization & Leadership
- OCWiC History
- About ACM
- About ACM-W
- About ACM-W Professional Chapters
- About ACM-W Celebrations
- Ohio’s OCWIC ACM-W Professional Chapter
- Ohio’s Celebration of Women in Computing
Our History
In 2005, the Ohio Celebration of Women in Computing (OCWiC) was one of ACM-W’s first regional Celebrations (celebration.ocwic.org). We have continued to have regular biannual OCWiCs since then, and our community has grown bigger with each event.
In 2017, we announced our Community project to provide the Ohio Women in Computing with more networking opportunities and resources in the years between our Celebrations (celebration.ocwic.org) .
On April 2018, OCWiC was very pleased to be chartered as the first ACM-W Professional Chapter in the U.S. Becoming a professional chapter formalizes the strong relationship we already have with ACM-W . Connecting our regular Celebrations to a Professional Chapter provides stability and continuity for our organization. As a newly formalized non-profit, we will have new responsibilities, which will support us in adopting more professional practices.
Today, we have a website, a blog, an event calendar, a weekly newsletter, private LinkedIn group, and multiple social media channels. Our Community is organized around overlapping “rings” of common interest, with “ring leaders” keeping the energy and ideas going. We also have a team of regional reporters from
ACM-W student chapters around the state, who provide us with news from their areas. Our weekly newsletter has nearly 1000 subscribers. We are planning development on the next phase of our website, to add functionality to make it easier for community members to post and find jobs, volunteer opportunities, events and clubs.
OCWiC ACM-W benefits from stronger ties with local ACM-W student chapters in Ohio, and we can help them connect with each other. As other new ACM-W Professional Chapters are chartered, we will synergize with them to create even more opportunities for a vibrant exchange of ideas with our sister chapters, and to co-produce joint projects and events.
About ACM
The Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) is the premiere global computing society, founded in 1947 to advance computing as a science. Visit the ACM website to learn more.
About ACM-W
ACM’s Committee on Women in Computing (ACM-W) supports, celebrates, and advocates internationally for the full engagement of women in all aspects of the computing field, providing a wide range of programs and services to ACM members and working in the larger community to advance the contributions of technical women. Visit the ACM-W website to learn more.
About ACM-W Professional Chapters
The professional chapters of ACM’s international committee on Women in Computing (ACM-W) offers professional services, activities and projects that improve the working and learning environments for women in computing. For more information about how to start a professional chapter, check out the ACM-W website: https://women.acm.org/acm-w-professional-chapters/
ACM-W Celebrations of Women in Computing
ACM-W Celebrations gather women that work or study within the same region together to connect, network and celebrate their mutual interests of Computer Science and technology. Celebrations typical include keynote speakers from academia or industry, panel sessions on topics such as what to expect in your CS career or the impostor syndrome, workshops on resume writing, communication, interview skills or new technologies, a career fair and opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to present their work. Celebrations are organized by volunteers and most agree that organizing a Celebration is one of the most rewarding things that they have done. ACM will provide some seed funding along with support from Microsoft. We also can provide web-site hosting, handle your finances and provide plenty of advice and assistance on organizing a Celebration. Celebrations happen worldwide! If you are interested in organizing, contact us to discuss!
Spotlight on Ohio’s OCWiC ACM-W Professional Chapter
(highlighed in the May 2018 ACM-W Connections Newsletter: https://women.acm.org/acm-w-connections-2018-05/ )
We are pleased to announce the formation of the first ACM-W Professional Chapter in the U.S. Ohio’s OCWiC ACM-W chapter was chartered on April 25th [2018] and hit the ground running. By being able to name the chapter in a way that complements their regional celebration they are poised to become a community hub for sharing ideas and resources across the state.
Chair Bettina Bair explained, “OCWiC ACM-W will benefit from stronger ties with local ACM-W student chapters in Ohio, and we can help them connect with each other. As other new ACM-W Professional Chapters are chartered around the state, we will have even more opportunities for a vibrant exchange of ideas with our sisters, and to co-produce joint projects and events.”
Bair continues, “Becoming a professional chapter formalizes the strong relationship we already have with ACM-W. Connecting our Celebrations to a Professional Chapter provides stability and continuity for our organization. As a newly formalized non-profit, we will have new responsibilities, which will encourage us to adopt more professional practices.”
For more information about how to start a professional chapter, check out the ACM website: https://www.acm.org/chapters/professionals/how-to-start-a-professional-acm-w-chapter
Ohio’s ACM-W Celebration of Women in Computing
Over 235 female college students and professionals gathered on February 24-25, 2023, at the Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron, OH, to connect with other female students, meet women mentors from industry and academia, learn about career challenges and job opportunities, and advance their technical knowledge. Since 2005, the Ohio Celebration of Women in Computing (OCWiC) has been committed to improving the computing field’s gender diversity gap in Ohio. Women constitute only 26% of the computing field (NCWIT, By the Numbers) , making OCWiC a special event. The OCWiC conference is Ohio’s ACM-W OCWiC Professional Chapter’s signature event.
Students, ranging from freshman to graduate students, were joined by women faculty, women working in technology at major Ohio-based companies, national leaders in women in computing movements, and men who are also addressing gender diversity issues in IT. Twenty-two colleges and universities and thirteen companies were represented and many were financial sponsors of the 2023 conference. OCWiC is held every two years and is modeled after the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference.
Besides hearing fabulous keynote speakers, panelists, and research presenters, attendees participated in resume reviews, poster presentations, and a career and opportunity fair. New this year was a Leadership Summit for ACM-W/ACM Student Chapter leaders to support our young leaders as they keep reaching for change. You can view the OCWIC ’23 program here.
The power of having this many women studying computing, teaching computer science, and addressing challenges in industry all in one place is transformative for attendees who often are the only female in their classes or work teams. Most students leave the conference with new professional and academic goals and strategies for achieving them. The OCWiC conference represented a rare and valuable opportunity for women in computing to interact and share experiences in a collegial and collaborative environment.