For more information: Gloriella Gonzalez gloriellagonzalez@corp.witi.com www.witi.com 713-705-2811

                                                                                                                                                           

 

 

Media Advisory

 

 

What:               Women in Technology – August 2008 Meeting Notice

                        Hot Technology Roundtable: “Shaping the Future Today”

Leaders across industries from venture capital to cancer research weigh in on technologies critical for businesses and organizations now and in the future.  Moderator Laura Capper will help lead the discussion to explore what technologies businesses need to know about today to be successful in the future.  Join us and participate with our distinguished panelists and moderator covering the technologies you need to know about today.

 

Laura Capper, President of CAP Resources (Moderator)

Blair Garrou, Managing Director of DFJ Mercury

Michelle Calabretta, Clinical Research Program Coordinator for MD Anderson

Sherry Walshak, Solutions Marketing Manager of HP Worlwide

Aruna Viswanathan, Vice President of Texas Aegis Capital Group

 

 

When:              Wednesday, August 6^th, 2008

6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

 

Where:             Sysco Corporation

1390 Enclave Parkway
Houston, Texas 77077

 

Speakers:       

 

Blair Garrou is a Managing Director of DFJ Mercury, a Texas-based seed and early stage venture capital fund and a partner in the global intelligence network of Draper Fisher Jurvetson funds. Prior to DFJ Mercury, Blair was the CEO of Intermat, Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a leader in the product information management sector. Prior to Intermat, Blair was a Principal of Genesis Park LP, a Houston-based private equity firm. Prior to Genesis Park, Blair assisted in the launch of and was the Director of Operations for the Houston Technology Center, where he led the formation of the Houston Angel Network, Houston's first angel investment organization. Blair is currently an Adjunct Professor of Management at the Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University where he teaches a course on venture capital. Previously, Blair was an investment banker with BMO Nesbitt Burns, and he provided audit and assurance services with Deloitte & Touche. Blair received his B.S. in Management from Washington & Lee University. Blair focuses on information technology investments at DFJ Mercury, specifically in enterprise software and internet-enabled businesses. Blair’s recent investments include: Alert Logic (www.alertlogic.com), Phurnace Software (www.phurnace.com), Performix (www.performixinc.com) and ShareThis (www.sharethis.com).

Michelle Calabretta received her PhD in Biochemistry from Rice University in 2005. While at Rice she became an advocate for affordable student health insurance and was a member of the Health Insurance Committee and several other student associations. Since joining MD Anderson in 2007 as a clinical research program coordinator for Phase I studies she has continued her volunteer work in cancer survivor advocacy, with a focus on young adults. She is a member of the Young Adult Leadership Committee for I'm Too Young For This, a national young adult cancer survivor advocacy group. Michelle also serves as a volunteer in the Web 2.0 group for MD Anderson and as a new media consultant for Collage: The Art For Cancer network.

 

Sherry Walshak is a Solutions Enablement and Readiness Manager for HP Worldwide. She is responsible for the technology solutions portfolio, focused on sales enablement and readiness which includes coordination and alignment across the various HP Business Unit Groups and Regions. Prior to this role, Sherry was a Solutions Principal for Hewlett-Packard - U.S. State & Local Government, working as a member of the HP Services Consulting & Integration team. She was responsible for a select portfolio of solutions, including Identity Management, Border and Maritime Ports Integrated Management and Security, and First Responder Integrated Planning, Communications and Response. 

In her previous position as Business Development Manager, WW HP Public Sector, Sherry was responsible for Public Safety and Homeland Security solutions for projects worldwide. She provided solution development, bid support, field/customer engagement, as well as coordinated best practices across regions. Previous to this role, Sherry was Director for U.S. State & Local Government Marketing, where she was responsible for the business and marketing strategy, working closely with the field on aligning our solutions and product offerings to the needs of customers. Sherry served on the Technology Committee of WESG (Women Executives in State Government) as well as the Corporate Leadership Council of NASCIO (National Association of State CIOs). Prior to joining HP, Sherry was a Management Consultant for American General Corporation, focused on improvement projects including designing and implementing a company-wide Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Plan. 

Sherry holds a Masters of Business Administration degree in Marketing and Finance from the University of Houston. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Texas A&M University.

 

Aruna Viswanathan
is Vice-President of Texas Aegis Capital Group. Prior to joining Aegis Capital Group, Ms. Viswanathan was the VP and Director of Operations for the Houston Technology Center (HTC), the largest technology incubator in Texas. Prior to that she was a product engineer at Motorola, specializing in wireless and semiconductor technologies. She has an MBA from Rice University’s Jones School and a BS and MS in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Texas, Austin. 


 

 

 

How:                RSVP Required

                        $15.00 for WITI members

$25.00 for non-members

                        Register and Pay online:  www.witi.com/houston/

                        Light dinner included

 

 

About WITI:     

Founded in 1989, WITI is the leading Global Trade Association for professional, tech-savvy women, WITI is your resource for information and connections to a well-educated, talented group of women who are the buyers and decision-makers at their companies, organizations, homes, and on the net.

WITI reaches more than 2M women in every industry worldwide. Collectively, WITI women purchase more than 3 billion dollars worth of technology for our professional and personal lives. WITI women work in large corporations, run their small businesses; we are professionals in every field who consider technology central to our businesses, careers and professions.   For register for the event, and for more information visit http://www.witi.com/houston/.

 

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