Key takeaways from Baltimore’s first Women in Tech Summit

The Women in Tech Summit is obviously winning the networking game in 2015.
Tracey Welson-Rossman, the group’s cofounder, said word of mouth is the biggest driver of attendees each year. It helps bring in those who are not aware of what’s going on and helps keep them plugged in.
The Women in Tech Summit drove this message home on Saturday on the campus of the University of Baltimore.
Below are a few big takeaways from the well-attended Baltimore Innovation Week event:

• It is OK to pivot. Cecily Kellogg of Double Good Media opened the summit, with the session “Closing the Confidence Gap: How to Sell Yourself by Building a Digital Brand.” She offered tips on how to differentiate yourself while building your business. Her rule for branding on social media: Engage with other users (70 percent of the time), promote others (20 percent of the time), promote yourself (10 percent of the time).
• The three things a professional should do, according to motivational speaker J. Kelly Hoey:
  1. Build your expertise
  2. Build your network
  3. Build your bank account

U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.), Katherine Garcia, Michelle Zwernemann and Welson-Rossman closed the daylong summit with these inspiring words and takeaways for women in the industry: We need each other. However, own your greatness.

"As women we shouldn't apologize for being 'aggressive' in our fields. Aggressive is a good word, it means we know what we want." #WITSBWI

— Donna F. Edwards (@DonnaFEdwards) September 26, 2015

In addition to panel discussions, an Intro to Git and Python 101 hands-on workshops were also held.
Naturally, it was important to partner with Technical.ly for Baltimore Innovation Week said Welson-Rossman, also the cofounder of TechGirlz, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit aimed at empowering middle-school girls to become tomorrow’s technology leaders.