Female leaders serving in a variety of roles at NETL shared their professional pathways and unique perspectives on mentoring with other women at TechConnect West Virginia’s 2019 Women & Technology Conference.

The conference, held Oct. 21 in Charleston, West Virginia, was designed for women working in technology fields, as well as those interested in pursuing or migrating to a technology-focused career. The event featured inspiring keynote speakers, valuable networking opportunities and educational breakout sessions.

NETL’s Office of Science and Technology Career Management and TechConnect organized a panel discussion focused on women finding their voices and taking the lead. Participants explored strategies for women to maximize the impact of using their own voices, leverage their networks and address fear and risk. Participants included:

• Lee Ann Haley, chief of staff within the Lab’s Laboratory Operations Center.
• Heather Quedenfeld, associate director for coal within the Lab’s Technology Development & Integration Center (TDIC).
• Alicia Dalton-Tingler, lead for grid modernization and technical project manager within TDIC, currently detailed to the Office of Fossil Energy’s Office of Clean Coal and Carbon Management.
• Kylee Underwood, physical scientist and technical project manager within TDIC.

Katy Murphy, communications manager for KeyLogic at NETL, served as moderator.

The panel discussion supports NETL’s efforts to recognize the unique talents, skills and perspectives that women bring to Lab’s workforce. For instance, the NETL Women’s Program and the Equal Employment Opportunity Office for Diversity & Inclusion host an annual celebration and training event that highlights women’s achievements and provides valuable insights related to women’s roles and gender equity in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) environments. The Lab also hosts regular education and outreach activities that encourage girls to get involved in STEM activities and consider tackling America’s energy challenges as a future researcher, scientist or engineer.

NETL and prime contractor KeyLogic were sponsors of the 2019 Women & Technology Conference, along with Allegheny Science & Technology, the High Technology Foundation, Marshall University, NASA’s Space Grant Consortium, Suddenlink by Altice, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s Division of Science & Research, the West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust, the West Virginia Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the West Virginia Press Association, the West Virginia Regional Technology Park and West Virginia University.