EDEN PRAIRIE, MN – September 2022 – The Women’s Leadership Program (WLP), an SMTA-sponsored organization that strives to promote diversity and inclusion in engineering and manufacturing fields, announces that it will host its annual program and reception during SMTA International on Tuesday, November 1, 2022 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minnesota.

For the past 12 years at SMTA International, the committee has held a half-day program for all to join and enjoy conversations with their fellow attendees. These programs include technical presentations and round table discussions moderated by industry leaders. The theme for this year’s event will be “What’s in your toolbox?” and three invited talks will be given on the topic “Tools for Technology Innovation and Career Advancement.” The program has been organized by Priyanka Dobriyal, Ph.D., Technical Assistant/Chief Of Staff, Memory IO Division, Intel Corporation, Program Track Director, Women’s Leadership Program, SMTAI along with the WLP Committee members.

Knowing what you bring to the table helps you build the confidence you need to navigate your career. Hence the concept of a toolbox seemed appropriate for the WLP, as the goal of this session is to empower women to explore technology innovations and career progression in the electronics industry. So now are you ready to think about the skills in your toolbox that could help with your career advancement?

The WLP will start with three presentations from women leaders in the electronics industry. These women have each charted a unique career journey which made them invaluable in the organizations they lead. Since the 2022 WLP session theme focuses on the career “toolbox” of technical, leadership and power skills, with the analogy of the “tools” for success to resources, personal/professional traits, as well as actual tools, the speakers will share their experiences and learning.

The presentations will be followed by a speed mentoring session where attendees rotate through a selection of six tables hosted by the invited speakers and SMTA leaders on topics related to leadership skills, power skills, continuous learning, career development, encouraging innovation, etc.

The program will conclude with the annual Connection Reception. Earlier this year, the industry lost an inspirational leader with the passing of Irene Sterian of Celestica/REMAP. Sterian made many contributions to the industry, the SMTA and the WLP. She was a spark who encouraged numerous women to advance their careers in our industry. The reception will also serve as an informal celebration of her passion for engaging with her colleagues.

To find out more about the Women’s Leadership Program, visit www.smta.org/page/wlp.

PCB West: The leading technical conference and exhibition for electronics engineers. Coming Oct. 4-7 to the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. pcbwest.com