Female tech, entrepreneurship group thrives with first board of directors

Women in Tech & Entrepreneurship (WTE), an organization focused on supporting women in tech careers and those looking to start or accelerate businesses, continues to develop with the announcement of its inaugural 2024 board of directors.

WTE was established in Tampa in 2022 and started its St. Pete chapter in May 2023. The organization supports women in tech and entrepreneurship through mentorship, education and a supportive community, with the goal of promoting economic empowerment and moving toward a more balanced, inclusive and prosperous future for ambitious women. While U.S. Census data from 2018-2022 shows an even 50% of the population is female, research shows less than 28% of the technology workforce identifies as female and roughly 17% of technology companies currently have a woman serving as CEO. A 2022 survey found that 91.88% of software developers are men.

WTE’s first board of directors is a diverse group of leaders with technology, entrepreneurship, finance, government contracting and marketing backgrounds. The 14 women work at companies based throughout the U.S., bringing varied priorities and sector-specific knowledge to the group’s more than 3,000 members.

WTE’s 2024 Board Members are as follows:

• Chair: Raechel Canipe, WTE/RevStar
• Vice Chair: Molly Levinson-Kroeber, Cope Notes/Mello
• General Counsel: Vanessa Ferguson, Ferguson Legal, PLLC
• Treasurer: Lisa Marteney, Risk Advisory Services
• Secretary: Denise Acosta Musselwhite, Tech & Thrive
• Supplier Diversity Chair: Andrea Knight, Airbus US Space & Defense, Inc.
• Advocacy & Intersectionality Chair: Ana Irving, Engenium
• Events Chair: Jojo Kalita, 4th Down Solutions
• Marketing Co-Chair: Jessica Charles, Elevated Exposure Worldwide
• Marketing Co-Chair: Justine D’Addio, Hyde Park PR
• Program & Curriculum Chair: Jessica Sudler, Rogue Mobile
• Program & Curriculum Observer: Rachel Thomas, Milena International Inc.
• Fundraising & Sponsorship Co-Chair: Cat Suplicy, RavenOps
• Fundraising & Sponsorship Co-Chair: Ashley Williams, Visionary Rising Agency/LIONSROAM

“This is a tremendously humbling moment for us as an organization,” said Raechel Canipe, Founder and CEO of Women in Tech & Entrepreneurship. “We are very young in our journey, and all along the way, we’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the community. To attract such highly talented, passionate women who are leaders in their industry from all across the country to support this mission, not just with their affirmations but with their time, talent and skills, is the highest compliment we could receive. It really confirms we are doing something meaningful that people want to be a part of.”

Raechel Canipe, Founder and CEO of Women in Tech & Entrepreneurship.

WTE is a due-free, volunteer-run organization. While Canipe personally finances many of the tech resources and educational programs for members, she said WTE recently received its first monetary and in-kind donations to support future programming. Canipe is the Vice President of Marketing & Sales at RevStar, a cloud technologies consulting firm, and mentors students at the University of South Florida.

In less than two years, WTE has expanded to include chapters in Tampa, St. Pete, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, with an expansion to Jacksonville planned for later this month. WTE is also working to establish a collegiate chapter at USF. Canipe, a USF alum, said two student members are already selected and WTE is actively recruiting another three students. 

Canipe cited research showing women leaving tech roles as the driving force behind attracting a younger audience to WTE. A report from Accenture and Girls Who Code found that women are 50% more likely to drop tech roles before the age of 35 — 2.5 times more than in other industries. A survey by New View Strategies reported that 38% of women in tech are considering leaving their jobs.

“Many of these young women are entering college with wonderful plans for their careers, but they aren’t always getting the mentorship, connections and network that open doors and help them funnel what they’ve learned at university into the practical things that are going to earn them their first career opportunity and beyond,” said Canipe. “Creating a supportive community very early on for this next generation so that we can teach more sustainable journeys and start pivoting the culture that they’re going to be up against is really a big, hairy, complex mission, but it’s something that is very important.”

Canpie said WTE is always looking for new members to join the growing organization; they’re seeking a chair for the St. Pete chapter.

Information about membership, upcoming events and partnership opportunities can be found at wte.network.