About Us

Our Mission

LWT is dedicated to empowering women to grow their knowledge, leadership skills and network in order to map their own paths to career success and achieve greater personal and professional impact.

Leading Women in Technology is an organization for women’s professional development, dedicated to advancing women in leadership through the WILpower Program.

Our History

We started out in 2008 as Women in Licensing, a committee of the Licensing Executives Society. The group continued to grow and, in 2011, the group’s leadership decided to expand membership and programming to serve the broader technology industry.

Today, LWT is a top organization for women’s professional development with programs in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York and Seattle. While LWT was founded as a vehicle to advance women with skills that benefit technology-oriented businesses, we now welcome and advance emerging and current leaders in all business sectors. 

Our Volunteers

LWT and the WILpower Program is 100% volunteer led, from the Board to our Ring Leaders and many others who do the work necessary to make the program possible. If you are interested in becoming part of our volunteer community, please Contact Us.

Meet the Board

  • Vanessa Garber

    BOARD PRESIDENT, MARKETING & PRODUCT DIRECTOR

  • Sue Bunnell

    BOARD CO-CHAIR, WORKSHOP STRATEGY DIRECTOR

  • Thais Rains Headshot

    Thais Rains

    TREASURER

  • Emma DaFoe

    CO-SECRETARY

  • Kristen Olliges

    CO-SECRETARY

  • Ruth Hicks

    SPONSORSHIPS DIRECTOR

  • Natalie Fitzpatrick

    RINGS CO-DIRECTOR

  • Katie Tanko

    RINGS CO-DIRECTOR

  • Lisa Wong

    ALUM DIRECTOR

  • Rachel Bodnar

    TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR

  • Zhanna Lajugie

    CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE DIRECTOR

  • Michelle Eatherton Headshot

    Michelle Eatherton

    PARTNERSHIPS DIRECTOR

  • Tendai Watkins

    EASTERN WORKSHOP REGIONAL CO-DIRECTOR

  • Ksenia Takhistova

    EASTERN WORKSHOP REGIONAL CO-DIRECTOR

  • Joan Burns Brown

    PACIFIC WORKSHOP REGIONAL CO-DIRECTOR

  • Verna Chung

    PACIFIC WORKSHOP REGIONAL CO-DIRECTOR

  • Holly Uber

    PACIFIC WORKSHOP REGIONAL CO-DIRECTOR

  • Nina Borders

    EVENT STRATEGY DIRECTOR

  • Meghan O. Brosnahan

    PACIFIC EVENTS REGIONAL CO-DIRECTOR

  • Betty Rhoades

    PACIFIC EVENTS REGIONAL CO-DIRECTOR

  • Linda Le

    EASTERN EVENTS REGIONAL CO-DIRECTOR

  • Hélène Boigard

    EASTERN EVENTS REGIONAL CO-DIRECTOR

  • Lisa Pickett

    VIRTUAL EVENTS DIRECTOR