Women tech groups blossom in Nebraska, but there’s room to grow

Women-led tech groups are growing in Nebraska and leaders say it’s because there’s a need for camaraderie, personal growth and networking among women in tech. In the last two years, five Nebraska-based groups have grown in an attempt to change the tide in the male-dominated fields of science, tech, engineering and math. That’s partially why…

Women-led tech groups are growing in Nebraska and leaders say it’s because there’s a need for camaraderie, personal growth and networking among women in tech. 

In the last two years, five Nebraska-based groups have grown in an attempt to change the tide in the male-dominated fields of science, tech, engineering and math.

That’s partially why software engineer Sandi Barr (left) co-founded Omaha Women Coding, an organization that launched last week.

“When you’re the only woman who shows up at a meetup, you’re already an outsider,” Barr said. “We have a great community in Omaha for IT already, but not enough support for women.” 

Carolyn Johnson, strategic account specialist at Cox Business, felt something similar after she saw a large layoff of tech workers in the healthcare industry a few years ago.

“I noticed that most of the men had an extensive professional network here and knew exactly who to contact to learn about open jobs and employment opportunities,” Johnson said. “In contrast, many women who were laid off didn’t have that same network.” 

As a result Johnson was inspired to begin Women In Technology of the Heartland (WiTH) in late 2012.

Down Interstate 80, #LNK Coding Women grew organically at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They relied on word of mouth and grew from there.

“We were blown away by the attendance at our first meeting, which for me, demonstrates a need and an interest,” said co-founder Elizabeth Lorang. “The thing I was most proud and pleased about was that I didn’t know most of these people.”

While women in the industry are creating opportunities to network, there still aren’t enough women taking up IT-related careers, says Leslie Fischer, co-founder of Tagg.

She hosts Ladies Who Launch Omaha, a networking event adapted from a Lincoln event of the same name created in spring 2013.

“I would love to have more women in technology coming to LWLO and making their presence known in Omaha. I’m in the community a lot and can probably only name on one hand the women I know who are programmers or leaders in the tech space.” 

That assessment doesn’t surprise Barr.

“I think for as long as I’ve been a programmer I’ve been one of few women on the team,” she said.

But there’s a reason: women aren’t encouraged at a young age to get into science, technology, engineering or math fields, Barr said.

“You know, women are teachers and nurses and those are the traditional careers that women are taught to go after. And then there’s the whole barrier to entry. You don’t want to be the only woman there,” Barr said.

Despite the growing momentum and support for women in STEM fields around the region, all the women interviewed say there’s room for progress.

Some pointed to a controversy that erupted in February when Nebraska Code Camp announced its lineup of 48 speakers—all of them were men.

“I think it’s a really good example of why this is needed. Maybe the controversy wasn’t all that intentional, but there are still a lot of us feeling left out,” said Barr. 

But the women organizers are hesitant to say there is outright sexism in the tech industry. The general consensus is women often are overlooked because they don’t yet have enough of a presence in the industry. 

Johnson has a suggestion for increasing the ranks of women in technology: “The STEM fields need a ‘rebranding’ with a female focus. Girls need to be encouraged to pursue courses that have been male dominated. Mentoring and development programs need to be established.”

Women tech groups in Nebraska

Omaha Coding Women 

Established: April 2014

Description: An organization that meets to discuss programming technologies and methods.

From the founder: Sandi Barr says she’s hopeful things are changing for younger generations. She said her co-founder is a great example: Shelly Xiong is a Creighton student who started programming at 11. 

Next meeting: June 3, CoVis Coworking 

#LNK Women Coding

Established: April 2014

Description: A group of women in technology interested in meeting with like-minded coders in and around Lincoln.

From the founder: #LNK Coding Women grew out of the academic environment at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Co-founder Elizabeth Lorang is a digital humanities projects librarian. She said the group was started by academics, students and library programmers who wanted and needed to expand their coding skills. They began with working lunches, where they taught each other to program in Python. From the original half dozen or so members on campus grew a citywide organization open to everyone. 

Next meeting: May 15, 5-7 p.m., Fuse Coworking

Women in Technology of the Heartland

Established: Winter 2012

Description: WITH provides a fun networking forum for women to learn from and share with one another, focusing on the development and promotion of IT talent in women through mentoring and other outreach efforts, so we’re not the only women in the room anymore.

From the founders: Carolyn Johnson is part of the WITH leadership team along with Stephanie Petersen, a web developer and designer for Client Resources in Omaha.

“Organizations like WITH help provide women with similar passions and skill sets to help each other in a variety of ways, such as meeting new people, learning of new opportunities and topics and supporting each other, especially with gender-related issues within our workplaces,” she said.

Next meeting: The next meetup is May 20 and will be focused on self-defense at Bishop’s Bar and Grill in Omaha. The group holds monthly meetings, except in the summer, and men are welcome.

Ladies Who Launch, Omaha 

Established: September 2013

Description: This community group is for women entrepreneurs and wantrepreneurs to find support and discuss the challenges of launching and running a business. The goal of the group is to be the most supportive, engaging and refreshing group where women feel comfortable to talk about their challenges and successes. Consider it a little like a support group for all of us women crazy enough to take this journey of starting a business.

From the founder: Leslie Fischer says her group draws a range of businesswomen, many with more “traditional” companies such as skincare and home-based bakeries. “I wasn’t finding an organization in Omaha that was geared just toward women entrepreneurs,” she said. “Networking can be very intimidating if you have never done it.” 

Fischer would like to encourage more women tech founders to attend their meetings.

Next meeting: TBA

Ladies Who Launch, Lincoln

Established: February 2013

Description: The group discusses the challenges of launching and running a business, and helps build community among female founders.

From the founder: Co-founder Amber Pankonin said she’s excited about the progress Ladies Who Launch–Lincoln has made over the past year. Three members were accepted into accelerators this summer—Jennifer Rosenblatt of MusicSpoke and Stacy Carlson of DigiWidgets to NMotion and Jill Liliedahl of SitStay to Straight Shot.

Next meeting: May 27 at Brewsky’s in the Haymarket

Are there other women tech groups in Nebraska? Let us know at editor(at)siliconprairienews.com.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

Get the latest news and events from Nebraska’s entrepreneurship and innovation community delivered straight to your inbox every Wednesday.