Eating a salad with poppy seed dressing and enjoying chicken for an entrée was no ordinary lunch for a group of women with a passion for advancing technology. Women exchanged business cards, discussed technology and listened to a successful businesswoman at Thanksgiving Point Wednesday for a networking event.

The event was created with the help of Cydni Tetro, director of the Women Tech Council and member of the BYU E-business Center advisory board. This event helps women create relationships and build the business community by meeting new people and exchanging ideas.

"There is no other organization like this in the state," Tetro said.

The Women Tech Council, founded in 2007, is an association for women who work for high-tech companies or in technology positions. This organization provides women with leadership, resources and mentoring for women and maintains a strong bond with the business community. Tetro said she wants to further connect women in the business industry and get more women involved in technology.

At the event, Sharlene Wells Hawkes, a former award-winning ESPN sportscaster, Miss America, and BYU alumna, spoke at the Spring Networking Event. Hawkes represented the high-tech company StoryRock, as the chief marketing officer and co-founder.

Hawkes discussed how technology can bring family and friends together. With a background at ESPN, Hawkes wanted to use technology for a purpose.

"I've always loved stories," Hawkes said.

The stories she loves to share through Story Rock are about education, family, friends and those serving the country in war. To display these stories, StoryRock uses social media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs as a "strategic communications tool." This gives a sense of belonging and personalization to those who want their lives to be remembered.

StoryRock was one of the many businesses represented at the event. Omniture, Energy Solutions, universities and individual women in Utah took advantage of this program to increase the involvement of women in the technology field.

Susan Thackeray, director for career and technical education at UVSC, said she wants to "encourage women to go into technical fields."

The technology industry is growing and many companies are offering scholarships and grants to those who are interested, she said.

"The industry needs the diversity of women," Thackeray said.

All over the nation, women are underrepresented in the technology field and The Women Tech Council helps to break apart that under representation.

Women who are interested in becoming a part of the growing technology business field can become a member at www.womentechcouncil.org.

Copyright Brigham Young University 7 May 2008