Women Leaders in Technology, established by Edge in 2018 to advance the information technology profession for women, will officially launch in January 2019. Digital transformation in higher education will be the primary focus of the Professional Network with guidance from an impressive roster of esteemed Executive Sponsors.
New Jersey maintains a rich tradition of opportunities for women executives and leaders in technology departments, divisions, and organizations. Through the Network, group members have an opportunity to:
- Meet, connect and share experiences
- Give advice and provide mentoring
- Discuss the unique challenges of succeeding as a female leader in a technology leadership role
This Professional Network is guided by six, esteemed Executive Sponsors from all corners of the industry. The Network meets quarterly around the state for professional events that include:
- Social networking opportunities
- A relevant industry guest speaker or program of professional benefit
- Technology affinity groups
- Technology industry perspectives
The first quarter January meeting each year is held in tandem with EdgeCon, Edge’s annual conference.
Membership is open to women who serve in a leadership capacity or role in a technology organization. Examples include:
- Chief Information Officers
- Vice Presidents of Technology
- Chief Technology Officers
- Directors of Technology
- Directors of Engineering, Directors of Educational Technology
- Technology Services Directors and Managers
- Related positions that engage in technology leadership
Dr. Merodie Hancock
Merodie recently took the helm as President of Thomas Edison State University in March 2018, after serving as President, SUNY Empire State College since 2013.
Merodie holds a Ph.D. in urban services and education administration from Old Dominion University, an MBA from Claremont Graduate University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Scripps College. Additionally, she has a certificate from the Institute of Educational Management from Harvard University, a certificate from the University Professional Continuing Education Association Leadership Academy at New York University, a certificate in Process Design and Implementation: Reengineering and Change Management from Michael Hammer and Company, and a certificate in Nonprofit Board Leadership from the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy.
Rev. Rochelle Robinson Hendricks
Rev. Rochelle Robinson Hendricks was appointed New Jersey’s first Secretary of Higher Education in May 2011. A passionate advocate for educational excellence, equity, diversity and inclusion, her decades of diverse experiences in PreK-12 and higher education include having served as Acting Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Education. Prior to her state service, Rochelle was at Princeton University for 15 years, after having started her career at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School.
During her tenure as Secretary, the largest higher education merger in U.S. history transformed Rutgers and Rowan Universities. The universities were the first two facilities to receive funding for New Jersey higher education in over two decades. This merger addressed critical needs for all of the institutions, and created an implementation of an education-to-work statewide longitudinal data system with a higher education research asset database, which has the potential to enhance efficacy and efficiency and support systemic and sustainable solutions to ever increasing demands and new challenges.
Michele Norin
At Rutgers University (RU), Michele is the institutional leader for technology in a highly complex environment. Her chief responsibility at Rutgers is to provide leadership in the strategic adoption and use of information technology in support of the University’s vision for excellence in research, teaching, outreach, and lifelong learning. She serves as the University’s primary advocate and spokesperson for IT strategies and policies; defines and communicates a campus-wide vision for technology; and provides campus-wide oversight for IT-related issues and strategic planning. She also works closely with Big Ten Academic Alliance peer institutions, CIO Colleagues in Research 1 institutions in representing RU’s IT strategies, and partners with the chief information technology officers within the northeast region to achieve synergies in IT.
Michele has a Bachelor’s degree in MIS from the University of Arizona and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. Her career entails 29 years of experience in the field of technology spanning from administrative systems programming to campus IT leadership and strategic planning.
Dr. Mira Lalovic-Hand
As Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Rowan University, Dr. Mira Lalovic-Hand provides strategic leadership for the planning, design, implementation, and use of information systems and technology that support the complex operations of a Carnegie-classified national doctoral research institution with two medical schools and clinical locations throughout southern New Jersey. Dr. Lalovic-Hand advocates for information technology that fosters collaboration, encourages innovation, promotes data-based decision-making, and improves student learning and patient care.
Dr. Lalovic-Hand has held several senior-level positions at Rowan University, including Director of the Graduate School and Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, Research and Planning. Prior to joining Rowan University, Dr. Lalovic-Hand served as Associate Vice President of Operations at Post University and as the Program Director for Industrial Engineering at Drexel University.
Dr. Lalovic-Hand holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a B.S. in Railway Transportation Engineering from the University of Belgrade.
Candy Fleming
Candace assumed the position of Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Montclair State University in 2015, after serving nine years as Chief Information Officer and Vice President for Information Technology at Columbia University. As the first CIO for Columbia University, she led the delivery of campus-wide information technology infrastructure, applications and services.
Candace’s prior positions in increasing levels of responsibility were at a number of New Jersey corporations, including Schering-Plough Corporation, Warner-Lambert Company, Pfizer, Inc., and Cadbury-Schweppes.
She received her BSE degree in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University and her MBA in Finance from New York University. She is a coauthor of Handbook of Relational Database Design, used as a text in numerous graduate courses and professional projects across the United States, Canada and Japan. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors of NYSERNet, the regional network service for New York State higher education and research institutions.
Carol Kondrach
Carol has spent 22 years in roles with progressively increasing responsibility ranging from technical support staff, the Director of Academic Computing, and her current role as Associate Vice President for Information Technologies at Rider University.
Prior to joining Rider University, Carol worked as a programmer for the Department of Defense and as a management consultant for Deloitte.
Carol currently serves on the Edge Board of Trustees, Educause, and the Ellucian Cloud Advisory Board. Her key areas of interest are setting technology strategy, business process transformation, staff development, change management, and leveraging technology to improve business process and performance.
She earned a certificate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education Institute for Educational Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from LaSalle University.
For more information on joining Women Leaders in Technology, please contact Nancy Zimmerman at nancy.zimmerman@njedge.net.
