BySenators Wellman, Boehnke, Chapman, Cortes, Dhingra, Krishnadasan, Lovelett, Saldaña, Shewmake, Trudeau, Hasegawa, Slatter, and C. Wilson

WHEREAS, Women in technology have progressively become a notable portion of the technology workforce, and yet, women have commonly gone underrepresented in technology fields, and struggled to advance to higher positions in their careers, and as a result, professional development and network opportunities are momentous to empower women to excel and advance in their careers; and

WHEREAS, IGNITE Worldwide, or Inspiring Girls Now in Technology Evolution, was founded to connect girls and gender-diverse students from underrepresented communities with STEM opportunities during the school day to transform the landscape of women in STEM and generate the momentum and interest in STEM careers; and

WHEREAS, IGNITE events increased young female enrollment in STEM classes in Washington by 45 percent in the span of four years between 2013 and 2017 by offering programs founded on best practices and proven methods including hands-on, inquiry-based learning, mentoring, and storytelling at no cost to public school districts; and

WHEREAS, Women in Cloud is a community led group of women entrepreneurs, professionals, and leaders who are driven towards job creation, diversity and inclusion, and technology innovation, giving women a powerful platform to accelerate as industry leaders; and

WHEREAS, Women in Cloud, in 2024 awarded 5,600 AI and cybersecurity certification scholarships, contributing to the professional development of leaders, from historically underrepresented communities, supporting a membership of 120,000 individuals across more than 80 countries; and

WHEREAS, The EmpowHERaccess Campaign, launched by Women in Cloud, has celebrated over 2,500 women, allies, and organizations and their outstanding technological industry contributions; and

WHEREAS, Both of these women led organizations are grounded in an expansive network of mentors and advocates to propel innovation, in order to ensure gender equity;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize and commend the foundational accomplishments of Women in Cloud and its founders Chaitra Vedullapalli and Karen Fassio and Inspiring Girls Now in Technology Evolution and its founder Cathi Rodgveller and the influential community of women leaders these initiatives are creating, and the strides being made to increase representation of women leaders in professional and technological fields; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Women in Cloud, and Inspiring Girls Now in Technology Evolution Worldwide.