March 8th is International Women’s Day. The mission of IWD for Women in Tech is to celebrate digital advancement and champion women forging innovation through technology. CleanSlate is celebrating by recognizing the women on our team all week long. Follow along each day to learn more about them, their roles, and why they believe celebrating IWD is important.
WOMEN OF CLEANSLATE
Name: Susie Lawrence
City: Nobelsville, IN
Occupation: Business Development Executive
Tell us about yourself:
I’m married to my husband, Jeff. We recently moved to Noblesville where we live with our Golden Doodle named Mabel – otherwise, we are empty nesters. We have 4 adult children who all live in the Indianapolis area, along with one grandchild and another on the way. When I’m not working, I love to travel and I especially love the beach – it’s my happy place. When we are home, I love to entertain! We are frequently hosting family and friends for Sunday brunch, wine tastings, cookouts, summer pool parties, and holiday gatherings. Additionally, I love to decorate for all holidays – right now my house is decked out in green & leprechauns for St. Patrick’s Day.
Who is your biggest influence?
The biggest influencers in my life have been my mother & grandmother. They are both very strong, genuine, caring, and selfless women. They have both endured great tragedy and continued on with strength and grace. My grandmother has passed but I am still lucky enough to have my mom here who is bravely battling and surviving stage 4 breast cancer with true courage and strength.
How would you define women’s empowerment?
To me women’s empowerment is about lifting women up…….promoting women’s sense of self-worth, giving women the ability to make their own choices. It is giving women their right to be represented and have an equal voice in the world with the ability to influence social change for themselves and others.
What did you want to be growing up?
I wanted to be an adult more than anything. Even from a very young age, I wanted to be in charge of my own life.
If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth. If you don’t like your current situation ….change it.
What do you enjoy most about your role and working at CleanSlate?
I really love working at CSTG. I enjoy the culture of the company, the camaraderie, and the team spirit. It’s a fun place to work. I respect the transparency of the company leadership and the vision for the future. I feel like we all know what we are working together to achieve – success for our clients.
Is it important to celebrate IWD?
I do feel like it’s important to have an International Women’s Day. I think it’s important to have these days and shine a light & lift up every minority group until it is no longer necessary because we live in a world where our people are treated equally.
Why do you think it is important for young girls to consider roles in STEM?
I think it is important to expose girls to STEM so they know what their options and choices are. It’s hard to choose something if you haven’t had any exposure. It’s good to see things changing and not assuming interests based on stereotypical gender roles.
What are the main challenges facing women in IT presently? How do we overcome them?
I think the main issues facing women in IT are diversity, equity, and inclusion. The first step in making progress is for organizations to recognize and be cognizant of the bias that exists both conscious and unconscious. I think businesses have made progress with diversity – having more women in the workplace. However, I think women can still be underrepresented in IT. The biggest challenge for women I feel is equity and inclusion. Although women may work in the organization they still are underrepresented in leadership and without that inclusion and influence equity can not exist. It’s so great to see formal DEI initiatives in many businesses today. We’ve come a long way but still have a ways to go.