Women in IoT Center of Excellence (WIoTCoE)

Talent that reflects the world we build—visibility, mentorship, opportunity.

Executive Summary

The Women in IoT CoE is a practitioner-led forum dedicated to increasing the visibility, participation, and advancement of women and under-represented genders across the IoT/AIoT ecosystem. We produce practical programs—speaker pipelines, mentorship networks, leadership pathways, and allyship toolkits—so that conferences, teams, and boards become more representative and resilient. Everything we publish is open, repeatable, and grounded in measurable outcomes (speaking ratios, mentorship matches, promotion/readiness signals), with a clear code of conduct and safe-reporting channels.

The Internet of Things (IoT) community is growing rapidly.  In today’s world, most everything is “smart” or has a “smart” option available.  Everyday items such as computers, phones, televisions, refrigerators, watches, and even scales are integrating modern technology to enhance their features and functions.  With this growth of technology use, women in IoT can be considered rare. According to the National Science Foundation, women who are pursuing a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) degree only account for approximately 20% of students in STEM degree programs. Despite the low numbers of women seeking to join the IoT community, we believe they play an essential part in the IoT world.

IoT can encompass entrepreneurial skills, software/hardware development, commerce and much more.  Despite the seemingly lack of women in tech jobs, it does not mean there are not women innovating in the IoT world.  IoT Community is dedicated to providing a platform for women in IoT to connect and network with other senior business leaders and IoT practitioners. The IoT Community platform is committed to providing a space to uplift, support and provide resources to one another.

In addition to helping remove technical, regulatory, financial and operational barriers we hope to create the most effective sharing platform for adopting IoT and sharing best practices.

Who We Serve

  • Practitioners & Leaders: engineers, product managers, architects, data/ML practitioners, operators, security leaders, founders, and executives.
  • Early-Career & Returners: students, career-switchers, and professionals returning after a break who want momentum and sponsorship.
  • Event & Program Owners: track leads, conference chairs, meetup organizers seeking balanced speaker rosters and diverse juries.
  • Employers & Partners: companies looking to improve hiring, retention, and leadership representation with evidence-based practices.
  • Allies: individuals who want concrete ways to support inclusion—on teams, in code reviews, in selection committees, and on stages.

Charter & Objectives

  1. Representation: raise women/non-binary speaker ratios, panel balance, and technical author visibility across IoT Community programs.
  2. Progression: build repeatable pathways from contributor → speaker → leader → chair/board.
  3. Mentorship & Sponsorship: match mentors/sponsors with clear goals and time-boxed plans.
  4. Safe Participation: maintain a trusted environment with a published code of conduct and confidential reporting.
  5. Evidence & Scale: measure what matters (participation, retention, advancement) and publish playbooks others can adopt.

Scope

Speaker development, mentorship/sponsorship, career pathways, inclusive facilitation, allyship training, selection-bias mitigations, safe-reporting workflows, for events and employers.

Focus Pillars

  1. Visibility & Voice
    – What: speaker pipeline, CFP coaching, abstract reviews, media training, and an opt-in expert directory.
    – Why: representation on stage shapes perception, opportunity, and hiring.
    – Starter outcomes: 40–50% balanced shortlists; first-time speaker coaching; reusable session templates.
  2. Mentorship & Sponsorship
    – What: structured 12-week mentor programs (goals, artifacts, check-ins), sponsor roles for advocacy at decision points.
    – Why: mentorship builds skills; sponsorship unlocks opportunity.
    – Starter outcomes: signed learning goals; “next-role” portfolio; warm introductions; promotion/readiness signals.
  3. Career Pathways & Leadership
    – What: role maps (IC/management), skill rubrics, interview loops, and board-readiness primers.
    – Why: clarity reduces friction and bias; prep shortens time-to-next-step.
    – Starter outcomes: role/rubric templates, mock loops, leadership labs, chair/committee onboarding.
  4. Inclusive Events & Programs
    – What: bias-aware CFP/jury processes, panel balance, inclusive moderating, inclusive scheduling (time zones, caregiving), and accessibility guidance.
    – Why: inclusive operations create fairer outcomes and better content.
    – Starter outcomes: balanced rosters; panel design rules; inclusive slide/checklist kits; accessible session standards.
  5. Allyship, Policy & Safety
    – What: bystander training, meeting norms, code of conduct, non-retaliation policy, incident handling, and post-event follow-up.
    – Why: trust is a prerequisite to participation.
    – Starter outcomes: published CoC; private reporting lines; clear SLAs; anonymized learnings shared with community.

    Deliverables

    • Reference Packs: “How to design balanced rosters,” “How to run bias-aware juries,” “How to handle incidents safely.”
    • Masterclasses: public speaking, panel moderation, technical storytelling, negotiation, leadership.

    Cadence & Calendar

    • Monthly working session (60–90 min): backlog, program reviews, decision logs.
    • Quarterly showcase (2–3 hours): lightning talks, mentor outcomes, and success stories.
    • Annual anchors: WIoTCoE mainstage and cross-CoE programming aligned to IoT Slam (live/virtual).

    How We Succeed

    By establishing ourselves as a credible source of truth and practices for leveraging and embracing the power of women in the loT community:

    1. Learning portal and knowledge platform
    2. Center of Excellence content approach
    3. Live conferences and on-demand dissemination

    Participation Levels

    • Member: participate in events, workshops, and feedback surveys.
    • Contributor: join a workstream, facilitate reviews, or host a rehearsal circle.
    • Mentor/Sponsor: commit to a 12-week track with agreed outcomes.
    • Chair/Steering: set direction, ensure safety and evidence, and resolve blockers.

    How to Get Involved

    The IoT Community® Women in IoT CoE exists to elevate talent, broaden perspectives, and strengthen outcomes across the industry. We connect practitioners, leaders, employers, and allies to deliver visible progress—grounded in inclusion, safety, evidence, and a community that ships.