Empower IT Conference
Update March 25, 2020
The Empower IT 2020 Conference Steering Committee has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 event. The safety of the MSU campus community and Empower IT Conference attendees is paramount to the Conference Steering Committee.
Announcements regarding a future Empower IT event as well as opportunities to engage with the Empower IT group over the course of the upcoming 2020-21 academic year will be shared as they become available.
Agenda
| TRACK 1 | TRACK 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | ||
| 7:30-8:30 a.m. | Registration and Breakfast Sign-in, enjoy breakfast and get your professional profile photo taken |
|
| 8:30 a.m. | Welcome and Opening Remarks | |
| 8:45-10 a.m. | Keynote: Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha |
|
| 10-10:15 a.m. | Break Stop by the photography station to get your professional profile photo taken and grab a refreshment |
|
| 10:15 a.m. | Breakout Session | Breakout Session |
| 11:15 a.m. | Breakout Session | Breakout Session |
| 12:15-1:30 p.m. | Lunch and Networking Enjoy lunch, spend a little time networking, and get your professional profile photo taken |
|
| 1:30-2:30 p.m. | Interactive Session with Movement Sewa Beats of North America |
|
| 2:30-2:45 p.m. | Break Stop by the photography station to get your professional profile photo taken and grab a refreshment |
|
| 2:45 p.m. | Breakout Session | Breakout Session |
| 3:45 p.m. | Thank You and Wrap Up | |
| 4:30 p.m. | Conference Adjourns | |
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha
The Empower IT Conference is excited to welcome Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha as our 2020 
keynote speaker!
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, has been named the keynote speaker for Empower IT 2020, which will take place Wednesday, May 27, 2020 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on the campus of Michigan State University.
Hanna-Attisha, pediatrician, professor, and health advocate, rose to national prominence through her role in uncovering the Flint Water Crisis and leading recovery efforts. She shared her story of discovery and the battle to bring the crisis to light in her book What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City.
As keynote speaker, she will discuss her experience overcoming and leading through adversity.
Hanna-Attisha is the founder and director of the Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, a public health program in Flint. She is also the founding donor of the Flint Child Health and Development Fund.
Empower IT 2020 marks the third year for the conference. MSU IT’s Empower IT group developed the conference in 2018 as a way to promote Empower IT’s yearly theme, goals, and overall mission of creating a positive community of women, minorities and allies in IT and adjacent professions. This year’s theme is Leading through Adversity.
Empower IT works to bring topics about diversity, representation and inclusion to the forefront. The conference functions as a means to educate members of the IT work force and adjacent professions on how to promote diversity and live inclusively.
Breakout Session Speakers
April Callis Birchmeier
April Callis Birchmeier believes that no one should have to suffer through an unorganized, poorly managed change and the resulting negativity. Preparing for change with a people centered focus helps realize the benefits that depend on adoption. She has extensive experience working with nonprofit organizations including healthcare, government and higher education.
April led Organizational Change Management for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services including the implementation of the Healthy Michigan Plan. She speaks frequently to organizations and conferences about preparing people for change and leading a positive workplace. Her programs and keynotes resonate with front line staff as well as leaders.
One of the “First 100” Certified Change Management Professionals (CCMP™) recognized by the Association of Change Management Professionals and an author of The Standard of Change Management, April is an experienced speaker, facilitator and Project Management Professional. She is the founder of the Association of Change Management Professionals Michigan Chapter and is a Past President of the Michigan National Speakers Association. April’s been profiled in Time Magazine, The New York Times and is the author of How to Lead Successful change; Change Management DIY, Springboard to Success and the forthcoming book Ready, Set, Change!
Sewa Beats of North America
By using music to bring a new paradigm of success to workplace communities, Sewa Beats inspires professionals to reach their peak potential as individuals, as organizations, and as a global human community.
Music provides a lens through which a person can experientially revisit the fundamental competencies necessary for success in today’s world. While the fundamentals are the fundamentals, looking at them from a fresh point of view often provides new insights that can immediately impact a team’s effectiveness.
Through Sewa Beat’s training and drum workshop, participants can share experiences that help them reconnect with their work leaving them with a more profound awareness of the challenges they need to conquer.
