Our Vision
As a part of our ongoing focus on STEM studies, IT Girls was created so that young female students who are interested in these fields have a structured extra-curricular program to explore and develop their interests and talents. We hope that this prepares them to have a competitive advantage in their academic and career interests and we want to start by targeting our 4th and 5th grade girls. This program is designed to guide them through project-based work, partner with businesses and involve guest speakers to provide insight, inspiration, and guidance, and to answer any questions the students may have on how these topics intersect.
Success for us would be to create more awareness and acceptance of females into STEM related careers, eventually making this topic a non-issue within our society. Our hope is that this and related programs are either not needed or we can offer it to students of all ages and genders.
Lasting Impact
Our initial launch of the IT Girls program began during the 2015-2016 school year. In 2022, a former IT Girl from the class of 2016 shared her testimonial of how IT Girls ignited a passion for her to delve into STEM topics. Today, this IT Girl graduate is studying computer science as a junior in high school. It is fantastic how the IT Girls Foundation has positively impacted girls' lives and future career paths years later!
School Program
As our world continues to evolve, the demand and need for technical skills and understanding becomes more and more important for members of society to be competitive in the marketplace and thrive as individuals.
The focus on STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) disciplines in our education system help to address this growing trend. We owe it to all our students to provide access to opportunities for success and learning at an early age.
Historically, there have been challenges in the number of women who participate in STEM related fields of study and employment due to a number of factors.
We have an opportunity, Starting with Gwinnett County, to help improve on this phenomenon and create a program which will help distinguish schools and young ladies to provide a competitive advantage as they progress in their academic and eventual professional careers.
Program Benefit and Value
As our world continues to evolve, the demand and need for technical skills and understanding becomes more and more important for members of society to be competitive in the marketplace and thrive as individuals.
The focus on STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) disciplines in our education system help to address this growing trend. We owe it to all our students to provide access to opportunities for success and learning at an early age.
Historically, there have been challenges in the number of women who participate in STEM related fields of study and employment due to a number of factors.
We have an opportunity, Starting with Gwinnett County, to help improve on this phenomenon and create a program which will help distinguish schools and young ladies to provide a competitive advantage as they progress in their academic and eventual professional careers.
Board of Directors
Grant Shih
CEO & Founder
Grant Shih is a Senior Executive with a focus on technology. He was inspired by his daughter to found IT Girls to help bring STEM topics to her at an age when she and her peers were most receptive to candid messages. Grant believes this early education is key to evolving our world beyond the current challenges faced by women in STEM related careers.
Katie Tucker
Co-Founder, VP of Finance & Legal
Katie Tucker is an executive in the Atlanta technology community. Katie gives back to the community that she lives in through active volunteering. Katie is passionate about supporting females and founded IT Girls to provide young females with the coaching and foundation to be successful in school and in their careers with a focus on STEM.
Roxanne Seymour
President
Roxanne Seymour is a C-Suite executive with a long tenure in Information
Technology. She is passionate about mentoring young children and started
volunteering very early in her career. Roxanne's "why" for IT Girls is to
help girls understand STEM topics better and to grow passion around those
topics so they can understand that their futures are limitless.
Allison Shih
VP of Ambassador Program
Allison Shih is the Head of Growth and Strategy for ImagineX Consulting, a boutique firm specializing in Technical Advisory, Custom Development, Data Analytics, and Cyber. In this role, she is responsible for driving top line revenue across the company’s four practices as well as cross-functional initiatives to
strengthen the ImagineX Client Engagement team and Go to Market strategy. Allison actively blends her corporate career with a purpose-driven life. Shih serves on multiple non-profit Boards including Atlanta Technology Professionals, IT Girls Foundation, and New Hope Children’s Village. As a mother of 4 kids, you can also find Allison at various sporting activities either coaching on the field or cheering from the sidelines. Allison has over 15+ years of experience in the technology industry and holds a bachelor's degree in
Business Administration from the University of Georgia.
Ashley Russell
VP of Operations
Ashley Russell is an award winning Sales Professional who has been working in the technology industry for the last 15 years. She is also a wife and mother to two dogs, Bandit and Hershey. Along with being in the technology space, she is also a movie podcaster as well as producer. Her passion is inspiring Girls and Women in STEM. She believes that we need to encourage more girls to get engaged in STEM because girls are underrepresented in this space.
Abby Seymour
VP of Media & Communications
Abby Seymour spent five years as a special education teacher, and is now a training instructor and project coordinator. Abby has a passion for educating and encouraging all students to pursue their dreams no matter what challenges they might have. Which is why Abby supports the mission of IT Girls: to influence young girls to pursue passions in STEM where girls are misrepresented.