- WITCON 2025, hosted by getWITit Cincinnati, was held for the first time at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington.
- The conference’s theme, Thrive Forward, emphasized building supportive, high-performing workplace cultures for women in technology.
- Speakers and participants from organizations like Fifth Third Bank, Great American Insurance, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital discussed leadership, inclusion, and innovation in the tech industry.
A study published by the National Center for Women & Information Technology found that women make up 28% of the workforce in computing and mathematical occupations in the United States in 2020.
While the number is growing incrementally —standing at 35% in 2025, per the Women in Tech Network — local organizers believe there is still more work to be done.
To encourage more women locally to join the tech industry, getWITit Cincinnati, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting women in technology, brought its signature event, WITCON, or Women in Tech Convention, to Northern Kentucky. WITCON is an annual conference where women and other tech industry professionals can network, participate in interactive workshops, and gain insights from keynote speakers.
For the first time, WITCON took place at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington on Nov. 5.
The convention’s theme, Thrive Forward, focused on cultivating a supportive environment for women in tech. WITCON featured representatives from Fifth Third Bank, Great American Insurance, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and NTT DATA. Topics at the conference ranged from promoting awareness, addressing attention and preparing women for leadership roles.
One of the main focuses of the day: strengthening the pipeline of women in technology to foster a more innovative and connected tech community in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
Helene Smuts, founder of Credo Growth and a manufacturing and technology consultant, delivered the conference’s opening keynote address, focusing on developing high-performing team cultures within organizations.
From Smuts’ perspective, organizational culture is much deeper than just superficial team-building activities or monthly recognition efforts. Genuine culture involves establishing strong systems that empower everyday employees to deliver results consistently.
Building this culture requires intentional effort, strategic focus, and a true commitment to understanding and appreciating each team member’s specific contribution and potential. It’s through this personalized approach that organizations can maximize their employees’ strengths, creating an environment that is both welcoming and competitive with women working in tech.
“We often find that people in tech struggle with the more essential, softer side of things, because you are dealing with incredibly highly intelligent technical specialists,” Smuts said. “That’s where our support comes in quite a bit, because not everyone just leans into the communication styles and things like that.”
In addition to professional development workshops, other organizations participated in WITCON to explore new methods and technologies for attracting new employees.
Stephanie Togneri, senior director of volunteer engagement at the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, explained to LINK nky that WITCON served as a platform for the organization to attract new volunteers. Tongeri said she learned how the YMCA could leverage artificial intelligence to support these efforts.
“This opportunity has really given us the opportunity to rethink how we connect with people and utilizing AI and the gifts that it brings will allow us to really get our message out quicker, faster, making it more accessible to just the regular person on the street,” she said.
