Global Tech Education Nonprofit Technovation Appoints Kate Parker as Chair of the Board

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Apr 05, 2023, 08:41 ET

Current chair, Ann Gaudard Weeby, honored as Chair Emeritus and Sonya Park named Vice Chair of the Board

MENLO PARK, Calif., April 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Technovation, the global nonprofit responsible for the world's largest and longest running AI and tech entrepreneurship program for girls, announced the appointment of Kate Parker as its Board Chair. Parker, who has been a member of the board since 2017, brings a wealth of experience in technology and entrepreneurship and a deep commitment to empowering girls to be leaders and problem-solvers through cutting-edge skill development. Parker will succeed Ann Gaudard Weeby, who has served as board chair since 2018.

From left to right: Kate Parker, Sonya Park, and Ann Gaudard Weeby.

Weeby has been named Chair Emeritus in recognition of her years of service and leadership to Technovation.

"We are grateful for Ann's contributions as our Board Chair," said Technovation CEO and Founder Tara Chklovski. "Her guidance and support have been instrumental in helping Technovation grow and thrive in over 120 countries worldwide, where a vast majority of our participants come from countries with a low U.N. Human Development Index ranking."

In addition to Parker's appointment, Technovation also announced that Sonya Park has been named as the Vice Chair of the Board. Park, who has been a member of Technovation's board since 2018, is a global financial executive with more than 20 years of experience in institutional client support and growth.

Under the collective board leadership of Parker and Park, Technovation will build on its 17-year peer-reviewed track record of empowering over 150,000 girls to use technology to become leaders, creators and problem-solvers. Technovation alumnae have learned to use technology to create solutions to identify and remove invasive species, improve air quality monitors, detect lethal fake drugs, and help lonely kids connect – among thousands of other tech apps.

Today, on the backdrop of explosive growth in AI and the negative impacts of the pandemic on girls education, Technovation now builds on its strong foundation to chart an aggressive path forward, expanding its peer-reviewed programs to reach millions of girls around the world and teach them how to create innovative, tech-driven solutions to real-world problems. Over 75% of Technovation alumnae pursue a STEM degree compared to 21% of women undergraduates who received STEM-related degrees in 2012.

"Our scalable and data-backed program equips the world's girls with cutting-edge technology skills needed to be game-changing entrepreneurs. As we meet the moment of today's state of technology education, we are setting bolder, bigger goals to reach all the girls who need our support," said Parker. "I am excited to work with our expert board, dedicated executives, staff, volunteers, and hundreds of global partners to make our vision of millions more women technology leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs a reality."

About Technovation

Technovation is a global tech education nonprofit that empowers girls to become more confident leaders, creators and problem-solvers. Technovation offers engaging, student-centered learning programs in which girls ages 8-18 learn how to use AI and app-based technologies to solve real-world problems. Technovation partners with global organizations like UNICEF, UNESCO and UN Women, and with mentors from companies like Salesforce, Adobe, Shopify, IBM, Google, Oracle, Globant, Ericsson, Intel, HSBC and Microsoft to reach girls and families in more than 100 countries. To learn more, visit http://technovation.org.

You may also connect with Technovation on Instagram (www.instagram.com/technovationglobal), Facebook (www.facebook.com/technovationglobal), Twitter (www.twitter.com/technovation), Tik Tok (https://www.tiktok.com/@technovation) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/c/TechnovationGlobal).

Media contact:
Bob Spoerl
[email protected]
773.453.2444

SOURCE Technovation