Newark, NJ, January 14, 2019 – Edge, New Jersey’s nonprofit research and education network, launched two new leadership groups with kickoff sessions at EdgeCon 2019. EdgeCon, Edge’s annual conference, took place from January 9-11 in Long Branch, NJ, and played host to the inaugural meetings of the Edge CxO Exchange and the Women Leaders in Technology (WLiT) professional network.
As a member informed consortium, Edge places a strong focus on the development of and ongoing collaboration driven by member communities. The CxO Exchange and WLiT professional network are the newest of these community leadership groups, and each met for the first time as part of the EdgeCon programming schedule on January 10.
The CxO Exchange serves as an opportunity for executive leaders from the higher education, K-12, healthcare, and nonprofit communities to come together to explore topics of mutual interest. The purpose of this group is to connect leaders between sectors and functional areas within an institution to understand and collaborate on the challenges they face. The inaugural meeting of the CxO Exchange included a discussion led by New Jersey’s Chief Innovation Officer, Dr. Beth Simone Noveck, focused on the role of Edge members in the state’s innovation economy.
The WLiT professional network has been created to give women in the Edge member network an opportunity to come together and share their stories, form mentor-mentee relationships, and forge deeper connections and support systems to further the mission of developing women leaders in tech. The group was launched with a presentation by Maggie Halbeck, Vice President at Verizon, followed by a panel discussion including Dr. Merodie Hancock, President of Thomas Edison State University, Dr. Mira Lalovic-Hand, Senior Vice President and CIO at Rowan University, Candy Fleming, Vice President and CIO at Montclair State University, and Carol Kondrach, Deputy CIO at Princeton University.
“In concert with Edge’s pledge to build community among its members, these two new professional practice groups offer tremendous value to all who participate. Our CxO Exchange invites all C-level executives to come together twice a year for relevant and timely discussions, and provides an opportunity to socialize and interact with like-minded peers and colleagues. Edge’s Women Leaders in Technology Professional Network supports the careers of women who are working to advance their careers in technology, and creates a space for interaction and engagement with role models as they do so,” said Dr. Samuel Conn, President and CEO of Edge. Dr. Conn added, “We are all excited by the tremendous response to the launch of these new professional practice groups at this year’s EdgeCon 2019 event.”