Chancellor Stroble to Participate in ARDN’s Digital Justice and Women in Tech Summit in New York City March 14
March 09, 2023
Chancellor Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble will participate in the “Women in Tech” panel
hosted by the African Renaissance and Diaspora Network (ARDN) on March 14. The event is part of the Women’s Voice and Leadership Project,
hosted by Voix Et Leadership Des Femmes Au Senegal (VF-Senegal). It is one of several meetings being held in March as part of the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women session, held from March 6 through March 17.
The panel will convene at 11 a.m. Eastern Time, 10 a.m. Central Time. It will be streamed online, but registration is required.
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It was established by the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1946.
During the Commission’s annual two-week session, representatives of UN Member States, civil society organizations and UN entities gather at UN headquarters in New York and discuss progress and gaps in the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the key global policy document on gender equality, and the 23rd special session of the General Assembly held in 2000, as well as emerging issues that affect gender equality and the empowerment of women.
This year’s emerging issue is an exploration of the low number of women who work in the tech industry. According to the research firm Deloitte Global, women only make up one-third of all employees in the tech sector, and those female employees are increasingly reporting that they face harassment and discrimination in the work place to a point where more than half are considering changing careers. The issue is being reviewed by numerous human rights organizations this year:
- Empowering Women and Girls through Digital Access and Technology | World Justice Project
- IWD 2023: Bridging the Digital Gap for Women in Tech | SAP News
- Women in Technology - Justice Digital (blog.gov.uk)
ARDN is an international non-profit non-governmental organization headquartered in New York. Its mission is to accelerate the attainment of the African renaissance by advocating for and supporting United Nations programs, such as the Sustainable Development Goals. ARDN mobilizes the passion of government, educators, artists, intellectuals, the private sector, civil society and youth, using the power of art, sport and culture as vectors for creating a better world. ARDN serves as the Secretariat for the Global Alliance of Mayors and Leaders from Africa and of African Descent.
Webster University has partnered with ARDN on several global initiatives, including:
- The Women of the Diaspora Summits
- The Red Card Campaign
- The “Africa: Open for Business Summit”
- The Pan-African Youth Summit.
Last year, ARDN President and CEO Djibril Diallo was Webster University’s Commencement speaker.
Webster’s participation in diversity and equity events is not unusual, as the institution was established on the principal of equality for all. Webster University was founded in 1915 as an all-women’s college during a time when few colleges admitted women into their programs and women still had not obtained the right to vote in the United States. While the University has since transitioned to co-ed, it still remains on the forefront of expanding access to students domestically and internationally.
Stroble has a long history of working on equity issues on the local, national and international levels. She is the higher education co-chair for ARDN and has engaged colleagues and students worldwide in popularizing the advancement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, with a specific focus on gender equality. She also is a board member for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and chairs their education committee. She serves on the Executive Committee of the International Association of University Presidents and is an honorary life director at The Muny. She also is a member of the International Women’s Forum and a member of the St. Louis Forum.
In 2019, she was named by Diverse Issues in Higher Education as one of the 35 top women in higher education. In 2017, Stroble was listed on the “The Top 50 Women in St. Louis in Media, The Arts, Business, Education, and More. . .” by Gazelle Magazine and also was presented with the “Diversity and Inclusion Award” by the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.