Having been a successful organization for 14 years, WITI realizes that things change in the technology community quite rapidly. As you know from first-hand experience, more women are starting their own businesses, and many more still are moving up the ranks and significantly contributing to the success of the companies they work for now.

On that note, our theme this year is "Women Leading Reinvention and Innovation," so we are kicking off the 2003-2004 program schedule with a panel of women who embody these qualities. The panel consists of three executives who have an interesting, and inspirational, story to tell about how they got to be where they are in their careers and some of the tough decisions they had to make along the way. But, through innovation and perhaps at times reinventing themselves or shifting their goals, they have experienced success.

The panel will be moderated by Anne Taylor, Associate Editor of Mass High Tech. Panelists include Gail Goodman, CEO of Roving Software; Nancy Connolly, Founder and President of Lasertone Corporation; and Fran Grigsby, Founder and CEO of Next Level International.

About Our Speaker(s)

Gail Goodman, CEO of Roving Software, is a seasoned software executive with senior management, marketing, product management, business development and management consulting experience with Roving Software, Open Market, Progress Software, Dun & Bradstreet Software and Bain & Co.

Under her leadership, Roving has brought to market Constant Contact® - the leading self-service email marketing solution. Constant Contact is used by more than 100,000 small and medium businesses and is available through a wide variety of partners including Amazon.com, Intuit, Inc., PayPal, Staples.com, and VeriSign.

At Roving, Ms. Goodman develops and tracks best practices in email marketing, focused specifically on permission-based email and stopping spam. She works closely with the NAI Email Service Provider Coalition charting the direction for an industry-wide spam solution, known as Project Lumos. She is a frequent speaker at related-industry events.

Ms. Goodman holds a BA from The University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Software and Internet Council.

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Fran Grigsby, founder and CEO of Next Level International, is a seasoned technology executive with over 25 years of experience in hardware, software, storage and telecommunications. She oversees all activities and services for Next Level, which supports the market expansion requirements of companies with existing products or services that want to expand their markets to create profitable new revenue opportunities.

Before founding Next Level, Ms. Grigsby was Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for GigaNet, a successful startup that was acquired by Emulex. She joined GigaNet as its fourth employee and delivered its first round of venture financing, established its alliance program and launched the company and its products.

Prior to GigaNet, Ms. Grigsby was Vice President of Enterprise Networks for Motorola. In this role she led the company’s switching and networking businesses. She also held executive positions at Digital Equipment Corporation, including Manager of Network Access products. In this role she rejuvenated the communications server line and founded the wireless and cable modem businesses. She held other senior positions in storage systems, field support and corporate logistics and has led international efforts in Germany, Ireland, France and the UK.

Ms. Grigsby holds MBA and BA degrees from Vanderbilt University. She received the Executive Certificate at INSEAD Graduate School of Management, Fontainebleau, France. Ms. Grigsby was also featured as an innovative leader in Rosabeth Moss Kanter's bestseller “The Change Masters” and the videotape series “Management Speaks.”
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Nancy Connolly, President and Founder of Lasertone Corporation, bootstrapped her $13 million, over 70-employee business by "hiring people with the will to sell." Her company grew by 400% in its first year and since then the company and Nancy have never looked back. Lasertone's 2002 revenues were up 50% over the year before.

Founded in 1989, Lasertone is the nation's leading woman-owned provider of networked printer supplies, service and hardware providing businesses to ensure consistent and flawless printer performance, through the sales of discounted original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and private label printer toner cartridges. Lasertone recently introduced the New England market to the multi-function peripheral (MFP) device, which consolidates printing, copying and scanning functions into one efficient unit.

Recognized by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBE) as A leading woman-owned business, Lasertone employs a workforce comprised of over 60% minority and women employees working at all levels from production to management.

Ms. Connolly is a big believer in certification from the Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) as a means for women to grow a business. She is a member of AIM (Associated Industries of Massachusetts); past director of the Metro West Chamber of Commerce; recipient of the Boston Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award and a frequent speaker at colleges and women's organizations.

She spent three years at Western Montclair State University before a successful career at a division of Exxon Corporation disrupted her studies. She does NOT, however, advocate leaving college before completion.

The privately held Lasertone, headquartered in Littleton, Mass., is also committed to preserving the environment and is proud of its recycling effort which keeps over 200 tons of plastics and metal out of U.S. land fills annually.

Event Date and Venue

This event will be held from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 at:

Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels
One Financial Center, 19th Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02111
Map

From the Mass Pike:
Take Mass Pike East, Exit 24. From Exit 24, take Exit 24A, a right hand exit to South Station. At the end of the ramp go straight through the lights onto Atlantic Ave. At the third set of lights take a left onto Essex Street. One Financial Center is on your right.

From Route I-93 (Expressway) Heading South:
Take the South Station exit, a left lane exit inside the tunnel. Stay in the left lane coming up the ramp. At the top of the ramp, take a left onto South Street. Take the next left onto Essex Street. One Financial Center is the building on your left.

From Route I-93 (Expressway) Heading North:
Take Exit 20. After exiting the highway, stay in the left lane of the two-lane off ramp and follow the signs “Detour to South Station via Frontage Road”. Follow signs to South Station. At the end of the ramp go straight through the lights onto Atlantic Ave. At the third set of lights take a left onto Essex Street. One Financial Center is on your right.

Train:
There are various time options for Amtrak and commuter trains into South Station, which is directly across from One Financial Center. Call 617-222-3200 for schedule information.

Subway:
Red Line to South Station.

Schedule

There will be networking from 6:00 to 6:45 p.m. and the panel presentation will take place from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., with the last 30 minutes reserved for questions from attendees.

Pre-registration for this event is closed and on-site registrations will not be accepted.

About Our Sponsor(s)

Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP is a full-service, international law
firm with offices in the United States and Europe.
Serving a global client base of emerging growth companies and Fortune
100 corporations, the Firm's 200+ attorneys provide representation across
key areas of the law: Corporate & Securities, Intellectual Property,
Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring, Finance, Real Estate, Complex Litigation,
and Government Law & Strategies. Combining a dedication to excellence and an
entrepreneurial spirit with the implementation of sophisticated technologies,
Brown Rudnick provides its clients with a breadth and depth of expertise uniquely suited to their legal needs.

Contact Us

For more info regarding registration or event details, please contact Jenny Laden ([email protected]).

For more details about pre-registration, contact Tech Support.