DEARBORN – The ninth annual Michigan Council for Women in Technology annual black-tie Signature Gala November 8 raised more than $300,000 and also inaugurated a new president for the MCWT.

The annual event was hosted by Ford Motor Company to raise funds for the MCWT Foundation serving women in technology through all stages of education and career.

Vice president of partnerships for MCWT, Vishakha Radia, who also is the Cisco Director for Consulting Services, kicked off the program for some 500 IT professionals in attendance. Cisco served as one of the emerald sponsors with AT&T.

?This signature event?s success is because of the support of our partners in our state?s IT industry, further reinforcing the business case for diversity and ongoing support for MCWT?s mission and vision,? Radia said.

There were several exciting announcements made. The first that $306,000 was raised for future MCWT programs. There was also a changing of the guard announced. Maru Flores from Ford will step down as President in December and pass the torch to another technology leader, Cindy Warner from IBM. Flores will continue to serve as an Advisory Board Member. She has served MCWT since 2012.

Flores said providing scholarships to young women is the greatest memory she had at MCWT.

?I saw the weight lifted when young women were able to change their potential into possibilities with MCWT,? she said. ?I felt connected to these young women from my own experiences and it was an inspiration.?

More big news came from Nick Smither, Group Vice President and CIO for Ford Motor Company. He announced that Ford made an amazing commitment of a three-year, $75,000 grant for MCWT to lease office space in Dearborn – a significant milestone for the organization as it works to further expand its outreach.

Smither also noted a change of leadership at Ford with a new female CIO, Marcy Klevorn, replacing him in January. Klevorn was present to support MCWT and spoke about her support for women in technology particularly as technology has become so pervasive. She said she feels the inclusion of women in technology is the right thing to do and is good for business.

According to the National Center for Women and Information Technology, studies have found that teams with both women and men are more profitable and innovative. Mixed-gender teams have produced information technology patents that are cited 26 percent to 42 percent more often than the norm.

The Theme of the event was ?Sieze the Moment,? which is what many professional females in the technology industry are doing every day in Detroit. From leading entrepreneurs to leaders of Global empires, the support for MCWT comes from many areas.

MCWT?s strategy is to broadly reach young girls to get them to consider technology and deeply connect with women who choose the IT path?with the continued support of its 64 partners and 730 members.

MCWT invited Zilphia Martin who received the MCWT President?s Undergraduate Scholarship in 2014 on stage to speak about her experience. Martin said she has greatly valued the entire MCWT experience as well as her scholarship opportunity plus the networking with diverse talent in technology.

New MCWT President Cindy Warner, managing partner of cloud strategy and solutions for IBM?s Global Services business unit, has a vast amount of well-rounded experience that aligns with the mission of MCWT that includes founding women in technology initiatives at Pricewaterhouse Coopers and much non-profit experience with organizations like ardentCause L3C.

Warner said she ?believes the organization will be able to grow with new partnerships and influence more partners to understand the value for women in technology.? Warner will be joined by Carey Pachla, president of Fast Switch, Ltd., who will assume the newly created role of vice president.

?Maru?s visionary approach focused MCWT on how and where we can make the most impact when it comes to inspiring and growing women in Michigan?s technology community,? said Warner. ?I look forward to continuing the momentum and strategically guiding MCWT in its programming and contributions to the growing IT sector.?

The last year has been wildly success for the council growing the number of IT summer camps for girls, scholarships, professional mentoring support, and the addition of new partners. It is clear that new leadership and continued support will make the next year just as fruitful for this organization and the women that benefit from these programs.

For more information on the Michigan Council for Women in Tech click on MCWT.Org