Target Audience: Women

WOMEN 18 – 54

Women are an increasingly dominant power in the American marketplace.  They influence or control more than 83 percent of all consumer purchases, including 66 percent of all home computers. In 2003, women spent approximately $55 billion on consumer electronics products, outpacing men (Wow! Quick Facts, 2005).  Yet sadly, women have been socialized to believe that they can’t engage with technology.  They rely on their husband, boyfriend or brother to create the Excel spreadsheet and worry about the wireless.

 So, are men better with technology than women?   Studies have shown that women have less confidence than men in their computer skills, even women who study computer science.  Men are more interested than women in technology, and they are also more tech savvy.   But despite the disparity that exist, women are making notable strides in technology:

• Women under 30 and Black females outpace their male peer in computer use (Pew
• In most categories of internet activity, more men than women are participants, but women are catching up quickly.(Pew)
• Data show that men and women are more similar than different in their online lives (Pew).
• Social network users of sites like Facebook and Twitter are equally likely to be men and women (pew).

Now more than ever, women need to know how to be tech savvy in order to:

• Get a better job – knowing technology is a workplace necessity and not knowing it can hurt a woman’s career
• Spend money wisely – The internet is a treasure trove of information when researching products and shopping around for the best price.
• Look better –  Learn how to create the perfect smoky eye by watching a Sephora YouTube or download an app that helps you track your diet and weight loss while connecting to a community on Facebook.  Technology can help you get your glam on.

At a time when information technology pervades work, education, health, entertainment, safety and every facet of our lives (ncwit.org), women cannot afford not to be tech savvy.  Technology plays a key role in the way women live, so understanding it and developing a level of comfort with it is key to enhancing their love, work and personal lives.

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Educated but not tech savvy, Dr. Marcella Wilson quickly realized that even though she had a bachelor’s degree, her career needed a boost.  She was stuck in a high-stress, dead-end job at a call center.  Marcella quickly realized that learning technology could advance her career options dramatically. 

Determined not to be stuck in a dead-end job, Marcella turned her despair into action.  She enrolled in a graduate program and was mentored by numerous successful women throughout her educational career.  Today, as America’s Tech Expert, Dr. Wilson has taught numerous undergraduate and graduate classes on computer science and information technology.  She speaks at national conferences, has published research and runs a successful consulting firm.  But most importantly, she “pays it forward” and teaches women how to harness the power of technically to improve their lives at every stage.

Booking Information for Dr. Marcella Wilson:
Phone: 301.275.9788
Email: marcella@marcellawilson.com
Website: www.marcellawilson.com 

Dr. Marcella Wilson’s Availability
Based in the Washington, DC/Baltimore metropolitan area – Available for in-studio interviews

Nationwide availability by satellite or phone, in-studio by arrangement, last-minute guest based on availability.