About Us

Women in Technology of the Heartland (WiTH) was founded in November of 2012 by nine women committed to creating an Omaha-Area networking organization that would authentically connect, communicate, and collaborate to advance women in technology. Today, we have over 2,500 members and continue to engage our community by hosting monthly events.

September Meetup

Decode Your Team: Whole Brain Thinking for Better Collaboration

Brilliant ideas do not always win in STEM. Communication breaks down, biases get in the way, and meetings can quickly go off course. In this interactive session, workplace strategist Diane Ratigan-Schmidt will introduce Whole Brain® Thinking, a practical framework for understanding how you and the people around you approach information, decisions, communication, and problem-solving.

You will explore why teams can struggle even when everyone is capable and well-intentioned. More importantly, you will learn ways to address friction before it becomes a larger problem.

During this session, you will learn how to:

• Recognize common sources of team miscommunication and tension
• Better understand your own thinking preferences and those of your teammates
• Address bias and differing work styles more constructively
• Push back, ask better questions, and communicate clearly without creating unnecessary fallout
• Build more trust and make progress when a team is stuck
  
  Expect practical tools, candid discussion, and ideas you can apply in your next meeting, project, difficult conversation and everyday life!

Agenda:
5:00 – 5:30 Networking, Food and Drinks
5:30 – 5:40 Announcements
5:40 – 6:35 Speaker
6:35 – 6:45 Wrap-up and Prize Drawings

About Our Speaker
Diane Ratigan-Schmidt is the founder of Holistic Team Wellness and is a workplace strategy consultant with nearly two decades of experience helping organizations improve leadership, communication, and collaboration. Her background includes operational and technical leadership, higher education, organizational performance, and consulting with teams across industries.

Her work helps women and teams navigate bias, build trust, and turn workplace tension into productive progress through Whole Brain® Thinking and evidence-based collaboration tools.

Special Thanks
A heartfelt thank you to CRi for hosting and sponsoring this event and to the Nebraska Tech Collaborative for being our 2026 sponsor.

2026 WiTH Sponsor:

We would like to thank NTC for their generosity and commitment to advancing women in the tech space.

We meet monthly. Check us out and RSVP on MeetUp.

Our History

The first meeting occurred in January of 2013 when approximately 30 women gathered to discuss organizing the group and establishing its goals.  Today, WiTH has more than 1,100 Facebook followers, and attendance at meetings is typically between 30 – 60 participants each month.

Our Mission

WiTH provides a fun networking forum for women to learn from and share with one another, focusing on the development and promotion of IT talent in women through mentoring and other outreach efforts,  so we’re not the only women in the room anymore.  

What to Expect

Topics are technical in nature and cover soft skills as well as ways to further careers.  Occasionally, the meetings are networking events for people to get to know one another better or make new connections.

How We Help

WiTH has enjoyed growing recognition and a number of successes. WiTH members have served as speakers for other organizations and members have gained insights and made connections which have advanced their careers.  At the same time, the community has benefitted from the group’s outreach, including collecting diapers for Lydia House, and food for the Omaha Food Bank.

What to Bring

There are no membership dues required. Most meetings are sponsored by a local business or vendor, so there is no cost to attend. If there isn’t a sponsor, participants pay for their own food or beverages.

Get Involved

A subset of the group meets monthly to plan the meetings, and those members take turns organizing and facilitating. 

We couldn’t organize these events without the support of the business community. Our valued partners have the opportunity to gain branding awareness by sponsoring and/or hosting our monthly events. Interested? Click below!