10.26.06 TechVision21 CEO, Kelly Carnes was among a group of distinguished panelists speaking at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s annual Women of Diversity-Entrepreneurship Symposium

On October 26, 2006 TechVision21 CEO, Kelly Carnes was among a group of distinguished panelists speaking at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s annual Women of Diversity-Entrepreneurship Symposium at the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship at the Lally School of Management and Technology in Troy, New York

The symposium entitled, “Pushing the Frontier in the 21st Century – A Conversation with Visionary Women,” featured distinguished leaders who are making their mark on higher education, business, government, and the international landscape. The annual symposium is part of the Severino Center’s effort to spark the interest of young women to pursue entrepreneurial ventures and careers in science, engineering, and technology.

“The symposium provides an important networking opportunity for women entrepreneurs in the region and beyond,” said David Gautschi, dean of the Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer. “We believe hearing the personal experiences, challenges, and ideas about the ways that women entrepreneurs are shaping and redefining the workplace, business networks, institutions, and our culture can inspire others to pursue endeavors they never before imagined.”

The panelists include Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson; Kelly Carnes, president and CEO of TechVision 21; Aparna Mehrotra, Focal Point for Women in the United Nations; Lucinda Sanders, co-founder and CEO of the National Center for Women & Information Technology; and Sarah Xu, founder, chairman and president of the Shanghai Y & T Outdoor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. Judith Barnes ’71, entrepreneur and national marketing, advertising, and communications consultant, will serve as the program moderator.

The program culminated with a ceremony that to honor and celebrate 15 female high school seniors, the first recipients of the Rensselaer Paul and Kathleen Severino Future Leaders Award for their academic excellence in mathematics and science, leadership, service, and devotion to their respective school and community. Rensselaer’s Office of Enrollment Management will award the students a $5,000 per year merit scholarship guaranteed for four years (five years for the School of Architecture program) for each student who is accepted and enrolls at Rensselaer.

About the Severino Center
Established in 1988, the Severino Center is at the core of the school’s mission to educate future entrepreneurs in the conversion of technical ideas into new businesses, products, services, and solutions.

About Rensselaer’s Lally School
The School was founded in 1963 as an integral part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and is dedicated to advancing business through innovation. The school’s curriculum is designed to produce leaders who combine creative passion with the ability to integrate technology across business functions.

About Rensselaer
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is the nation’s oldest technological university, offering degrees in engineering, the sciences, information technology, architecture, management, the humanities and social sciences. Rensselaer is known for its emphasis in biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology, the media arts and technology. The Institute is well known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace so that new discoveries and inventions benefit human life, protect the environment, and strengthen economic development.