Breaking boundaries, Influencing change through S.H.E.

Gender Diversity shouldn’t be a woman's problem to solve, it needs to be everybody’s problem to solve!

In these sessions, you’ll learn about SHE (Sharing Her Empowerment) - a powerful organization that helps women elevate each other, influence gender diversity, and foster career pathing in today’s workforce. SHE Leaders will discuss the group’s charter, talk about what Bugcrowd SHE chapter is doing to effect change, how to engage the board to make an impact and outline best practices for creating a chapter within your own organization. SHE’s mission is to use our voices collectively to make every company a better place to work for everyone.

SHE's Mission

We, the members of SHE, are planting a seed
We believe that 20% just isn't good enough
We believe we can all do better
We will use our voices collectively to initiate change, grow our careers, and elevate each other
We stand by each other and our mission to make this a better place to work for everyone

Elevate your Career with SheLeadsTech

ISACA Winnipeg is proud to present an interactive and engaging SheLeadsTech event. This discussion with two local fearless female leaders will explore what it takes to bring more women not only into tech-related careers, but also how they can elevate themselves into leadership positions. Come prepared with your questions for our panellists or even send them ahead of time to kerri.elyk@isaca-wpg.org.

SheLeadsTech events are completely inclusive. While they will provide an excellent opportunity for women in tech to connect and network, all are welcome to come listen, learn, and contribute!

Presenters:

Marites Gerra

Marites Gerra is a nationally recognized technology leader with over 25 years of experience spanning the private sector, academia, and public service. As Manager of IT Security at the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML)—Canada’s only Level 4 containment facility—she plays a vital role in protecting critical scientific infrastructure and national health data.

She is a graduate of the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a CISSP-certified professional. She was recognized in:

• The “Making IT Work” video series, highlighting women in technology

• “Women in Stem”, promoting careers in the Canadian Public Service.

• Canada’s Top 20 Women in Cybersecurity in 2023 for her outstanding contributions to the field.

Her career has evolved from foundational roles in desktop operations, server administration, and network infrastructure, to a decade of focused work in cybersecurity.

At NML, Marites leads threat risk assessments (TRAs), vulnerability management, and cyber threat monitoring across the Science Network and Science Cloud. She serves as the IT Security Incident Lead and actively contributes to the development of security policies for both Health Canada and PHAC.

As a mentor, leader, and public servant, Marites is committed to encouraging more women to explore careers in cybersecurity. Her work continues to focus on strengthening security controls, safeguarding sensitive information, and upholding the trust and confidence of the Canadian public.

Dawn Nedohin-Macek, P.Eng., FEC, SMIEEE

Dawn Nedohin-Macek is a highly respected leader in the Canadian energy sector, currently serving as the Director of Cyber Security at Manitoba Hydro. With over two decades of experience in engineering and information technology, Dawn plays a pivotal role in safeguarding Manitoba’s critical infrastructure through robust cybersecurity practices and strategic enterprise architecture.

A graduate of the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, Dawn began her career at Manitoba Hydro shortly after completing her degree. Her technical expertise, combined with a strong commitment to servant leadership, has propelled her into increasingly influential roles within the organization.

In her current position, Dawn oversees all aspects of corporate cybersecurity, including governance, risk management, security operations, and threat response. She also leads the development and implementation of a federated enterprise architecture governance model, ensuring alignment between IT frameworks and business objectives.

Beyond her corporate responsibilities, Dawn is deeply engaged in the engineering community and has held more than 42 key volunteer roles in over 10 organizations nationally, all while working full time and raising two children. She is a Fellow of Engineers Canada, a Senior Member of IEEE, and a Past President of Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba.  Dawn also contributes to academia and policy through her involvement with the James W. Burns Leadership Institute and her past service on the Board of Directors of Engineers Canada and as Past President of the University of Manitoba Alumni Association.

Her career is marked not only by technical excellence but also by a commitment to empowering future generations, promoting women in engineering, and advancing sustainable energy solutions across Canada.

Host: Kerri Elyk, CPA, CMA, CIA, CRMA

Kerri Elyk is currently serving as ISACA Winnipeg’s new SheLeadsTech liaison, hoping to bring together Winnipeg’s female tech community to create a louder voice, a safer place, and a more powerful career path.

Kerri has 20 years of experience as an internal auditor, currently as an Internal Audit Project Leader at Elections Canada. With most of that experience gained in very small audit departments, Kerri has had to maintain an ongoing knowledge of IT-related risks, and has managed a number of IT audits and cybersecurity related reviews. She recently obtained the IT General Controls Certificate from the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).

As a proud internal auditor, Kerri spent nearly 10 years serving on the IIA Winnipeg board of directors in various positions including vice-president of education and of member services. She has presented three times at the national IIA Canada Conference. Locally, she is serving her fourth year as treasurer of Ecole Lorette Immersion’s Parent Advisory Council.