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Women in STEM Careers

June 28, 2017 Angela Erickson

At our last DISH ATM, we were given a mission to launch the first 5G nationwide Narrowband Internet of Things (IoT) network. This effort will launch DISH into a new phase of innovation. While most of DISH will be devoted to efforts that fund the future of DISH and the IoT effort, some DISH departments will be directly contributing to the wireless effort. In those ranks will be women who have careers focused in computer science, engineering, mathematics and the business units that support them.

Women’s representation in STEM fields has increased since the 1970s, with exception of the fields of engineering and IT occupations. These STEM areas account for 80% of STEM employment. “While women earn almost 60% of the nation’s bachelor’s degrees, they account for only about 13% of computer science graduates. Across all industries, meanwhile, women hold only a quarter of STEM-based jobs (Anid, 2017).”  One area of noticeable decline has been in the number of women in IT jobs. That number has declined since the 1990s (Landivar, 2013).

The problem seems to start as far back as grade school. Young girls are not encouraged to pursue math and science as much as boys are. This is … Read more and comment

Dish Women’s Network: Liaison Launch

June 28, 2017 dish

       As the DISH Women’s Network continues to grow and foster member’s connections, we are excited to announce the recent launch of our Meridian Liaison program! The goals of the Liaison program include increasing member engagement, growing membership and male involvement, and facilitating feedback between various departments and the greater organization. Through networking, education and career-development, our driving force is to empower women at DISH to become leaders.

       The 23 DISH Liaisons will be the main points of contact between individual departments and the network. These representatives work to engage new employees, promote awareness, encourage participation in events, and represent their department’s suggested events, speakers and other involvement opportunities. Throughout the year, the Network organizes a multitude of events, including Leader Series, Networking, Book Clubs, Education Trainings and Community Involvement. We want to ensure that the information is disseminated to you and your department in a timely fashion, and we want to hear from you!

       As you may become more involved in the Network, we encourage you to reach out to your Liaison to ask questions, provide feedback and foster new connections within- and outside of- your departments. To meet your liaison, check out the team here. We look forward … Read more and comment

Featured Woman – Patti Fries

June 12, 2017 Rachael Kline

 

As part of the DISH Women’s Network, we highlight key players on the DISH Leadership Team; this lets us all see the best practices and habits that have contributed to their successes. We sat down with Patti Fries, newly promoted Director of Consumer Insights at DISH, to chat about her career path, recent promotion, and overarching advice for women navigating their careers.

Born and raised in small-town Nebraska, Patti wanted from a young age to learn more about what interested her most: people. After studying Marketing, Management, and Japanese at the University of Nebraska, she pursued her master’s degree in International Management at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona. She met fellow students from diverse walks of life, with over 90 countries represented in her classmates.

Asked about advice she has for career-focused individuals, Patti provides more context on her upbringing. Raised by a father who fostered a love of learning, Patti has consistently followed her curiosity. “Find something you are passionate about, and use that passion to create change you believe in” she said. For Patti, this began at Thunderbird, where she was offered a hands-on experience to design the ad launch for NordicTrack fitness equipment

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2 years, 1000+ members!

May 31, 2017 dish

DISH Women’s Network – as we approach our second anniversary, we wanted to share some exciting news! As of this month, the Network now has over 1000 active members! We could not have grown this dramatically without the support of a fantastic volunteer leadership team, executive sponsors and your overwhelming enthusiasm!

Thank you for helping us reach this milestone, and for leaning in to your careers at DISH. We are so proud of the last two years and look forward to a fantastic future with you, continuing to grow our community.

As usual, keep an eye out on our blog and website for upcoming information. We have an exciting summer planned and will share more information as our events approach!

Not a member yet? If you would like to sign up, you will receive event information, training opportunities, and more! Sign up here.

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The Sleep Deficit and How to Overcome It

May 3, 2017 Angela Erickson

As women, we hear the ever-present messaging to “lean in” to our careers. We’re applauded for our late nights at the office and wear busy-ness as a badge of honor among our peers. Even with the desire for more work-life balance, we find that the other voices in our world can be louder and more pervasive: “Lean in.” “Work hard, play hard.” “The early bird gets the worm.” One of the ways that we suffer most is in our sleep. Globally, we are experiencing a growing sleep deficit and there are several indicators that sleep deficit has a greater impact on women than men.

Women spend more time sleeping than men on every day of the week, according to a 2014 study by Sleep Cycle, but that that doesn’t mean women are getting the right type of sleep. People in the United States experience some of the worst sleep quality worldwide (Hall, 2015). Women are also 20% more likely to suffer from insomnia (Anderson, 2017). Single working women and working moms with young children are logging the worst sleep, usually logging only 6 hours to the 7.5 hour minimum that most adults need to be happy and healthy.

Health is … Read more and comment

Meet the New York DISH Women’s Network Chapter

March 31, 2017 dish

DWN welcomes the newly formed New York chapter this month! On March 3, the new chapter held their kick-off meeting and discussed their goals, objectives and talked about past DWN objectives. They also held a cookie bake-off on March 22 to discuss their 6-month plan. Their leadership committee is composed of 9 members, with Alexi Rosenberg heading up this committee. They can be reached at DWN_NYC@dish.com.

Alexis Rosenberg is the founding member in the New York office. She has been with DISH 8 years and is currently an account executive on the Direct Response team. Alexis says that she has always been interested in Women’s Rights. As a working mother, she stands up for mother’s rights and thought it was a positive change when her office incorporated a women’s nursing room. She is the founder of Direct Response Saleswomen, an organization that hosts networking events for women in the industry.

Mary Burfete has been a part of DISH for 4 years and in her industry for 17 years. Mary started at Viacom and held positions at VHI, Fox News, Huffington Post and Current TV. She is an account executive on the Direct Response team. She thinks DWN will give women

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International Women’s Day: Standing Up to the Bull

March 8, 2017 Tags: , Michelle Calkins

This week the DISH Women’s Network is inspired by the outpouring of actions for International Women’s Day. One particular action stands out as a true change catalyst.

State Street Global Advisors, an investor unit within State Street Corp, has unveiled a new statue on Wall Street: a young girl defiantly standing in front of the Bull on Wall Street.

They have input the statue to encourage and challenge boards to increase the number of women on their boards. Companies that fail to increase the number of women will be voted against boards by the Advisors.

We applaud this effort as not only symbolic but as a true action of change.

Read the full story here

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“A Woman’s Job:” A New Original Series from Newsy

February 22, 2017 Tags: , , , Melanie Walker
Newsy has a new series called “A Woman’s Job.” The series will showcase women succeeding in traditionally male-dominated fields.

Here is the series synopsis:

“These are the women redefining what womanhood means. Pioneers, paving their own way in what people think is a man’s world. On the farm, in the arena and under the hood, “A Woman’s Job” profiles women who are killing it in male-dominated jobs.”

About The Episodes:

Experience a day in the life of women working in male-dominated jobs.

Subjects include:

  • March 8 (Wednesday) – Jen Welter, first female full-time NFL coach
  • March 15 – Patrice Banks, mechanic and founder of Girls Auto Clinic
  • March 22 – Anne Briggs Bohnett, woodworker and farmer
  • March 29 – Erica Douglas, chemist
  • April 5 – Lisa Geertsen, blacksmith
  • April 12 – Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, executive chef

 

Watch the Trailer

You can watch the series on Sling TV beginning on International Women’s Day (March 8th, 2017), airing at 8pm / 9pm ET. Not a Sling Subscriber? Sign up here… Read more and comment

“Six Going on Sixteen”

February 17, 2017 dish

Rachael Kline | Marketing Specialist
Sling TV LLC

A six-year-old is susceptible to many things in their new world. Discovering a favorite food, joining a t-ball league, welcoming a new sibling into the world, a favorite Disney Channel character. Skewed gendered beliefs about themselves should not be on this list, but in today’s world, this is an alarming reality.

                A study conducted by The University of Illinois yielded stark results pointing to a fundamental transformation occurring with females between the ages of 5 and 6. At age 5, both boys and girls associate brilliance with their own gender. Beginning at age 6, a shift occurs where young girls begin associating “smart” and “really smart” character traits to men, rather than their own gender. Interestingly, when girls in the study were prompted to play one of two games, either: a game for the “really, really smart” or game 2, for those who “try really, really hard.” The study notes that, “at the age of 5, girls and boys were equally attracted to both games. But among those aged 6 or older, the girls were less interested than the boys in the game for smart kids, but not the one for

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Meet the Network! Be Featured on DWN’s Social Network

February 14, 2017 Melanie Walker

We would like to highlight strong and inspiring women at Dish! This is your chance to nominate women that are inspiring, strong and courageous, including yourself. Nominated women will be featured on our social media accounts. 

The nomination should include the following information: Name, email, department, and a short sentence or two about why you’re nominating this person.

To nominate an inspirational woman, email womensnetwork@dish.com.

… Read more and comment