MURFREESBORO - Microsoft vice president Nancy Holliday will be the keynote speaker for the first GRITS Collaborative Project Conference, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 5, in the James Union Building at MTSU, program director Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross said.

 

Holliday has more than 29 years of in-depth management, technical and sales experience, Iriarte-Gross said, adding that in her Microsoft career, Holliday has held roles as business developer, partner account manager, account team unit manager, general manager public sector services and sales, and GM North America national sales and strategy.

 

Also during the conference, Tanya Foreman, education manager at Eastman Chemical in Kingsport, Tenn., will talk about the need for diversity in the areas of STEM - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - Iriarte-Gross said.

 

GRITS, or Girls Raised in Tennessee Science, helps raise awareness in STEM fields and piques girls' interests to pursue as a career.

 

The conference is open to girl-serving organizations (Girl Scout troop leaders, Girls Inc. leaders), educators, community and business leaders, parents and others from across Tennessee.

   

Registration will continue until noon on Friday, Oct. 28. The $25 registration fee will include lunch. High-school students can register for free.

 

To register for the conference, go online to http://www.ngcproject.org/events/events.cfm?eventid=216

 

 

For more information, call 615-904-8253.