WE Story


   Amy Keller         Jackie Mattox      Monica Highfill

Together WE Rise

Women in Electronics (WE) was formed by a group of 20 women in the electronics industry during its inaugural conference in the fall of 2017. WE was the brainchild of Jackie Mattox, who soon brought in Monica Highfill and Amy Keller to build the organization with the premise of women working collaboratively to find inspiration, strength, and empowerment through a sense of community.

Since the initial inception, WE has grown globally and evolved into WE United, which encourages both men and women at every stage of their careers to come together through various development opportunities with the intent to set the stage for success for the next generation of leaders in the electronics supply chain, industrial industry, and related markets that are dependent on technology for growth and expansion.

Eye-opening industry statistics provided a solid foundation for what would soon become our driving force. Studies of organizations that implemented practices to achieve gender parity demonstrate a 19% increase in relative returns. However, in the electronics/high tech industry, change in gender parity within leadership ranks has been slow. The WE provides an opportunity to focus on the unique career development needs for rising talent in technology industries.

Jackie, Monica, and Amy began have maintained the cadence of weekly Executive Committee meetings, developed a Board of Directors, and work closely with industry leaders on the Advisory Council to grow the WE organization globally. Today, they all sit on the Board of Directors and also comprise the organization’s Executive Committee. 

“Men and women have different attitudes and requirements for success in their professional lives,” says Jackie. “For example, many women do not feel comfortable with the traditional informal mentorship opportunities that men employ. Women tend to feel more comfortable in a formal program, whereas more men are at ease with asking for guidance in less formal ways. We wanted to create mentorship and training programs that help women overcome their fears and increase confidence in their personal and professional lives.”

The three pillars of WE are Leadership development, mentorship, and community, with the WE Mentorship Program becoming a flagship offering supporting the needs of all talent globally, with both men and women participating as mentors and mentees in the program.  Also adding to the development of high potential talent are the Annual Leadership Development Summit, local chapter events, industry panel discussions, and a podcast program highlighting industry leaders. 

It is our pleasure to serve you, and we look forward to welcoming you into the WE community!


Jackie Mattox
Founder/President

Amy M. Keller
Executive Director

Monica L. Highfill
Executive Director