ACM-W North America Summit 2026

Shared Challenges, Shared Futures

By Angela Zavaleta Bernuy (McMaster University), Asegul Hulus (Ace), Maria Elena Chavez Echeagaray, Bettina Bair, Mirna Ariadna Muñoz Mata, Alicia Takaoka, and Lindsay Jamieson

On June 15, 2026, ACM-W chapter leaders from across North America and Latin America met in Toronto, Canada, for the second annual ACM-W North America Summit. The summit was held in a hybrid format, bringing together student and professional chapter representatives both in person and online.

The aim was straightforward: to share experiences, discuss challenges, and find ways for chapters to support one another. The programme included sessions on chapter management, discussions about the current challenges facing women in computing, and collaborative work on ideas that chapters could take forward.

Strengthening ACM-W Chapters

The morning sessions focused on the practical aspects of running and sustaining an ACM-W chapter. Topics included chapter leadership, membership, annual reporting, fundraising, sponsorship, celebrations, and ways of increasing chapter visibility.

ACM-W Global Chapters Chair Bettina Bair gave an overview of ACM-W’s global reach and the role chapters play in supporting, advocating for, and celebrating women in computing. The discussion also highlighted some of the less visible work involved in running a successful chapter, including documenting activities, keeping members engaged, and developing relationships with industry and academic partners.

Exploring Shared Challenges

The conversation then moved from chapter operations to some of the wider challenges currently facing women in computing. Participants discussed four areas:

Changing sociopolitical and organisational climates
The current computing landscape
Student concerns about job security
Regional perspectives across the United States, Canada, and Mexico

An interactive word-cloud activity gave participants an opportunity to identify the challenges they see as most important. The responses provided a starting point for the discussions and group work that followed.

Interactive word-cloud activity by attendees identifying the biggest challenges facing women in computing today

From Discussion to Action

One of the most interactive parts of the summit was the group work session. Participants were divided into mixed chapter teams, bringing together people from different regions and backgrounds.

Each group chose one of the challenge areas and discussed the issues they were seeing in their own communities. They then worked on practical ideas for addressing them, using a visual storytelling activity to develop potential initiatives for ACM-W members and local chapters.

The ideas ranged from mentorship and networking to inclusivity, industry engagement, AI literacy, and student career development.

Poster Presentations and Collaborative Initiatives

The groups presented their ideas through posters and interactive discussions. Online participants took part in the same activity, working in two groups and creating digital posters instead of physical ones.

Several ideas stood out, including networking programmes for graduate students, mentoring between student and professional chapters, listening circles for members, AI-focused workshops, and activities aimed at connecting students and academics with industry.

The poster session also gave participants a chance to compare approaches across chapters and see how similar challenges are being addressed in different places.

Youna Jung, DC ACM-W Chapter; Judith Angélica Guzmán Martínez, CDMX ACM-W; Ellie Lovellette, Charleston ACM-W

Anita Amofah, Fayetteville State University ACM-W Student Chapter; Natalie Ramírez, CDMX ACM-W; and Lexius Waltar, Central Ohio 614 ACM-W

Poster by Anissa Igoudjil, ACM-W NYC and Ilknur Aydin, Farmingdale ACM-W chapter

Looking Ahead

The summit ended with a reflection and commitment session. Participants identified possible collaborations and discussed actions they could take back to their own chapters.

One of the clearest messages from the day was that, although chapters operate in different institutional and regional contexts, many of the challenges they face are similar. Sharing experiences and ideas can therefore be useful in finding practical ways to support women in computing.

Participants left with new contacts, ideas to explore, and potential collaborations between chapters.

Interested in starting or joining an ACM-W Chapter?

Visit the ACM-W Chapters page or email acmw-chapters@acm.org.