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Finalists Named in First Annual Women Tech Awards

Women Tech Council and MountainWest Capital Network Join Together to Honor 15 Outstanding Women in Technology on September 18

Fifteen women have been selected as finalists in the first annual Women Tech Awards, presented by Women Tech Council and MountainWest Capital Network. This program is designed to recognize technology-focused women who are driving innovation, leading technology companies, and are key contributors to the community. Finalists and winners will be honored at a special Awards Luncheon on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at the Little America, hosted by MountainWest Capital Network. Registration is available online at www.womentechcouncil.org or www.mwcn.org.

Finalists, listed alphabetically, are as follows:

--  Amy Rees Anderson, MediConnect Global, Inc.
--  Sally Brown, Autoliv
--  Cheryl Snapp Conner, Snapp Conner PR
--  Sanchaita Datta, Fatpipe Networks
--  Deborah Eppstein, Q Therapeutics
--  Juliana Freire, VisTrails
--  Patricia Goede, VisualShare
--  Tamara Goetz, GOED
--  Michelle Gunter, MarketStar
--  Rachael Herrscher, TodaysMama
--  Inita Lyon, University of Utah
--  Brenda Mann, Sentrx Animal Care
--  Jan Miller, Standers
--  Xinru Page, NextPage
--  Susan Preator, Imagine Learning
    

Devin Thorpe, President of MountainWest Capital Network and Managing Director of TOIP at USTAR, said, "The Women Tech Awards program is on its way to becoming the premier recognition for women in technology. It enables us to bring together entrepreneurs, innovators, leaders, rising stars and community to recognize the incredible contributions they are making to the growth of our technology community."

"The high level of quality that was exhibited in the nominees was a great indication of the talented women we have working in our technology community," said Cydni Tetro, Executive Director Women Tech Council and VP of Products and Marketing at NextPage. "This awards program gives us the opportunity to publicly recognize the contributions these individuals are making."

From the 15 finalists, five award recipients will be announced at the September 18th Awards Luncheon. A selection committee from private industry, venture, government and academic communities selected the winners and finalists. Epic Ventures, Omniture, USTAR, Canopy Ventures and Workman Nydegger will be presenting the awards at this year's Awards ceremony.

The Awards Luncheon will begin at Noon on September 18, 2008. Vicki Saunders, Founder of ImpactAnation.com and CEO of Zazengo.com, will deliver the keynotes address. Vicki has created a concept called "Social DNA" where you can amplify your impact to others. In addition, she created a SHEEO program for women under 30 to submit business plans to receive funding. She has dedicated her time and talent to the building of women in the technology, social and business environments.

Individual seats are $35.00 and a table of eight is $250. To register visit www.womentechcouncil.org or www.mwcn.org, MountainWest Capital Network members can register for no charge.

About Women Tech Council

Founded in 2007, the Women Tech Council was designed to be an advocate for women who are currently working for technology companies and for those that may work for businesses in other market sectors working with technology in their job roles.

We provide leadership, resources and mentoring for women while maintaining a strong bond with the business community supporting avenues for top technology talent and visible sponsorship opportunities. We support women-owned and women-operated technology companies. We pride ourselves on recognizing women leaders and entrepreneurs in the technology business and supporting them.

When you join the Women Tech Council, you will be amongst some of the top technology talent and leadership in Utah.

About MountainWest Capital Network

Based in Salt Lake City, MountainWest Capital Network's members include a broad mix of entrepreneurs, venture capital providers, professional consultants, attorneys, bankers, accountants, and educators from universities and institutions of higher education. MWCN seeks to promote business growth and capital development in the state through a variety of educational and professional activities. The premier programs that MWCN provides to the business community, other than their networking events, include the Utah100 Program and the Utah Deal-Flow Report. Membership information is available through the MWCN website www.mwcn.org or via email at info@mwcn.org.