In order to attain gender equality in technology fields, she is currently the director of UIC’s Break Through Tech Chicago, a nationwide initiative.
Amita Shetty, director of Break Through Tech Chicago at the University of Illinois Chicago, will step down to lead a Data + AI program that will launch in pilot form during the 2025–2026 academic year. Gender equality in technology is the goal of the nationwide initiative Break Through Tech Chicago. A UIC announcement states that a $1 million award from Google.org is enabling the Data + AI program. According to UIC, it will “allow more students from diverse backgrounds to be part of the next generation of innovators and equip undergraduate students with the critical skills they need to succeed in an increasingly AI-driven world.”
“AI is changing industries, and it can lead to significant societal change when led by diverse talent,” Shetty stated. “UIC is in a unique position to prepare students for responsible leadership in this transformative era because of its size, diversity of disciplines, and close ties to Chicago’s organizations.”
Shetty has more than 20 years of strategic experience in corporations and startups. She was senior vice president of business development at GATX Corporation prior to joining Break Through Tech Chicago. In this role, she oversaw the North American strategy, marketing, and commercial technology departments and sought investments to support the company’s expansion and diversification. She had previously been employed by General Electric, where she held roles at GE Capital, GE Corporate, and GE Transportation.
According to her UIC profile, Shetty is a champion for gender and socioeconomic equity who encourages women to take on leadership roles in the workplace and improve economic outcomes for women around the world. She is active in Social Venture Partners Chicago, supports women-led socially conscious entrepreneurial ventures via SheEO, and is a long-term advocate of Reading in Motion‘s literacy programs. In addition to her work at Break Through Tech, she teaches courses at UIC and Loyola University Chicago. She holds a bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from Lafayette College and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
The new Data + AI program will be led by Amita Shetty, director of UIC’s Break Through Tech Chicago initiative. (UIC Engineering/Jim Young)
