Cape Fear Women in Tech has announced two new individuals to its advisory board.
 
Laurie Patterson is an associate professor and department chair for computer science at UNCW.
 
Originally from Minnesota, Patterson has worked as a biologist for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Minnesota and Ohio. She also worked in the corporate world as a trainer for an international company. She moved to Wilmington to pursue her doctorate, and started working at University of North Carolina Wilmington. She has been featured in the Greater Wilmington Business Journal for her work in growing UNCW's computer science department.
 
Also new to the board is Melissa Watson, the department chair for business technologies at Cape Fear Community College.
 
Watson has taught in the business technology department at CFCC for 17 years, and has been department chair since 2011.
 
Cape Fear Women in Tech is a group of women coders, database administrators, entrepreneurs, graphic designers, and others who work to advance women in technology in the Cape Fear region, by creating a community that fosters professional development. It was formed in 2015 in partnership between WILMA's Women to Watch Leadership Initiative and tekMountain.