The Boundary Breaker Recipient: Recognized for re/creating space for people who don't usually have a seat at the table. They may be revising policies, asking questions about who's not present, or using their own presence to call in others into gender equity conversations.
Ilena Key was nominated and selected as the Boundary Breaker Award recipient for a multitude of reasons. To start, Ilena holds the honor of being the first woman at Lehigh to hold the position of Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Ilena leads a large technology division where only fifteen of seventy-five staff members are female. Her team noted that she has been a game-changer in our professional lives. Ilena has coached and supported her team through personal achievements and challenges, and helped them grow and advance professionally. Across the organization, she has shaped our campus culture to be more inclusive and supportive of diverse perspectives. Her leadership is the driving force for positive change within LTS and at Lehigh and has been recognized for her profound impact.
Campus Leadership
Across the university, Ilena is known as a highly effective collaborator. Her intersectional experiences help her to be attuned to the needs of a diverse workforce. She navigates departmental boundaries and brings siloed groups together. She values people of all identities, race, gender, ethnicity, age, and all levels of the university. Throughout her career, Ilena has championed policies that promote equity, inclusion, and access.
--As a member of the Chosen Name and Gender Identity Policy Team, she was instrumental in implementing a chosen name option that now exists in our enterprise and identity management systems.
--She has been a member of the Pride Center and served on the Pride Center Fundraising Committee.
--An active member of the LTS Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Ilena supports and attends events with a gender focus, such as the Clery Act panel discussion "Remembering Jeanne" in April of 2024 and "Out on Campus: A History of LGBTQ+" in March of 2023.
--Additionally, Ilena was one of several members of LTS leadership to receive the Pride Center's 2022 Outstanding Initiative Award for bringing the Eastern PA Trans Equity Project's Trans Stories Project to campus.
--Ilena participates in the Technology Accessibility working group, which focuses on access for members of our community with disabilities or other needs.
--Ilena has championed web-accessibility efforts and funded tools that allow us to make our digital services accessible to all.
--She has supported, through funding and attendance, broader equity initiatives, including environmental justice issues such as an Earth Week panel featuring Lehigh faculty working on forest and green space issues such as tree equity/heat islands, and access to green spaces in urban areas.
Promoting and supporting women in leadership
Ilena leads by example and is a role model of effective and compassionate leadership. Within LTS, Ilena champions women in leadership roles. Through her influence, LTS has promoted and/or hired eleven women into technology leadership roles, significantly increasing the representation of women in middle and upper management. She is an effective and empathetic mentor. She shows support and encouragement to women working in the organization and understands the unique pressures and challenges of working in a division where the gender representation is skewed. She acknowledges our frustrations while helping her team develop skills and resilience to thrive in their environment. In hiring for new positions, she seeks inclusivity and representation while maintaining high standards in selecting among candidates.
Character and Mentoring
Ilena fosters an environment where diverse perspectives are not just tolerated, but actively sought out and valued. She is careful to include all stakeholders in meetings and discussions. She actively notices when critical perspectives are absent and ensures that we are included, which is crucial to having our perspective heard on decisions and policy-setting. She has been a great mentor to many members of her team, offering valuable guidance on navigating complex professional situations with grace. She has motivated her team to stretch past our comfort zones by demonstrating her confidence in them and their skill sets. She has motivated many of her team to submit proposals and present at conferences, giving them valuable experience, recognition, visibility, and confidence.