Impact Report on the 2025 Returning Mothers Conference (RMC)
Introduction
The Returning Mothers Conference (RMC) 2025 served as a strategic platform focused on reskilling, mentorship, and the professional reintegration of women whose careers were interrupted due to caregiving responsibilities. This initiative directly supports the IEEE Systems Council’s overarching vision of advancing integrated, multidisciplinary systems that improve the quality of life, strengthen societal resilience, and promote equitable access to technological opportunities.
Alignment with Systems Thinking Principles
RMC 2025 was intentionally structured as a multifaceted ecosystem combining technical training, human-centric development, ethical frameworks, and well-being support, aligning with the Systems Council’s emphasis on solutions that emerge from the interaction of technological, social, and human subsystems. The conference demonstrated how empowering returning professionals requires interventions not in isolation but across interconnected domains, including skill development, workplace culture, family systems, digital readiness, and community support structures.
Insightful sessions delivered on how artificial intelligence can support professional reinvention and entrepreneurial pursuits by Mr. Nikeelu Gunda, Founder and CEO of Digipreneur AI, along with Dr. Jayshree Patnaik from IIT Hyderabad, introduced participants to practical AI tools that simplify content creation, improve productivity, and enhance overall job readiness. Their discussion encouraged returning mothers to view technology as an accessible and empowering catalyst for advancing their careers.
Guided workshop on cybersecurity by Ms. Dimple Pal from Tata Consultancy Services, addressed common misconceptions, outlined accessible entry pathways, and highlighted the rising demand for women in security roles. This discussion also empowered attendees to consider cybersecurity as a viable and future-ready career option.
Advancing Technology for the Benefit of Humanity
The focus areas of RMC 2025—including communication and branding, sustainability and ethics, and health and well-being—reinforced the IEEE principle of leveraging technology responsibly for societal improvement. Participants gained exposure to emerging digital tools, sustainable technologies, and ethical frameworks, which position them not only as beneficiaries but as potential contributors to human-centered innovation. The conference had an exclusive visit to the TiHAN Autonomous Navigation Testbed at IIT Hyderabad, bringing awareness on the government-led opportunities for collaborative research and incubation. The ripple effect of this empowerment extends to families, workplaces, and broader communities, mirroring the Systems Council’s priority of enhancing human welfare through integrated technological solutions.
Recognition of Impactful Contributors
The Bozenna Pasik-Duncan Humanitarian Mentorship Awards recognised global contributions to mentorship and empowerment. The winners were Dr. Sanjeevi Kumar and Dr. Morgen Kiani, while the runner-up recognitions were awarded to Dr. Soma Pratibha and Dr. Rajashree Jain. Honourable mention was also presented to Dr. Dennis Cherogony, who demonstrated notable commitment to humanitarian mentorship.
Finally, the Returning Mothers Day Celebration Awards honoured contributors in distinct categories such as the Together We Rise Award, LeaderHERship Award, EmpowerHER Award, and the Voice of Inclusion Award, acknowledging big corporates such as Amazon Web Services and Infosys for their collaborative returnship cohorts and smaller industries such as Latent View Analytics and Mathech, for their continuing workplace policies to encourage women retention.
Systems-Level Impact Across the Ecosystem
The outcomes of RMC 2025 exhibit measurable systems-level influence. Approximately 800 women were mentored, and 300 women received technical training and reentry support through RMC-aligned programs in the past three years. These efforts have contributed to a more inclusive professional environment, greater diversity in engineering and technology roles, and enhanced community participation. Such interconnected outcomes illustrate the Systems Council’s perspective that improvements in one part of a system yield positive effects across multiple layers of society.
Conclusion
Returning Mothers Conference 2025 exemplified how applied systems thinking can be translated into practical, scalable initiatives with meaningful human impact. By fostering inclusive growth, enabling technological empowerment, and strengthening socio-economic resilience, RMC 2025 is fully aligned with the IEEE Systems Council’s vision of advancing integrated systems for the benefit of humanity. The initiative stands as a model of how targeted interventions can create durable, system-wide transformation and contribute to a more equitable and sustainable future.
By providing targeted technical upskilling, mentorship pathways, and leadership development, RMC 2025 contributed to strengthening the engineering and technology workforce, thus enabling returning women to rejoin high-demand domains, thereby addressing workforce shortages and contributing to long-term economic resilience. This aligns with the Systems Council’s mission to support sustainable, adaptable, and future-ready systems that can respond to evolving global challenges.
Acknowledgement
As VP for SYSC Member Services, I attended the IEEE RMC2025 and had the opportunity to bring deserved recognition for the SYSC and, in particular, to IEEE SYSC President Andy Chen for his generosity in SYSC support and co-sponsorship of RMC. I would also like to thank RMC General Chair Ramalatha Marimutu for highly recognizing SYSC support.