Top 10 Women in Tech Groups and Resources in Toledo, OH in 2026

Table of Contents

• Your Map and Guide to Toledo Tech
• Women of Toledo and Girls Hub
• Urban Tech Collective
• Tech Night at TolHouse
• University of Toledo Society of Women Engineers
• NEOWIT Mentor-Mentee Program
• Girls Who Code
• Activate Innovate Conference and OCWIC
• AWIS Northwest Ohio
• BGSU Women in STEM Day and Findlay WiSTEM
• FemSTEM Mentorship Program
• Building a Thriving Tech Career in Toledo
• Frequently Asked Questions

Women of Toledo and Girls Hub

Serving as the foundational map of the region's support network, Women of Toledo (WOT) is a cornerstone organization with over a decade of advocacy. It serves approximately 900 women and girls annually, with a remarkable 83% of its programs offered for free, making it an accessible entry point for all.

For women in tech, its most direct pipeline is the Girls Hub, a STEAM program for girls ages 12-17 focusing on trades, architecture, and tech tools. As Executive Director Nina Corder highlights, the mission is to help women "build a seat at the table" through intergenerational mentorship. Toledo native Sierra Ortiz praises the community of "inspired and passionate women" WOT cultivates, a sentiment echoed in community reviews that call WOT "one of the most significant organizations in the Toledo area."

For professionals, this translates to workforce mentoring and a broad network that connects you across Toledo’s healthcare, manufacturing, and academic sectors, providing a critical local guide for career navigation.

Urban Tech Collective

For direct skills training and career pivoting, the Urban Tech Collective is a premier local resource. This inclusive tech training program, offered by the Urban League and formerly known as Toledo Women in Tech, features monthly rolling admissions and regular virtual information sessions, providing a flexible and structured pathway into tech fields.

It directly addresses the talent pipeline needs of Toledo’s employers by preparing residents for in-demand roles. The program’s focus on practical, applicable skills is vital for those looking to transition into tech from other industries or to upskill within their current role at a local manufacturer like Dana Incorporated or within ProMedica's hospital system.

By offering accessible, scheduled training through 2026, the Urban Tech Collective acts as a reliable guide, helping you navigate a career change into Toledo's growing tech and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Tech Night at TolHouse

Consistency is key for local networking, and Tech Night at TolHouse provides just that. This vibrant, inclusive meetup runs every 2nd and 4th Tuesday (6:00-9:00 PM) at TolHouse right in downtown Toledo, serving as the city’s grassroots hub for founders, developers, designers, and tech-curious professionals.

The event’s mission to help make Toledo a regional innovation capital transforms a regular gathering into a powerful signal within the local ecosystem. Its reliable cadence makes it an excellent way to build a local peer network, find collaborators for projects, or simply stay informed about the pulse of the city’s tech scene.

In a region where personal connections directly lead to opportunity, this is your low-barrier, high-engagement access point to the community, fostering the collaboration needed to grow Northwest Ohio's tech terrain.

University of Toledo Society of Women Engineers

For collegiate and early-career professionals, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) chapter at the University of Toledo is an indispensable resource. This active chapter provides professional workshops, networking events, and outreach programs, creating a critical support system for women in engineering and adjacent tech fields.

Furthermore, the University of Toledo College of Engineering's outreach programs offer scholarships and hands-on training in areas like automation and robotics, directly aligning with the advanced manufacturing strengths of the region. These programs provide a direct bridge from academic study to careers at local giants like Dana Incorporated or Owens-Illinois.

Acting as both a map of professional development and a guide to local industry, these UToledo initiatives ensure that talent cultivated in Northwest Ohio has a clear, supported pathway to thrive within the region's own innovation economy.

NEOWIT Mentor-Mentee Program

While based in the broader region, Northeast Ohio Women in Tech (NEOWIT) offers a powerful asset for Toledo professionals seeking to expand their navigational range. Its structured Mentor-Mentee Program provides tailored career guidance, connecting local talent with experienced professionals across the Great Lakes tech corridor.

This program directly addresses the common challenge of finding senior-level mentorship within a smaller city by leveraging a wider regional network. Within months of its kickoff, the program was reported to be making a "significant impact" by fostering lasting professional connections, according to community feedback.

For Toledo-based women, this initiative is especially valuable for gaining perspective beyond the immediate metro and building crucial relationships with peers and leaders in Cleveland, Akron, and other innovation hubs, effectively widening your career map across the Midwest.

Girls Who Code

Building the talent pipeline from the ground up, Girls Who Code maintains a strong presence in Northwest Ohio with free after-school clubs for grades 3-12. For high schoolers, their "Pathways" program offers coursework in critical fields like AI, cybersecurity, and web development, with detailed curricula outlined in their program FAQs.

These clubs are often hosted in schools, libraries, and community centers across Toledo, providing early, positive exposure to coding in a collaborative, all-girls environment. This early wayfinding is crucial for developing the next generation of technologists who may one day fill roles at ProMedica, the University of Toledo, or local advanced manufacturers.

For professional women in tech, volunteering as a club facilitator or guest speaker is a powerful way to give back and inspire the next generation right here in Toledo, directly shaping the local terrain you navigate today.

Activate Innovate Conference and OCWIC

For high-level networking and professional development, two conferences provide critical navigational beacons. The Activate Innovate Conference is Toledo’s premier corporate innovation event, with its annual gathering attracting diverse professionals shaping the future of their fields right in the Toledo Museum of Art.

On a broader scale, the Ohio Celebration of Women in Computing (OCWIC) is a biennial regional conference that deeply focuses on the importance of women in AI, cybersecurity, and computing research. Attending these events connects Toledo's tech women with regional leaders and emerging trends.

These conferences are essential for combating the professional isolation that can occur outside coastal tech hubs, offering strategic waypoints to refuel, reorient, and connect your career journey to the larger momentum of the Midwest's innovation economy.

AWIS Northwest Ohio

For women working at the intersection of technology, science, and medicine - a huge sector in Toledo thanks to ProMedica and The University of Toledo - the Association for Women in Science Northwest Ohio (AWIS NWO) chapter is essential. This group is dedicated to achieving equity for women in STEMM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math, and Medicine) through advocacy, networking, and professional development.

Its specialized focus makes it particularly relevant for those in bioinformatics, health data analytics, medical device technology, and research roles. In a region where healthcare innovation is a major economic driver, this organization provides a crucial, niche community within the larger tech ecosystem, connecting professionals across academic, clinical, and corporate settings.

By offering a dedicated space for women in STEMM, AWIS NWO acts as both a detailed map of the local scientific terrain and a guide for navigating career advancement within Toledo's robust health tech and research corridors.

BGSU Women in STEM Day and Findlay WiSTEM

Expanding your network into the broader Northwest Ohio region is a strategic move that leverages Toledo's central location. Bowling Green State University hosts an annual "Women in STEM" day, next scheduled for October 28, 2026, designed to connect 6th-8th graders with role models and inspire the future pipeline.

Nearby in Findlay, the Findlay Women in STEM (WiSTEM) group offers professional development and networking through regular "WiSTEM Wednesday" events, creating another active node in the regional support system.

Engaging with these resources broadens your geographical and professional map, which is invaluable for careers that may involve collaboration or opportunities across the I-75 innovation corridor between Toledo, Findlay, and Lima. This regional connectivity underscores one of Toledo's key advantages: easy access to a network of opportunities throughout the Great Lakes region.

FemSTEM Mentorship Program

Focused on the critical transition from high school to college STEM pathways, the FemSTEM mentorship program provides guided support for young women navigating early career decisions. With new membership cycles starting every August/September and January/February, it offers consistent, structured guidance.

This program helps solidify the local talent pipeline by pairing high school students with college mentors, ensuring bright students in Toledo-area schools see a clear path to tech careers. Early exposure and mentorship are proven strategies for retention in STEM fields, making programs like FemSTEM and local Girls Who Code clubs fundamental to building a diverse future workforce.

By investing in this early-stage navigation, FemSTEM helps cultivate the next generation of technologists who are more likely to pursue degrees and careers within Ohio's innovation ecosystem, directly benefiting Toledo's employers and tech community.

Building a Thriving Tech Career in Toledo

Navigating a tech career in Toledo no longer means looking solely to coastal hubs for guidance. The ecosystem mapped here - from the foundational support of Women of Toledo to the specialized training of the Urban Tech Collective and the regional reach of OCWIC - forms an integrated navigation system tailored to the Maumee Valley's unique terrain.

This network connects the dots between the University of Toledo’s research, ProMedica’s health tech ambitions, and the advanced manufacturing floors of Jeep and Dana. It provides both the expansive map of local opportunity and the turn-by-turn mentorship to travel it successfully.

By leveraging these resources, women in tech can build thriving, sustainable careers right here, benefiting from the region's lower cost of living and central Great Lakes location while actively contributing to its growing innovation economy. Your next right turn is closer than you think.

Frequently Asked Questions