Wakefield-based Edgewater Technology CEO to speak at Women’s Economic Summit
Originally Published by TheWakefield Observer, April 02, 2009

Wakefield - Edgewater Technology CEO Shirley Singleton will be among noted panelists at the Women’s Economic Summit Monday, April 6 at UMass Lowell. 

North Shore Women in Business has joined forces with NAWBO-Boston, the Merrimack Valley Venture Forum-Women’s Collaborative, the League of Women Voters, and multiple women’s organizations to offer the one-day economic summit. The event is targeted at high net worth businesswomen.  

The Women’s Economic Summit will give women the perspective and tools to strengthen and grow their economic influence, both personally and professionally. Between 300 to 500 women will attend the event.  

By the year 2010, women will control 60 percent of the wealth in the United States and it is not because they inherited or married into it. Women are living longer than men are, so the need for a woman to control her wealth becomes all the more significant. To that end, speakers and panelists will provide up to three actionable items that attendees can take from the summit and apply to their lives. The summit is not about making women feel comfortable or good. It is about helping women to wake up and realize what they need to do to take care of themselves financially.  

Among the speakers are: Beverly Holmes, Chairwoman of the Center for Women’s Business Research; Marie Coco, syndicated columnist for the Washington Post; Alison Maitland, co-author of “Why Women Mean Business--Understanding the Emergence of Our Next Economic Revolution,” and Evelyn Murphy, president of the Wage Project. Each segment of the event will address the past, present, and what must be done for the future. Segments include “Still Invisible after All These Year,” Harnessing the Power of Womenenomics,” Women’s Financial Literacy Crisis – What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You,” and “Knowing Your Value – Valuing Your Worth,” to name a few.  

To register for the summit go to summit.mvvf.org or for more information, call 781-897-1711.  

Shirley Singleton

Singleton, chairman, president and CEO of Edgewater Technology, which she co-founded in 1992, will serve on a panel entitled “Knowing Your Value – Valuing Your Worth.”  

She began her career as a high school teacher and coach. When she lost her job due to state-wide budget cuts, she successfully transitioned to a new career – computer programming. Ten years after she made that career change, Shirley co-founded Edgewater Technology which has grown from a privately-held, five-person shop into a $60 million, publicly-traded technology management consulting firm with more than 300 consultants in nearly 30 states and Canada.  

Singleton has been presented with numerous awards and recognitions. Most recently, Endicott College awarded her with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. She has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Woman-Led Businesses in Massachusetts; and by Boston Magazine as one of the Top 100 Powerful Women in the Boston area.  

She is a graduate of Northeastern University earning a Bachelor of Science in education.  

“I asked Shirley Singleton to serve on this panel after seeing her speak at a North Shore Women in Business event,” said Ruth Sheets, owner of Ducks in a Row Consulting, Board member and former president of NSWIB. “I was struck by how Shirley progressed in her career as a teacher, who couldn’t find a job after a massive state teacher layoff to one of the most notable woman leaders in the information technology field. After holding various programming positions and working her way to a Vice President for Logica LLC, she took a leap of faith with a long-time friend and started her own company, growing it into one of the largest system integrators in Massachusetts. Under Singleton’s direction, Edgewater has become a major player in the information technology. In 1999, Singleton sold Edgewater to a billion dollar publicly traded staffing organization and then in a reverse IPO, Edgewater, under Singleton’s leadership, became the public company. During the transition from private company to public company CEO, Singleton was required to meet various corporate milestones. During this time, her company experienced one of the most horrific workplace violence incidents in US history and lost seven of its employees to a disgruntled employee.  

Sheets said, “Needless to say, this tragedy had a tremendous impact on Singleton’s company, reputation, and her ability to sell its services to clients and prospects. However, the way in which Shirley handled the situation is a testament to her leadership skills, strength, character, and the “family-like” relationship she had with her employees. She managed to turn around, heal and rebuild. Shirley is amazing! She understands her value and values her worth.”

Ruth Sheets of Ducks in a Row Consulting provides strategic business consulting to start ups, fix ups, and build ups to turn business pains into business gains. Ducks in a Row Consulting helps businesses to increase their revenue and profitability and fix operational problems that have become obstacles to success. With an operational and marketing focus, we work with companies in various stages of transition to launch new products and services, target new markets, eliminate barriers to business viability, and establish and achieve business goals. To obtain more information about Ruth Sheets and Ducks in a Row Consulting please contact us or call 978-463-2264.