The Women's Resource Center was formed in 1998 out of the vision and persistence of many Georgia Tech women - students, faculty and staff. Jennifer Orr and Vicky Pickens, two Tech students, pursued the idea of giving Georgia Tech a unified voice for the women on campus. The first invention of this pursuit was the Women's Student Union, an organization that could create a community of, and represent the women at, Georgia Tech. Soon after the Union formed, the group decided that there were some political issues they wanted to address that might not represent all women on campus.

From this decision came the idea of the Women's Resource Center. In 1997, after several years of discussion with the Tech administration, the idea caught the attention and support of Dean Stephanie Ray, the then newly appointed Associate Dean of Students, Gail DiSabatino, Dean of Students, and Student Affairs Vice President Lee Wilcox. The proposal for the Center was approved and funded by Georgia Tech President G. Wayne Clough. The Center officially opened Spring Quarter 1998 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 23.

The first two years the Center was run by a graduate student under the supervision of Dean Ray and the first full-time person, Yvette Upton, was hired as Program Coordinator in January 2000. In recognition of the focus and importance of the Center's efforts at Georgia Tech, she was named Director and Assistant Dean of Students in 2002.  Since then, the programming for the Women's Resource Center has grown. More than 14,000 have attended WRC programs since it opened in 1998 and at least 600 visit the office each semester. In June 2004, the Center moved from a small former meeting room to a suite of offices where students can work, study, plan activities or relax. The Women's Resource Center is now located on the first floor of the Charles A. Smithgall Student Services Building, affectionately know as the "Flag Building."

In June 2006, Colleen (Petterson) Riggle joined the staff as Program Coordinator and has been a wonderful addition to the center. The additional staffing offered the opportunity to take on new projects and re-establish programming offered during the Violence Against Women grant. This position will also advise the Women's Awareness Month committee and assist with general WRC programming.

The Women's Resource Center continues to actively pursue the goals and aims of our founders and to support and maintain the community of Georgia Tech women.

* 50th Anniversary of Women at Tech