Sessions: WomenTech Global Conference

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Session	Speaker	Share to Vote
Bobbie Carlton CEO at Innovation Women	Make Your Tech Talks Better Boring? Puzzling? Annoying? These are all hallmarks of bad tech talks. If your presentations can't keep your audience engaged and concisely communicate your point, why give it? We'll help you give a great tech talk and (hilariously) demonstrate what makes a bad one, and help you avoid the latter! This can help your career and amplify your reach as a woman in tech! Did you like this session? Share to vote.
Kai Miller Chief Experience Officer at Emerald One, LLC	Empathy is Your Superpower: How a Human-Centered Approach Can Transform Your Tech Team Technology is nothing without users, and users need communication. Bypass the old standbys of communication and adopt a human-centered communication approach, which prioritizes the needs, context, and preferences of the people you are involved with daily. In today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world, empathy, curiosity, neurodiversity, emotions, and goals can be elegantly wrapped into a mindful glimpse of what can go right with more self-aware leaders at the helm of technology projects. This talk proposes new-age ideas for building trust, rapport, and collaboration to healthily reduce bias… read more
Christina Thalayasingam Software Engineering Manager at Northwestern Mutual	Great products come from engineering teams who value quality and user empathy When I get to LinkedIn I stumble upon memes that show testers celebrating or smirking when they find a bug. Painting a picture that tester thrive on “proving developers wrong”. This is upsetting. The root cause for this because there still prevails the mindset that quality of the product is owned by someone with a testing specific role, and user empathy is only something related to product and design. This sort of thinking will never deliver great products or processes. I am manage an engineering team for the client website of Northwestern Mutual. I do come from a background that… read more
Kaitki Agarwal Founder, President at A5G Networks, Inc.	Using an Eclectic leadership style to navigate challenging situations The word eclectic caught my attention: "a person who derives leadership style or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources." If you think of eclecticism in terms of leadership philosophy or styles, it presents a unique, powerful, and practical leadership style. It allows you to develop leadership traits in a holistic way from both scientific and practical perspectives. It calls for more context-specific leadership unique to every person and situation (in both the giver and receiver senses), combining multiple elements. Often, we leave out micro context, facts, and critical… read more
Karen Harris Vice President, Lead Security Architect	Threat Modeling (in an Insecure Cybersecurity Landscape) A synopsis of how and why threat modeling, including strategies, toolsets and benefits have lived up to the challenge of ever expanding threat landscapes and ever changing technologies. Did you like this session? Share to vote.
Jennifer Huffman Vice President Relationship Manager at Atlantic Union Bank	Advancing Computing+Tech Pathways with Personal Branding What equips me to deliver the workshop? I’ve been widely recognized throughout the nation for my own personal brand. Developed a passion for personal branded several years ago, when I discovered the value of zooming in and embracing my uniqueness. My ability to define my brand has accelerated my career path towards jobs that align with my passion and purpose. Primary Goal of Workshop: Help women discover their personal brand, develop it, and cash in on their uniqueness. Primary Objectives or Outcomes Expected: In this workshop, you’ll… read more
Jessi Goldberg Executive Coach & Lecturer at Distinctly Human & Columbia University	Future Proof Your Career in the Age of AI Everywhere we look, industries are changing faster than we can keep up, and it's scary. Many of us wake up in the middle of the night with questions like, "Will my skills still matter?", "Am I going to be left behind?" or “Will my job be the next to go?” But what if this moment of upheaval is not the end but a new beginning? What if this is your opportunity to not just survive but thrive in the Age of AI?” Jess Goldberg offers a compelling narrative, blending cutting-edge research with actionable next steps, guiding you to reimagine your career and remain… read more
Teresa Truong Manager, Marketplace Diversity Solutions at TEKsystems	Discover and Build Your Personal Brand Inclusion plays a critical role when individuals consider where to work. Inclusion is about more than building a diverse team of people, it’s about how every person shows up with their true or authentic self at work. For individuals to maximize their potential inside of work, they must start with understanding who they are and what they want to be known for at work. This action-based workshop will guide participants on how to begin advocating for themselves by understanding their personal values and brand. Someone’s personal brand is how they market the unique value they bring to a… read more
Daphne Zargar Global Senior Manager at Amazon	Cycle Positivity: The Long Overdue Conversation on Women's Cycles at Work This presentation will talk about my own corporate journey through cycle awareness as a tech leader and engineering manager at General Motors then moving to Amazon in late 2021. This will specifically talk about how I championed and brought a brand new program to Amazon covering women's cycles in the workplace - menstruation, childbirth and especially menopause and how others can think about these topics and incorporate them into the dialog in their own workplaces. Despite ongoing research and media conversation about the impact of women’s cycles such as menopause on mental health,… read more
Janice Dru-Bennett Founder, Head of Strategic Partnerships & Marketing, Board Member at Inkwhy	Turn Your Layoff into a Layup: Map Your Next Steps and Take the Big Leap Have you just experienced a layoff? Or are you just not satisfied with where you're at and considering your options? Join this hands-on and collaborative workshop to understand what your options are, evaluate the best next steps for you, and make sure you're able to turn lemons into lemonade. Whether this is the first time you're experiencing a career transition, or you're feeling stuck after making other pivots, this workshop will give you the tools and resources to feel confident in making a move and succeeding at it. > Have you fully… read more
Angel McDowell Engineer, Program Development at CMU, Software Engineering Institute	Embarking on the AI Engineering Journey Navigating the landscape of AI engineering is akin to embarking on a dynamic journey through the intersection of cutting-edge technology and real-world problem-solving. It involves traversing a multidimensional terrain where data-driven insights meet algorithmic ingenuity. From the foundation of meticulous data preparation to the construction of intricate neural architectures, AI engineering demands a delicate balance between scientific exploration and pragmatic application. As we journey through the complexities of model selection, training, and deployment, we navigate the currents of… read more
Trang Watson Chief of Staff at HiveMQ Inc	Unlocking Your Self-Worth: The Power of Saying "No" In a world that can be overwhelming with its demands and expectations set for women, it is essential to discover your self-worth and assertively learn when to say "no" and be OK. This seemingly small act can spark a transformative revolution within, granting you the authority to take control of your life and prioritize your well-being. Embark on this journey of self-discovery, self-esteem, and boundary-setting. In the corporate world, communicating "no" requires finesse and strategic timing, sometimes accompanied by white glove service. In this session, we… read more
Siri Chilazi Senior Researcher at Harvard Kennedy School	Redesigning the Playing Field for Real Results Despite lots of talk and well-intentioned activity, our current approaches to creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive companies have not translated into real, measurable results. In this thought-provoking keynote, Siri will share why that is and offer an evidence-based blueprint for the way forward so that we can focus our efforts on what works to create more equitable workplaces. Did you like this session? Share to vote.
Rebecca Becker QA Manager at Vox Media	Finding your voice in tech and QA as a woman For my lightning talk, I will be focusing on how I found my own voice as a woman in tech over the last 20 years working in the tech industry and climbing the corporate ladder by including success and failure stories for others to learn from. I will also talk a little bit about my role in tech in Quality Assurance and how I found my way into that important piece of software technology. I hope that other women will be inspired by my story as I am a minority woman in tech (Spanish & Middle Eastern) and had to overcome many hurdles to ensure my voice is heard in the industry. Did… read more
Shijuade Kadree Director, Tech Equity and the Tech Accountability Coalition at Aspen Digital	Standardizing DEI for Lasting Change How DEI practices and data collection have no standardized approach and what steps need to be implemented to have these standards in place and create true policy change. Did you like this session? Share to vote.
Ali Levin Owner at Ali Levin Consulting LLC	Intentional Career Progression The number of women in tech has been in steady decline since 2018, with even more women leaving the field since the onset of the pandemic. In this session, Executive Coach Ali Levin, who is on a mission to see more women in tech get promoted into leadership positions, will share her career growth model. We will take a deep dive into how to build a career strategy which includes understanding what is in your control and your sphere of influence in developing your expertise, how to maximize your reputation, why building and leveraging relationships is critical, and strategies for staying… read more
Judy Dinn EVP & CIO at TD US Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank	Diversity, Empathy & Balance: Fostering Inclusivity in a Modern Workplace o Judy will discuss her passion of using her executive position to build inclusive workplaces founded upon empathy, inclusion and inspired creativity. Judy believes that a successful workplace environment is built upon inclusion in which all employees have a voice, feel valued and are inspired to create and innovate openly. Judy would like the audience to walk away knowing more about navigating non-inclusive workplaces in the technology sector, and how they have the power to take an active role in making their workplaces more inclusive. She wants listeners to understand the tangible results… read more
Maggie Donnelly Research Engineer III at ACV Auctions	From White Board to the Hands of Customers, the Journey of a Tech Innovator Maggie Donnelly holds a Master's Degree in Science and Electrical Engineering, is a published author in numerous scientific articles and holds multiple patents. As a 6-year industry veteran in the product innovation space, Maggie has contributed to numerous inventions and the development of state of the art artificial intelligence in the automotive field. Through her journey, Maggie has developed a mastery in taking a product from ideation to manufacturing which will be explored during this session. The talk will also dive into Maggie's experiences in the product development space… read more
Catherine Brinkman VP of Client Experience at Dale Carnegie Training	Tech Balance Revolution: Navigating the Work-Life Equation Abstract: "TechBalance Revolution: Navigating the Work-Life Equation" is a TED Talk-style presentation exploring gender diversity and work-life integration in the tech industry. Addressing challenges faced by women in tech, it advocates for a shift from traditional balance to dynamic integration. Personal anecdotes shed light on the impact of expectations on mental health. The talk unveils strategies to break gender stereotypes, emphasizes support systems, and promotes mentorship. It concludes with actionable insights for companies to foster inclusive workplaces,… read more
Rakshana Balakrishnan Senior Product Manager Technical at Amazon Web Services	How to enhance your Product Strategy to deliver successful Generative AI powered products As organizations continue to prioritize and incorporate GenAI capability into their products, it becomes increasingly important for Product Managers to evolve and adapt their product strategy and development approaches. In this session, we will dive into 7 key factors to integrate into your product strategy from conception to launch, in order to deliver successful and scalable GenAI powered products. Did you like this session? Share to vote.