On March 6-7, 2025, Girl Geek X founders Angie Chang and Sukrutha Bhadouria hosted over 2k women and allies globally tuning in for 2 full days of career and tech talks! We brought together thousands of mid-to-senior-level women in tech from across the globe.
This annual free online event was an extraordinary blend of inspiring talks, insightful sessions, and invaluable networking opportunities, designed to foster growth, innovation, and community among women in technology in celebration of International Women’s Day!
Here are just a few ELEVATE 2025 highlights:
🚀 Leadership & Growth:
- Rachana Kumar, former CTO at Etsy, and Jenn Clevenger, VP of Engineering at Etsy, shared the importance of letting go to accelerate action, while Elena Leonova, CPO at Spryker, addressed the challenges of breaking stereotypes on the journey to leadership.
- Michelle Bozeman, coach at TBW Enterprises, spoke on reinventing yourself for unstoppable career growth. Re-watch Michelle Bozeman’s talk for details on how to redeem a complimentary coaching session with her!
- Margarita Akterskaia, senior software engineer at Roblox, discusses navigating career growth and change, while engineering leader Mamta Suri reminds folks to highlight your wins externally. Meanwhile Ipsita Basu, product lead at Shopify, made the case for product managers to think more like general managers.
💡 Skills & Strategies:
- From LinkedIn branding tips with resume expert Lynne Williams to navigating the mid senior trap with negotiation coach Danielle McLaughlin and managing menopause in tech with nutritionist Annie Gaudreault, practical advice flowed throughout the event. Don’t miss Alyson La on rewriting the rules for career comebacks!
- Olga Khylkouskay, a Staff Software Engineer at Google showcased the power of AI tools for building websites efficiently, while Betta Lyon-Delsordo shared real-world tips for breaking into cybersecurity and Sheila Vida discussed certifications. Exec Dana Hehl discussed how to sur-thrive cybersecurity burnout after decades in the industry.
🌈 Diversity & Inclusion:
- Dona Maria Jose from Slack shared how DEI initiatives fuel personal and professional growth, while Kimberly Jones highlighted the power of collective imagination to build inclusive work environments.
💻 Career Fair & Networking:
- Participants met with recruiters, hiring managers, and engineers from companies like Voxel51 and 18C. Author of The Silent Networker Elhannah Adekeye delivers her keynote on Networking for Introverts.
ELEVATE attendees left feeling energized and empowered to unify their talents to amplify success in their tech journeys.
Thank you to all our speakers, sponsors, and attendees for making this event truly unforgettable. Let’s continue to #LiftAsWeClimb and uplift women in tech everywhere! 💪 #ElevateWomen
⚡ Help a girl geek land her next job in tech!
Here are the top 10 most engaging sessions from ELEVATE 2025 Conference & Career Fair ! You can watch them on our March 2025 ELEVATE YouTube playlist:
#1 – Keynote: You Don’t Have to Do It All Alone: The Power of Letting Go to Accelerate Action – Rachana Kumar, Former CTO at Etsy in conversation with Jenn Clevenger, VP of Engineering at Etsy
#2 – Tips On Building Your LinkedIn Brand – Lynne Williams, Executive Director at Career News Today
#3 – Rewriting the Rules of Career Comebacks – Alyson La, Data and AI Instructor, Tech-Moms
#4 – Navigating Career Growth and Change – Margarita Akterskaia, Senior Software Engineer at Roblox
#5 – Realistic Tips for Breaking Into Cybersecurity – Betta Lyon-Desordo, Ethical Hacker at OnDefend
#6 – Stuck to Unstoppable: Reinventing Yourself for Unstoppable Career Growth – Michelle Bozeman (Coach and Executive Advisor, TBW Enterprises)
#7 – Cybersecurity and AI: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – Rianat Abbas, Security Product Manager, AI-4AI
#8 – Code Assist with AI – Olga Khylkouskaya, Staff Software Engineer at Google
#9 – LeetCode Solve: DFS vs BFS Approaches to Binary Trees – Krys Flores, Staff Software Engineer at Crunchyroll
#10 – Voxel51 Employer Intro – Remy Schor, Recruiter at Voxel51, Josh Leven, VP of Engineering at Voxel51, Lanny Wang, Software Engineer at Voxel51
Industry/Engineering Talks:
#1 – Beyond Senior: Demystifying the Role of a Principal/Staff Engineer – Shweta Venkateswaran, Principal Software Engineer at Splunk
#2 – The Mid Senior Trap – Danielle McLaughlin, CEO at 18C
#3 – Code Assist with AI – Olga Khylkouskaya, Staff Software Engineer at Google
#4 – Get Unblocked Faster: How To Ask Questions Like a Journalist – Rachel Kaufman, Software Engineer at Attentive
#5 – Building Your Brand Through DEI: A Personal Journey to Professional Growth – Dona Maria Jose, Senior Software Engineer at Slack
#6 – Navigating Career Growth and Change – Margarita Akterskaia, Senior Software Engineer at Roblox
#7 – Tips On Building Your LinkedIn Brand – Lynne Williams, Executive Director at Career News Today
#8 – Code, Climb and Conquer: Mastering Menopause in Tech – Annie Gaudreault, Nutritionist and Women’s Health Coach at Veev Wellness
#9 – The Future of Rendering: Server-Driven UI (SDUI) – Surbhi Madan, Senior Software Engineer at Google
#10 – LeetCode Solve: DFS vs BFS Approaches to Binary Trees – Krys Flores, Staff Software Engineer at Crunchyroll
Breaking Into Tech/Cybersecurity/Career Talks:
#1 – Rewriting the Rules of Career Comebacks – Alyson La, Data and AI Instructor, Tech-Moms
#2 – Realistic Tips for Breaking Into Cybersecurity – Betta Lyon-Desordo, Ethical Hacker at OnDefend
#3 – Certifications: Yay or Nay? – Sheila Vida, Principal Security Customer Success Specialist at Cisco
#4 – Navigating Career Growth and Change – Margarita Akterskaia, Senior Software Engineer at Roblox
#5 – Tips On Building Your LinkedIn Brand – Lynne Williams, Executive Director at Career News Today
#6 – Code Assist with AI – Olga Khylkouskaya, Staff Software Engineer at Google
#7 – LeetCode Solve: DFS vs BFS Approaches to Binary Trees – Krys Flores, Staff Software Engineer at Crunchyroll
#8 – Keynote: Networking for Introverts – Elhannah Adekeye, Author of The Silent Networker: An Introvert’s Guide To Networking
#9 – Stuck to Unstoppable: Reinventing Yourself for Unstoppable Career Growth – Michelle Bozeman (Coach and Executive Advisor , TBW Enterprises)
#10 – The Guide to Highlighting Your Wins Externally – Mamta Suri, Engineering Leader
Leadership Talks:
#1 – Leading Against the Grain: The Journey to Leadership Amidst Challenges and Stereotypes – Elena Leonova, CPO at Spryker
#2 – Leading Through Change: Guiding Your Team to Embrace Transformation – Dipti Patel, Data Engineering Manager at Zoro
#3 – Keynote: The Power of Collective Imagination – Kimberly D. Jones, CEO at Kelton Legend and Senior Director of Talent Strategy
#4 – PM as GM: A Position or A Mindset – Ipsita Basu, Product Lead at Shopify
#5 – Turning Glue Work to Your Advantage – Julia Furst Morgado, Global Technologist at Veeam
#6 – Community Building and Lessons in Viral Fame – Saba Moeel, Visual and Product Designer at Pink Cat Daily
#7 – Sur-Thriving Cybersecurity Burnout – Dana Hehl, VP of Services Delivery at Anvil Secure
#8 – The Guide to Highlighting Your Wins Externally – Mamta Suri, Engineering Leader
#9 – Beyond Senior: Demystifying the Role of a Principal/Staff Engineer – Shweta Venkateswaran, Principal Software Engineer at Splunk
#10 – Keynote: You Don’t Have to Do It All Alone: The Power of Letting Go to Accelerate Action – Rachana Kumar, Former CTO at Etsy in conversation with Jenn Clevenger, VP of Engineering at Etsy
Thank You To ELEVATE 2025 Supporters – They Are Hiring!
Special thank you to our supporters at Voxel51 and 18C for recruiting from the Girl Geek X community of mid-to-senior level technical women. We can’t wait to help another girl geek get her next job in tech.
Don’t forget to check out featured jobs from Voxel51 and 18C.
The conference theme is “Lift As You Climb.”
Speakers from Google, Slack, Cisco, Shopify, Splunk, and more companies spoke and answered questions, sharing career advice with attendees during their sessions, often welcoming connections on LinkedIn.
| If your company is looking to recruit more women this year, please don’t let them miss out on our next ELEVATE Virtual Conference & Career Fair sponsorship opportunity in March 2025 celebrating International Women’s Day! In addition to virtual events, we partner with companies monthly on Girl Geek Dinners in the San Francisco Bay Area, booking now for 2025 dates. Please email sponsors@girlgeek.io and we’ll be in touch. Thank you in advance! Angie Chang, Sukrutha Bhadouria, Amy Weicker, Amanda Beaty and the team at Girl Geek X |
