Chief Technology Officer Rachana Kumar climbed the ladder from being hired as an engineering manager over the course of a decade at Etsy. Learn from her as she shares her personal and professional journey, advice on getting the help you need, and more pearls of wisdom from the engineering leader – in conversation with Vice President of Engineering Jennifer Clevenger!

Director of Engineering Mamta Suri wants to help you reframe “bragging” as “owning our accomplishments”. She will cover the vital role of self-promotion in advancing one’s career, how to highlight your wins,  sharing practical and actionable tips for empowering and owning our successes to get ahead.

CEO Michelle Bozeman believes the recent wave of tech layoffs has  disproportionately impacted women in the industry, exacerbating gender disparities and potentially reversing the progress of inclusion efforts. Tune in for her session focusing on how to rethink your tech career in the age of AI by recognizing your unique gifts and taking ownership of your career journey. Attendees will learn to identify your strengths and energizers, top skills that the market needs,  and apply a simple framework to immediately make progress in charting your path and increasing your leadership effectiveness.

Chief Product Officer Elena Leonova will give a candid and empowering talk on her personal journey to product leadership — a path laden with unexpected obstacles, cultural biases, and professional roadblocks. From starting as a business analyst in Kiev to becoming an executive product leader, she has faced challenges related to gender, culture, and language. Attendees will gain insights into how to tackle similar challenges head-on, without losing integrity or vision for success. Don’t miss this session to learn strategies for asserting your professional boundaries in the face of stereotypes and biases, how to leverage mentorship and role models for guidance and reassurance, and techniques for turning obstacles into opportunities for growth and leadership.

Data Engineering Manager Dipti Patel, emphasizes the power of transparent and consistent communication in reducing uncertainty and resistance. Clearly explaining the “why” and “how” of change helps teams see the bigger picture and stay engaged. She discusses building empathy, a sense of ownership, and inclusion – fostering trust by involving your team and addressing concerns. When people feel heard and valued, they are more likely to embrace change and contribute to its success. Finally, she discusses how support and recognition can accelerate adaptation, from providing the right tools, training, and ongoing support equips teams to adapt with confidence, to celebrating progress keeps motivation high and sustains positive momentum.

Employers will share more about a company’s culture, values, and mission, as well as the opportunities for growth and development within the organization. Learn about how the company grows employees professionally, any initiatives or projects that the company is working on, more about the roles and teams hiring, and the interview process!

Learn about job opportunities! Meet recruiters, staff & more in breakout sessions (12pm-1pm Pacific Time / 3pm-4pm Eastern Time) on Thursday, March 6, 2025 at ELEVATE Virtual Conference and Career Fair BREAKOUT SESSIONS!

Senior Software Engineer Dona Maria Jose will help you understand the value of DEI with insights into how DEI initiatives contribute to personal branding and professional growth. Attendees will build awareness of how engaging in DEI can expand professional networks and create new career pathways. She will explore how real-life DEI experiences enhance visibility and recognition in the tech field, and shares practical steps to get involved in DEI initiatives within organizations or communities. Attendees will build on their understanding how individual DEI efforts foster inclusive environments and community impacts for a greater sense of belonging for all.

Security Product Manager Rianat Abbas will speak about AI’s continued transformation of the business landscape, and how its influence on cybersecurity has emerged as both a game-changer and a source of growing concern. AI’s unparalleled ability to analyze vast amounts of data in real-time is enhancing our defenses against cyber threats, yet this same technology empowers malicious actors to launch more sophisticated and automated attacks. The boundaries between “good,” “bad,” and “ugly” have blurred, making it increasingly difficult to discern truth from deception in the digital space. This session will delve into the dual-edged nature of AI in cybersecurity, exploring its potential to revolutionize threat detection and response, its role in enabling advanced cyberattacks, and the ethical and strategic dilemmas it poses for businesses and security professionals. Attendees will learn how AI is revolutionizing cybersecurity through enhanced threat detection, faster response times, and adaptive defense mechanisms that provide unprecedented protection, and discover how malicious actors are exploiting AI to automate attacks, develop advanced social engineering techniques, and create deceptive tools like deep fakes, blurring the lines of truth and trust.

Visual and Product Designer Saba Moeel will share her techniques for creating engaging content that resonates with your audience. She will teach you strategies for growing and nurturing an online community, and discuss how to translate community engagement into product design insights at the intersection of art, technology, and change.

Nutritionist and Women’s Health Coach Annie Gaudreault will reveal with attendees tips and tricks for boosting your energy to manage menopause symptoms while maintaining high performance and productivity in tech roles. She will talk about how to thrive at work with strategies to balance hormonal health with the demands of a fast-paced, innovative work environment. Attendees will gain empowering insights on advocating for you and your well-being in the workplace – incorporating small, sustainable health changes that have a big impact.

Former Journalist and Software Engineer Rachel Kaufman will cover why the one-on-one question to a subject matter expert is so powerful. She will share how to provide key details in a question without overwhelming, and talk about why there really are no stupid questions.

CEO Danielle McLaughlin will cover how to prepare for a job search, interview prep and negotiations for engineers comparing offers between the mid and senior level. She will focus on interviewing and negotiating between levels for engineers with 3-7 years experience.

Senior Software Engineer Margarita Akterskaia will discuss building self-awareness and understanding your values and non-negotiables to align your career with your evolving goals. She will talk about the importance of crafting your story and developing a career pitch that highlights your growth, achievements, and future vision. Attendees will learn to take control of transition and build an actionable roadmap for career advancement or change, leveraging AI for insights and clarity.

Staff Engineer Olga Khylkouskaya will discuss how this current AI era it is easier than ever to learn the necessary skills along the way when pursuing something new. She will share AI tools for generating frontend, images, logos, etc so it takes minutes to create simple pages or even mobile apps.

Data and AI Instructor Alyson La will teach you how to reframe your career gap and shift your mindset to  see career breaks as a powerful story of resilience, adaptability, and growth. She will cover The New Rules of Reentry and share actionable strategies for leveraging transferable skills, storytelling, and personal branding to reenter the workforce with confidence. Attendees will learn how technical skills like data analytics can open up entrepreneurial pathways, from freelancing to founding your own consulting firm.

Vice President Dana Hehl redefines success in cybersecurity as maintaining well-being and resilience, with survival as the foundation and thriving as a future goal. She encourages attendees to seek out and invest in support systems, recognizing that paying for help is a necessary and valuable step in creating a sustainable career.

Principal Software Engineer Shweta Venkateswaran will discuss the shift from execution to strategy as a Principal Engineer goes beyond code – driving architectural decisions, setting technical direction, and influencing long-term engineering strategy. She reviews how to influence without authority, as unlikely managers, Principal Engineers lead through technical expertise, mentorship, and cross-team collaboration, rather than direct reports. At this level, success is measured not just by technical depth but by the ability to align engineering decisions with business goals and drive measurable impact.

Senior Software Engineer Surbhi Madan will discuss what Server-Driven UI (SDUI) is compared to traditional native client side rendering. Attendees will gain an understanding of the main components of a well designed SDUI system, and recommendations for developers on when to use SDUI vs client rendering.

Staff Software Engineer Krystal Flores will give tutorial sessions on Data Structures and Algorithms with LeetCode type coding interviews. She will be going over iterative Depth-First Search (DFS) and Breadth-First Search (BFS) approaches to Binary Trees. In this session, she will go over the basics of Binary Trees and what are DFS and BFS, then work through as many problems as time allows. 

Global Technologist Julia Furst Morgado talks about the “glue work” or “non-promotable tasks.” The opportunity-cost of “glue work” earlier in your career can detract from your technical skill-building, or shift your career toward management instead of staff engineer. Attendees will learn to reflect on what you like to do (what gives you flow) and pursue the intentional career in tech you desire.

Security Customer Success Specialist Sheila Vida will discuss the benefits of certifications for your career journey. She will discuss certifications that you get to apply to your role, or side projects, so the value “does not stop” after you pass the exam. She believes certifications are an excellent overview for those breaking in to a new industry, and  that certification is a common language that people in the same industry, so it’s beneficial for the job search or industry networking.

Engineering Managers Giselle Valenzuela and Urvashi Gadi believe that technical expertise is simply not enough. They will discuss project management and prioritization skills, communication and interpersonal skills, and relationship building abilities for engineers and engineering leaders.

Ethical Hacker Betta Lyon-Delsordo will share her enthusiasm for cybersecurity, a cool and competitive field. She believes you have to take certain steps to stand out from the crowd. As everyone wants to hire an expert, you have to find your specialization in cybersecurity, something people will pay you to do repeatedly.
She will discuss how to build experience without a job (e.g. entry-level these days means 2-5 years of the following: teaching cyber awareness to kids and seniors, competing in Capture-The-Flag competitions, doing Bug Bounty hunts, posting about research projects, attending meetups and conferences, getting degrees or certifications, and working IT helpdesk or TA jobs). 

Product Lead Ipsita Basu believes companies are looking for Product Managers (PMs) who can drive multiple functions, not just engineering and UX, and make a business impact. She will discus how to play this PM/GM role informally and at a mid-level in your career to set yourself up for leadership roles in the future, whether in a tech company or as an entrepreneur.