Meet fellow conference attendees with 1:1 SPEED NETWORKING for 3 minutes each session, with the option to extend the conversation. Be sure to ADD YOUR INTERESTS into your profile in the virtual conference platform to optimize your matching!

Corliss Collier (Amazon Head of Product, Research & Science – Amazon Seller Satisfaction & Insights) is here to share how this introvert built her personal brand for career success. The goal is so that when you are not in the room, people are whispering your name continuously, so you maintain your core and rise successfully and are continually sought over and come back.

Politics is everywhere, but many of us feel disconnected or uncertain about how to meaningfully engage. How can women in tech bridge the gap and make a difference?

Shawna Martell (Carta Senior Staff Engineer) shares her journey from novice to community leader, working at the intersection of technology and community organizing. By sharing practical examples based on her own experiences, Shawna showcases the power of leveraging technology to implement solutions for political campaigns and community organizations. Learn how women in tech can use their skills to move our communities forward today.

Explore the variety of traditional and non-traditional ways in which women at Boomi have navigated their tech careers, and what transferable skills they’ve brought to their careers at Boomi. Hear about how they have overcome challenges while building their careers in tech.

With over 25 years of experience, Orit Greengrass (Cadence Vice President of Research & Development) believes that networking is an essential key to advancing in your career. She acknowledges that networking does not come natural to everyone, and has her own ideas for ways for attendees to practice networking for their professional success.

Building cross-functional relationships is important to any job, and who would have thunk that within government, building connections across the table (across agencies) to create more data sharing collaboration is one of the biggest opportunities for impact?

Join us as we share how you can bring data, voices, and a focus on the end-user to the public sector, as well as the private sector.

Research shows psychological safety — team members feeling safe to take risks — is the most important dynamic that sets successful teams apart.

Christina Chan (Wealthsimple Staff Engineer) shares her personal journey with vulnerability, as she reframed discomforts as opportunities for growth and eventually learned to be vulnerable at work. Attendees will leave with her strategies for practicing vulnerability without over-sharing and respecting your personal boundaries.

Dr. Natalie Lao (App Inventor Foundation Executive Director) showcases how mobile apps serve as the most accessible pathway for under-resourced populations to acquire technology skills. She spotlights the remarkable applications girls and women worldwide develop with artificial intelligence and App Inventor to uplift their communities.

Attendees will learn ways to contribute to this empowering movement, including volunteering as community judges for global Appathons, translators to bring the platform and curricula to more communities across the world, and technical contributors to the open-source project.

Chelsea Zhou (Chainalisys Product Design Manager) believes choosing the right career path starts with deep and honest inward assessment of yourself and your motivations. She will discuss the realistic day-to-day of a senior IC vs. manager at work, and how to realistically intuit what works for you.

Jen McVicker (Atlassian Senior Enterprise Technical Architect) is an expert at building cross-functional teams responsible for the entire lifecycle of an application or service with over 25 years of experience in the field of software development and delivery. She discusses how to reduce risk by adopting a loosely-coupled architecture & categorizing services into tiers. Attendees will leave with one key takeaway – measure the right things!

Technical interviewing is not about tricking you with riddles, or brain teasing you with impossible questions, but deriving real world solutions.

Flora Jha (Wells Fargo Developer) will discuss technical resumes, from hiring platforms to the ATS buzzwords to know. She will go over technical screenings (e.g. data structures, algorithms, time & space complexity), including for systems design and design leads. She will help attendees build confidence preparing for a successful technical interview.

Sometimes, it’s hard to know when to push for excellent products and when to cut scope.

Natasha Harpalani (Amazon Web Services Senior Technical Product Manager) will share her framework for knowing when to cut scope on a project. Attendees will learn to measure the tradeoffs associated with delivering a project on time and as planned versus cutting scope, execute a decrease in scope through communication and planning, and how to cut scope without compromising on an excellent customer experience.

Amie Dsouza (Southwest Airlines Cybersecurity Program Manages) wants to help you prepare for an interview for a job you want, but don’t have all the required skills. She will encourage attendees to prepare for the interview and to share additional information about yourself before the interview to demonstrate how you suit the role.

Christina Burger (Runway Senior Software Engineer) shares her musings on the computational complexity of traditionally “female” crafts, how their intricacy is misunderstood and under appreciated, and whether the halting problem could also refer to problematic yarn-buying habits.

Nora Hamada (Recruit Rise Founder) will lead a dynamic session on elevating your resume to captivate recruiters.

Tailored for those with specific job targets, this talk ensures attendees leave with actionable insights for immediate application.

Learn how to showcase your impact on a company’s bottom line, making it a standout feature. Leave with a toolkit to transform your resume into a compelling narrative, setting you apart in the competitive job market.

Former Olympian swimmer Shikha Tandon (svexa Chief Resilience & Partnerships Officer) delves into AI in Exercise Optimization; exploring its significance and implications in the field of sport, fitness, and well-being. Understanding this is crucial not only for fitness enthusiasts but also for healthcare professionals, researchers, and society as a whole.

Attendees should come to the live lightning resume review session with a PDF of their resume ready to share their screen, and raise their hand in the session to be brought onstage for a live lightning resume review with Tal Flanchraych (ApplyAll Founder). Please be aware that this and all ELEVATE sessions are recorded and posted on the Girl Geek X YouTube channel.

AI is playing a significant role in the 2024 election and others. Understanding how AI can impact your vote and what you need to do to protect it is more important than ever.

Susan Gonzales (AIandYou CEO & Founder) will discuss why this election is different, what you should expect with AI, and how to protect your vote. Women and other marginalized communities greatly influenced recent elections – now is the time to understand the impact.

With nearly two decades of experience in global, award-winning customer success teams, Hannah Hosemann (Affinity Director, Onboarding & Implementation) believes in the power of genuine care – Every interaction is a mentoring opportunity. She will explore the impact of authentic, personal connections on team dynamics and performance, and how genuine care can foster a positive work culture.

Attendees will learn practical strategies for developing emotional intelligence in leadership to understand and respond effectively to the unique needs and motivations of team members. Discover actionable techniques for leaders to create an environment where team members feel valued and supported, leading to higher engagement and sustained high performance.

Kelsey Brown (Sourcegraph Analytics Manager) will share how to find the metric that matters most, and obsess over it! She will discuss how to make A/B testing quick and easy. Attendees will learn to embed analysts with product and engineering teams for data-driven product development success.

Join us for an exploration of the tech lead and engineering manager’s journey, featuring leaders from Adobe, Airbnb, Cash App, and Workday. Gain practical wisdom on transitioning to an EM role, mastering performance management, and navigating challenges such as PIPs. Discover effective strategies for fostering a feedback-rich culture and elevate your leadership skills in the dynamic tech environment. Don’t miss this opportunity to glean firsthand insights from industry veterans and sharpen your toolkit for success in engineering leadership, from consumer to AI/ML.

The U.S. Digital Corps is an early‑career fellowship designed for the country’s top technology talent to serve in the federal government. U.S. Digital Corps Fellow, Chizobam Nwagwu will discuss different policy types and a Findsupport.gov case study.

Wen Hsu (Coach & Founder) dives deep into her stories of turning introversion into a superpower in leadership, having navigated the complexities of the tech industry for over 15 years.

In this session, Wen will tackle the daunting experience of layoffs, sharing insights on not just bouncing back but advancing your career with renewed vigor. Attendees will learn to confront the pervasive feeling of ‘not-enoughness’ head-on, and will be provided perspectives to help dismantle self-doubt and fully embrace your potential with confidence. Attendees will leave with insights to inspire actions that will elevate both your professional path and personal growth.

With the changing landscape of Generative AI, discover how this innovative technology can fuel your career, unveil learning pathways, and empower you to navigate its evolution.

Eileen Quan (2U Senior Director of Data Science) will talk about how to leverage generative AI to excel in your career and make an impact. She will discuss how to acquire the skills needed to thrive in this evolving field, and encourage collaboration among women in tech to drive innovation in AI.

How do you transition from subject matter expert to author?

We will cover topics like proposing your book idea, finding a publisher, working with an editor, and the realities of being a published author. We will discuss the realities of being a published author, from potentially opening doors professionally, but requiring a major time investment. Attendees will gain insights into how to balance writing with your career, and learn about strategies to stay motivated and complete your book.

Join us for a conversation inspired by new research from economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett that shows the criteria for leadership have shifted in the last decade.While confidence and decisiveness continue to be important, recent studies highlight the significance of inclusiveness — showing respect for others, actively listening, and embodying authenticity — as top valued factor for executive presence. The lively conversation will include practical tips and tactics that the audience can use as they lead their teams (or think of their own leadership growth).

We will discuss the unique career paths to arrive at Program Management, from project manager to software engineering. Panelists will share their career journeys and insights from IC to executive.

Ever wonder what it’s like to be on a product team that revolutionizes efficiency and impacts millions? Our groundbreaking work has amassed over 40 million test results, saving an astonishing 852,000 work hours over 2 years – a testament to our dedication to transformative innovation.

Join this fireside chat to learn first-hand from product managers at the U.S. Digital Service (USDS) who are detailed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During this session, you will learn how to tailor and adapt product management principles for the unique needs of government organizations, bridge the gap between product teams and government stakeholders, and get a glimpse into how product management thinking has had a positive impact on public health initiatives.

Stop by the FLUID virtual lounge in for another fun way to mingle with fellow attendees.

ASK MENTORS in the Mentorship Lounge about engineering leadership, IC career growth, product, product design / UX design, project / program management, career development / upskilling, coaching & more – Join the virtual Mentorship Lounge to discuss career stuff, interviewing, promotions, & more! Mentors are here to answer your questions on International Women’s Day alongside thousands of mid-to-senior level women in tech!

Raji Subramanian (Opendoor Chief Technology Officer) will share tips for navigating uncertainty and the corporate change that follows suit. She’ll share how she led her team with three key tactics in mind – innovation, optionality, and adaptability – while discussing the importance of maintaining a positive and inclusive mindset, even during difficult times.

Learn how to unlock value for customers and rally behind their cause, the importance of finding the right balance between cost efficiencies and innovation in an uncertain climate (all while keeping customer centricity), how to turn adversity and failures into opportunity (while thinking long-term, being patient and embracing hard-core problem-solving), and more gems of wisdom, as moderated by Merav Bloch (Opendoor Vice President & General Manager of Opendoor Exclusives).

Are you tired of the traditional job search process? Learn how AI can make the process easier, faster, and more effective.

Nic Amos (Kohl’s Product Manager Leader) will cover the latest tools and strategies to improve your cover letter and resume in 5 minutes, get rid of imposter syndrome in your interviews, and increase your productivity.

Your manager and peers can’t sit by your desk and watch you work all day (even if you’re back in the office, that would be weird!) or be inside your head listening to your thoughts. Now that many of us are working remotely much or all of the time, we’re more hidden than before. It takes intentional effort to open ourselves up and make our work more transparent to others.

Erin Doyle (Lob Staff Platform Engineer) found that one of the most effective ways to increase her visibility as a technical leader, to management as well as peers, is to adopt a habit of working out loud and learning in public. She will share her techniques, which offer numerous benefits where you can greatly help others while also helping yourself. This approach to working does require some courage to be vulnerable and share your imperfections, and it also makes the great work you’re doing very visible in an authentic and humble way.

Careers do not always follow a standard path but there are phases to consider, with changing responsibilities, expectations and challenges.

Eiman Hassan (Alphawave Semi Vice President of Program Operations) will share her story traversing a career in engineering and operations, what these phases looked like, lessons learned, and key decision points along the way. Attendees will learn about the day-to-day responsibilities of a VP operations for a public company in the fast-growing semiconductor industry.

Ready to break through the glass ceiling in engineering and become a leader who empowers others?

Monica Bajaj (Okta Vice President, Engineering – Developer Experience, Customer Identity Cloud) will delve into the unique challenges and opportunities faced by women aspiring to senior roles. You will learn about your own barriers, how to break them, with the 5C framework to help you lift others up as you climb.

Sarika Oak (Udemy Director, Trust & Safety Operations) discusses navigating stereotypes and bias. She shares strategies for overcoming preconceived notions and establishing credibility based on merit and expertise. Attendees will glean insights on creating work environments that empower women and underrepresented groups, and the positive impact of diverse perspectives on addressing complex trust and safety issues. Last but not least, she will discuss the importance of mentorship, networking, and advocating for oneself, while also emphasizing the significance of collaborative leadership in driving positive change within the trust and safety domain.

Data can help product managers understand the needs, preferences, and behaviors of their customers, as well as the performance, strengths, and weaknesses of their products.

Poornima Muthukumar (Microsoft Senior Technical Product Manager) will share how data can help product managers validate their assumptions, test their hypotheses, and measure their outcomes. By using data to guide product strategy and product roadmap, product managers can make informed decisions, prioritize features, optimize user experience, and deliver value to stakeholders.

Dotty Nordberg (Pure Storage Senior DevOps Engineer) shares strategies ensuring a positive outcome when presenting your ideas. Attendees will learn how to effectively use various forms of communication (e.g. email, slack, zoom), who you should talk to (and what you should talk to them about), and how can you get those key stakeholders to buy-in to your plan.

Courtney Shar (Splunk Senior Program Manager, Security) discusses organizing the flow of work to sophisticated forecasting models. She shares how the team learned to bring metrics into each part of their own development lifecycle, and how the team was able to measure success with their consumers.

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!

From 12pm-1pm Pacific Time on Friday, March 8, 2024, join us in Airmeet to check out Employers Booths online and meet cool folks!

Learn about their job opportunities! Meet recruiters, staff & more at the discussion tables in the virtual booths.

ELEVATE’s partner companies are actively hiring for many roles. Let them know you’re interested!

Fueled by the energy of collaborative conversation, dive into the world of data-driven strategic storytelling with a unique twist to spark insightful discussions.

Having mastered the art of understanding and leveraging data to enhance their roles and projects, this fireside chat session kicks off with personal stories of their career journeys, revealing the paths that led them to their current positions. Panelists will share how they strategically harnessed data in their roles, recounting anecdotes of how they turned insights into impactful results. As the conversation unfolds, expect to hear captivating stories of innovation – from hackathons to projects (and side projects!) – that have left a lasting mark on the companies they’ve contributed to. Don’t forget to ask a question in the chat, the panelists may choose to answer your questions in the session chat.

D’Janae Robinson (RHJ Consulting Chief of Staff) defines what being the first means as a framework, helping identify how it shows up in lived experiences. She shares how the challenges impacting lived experienced (e.g. workplace, family, society). Attendees will learn to conduct an inspiring self-analysis of ways to conquer challenges.

Technical Program Management (TPM) is a booming career option for many entry-level, mid-level and executive level professionals. Now, more than ever, TPMs are in high demand across the tech industry.

Candice Quadros (Roku Director of Program Management & Productivity) will speak about building an understanding of the “TPM toolbox”, creating an actionable plan for switching into TPM careers, and growing your TPM career.

How to make Developer Experience (DevX) happen at your company and why.

Soumya Lakshmi (Adobe Director of Engineering) will speak about productivity, impact and satisfaction as keys to quality and collaboration. She will share her DevX framework, metrics and KPIs.

Accelerate your career shift from big tech to startups with insights on mapping your leadership skills, showcasing them in interviews, and negotiating startup compensation successfully, including equity.

Danielle McLaughlin (18C Partners Founder) will share strategies for mapping tech leadership scope to startup scope, helping you understand what roles you are qualified for. She will discuss preparing for interview and selling your experience as a big tech leader, and talk about what startups look for when negotiating (e.g. equity). Last but not least, she will reveal how to get connected to leadership roles at startups.

İren Azra Coşkun (TandemAI Senior Software Engineer) believes being the most hardworking engineer will not necessarily get you to be promoted – you need to show leadership and initiative. She will teach you how to align with your managers and their managers about what they value, as not all leadership and all initiatives are rewarded equally unfortunately. She will discuss improving your visibility and personal brand, and what do you do if none of this works out for you.

Join us for an inspiring exploration of purpose-driven entrepreneurship with visionary leaders discussing their startups, from innovative retirement planning for generational wealth to empowering female engineers in Palestine. Learn how these entrepreneurs navigate challenges and create meaningful impact.

Attendees will gain concrete ways to contribute to the evolving landscape of social innovation.

Dorcas Litunya (Technovation Mentor & Software Engineer) invites you to step into the world of mentorship and innovation with her: Discover the significance of STEM education in improving communities and empowering individuals. Gain valuable insights into the role of a mentor through Dorcas’s personal stories and examples. Be inspired to take action and become a mentor yourself, making a difference in the lives of others.

Stop by the FLUID virtual lounge in for another fun way to mingle with fellow attendees.