getWITit | Women in Technology

On this episode we chat with Patricia Bradley, Global Chief Commercial Officer of MindMaze. The company is using neuroscience and engineering to help accelerate humans' ability to recover, learn, and adapt. Learn how Patricia's start as a UPS delivery driver helped propel her to her current role.mindmaze.comgetwitit.org

We chat with Kelsey McGuire, Portfolio Company Advisor at Coinfund. Kelsey first got her start in the fashion and beauty industry then made the transition to blockchain and tech. She explains how she got to her dream role and why she's passionate about blockchain technology.coinfund.iogetwitit.org

On this episode we chat with Yulia Mamonova, Head of Content at Lemon.io. From Ukraine and now residing in Israel, Yulia got her start in writing in her younger years. Now at Lemon.io which is a Ukrainian company, she manages a remote team creating all of the content to help connect Eastern European developers with American startups.lemon.iogetwitit.org

On this episode we are joined by Elizabeth Batalla, Executive Director of The Institute for Achievement and Excellence. Throughout her career, Elizabeth found herself in fields dominated by men. Through her experience, she learned how to not only be successful herself, but also help other women find their success as well. This eventually led her to branching out on her own and founding her company help even more women discover their strengths and level up in their careers.courses.achievementandexcellence.comgetwitit.org

On this episode we chat with Lisa Shorr. After literally marrying into a career as a Managed Services Provider, she leveraged her experience and skills into Shorr Success where she helps teams become brand rockstars. Learn about the evolution of her journey and take inspiration to do the same.shorrsuccess.comgetwitit.org

On this episode we chat with Sarah Moody. Sarah is many things but first and foremost, an entrepreneur. She is also a coach, mentor, founder, podcaster, and more! Sarah's main passion is helping other women get their start in the tech field. Learn about Sarah's journey and how you too can start your career in tech.sarahmoody.comgetwitit.org

On this episode we chat with Denise Vu Broady, Chief Marketing Officer at Appian. Immigrating to the U.S. from Vietnam when she was very young, Denise navigated her way through American culture. Not even knowing one word of English at the time, she worked hard and grew her wings during college at Virginia Tech. She eventually climbed the tech ladder as well as becoming a published author.appian.comgetwitit.org

After a long hiatus we are back! On this episode we chat with Assel Beglinova, Co-Founder and CEO of Paperstack. Launching Paperstack in March 2021, her initial idea of supporting solopreneurs and freelancers evolved into helping online merchants get access to working capital so that they can purchase more inventory, invest in customer acquisition, as well as hire more talent. Learn how Assel got Paperstack started and the amazing support she received along the way.paperstack.usgetwitit.org

Today we are joined by Laura Berland, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Compassionate Leadership. Laura started her career in startups and digital media. But after getting burnt out and hitting a wall, she was fortunate to have a friend who introduced her to a retreat where she learned about mindfulness and meditation. From there, she was awakened to the idea of combining the idea of success and mindfulness which led her to create the Center for Compassionate Leadership. Listen in to learn more about Laura's journey and how happiness and balance in work and personal life can be achieved. centerforcompassionateleadership.org linkedin.com/company/center-for-compassionate-leadership twitter.com/BeingCompassion facebook.com/beingcompassion instagram.com/beingcompassion getwitit.org

Today we chat with Cynthia Orduna, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant at Peoplism. During her time in HR and recruiting, Cynthia witnessed the similarities of the workforce in the tech industry. She wanted to change that and help create a more diverse culture at these companies. Now at Peoplism she is doing just that. Peoplism helps companies build a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment and targets the root causes of inequalities. peoplism.com getwitit.org

Today we chat with Whitney Cathcart, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of 3DLOOK. With an extensive background in the retail industry, Whitney became intrigued by the advances in 3D technology and quit a great job in retail to pursue 3D tech. With 3DLOOK she has been able to combine these experiences by helping the apparel industry streamline their process using virtual fit and measurement all through an app and two photos. 3dlook.me getwitit.org

Today we are joined by Maya Pochiraju, VP of Product at Payability. Payability provides accelerated daily payouts and capital advances for inventory and marketing for eCommerce sellers. Maya had an international childhood. She was born in New York but spent most of her youth in Singapore and moved back to New York just before high school. Maya takes us into the world of eCommerce and explains how they are empowering sellers to continue growing by taking the pain out of daily cash flow. payability.com getwitit.org

Today we are joined by Jennifer Etchegary, Founder of The ChatC Group with the mission of finding and vetting the best Emerging Technology vendors around the world and helping businesses procure and implement this rapidly evolving technology with confidence. Having started her career in finance and taking a detour into culinary school, Jennifer got involved with Conversational AI. This gave her a desire to combine that with her background in finance and start The ChatC Group. chatc.ai getwitit.org

On this episode we are joined by Lauren Glass, Senior Data Engineer at Instagram. While teaching at boot camps, she realized she had a knack for simplifying complicated topics. This led her to pursuing a passion project of publishing her Data Mastery series of prep books covering SQL, Python, and one she is currently writing on Product Analytics. linkedin.com/in/laurenjglass getwitit.org

Today we are taking on a different aspect of tech. We are joined by Joan Gelfand who is a Writer and Writing Coach. She lives in the capital of tech, San Francisco, and is also an award-winning poet. Her latest work and also her first novel is titled "Extreme" and is about a Silicon Valley extreme gaming startup. Hope and her ex-husband, Doug, are working together but there are nefarious forces going on behind the scenes. Learn about Joan's fascinating journey and her insight into tech. joangelfand.com getwitit.org

On this episode we have a tag team of guests! We are joined by Kevin Calloway, CTO at Muzik, and Sarah Heering, COO at Muzik. Muzik specializes in wearable devices built for culture by culture. Its products empower you to create, share, and inspire. Their initial product is VISION which is the world's first camera headphone. Kevin and Sarah explain the inspiration behind it and how Muzik will change the way we share our lives. muzikconnect.com getwitit.org

On this episode we have Chelsea Clarke of BlogsForSale.co. Chelsea has extensive experience in Content Marketing and used her expertise to create a real estate marketplace for blogs and websites. BlogsForSale.co is a boutique brokerage and marketplace of quality established blogs and online businesses for sale. Chelsea explains how she got the inspiration to start this business and tactics for marketers. blogsforsale.co getwitit.org

Today we have Ashley Wali, VP of Product at Discuss.io. Over the past year we have all learned how critical video has become to our work. Face to face has transitioned to online video-based discussions. And Discuss.io is positioned to fulfill that need. It is an all-in-one qualitative consumer conversation platform that helps you understand your consumers. discuss.io getwitit.org

On this episode we have a special panel of women who all work in cyber security and online infrastructure. They all are involved with OSHEAN which stands for Ocean State Higher Education Economic Development and Administrative Network. OSHEAN delivers carrier class optical transport, advanced IP-based networking and innovative cloud solutions to Community Anchor Institutions and the communities they serve. Founded in 1999, OSHEAN is a non-profit coalition of universities, K-12 schools, libraries, hospitals, government agencies, and other non-profit organizations dedicated to providing innovative Internet-based technology solutions for its member institutions and the communities they serve. On the panel today are: - Kim Cournoyer, Information Security Engineer at OSHEAN - Francesca Spidalieri, Senior Fellow for Cyber Leadership at the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina University - Mary Sharif, Technical Security Architect at Cisco - Suzanne Mello-Stark, Professor of Computer Science at Rhode Island College and Director of GenCyber   oshean.org getwitit.org

Today we are joined by Evelyn Van Til, Apprentice Experience Program Manager at Apprenti. Apprenti empowers people to pivot into tech careers via apprenticeship. Evelyn's background includes working in higher education at The Ohio State University in program management for over a decade focused on recruitment, retention and & student success, serving as director of a tech bootcamp, as well as extensive experience in communication and marketing roles in retail as well as agencies like the Ohio Department of Education. Apprenti is bridging the tech talent and diversity gaps, igniting a new paradigm to develop untapped talent and strengthen the tech ecosystem nationwide. - Apprenti offers a new approach to filling the talent gap through the time-tested model of registered apprenticeship for industry and for people our unique apprenticeship program is a straightforward, step-by-step fast track toward a dream job. - The tech industry is seeking to diversify its workforce, so Apprenti is actively recruiting women, people of color, and veterans — although anyone is eligible to apply. Using a proprietary screening process, Apprenti has created a quicker path to diverse, qualified, and certified tech talent. As the tech intermediary for the US Department of Labor, Apprenti is building apprenticeships for the next generation of leaders in tech.   apprenticareers.org getwitit.org

Today we chat with Elisabeth Bohlmann, VP of Client Strategy at December Labs. Originally from Germany, Elisabeth is currently based in Uruguay and helps startups and enterprise companies refine their strategy for scale and continuous growth. A music lover at heart, she decided early on to not seek music as a profession and instead study Behavioral Economics. This gave her a springboard into Marketing and allowed her to move around to different locations. Elisabeth's story is another great example of why anyone with the interest and desire can make the move into IT. decemberlabs.com getwitit.org

For our last episode of the year we have an extra special episode! We have a full house and are joined by Amber Rush, Recruiting Manager at HMB and Teran Shaffer, Sr. IT Account Executive at HMB. HMB is a technology consulting firm and helps companies solve tough technology challenges so they can get back to business better than usual. 2020 has been a tough year for everyone but what goes down must also come back up. Amber and Teran both see the light at the end of the tunnel and businesses are striving ahead. They discuss why our path ahead will get better and to keep our heads up.   hmbnet.com getwitit.org

On our 50th episodes of getWITit we are joined by Vicki Knott, CEO & Co-Founder of Crux OCM. Crux OCM is a solution for the oil and gas industry and works within industry regulations to create a remote working environment, helping operators stay safe and ensuring operations continue even as the world changes. Based in Canada, Vicky's career as a Chemical Engineer led to meet her eventual Co-Founder, Roger Shirt. The two spontaneously jumped on an opportunity to attend a Techstars business accelerator program in Norway for 3 months. Tune in to learn more about how that experience was and where their idea went from there! cruxocm.com getwitit.org

On this episode we are joined by Tori Reichman, VP Commercial at Vault Platform. Tori has always enjoyed working with people and decided what better way to utilize her passion than by working in HR. Her career in HR had her jumping to different cities and eventually landing in the UK. As luck would have it, she settled in London and just as she was considering other opportunities she was contacted by the founder of Vault Platform. Listen in on how Vault Platform is making it easier for companies to handle reporting, especially in this new age of remote working. vaultplatform.com getwitit.org

Emma Rees is an Australian residing in London. She initially started her career as a hairdresser. Before there were smartphones she had an idea, which is commonplace now, for on-demand services. Together with her husband they started Deployed which turns Statements of Work into a delightful digital experience. Hear how her start as a hairdresser motivated her to create a solution for booking clients and eventually ignited her passion to be an entrepreneur. deployed.co getwitit.org  

On this episode we connect with Jackie Morehouse, Director of Operations at Kognitiv Spark. Kognitiv Spark's main product is RemoteSpark which is an industrial augmented reality tool for remote support. Jackie explains how RemoteSpark is helping workers be more productive and save companies time and money during a global pandemic. Like a lot of the women we've featured on the podcast, Jackie got a late start in tech. She came from an education background but was able to transition her experience into employee training and kept going from there. So if you're not in tech now but have a desire to, it's never too late to get started! kognitivspark.com getwitit.org

Today we chat with Monica Dominic, Executive Director Sales & Account Management at PSI. The majority of her experience was in sales and marketing and before transitioning into IT, all Monica knew about IT was how to spell it. But she didn't let that stop her and immersed herself in her role. Now during the pandemic, she has found ways to navigate and overcome the new rules of business. psi92.com getwitit.org

On this episode we chat with Angie Sticher. Angie is the CPO/COO of UrsaLeo, which provides 3D models of facilities that can display data from multiple sources. What does that mean? It allows industrial companies to see a 3D model of what is going on in their facility in real time. UrsaLeo was started before Covid turned things upside down. Now that the pandemic has been upon us, UrsaLeo has been a big boost to companies having to work remotely. ursaleo.com getwitit.org

Today we chat with Jennifer Bonine, CEO of AI Appstore which specializes in custom subscription technology bundles, leveraging an intelligent platform using a personalized ‘virtual research assistant' to enhance corporate growth. Jennifer was the first female CEO of an Artificial Intelligence platform when she previously founded PinkLion AI. Listen in to Jennifer's story about how she had her first business idea at 5 years old and how she's encouraging her daughter as well as many other children to get into entrepreneurship and AI.   aiappstore.com getwitit.org

On this episode of the podcast we are joined by Carlotta De Ninni, CEO of Creative Passport. Carlotta has an audio engineering background and found her way to the UK to continue her studies. While studying for her master's degree she was introduced to a research group where they were working on applying blockchain technology to music. This eventually led to her being offered the opportunity to lead Creative Passport which is a personalized ID for music makers. creativepassport.net getwitit.org

We have a very fascinating episode for you! Today we have Laura Schaack, Founder & CEO of Tattd. Tattd is a platform connecting tattoo artists and clients. In their words, "Tattd connects people to local tattoo artists perfectly tailored to their needs, while providing a platform for artists to market themselves to their ideal client." We will dive into Laura's journey to founding Tattd. From initially pursuing a degree in Non-Profit Management, then getting into IT and helping startups, and finally deciding to pursue her idea. The official launch date of Tattd is Sept. 12, 2020. You can go their website right now and join their waitlist! tattd.co facebook.com/tattdapp instagram.com/tattd_app getwitit.org

Today we have Katrina Walker, Founder & CEO of CodeOp. Originally from San Francisco, she now resides in Barcelona. She initially started her career as a social worker and later obtained a Master's in Cultural Anthropology. Then at age 30, while she had a great job she still had a desire to do something more. She had always had a passion for computers and technology and it was re-sparked when she was introduced to Google Analytics. That led to her attending a Data Science program in Barcelona and eventually led to her launching an all-women coding bootcamp. Katrina has had a very interesting journey and shows us it is never too late to get into tech. codeop.tech getwitit.org

We sit down with Juliana Meyer, Founder & CEO of Supapass. What is Supapass? As Juliana puts it, Supapass can "give a business their own Netflix in about 5 minutes." Supapass is focused on content-related businesses and can create a website and app very quickly. As a teenager Juliana was in a band and prior to technology allowing you to easily make music in your bedroom, Juliana and her bandmates gained the DIY experience of recording an album and an introduction to running a business. Entrepreneurship is in her DNA as her grandparents were entrepreneurs as well. Juliana discusses how being in a band led to idea and creation of Supapass. supapass.com getwitit.org

On this episode we are joined by Mychelle Mollot, Chief Marketing Officer at Solace. Mychelle is originally from Canada and currently residing there after having lived in numerous different places. She started her career in geophysics and made her way into the tech industry. She discusses her first eye-opening experience on how women are treated differently in the workplace while working in geophysics and how that led to her transition into the tech field. solace.com getwitit.org

On this episode we welcome back Kristina Robinson, VP of IT Client Services and Engineering at Cardinal Health. Kristina was a guest on Episode 8 where she discussed the journey to success for women in leadership includes the proper connection with others. Returning to the show in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, she describes the challenges she faced as well as coordinating the move of her fellow co-workers to working from home. She also discusses how she finds a balance between work and leisure during this unprecedented time. cardinalhealth.com getwitit.org

Life Coach, Sarah Brody, led an interactive journaling workshop for Cleveland getWITit where she talked with attendees about focusing more on things that are within your control, and how to 're-shift' your mindset to think about what 'things' are within your control differently. sarahbrodycoaching.com getwitit.org

Cleveland's getWITit (Women in Technology) Chapter is excited to continue our virtual event series with a panel filled with some incredible women in tech. These women prove that you don't have to be able to code to be a woman in tech. Join us as we chat with these inspiring ladies about the journeys that led them to a career in technology. Meet your Panelists: Nicole Capuana - Lead Product Strategist @ Level20, Progressive Insurance Dara Adkison - Database Administrator, Consultant India Dupre - Client Services Supervisor @ FormFire Lauren Zink - Security Training and Awareness Program Manager @ Oportun getwitit.org

We have a different format for this episode. Instead of the usual interview, today we have a Zoom presentation by Jaime Valore. This episode contains the audio portion of the presentation. If you would like to view the full presentation along with Jaime's slides, click here or on the Youtube link below. Jaime Valore, a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, was introduced to Agile four years ago. Her Agile journey has led her to great success by incorporating this mindset into all aspects of her life. As a Senior Scrum Master/Coach for Hyland Software, Jaime has built strong partnerships with all levels of leadership and coached teams in their Agile practices. It is through these partnerships that she has been able to help support the organization through their Agile transformation. When she hangs up her professional hat, Jaime spends her free time dabbling in photography, reading, and spending time outdoors with her family. https://youtu.be/5N2a8Se5YQE https://getwitit.org/

Today we chat with Carlee Niec, VP of Customer Experience at Pattern89. If you were to ask someone to name the top 5 tech companies today, three of those will likely be companies Carlee has worked at. Carlee began her career in marketing and accidentally fell into one of the biggest tech companies there is, Google. She later went on to work at two more household tech names. She has since left those big names and made the move from the big city of Chicago to Indianapolis. Carlee explains how she got her start at these tech giants and why she eventually decided to take the plunge at a small startup and leave the windy city. pattern89.com linkedin.com/in/carleeniec getwitit.org

To the average consumer, it is simple enough to click on an item, add to cart, and wait for it to arrive at your doorstep. But there is a lot more going on behind the scenes than you realize. Today we chat with Jennifer Drake-Finegold, Sr. Scrum Master at The Gap. Jennifer explains what goes on from the moment you see a product on their webpage to packing, shipping, and delivery.   linkedin.com/in/jdrakefinegold corporate.gapinc.com/en-us/news/technology getwitit.org

Today we chat with Elizabeth McConnaughey, Technical Recruiter at Beam Dental, where she handles all sourcing, recruiting, and placement of technical professionals on their product and engineering teams. Liz is a trained opera singer and eventually found her way to the complete opposite spectrum of recruiting. She details what sparked her interest in recruiting, the humble origin of Beam Dental, and how Beam has evolved from a smart toothbrush to a corporate benefits company. beam.dental linkedin.com/in/emcconn getwitit.org

On this episode we are joined by Carina Silfverduk, Agility Practice Lead at CAS (a division of the American Chemical Society). Carina runs the local Columbus, Ohio chapter of Women in Agile as well as organizing the monthly Meetup group, and also helps organize the Business Agility Midwest conference. Carina reveals how she juggles all of her different roles and why she loves agile and encouraging more women to pursue a career in business agility.   businessagilitymidwest.com womeninagile.org meetup.com/WiA-Columbus linkedin.com/in/silfverduk getwitit.org

We are joined by Brian Link, Agile Transformation Coach at LeanDog, Charles Kennedy, VP/Sr. IT Service Delivery Manager at Huntington National Bank, and Bart Weaver, Enterprise Agility Coach at Nationwide. This trio are passionate about business agility and decided it would be a brilliant idea to launch an agility-focused conference in the heart of the Midwest Silicon Valley, Columbus, Ohio. But as is usually the case, great ideas are not always the easiest. Learn about the struggles they had to overcome and why they felt the time was right to to put this conference together. businessagilitymidwest.com meetup.com/Columbus-Business-Agility leandog.com getwitit.org

After working in the auto industry for over a decade, Alison and Jordan Fisher decided it was time to leave the “no holidays” schedule of car dealerships and pursue a rewarding and Monday to Friday work week in the IT world. They describe their experiences in coding bootcamps and getting their first IT job, along with some surprising workflow similarities between the auto industry and IT. linkedin.com/in/alison-fisher linkedin.com/in/jordantfisher getwitit.org

We are back after taking a week off for Labor Day! We are joined by Izzy Elwyn, Software Developer and Team Lead at ScriptDrop, who founded the Columbus Tech EI Meetup. She initially planned on becoming a librarian but stumbled into tech by way of a warehouse distribution company and learned why it is critical to involve emotional intelligence in technology. What exactly is EI in tech? It is all about exploring the human side of technology and the Meetup seeks to openly address the nebulous and nuanced issues of imposter syndrome, ego traps, depression, confidence, and more for the betterment of ourselves, our teams, and our community. The Columbus Tech EI Meetup takes place on the last Thursday of each month at the ScriptDrop office.   izzy.elwyn@columbustechei.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/ielwyn https://columbustechei.com   https://getwitit.org

Warner Moore is a strategic technology leader and manager with a background in web operations and information security. He got his start in technology back in the ‘90s with BBS and UNIX systems. Then as the World Wide Web started developing and websites became cool, he got his first taste of coding with BASIC and PERL. Nowadays he is heavily involved in the Columbus tech community, helping with Ohio Linux and DevOpsDays to name a few. He is an extremely busy person and does not spend any leisure time keeping up with the current trending TV shows so we are glad he was able to sit down with us and share his story and experience.   linkedin.com/in/warnermoore ohiolinux.org devopsdays.org techcc.org getwitit.org

In this episode we sit down with Cassandra Faris, Innovation & Product Evangelist at AWH. Cassandra is a veteran speaker, getting her start speaking at a cloud computing conference called Cloud Develop and then getting her big break in front of 2,500 people at CodeMash. She provides tips and advice on public speaking so you can feel confident doing your first talk and how to find places and events to get your start on becoming a world traveling speaker! linkedin.com/in/cassandrafaris twitter.com/cassandrafaris antarcticonf.com getwitit.org elizabethtolia.com

Recently, I interviewed Angie Buccilli, a remarkable woman in tech, an experienced Talent Specialist, and an amazing Career Matchmaker. Angie and I have a common thread: we have each recently started a new business. Yes! Listen right here for details about the launch of my new business! References Angie Buccilli TEKsystems HMB Bold Penguins Sue Johnson getWITit Product Delivery Group Elizabeth Tolia

As we approach the exciting WITcon2019 Conference in September, we want to explore and share some of the top tips from the getWITit 2018 Conference for recruiting women to technology careers. Join Angela Lopez as she interviews Tracy Hedderly and Chuck Xenakis from JPMorgan Chase. References: Angela Lopez Tracy Hedderly Chuck Xenakis J.P. Morgan Code: Debugging the Gender GapCourse Report

Slalom and Slalom Build give women in IT confidence that what Slalom does for them will bring their success. At Slalom, women employees feel a sense of importance, belonging, growth, connection, and cooperation. Hear firsthand from Sharon Lynch, Managing Director of Slalom Build. References Slalom Slalom Build Mike Cowde, President Ian Cook Sharon Lynch, Managing Director, Slalom Build Slalom: Build as a Service Blog Posts on Solution Ownership Women's Leadership Network, WLN AWS Certification Slalom Hackathons Case Studies at Slalom Slalom Careers Glassdoors 2019 Best Places to Work ListSlalom CEO Brad Jackson named a Glassdoor Top CEO in 2019 Forbes Top 100 Slalom is the 2018 Microsoft Power BI Partner of the Year 2017 Google Cloud Global Breakthrough Partner of the Year award Slalom Achieves AWS Machine Learning Competency Status

Elizabeth Tolia describes how she transitioned into the exciting world of IT. After several degrees and a career in the hospitality business, Elizabeth took the leap into the IT industry and loves it! Discover all the exciting steps for your success… References Daniel Greenleaf Elizabeth Tolia ElizabethTolia.comElizabeth Tolia blog getWITit PodcastgetWITit girlCON Columbus getWITit ConferenceCleveland getWITit ConferenceBronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland BravoBDI, Bravo Development, Inc. BRIO in Houston Fawcett Center Angela LopezScrum.orgJim Sammons Agile Lunchbox ICC Expeed Software