Tech News
Ultimate list of Austin women who can speak at your tech event (or podcast)
(TECH) Event organizers don’t always know where to look when hoping to improve diversity, so here are hundreds of Austin women ready to get involved!
Published
10 months agoon

UPDATE: During the COVID-19 outbreak most conferences are shut down, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t contact these women to speak with or for you on podcasts, or as blog guests, or in video form. They are willing to help when it is needed most, so reach out. We have also added a Defense Tech category, so check it out!!
Have you ever been to a tech event and were struck by the lack of women on panels? Not any of our events of course, but it happens, and in Austin, we don’t believe it is intentional. Yet it still happens.
Instead of complain and move on, we’re doing something about it by publishing a list of women that have raised their hands, ready to get involved!
Click to tweet: “There are no more excuses for events without women speakers, here are several hundred in Austin tech ready to help!”
We intend on updating this list from time to time, so check back for more names, or add yours if you’re interested.
This isn’t any sort of speaker agreement, just a list of people that identify as female that are willing to step in to speak on their areas of expertise. Austin is a cool town to be involved in, and we’re proud to be headquartered here!!
The categories are: Business Development and/or Sales, Creative, Defense, Development and/or Engineering, Finance and/or Investing, IT and/or Programming, Marketing and/or Media, Non-Profit and/or Academia, Operations and/or Management, Security and/or Tech Law, UX/UI Research and/or Design.
It was difficult for each person to select only one category that describes them (for example, I tend to speak on marketing, but my title is COO, so I am listed under “Operations / Management”), so click around to find a good fit for your event.
Business Development and/or Sales
Allison Ramsey
CEO & Founder, Empire Life
Amber Gunst
CEO, Austin Technology Council
Angela Frackowiak
Sales Development Manager, MobileIron
Ashelena Leveille
Program Manager, Customer Success, SolarWinds
Azucena Perez
Vice President, Mentor Program, Ceresa
Brittani McCall
Co-founder & Chief Revenue Officer, BrightReps
Christina Trapolino
Enterprise Solutions Engineer, Monetate
Christol “Dominica” McGinnis
CEO, The BridgeField Group
Cindy Goldsberry
Revenue & Relationships Partner, Investor, Author, Higher State Technology
Cindy Y. Lo, DMCP
CEO & Chief Event Strategist, Red Velvet Events
Corina Frankie
CEO & Founder, Brand Besties
Courtney Doman
Director of Sales Engineering, Khoros
Dawn Delatte
Designer & Managing Director at thoughtbot
Elisa Sepulveda
Regional Managing Director, The Riveter
Emily Roberson McCoy
Director of Circular Economy Programs, US Business Council for Sustainable Development
Grace Lanni
CEO, All About That Brand
Irene Brinker
CEO/Founder, Devali
Janet Zaretsky
BS-to-Brilliance Master, Empowered Women Enterprises, LLC
Jennifer Archambeault
Broker/Owner
Jennifer Monk Lin
Principal Product Manager, IBM Cloud
Kadi Grigg
DevSecOps Advocate, Sonatype
Kaitlyn DeBernardo
Head of Strategy, RigUp
Kana LiVolsi
CEO & Co-Founder, Dos Mundos Creative
Kristin Harrison
Inside Sales Representative: Western United States, Asia Pacific, and The Americas, System Surveyor
Laura Webb
SVP, Sales & Marketing, Tailwind
Marissa Limsiaco
President & Co-Founder, Tenavox
Miriam Arora
Sales Manager, Saba Software
Natalie Yerkovich
Founder & CEO, Hello Mailbox
Nicole Forbes
Sr Strategic Partner Manager, BigCommerce
Paige Drews
VP of Sales, Indio Technologies
Patti DeNucci
DeNucci & Co LLC / The Intentional Networker
Phoebe Nygren
Corporate Account Executive, Box
Rochelle Gonzalez
Senior Sales Executive, Shogun
Sabrina Wojtewicz
Regional Executive Director, Bunker Labs
Shaydi DeJesus
City Lead (Southwest Region), Bunker Labs
Sierra Bailey
Business Strategist, Doers Shakers Makers
Sierra Bloodgood
Partner, Guinn Partners
Sloan Foster
CMO, Kuware
Teri Kelly
Chief Revenue Officer, Valkyrie
Valerie Archer
Partner Development Director, BuildFax
Creative
Amy Weissgarber
Creative Director/Photographer
AprilJo Murphy
Writer and Editor
Ashland Viscosi
Founder, Creatives Meet Business
Emily Leach
Founder, The Freelance Conference
Gracie Arenas Strittmatter
Technical Art Director, EA/BioWare
Jan Bozarth
Chief Creative Officer + Founder, Dreameroo
Kristen Dunn
Graphic Designer + Illustrator, Kristen Dunn Media
Kirtana Banskota
Founder, Banskota Productions
Liz Feezor
Founder and Principal, Liz Feezor Creative
Lizette Resendez
Associate Creative Director, Oracle
Madhavi Rao
Chief Strategy Officer, Valkyrie Intelligence
Melanie Sexton
Learning and Experience Designer, Sonatype
Michu Benaim Steiner
Partner and creative chief, In-House Intl.
Dr. Mickra Hamilton
CEO, Apeiron Zoh Corporation
Roanna Flowers
Program Developer, Strategy & Story
Samantha Soper
Freelance Creative & UX Strategist, WP Developer, Illustrator
Sarabeth Flowers Lewis
Freelance SaaS Copywriter, Lewis Commercial Writing
Sequoyah Johnson
Artist & Teacher
Shannon Lea
Certified Coach, Strengths Strategy, Inc.
Sheana Firth
Principal, Breakaway Graphics LLC
Sheri Graner Ray
Sr. Game Designer
Vana Ash
Designer & Photographer, Vana Ash Creative
Defense Tech
Macon Field
Principal, Macon Strategies | Consultant, National Advanced Mobility Consortium
Samanth Snables
Cofounder, re:3D
Maggie Engler
Lead Data Scientist, Global Disinformation Index
Development and/or Engineering
Alyss Noland
Senior Developer Advocate, Box
Anna Chaney
Engineering Director – Machine Learning, Resideo
Anne Jude Hunt
VP and Head of Product, Medici
Annie Hsieh
Dev Lead, Square Root
Bindiya Mansharamani
Director of Engineering, Rigup
Brandy Keller
Senior Director of Product Management and Product Marketing, Community Brands
Brittany Hicks
Founder, BrightAngle
Candace Ohm
Senior Business Intelligence Developer, DOSH
Caitlin Hudon
Lead Data Scientist, OnlineMedEd
Caroline Gorman
Sr. Product Manager, Dosh
Cheryl Tulkoff
Director of Corporate Quality, National Instruments
Claire Bingham
Software Engineer (Mobile Android), HomeAway
Dana Lachman
Front End Engineer, HomeAway
Dana Vantrease
Hardware Tech Lead, Amazon Web Services
Dianni Ortegon
Product Manager, Khoros
Emily Bartha
Senior Data Scientist, The Zebra
Erin Randall
Principal Coach – Agile, Ad Meliora Coaching
Ezinne Udezue
VP of Product Management, Procore
Ginger Johnson
Principal, GSJohnson PLLC
Giselle Valenzuela Aldridge
Founder, Colossians Consulting
Happiness Garber
Senior Technology Analyst and Design Strategist, City of Austin
Jamy Squillace
Director of Product Management, uShip
Jaya Zenchenko
Principal Data Guru, ZenBusiness PBC
Karen Posada
Senior Front End Engineer, Nav Inc.
Katie McNeil
Software Engineer, Senseye
Kim My Cao
Senior Engineer, Software DevOps & Automation, Dover Fueling Solutions
Krista Goralczyk
Senior Frontend Engineer, The Zebra
Kristen Beane
Product Manager, Rooster Teeth Games
Lydia Guarino
Senior Engineer, data.world
Lynn Riley
CIO, Kilroy Blockchain
Mandy Lowry
Lead Programmer/Co-Founder Black Hive Media
Megan Oertel
Director of Analytics, SyscoLABS
Melissa Eaden
QA Manager, Unity Technologies
Melissa Von Holstein
Senior Product Manager, The Zebra
Molly Mae Potter
Director – Client Engineering Operations, Dell
Muna Hussaini
Senior Manager – DevOps Transformation, PayPal
Mya Pitzeruse
Senior Software Engineer, Indeed.com
Nancy Kinney
Infrastructure Specialist at United States Veterans Corps
Nicole Bryan
VP Product Development, Tasktop Technologies
Numa Dhamani
Machine Learning Engineer, Yonder
Olivia Hayes
Director of Product, FetchMD
Rita Hewitt
Sr. Product Manager, Cvent
Robin Dykema
UI Engineer, Taulia
Robin Reynolds
Senior Director of Product, uShip & Founder, Roots and Revival
Sanchi Srivastava
Data Scientist, Dell Technologies
Sara Inés Calderón
Sr. React Native Engineer, Tribl & musx
Sarah Colby
Reverse Engineering Tool Developer, Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative
Sarah King
Director of Product, Molecula
Siobhan Burch
Software Engineer, HomeAway
Tasha McCarter
Manager of Development, SunPower Corporation
Taylor Barnett
Senior Community Engineer, Transposit
Tess Snider
Owner/Programmer, Hidden Achievement
Tulsi Dharmarajan
SVP Product & Technology, Verb
Wendy LeFevre
Data Science Manager, RigUp
Finance and/or Investing
Claire England
Kauffman Fellow and Early-Stage Investor
Kerry Rupp
General Partner, True Wealth Ventures
Mari Ramirez
Owner/CPA
Meredith Butterfield
Principal Data Scientist, Valkyrie Intelligence
Sara T Brand
Founding General Partner, True Wealth Ventures
Shaydi DeJesus
City Lead & SoGal Austin Lead, Bunker Labs Austin
Tina Cannon
Executive Director, Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce
IT and/or Programming
Angela Mendenhall
Business Systems Engineering, AVP
Danielle Cooper
Software Engineering Manager, Dematic
Emilie Yeager
Director of Product & Software Engineering, Curb
Emily Cogsdill
Senior Data Insight Analyst, HomeAway
Jessica Salinas
Content & Collaboration Manager, Cloudera
Julie Varghese
Digital Product Manager, H-E-B
Magdalena Vial
Sr. Manager, IT Strategy & Business Operations, Forcepoint
Sara Hall
Advisor, Valkyrie Intelligence
Sasha Parsons
Associate Product Manager, Indeed
Spencer Unangst
IT Business Operations, Forcepoint
Marketing and/or Media
Ada Ryland
Earlystage Startup Founder Trainer/Coach
Alexis Davis
Founder, The Content Plug
Alicia Palomares
Digital Marketing Analyst, Kadence Digital
Alix Morrow
Chief Make-It-Happenator at AlixCompany LLC
Amanda Powell
Director of Marketing, DigitalMarketer
Amy Lemen
Product Marketing Manager – Cloud, Blue Prism
Andrea Bridges-Smith
Global Product Marketing Manager, HomeAway
Angelica Erazo
Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, Oracle
Annie Thompson
President, Executive Producer, Pen + Prue Productions
Ashley Jennings
Director of Entrepreneurship, College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas
Ashley Malcom
Paid Media Manager, uShip
Becky Trevino
Vice President Product Marketing, Snow Software
Cara Caulkins
Founder and President, Cara Caulkins Communications
Catherine Jewell
Head Coach, The Career Passion Coach
Caroline Gormley
Lifecycle Marketing Strategist, Freelance
Casey Taylor
Analytics Consultant
Cathy Tilton
Founder, Digital Creative
Christa Tuttle
CEO, Launch Marketing
Christina Linnell
Social Media Community Manager, Indeed
Christina Freeman
Director of Product (Marketing Growth), The Zebra
Cristina Oliver
Senior Director of Communications, LCRA
Christy Leger Kirby
Strategy Director, Khoros
Corina Kellam
Director, Omnichannel Strategy, W2O Group
Courtney Lowell
Head of Corporate Communications and PR, Silvercar
Crystal Rivera
Senior Associate, Digital Marketing, Silicon Valley Bank
Crystal Towns
Vice President of Marketing, Feniex Industries
Dakota Lowe
Freelancer and Social Media Manager, Khoros
Dana Marruffo
Freelance PR/Principal BuzzPR
Dana Rygwelski
Director of Communications + Ecosystem, MassChallenge Texas
Dara Quackenbush
Account Executive, Business Wire
Deanna Ramirez
Owner, Marketing & Project Management Agency
Deb Gabor
CEO, Sol Marketing
Donnet Bruce
Integrated Marketing Manager, Freelance
Elisa Leichty
Owner and Digital Marketer, Heavy Fuel
Erica Lanyon
Vice President of Marketing, Zello
Erin Wike
Career Coach & Lecturer, The University of Texas
Fran Harris
CEO, Fran Harris Enterprises, LLC
Grace Lanni
All About That Brand
Haley Martis
Global Event Operations, Dell
Hope Ruiz
Marketing Manager, Duo Security
Hudaina Baig
Account Director, SocialWithin
Jacqueline Riedmann
Vice President, Amoura Productions
Jenn Deering Davis
VP, Global Communications, Content & Brand, Cision
Jenny Magic
Consultant, Convince & Convert
Jenny (Ryan) Ragusa
Head of Product Marketing, data.world
Jodi Bart Holzband
Owner, Classic Bart PR + Communications
Joleen Jernigan
Writer & Social Media Manager, Reach Social Media
Josefina Casati
Consultant
Julie Niehoff
Founder, Distance Learning Media
Kathleen Lucente
Founder & President, Red Fan Communications
Kat Mandelstein
Director of Marketing, PwC
Kelly Rohm
Global Data Center Integration Manager, Dell Financial Services
Kelly Treybig
Videographer
Kelsey Hayenga
Marketing Events Manager, PostUp
Kim Carpenter
Founder, World Changing Women
Kristina Smith-Puerto
Social Selling Program Manager, NetSuite
Lani Dame
Agile Marketing Coach, IBM
Laura Furr
Owner, Lollipop Social Media
Laura Russell
Director of Strategy, Adlucent
Laurie Felker Jones
Founder + CEO, JuceBox Hero
Lauren Mireles
Integrated Marketing Manager, Americas at National Instruments
Leslie Wingo
President/CEO, Sanders\Wingo
Lisa Boe
Senior Marketing Communications and Strategic Design Consultant
Lisa Friedrich
SEO Manager, uShip
Lisa O’Neill
Principal, Breakaway Public Relations
LuAnn Glowacz
Executive Ghostwriter & Chief Word Nerd, WordCove, LLC
Lydia Fiedler
Community and Website Manager
Marcy Comer
VP Marketing, Dosh
Marny Lifshen
Author/Speaker, Marny Lifshen Communications
Mary Ann Azevedo
Reporter, Crunchbase News
Mary Ann Roser
Founder & Chief, Roser Prose, LLC
Meagan Dobson
Coach, Consultant, Marketer and Evangelist, Future of Work
Megan Headley
VP of Research, TrustRadius
Melanie Wise
Principal, MW Marketing Consulting
Melina Moreno
Founder, Social Ads Made Simple
Melinda Garvey
Founder, Austin Woman magazine and On The Dot
Melissa Lopez
Sr. Global Talent Acquisition Specialist, AMD
Meredith Rose Howard
Global Social and Digital Lead, Deloitte
Michael Manning
VP of Marketing, Ebco
Michelle Loughry
VP of Operations + Client Experience, VINE Collective
Michelle Stinson Ross
Marketing Operations Director, Apogee Results
Michelle Williams
Paid Media, Aceable
Molly Gardner
Content Manager, Mutual Mobile
Monica Teredesai
Product Management, ObjectSolutions, Inc.
Nammy Sirur
Cofounder, The 9to5 MisFits and MisFit Communications
Nerissa Sardi
VP of Marketing, Galileo Learning Innovation Camps for Kids
Nichele Lindstrom
Director of Digital, Whole Foods Market
Nicole Beck
PR Manager, The Zebra
Nicole Boynton
Director of Education, Texas National Title
Nicole Cook
Social Media Training, Schmooze Networking
Noreen Vincent
Marketing and Ecommerce Consultant
Pavi S Dinamani
Cofounder, The 9to5 MisFits and MisFit Communications
Piper LeMoine
Web Developer, AT&T Cybersecurity
Rachel Jamail
Site Lead, Facebook
Rachel B. Lee
Sr. Brand Manager, Gartner
Rachel Truair
Director of Global Enterprise Campaigns, Adobe
Rachelle McWright
Social Media Community Manager, Emerson
Samantha Rae Lopez
Social Media Strategist, Khoros
Sarah Boyd
Principal & Marketing Strategist, Confido Marketing
Sarah L Cook
Director of Marketing, Caringo Inc.
Sarah A. Parker
Content Marketing Manager, Cision
Sarah Wong
Social Media Coordinator, The Hollis Co.
Shayda Torabi
Co Founder of RESTART CBD
Shilpa Bakre
Communications Strategist, UT at Austin
Traci Koller Mazurek
Supervisor and Team Lead, Social Media & Digital, INK Communications Co.
Tracy Cooper
Drupal Digital Marketing, SEO, & Analytics, Volacci Marketing
Tzatzil LeMair
Account Director, Sensis
Upasna Gautam
Product Management, CNN/WarnerMedia
Valerie Whitmore
Founder & Director of Marketing, CDKitchen, Inc.
Vickie Flaugher
Founder, Content Enterprises
Wendy Covey
CEO and Co-Founder, TREW Marketing
Whitney Magnuson
Global Head of Social Media & Influencer Marketing, IBM
Yaneli Rubio
Global Product Marketing Manager, HomeAway
Non-Profit and/or Academia
Amanda Myers
Vice President of Product Management, Personify
Amenity Applewhite
Product Manager, City of Austin
Audrey Cisneros
Technical Trainer, IDEA Public Schools
Beverly Hamilton
Principal, Small But Mighty Consulting
Carol Ramsey
Computer Science Manager, UTeach
Estefanita Jaselle Valdez
Instructional Designer, Aceable
Gina Helfrich
Program Officer for Global Technology Programs, Internews
Geeta Shukla
Associate Director of Services, CoPilot powered by College Forward
Kelly Mayberry
Business Consultant, Ngage Live Chat
Leigh Petersen
Business Analyst, HomeAway
Lesley Robinson
COO, CALSO Community Inc. / INCO US
Maggie Cameron
Director of Enterprise Products, Personify
Patty Prado
Project Manager, Leadership Development & Assessment, Dell Medical School
Rachel Kubicki Collins
Chief Development Officer, Marathon Kids
Sarah Ortiz Shields
Executive Director, Austin Tech Alliance
Sylvia Butanda
Deputy Executive Director, Latinitas
Yasmin Diallo Turk
Project Director, HOPE for Senegal
Operations and/or Management
Alexandria Porter
Founder & CEO, Volumer & Underminer Studios
Alora Chistiakoff
President, Firebird Summit
Amanda Kirchem
Technical Program Manager, Cvent
Amy Noack
Customer Success, Olono
Anna Miller
Owner & President, Higher State Technology
Anna Robinson
CEO & Founder, CERESA
Angela Melpolder
Human Resources Generalist, Cvent
Anita Tavakley
Client and Customer Success
Anna Dickerson
Director of Marketing and Operations, The Agent School
Ashley Connell
Founder, Prowess Project
Ashley Perryman
Director of Global Talent Management at Epicor Software
Barbary Brunner
Executive Vice President, Denary LLC
Beth Yehaskel
VP of Customer Success, Jungle Scout
Brooke Olson
Recruiter, Rooster Teeth
Carla Carrasco
Strategy Analyst, Indeed.com
Chelle Honiker
CEO, Athenia Creative, LLC
Chris Benevich
Program Manager, Design Thinking Austin
Christine Bolaños
Freelance Journalist
Clarissa Fuselier
Operations Manager, Bazaarvoice
Courtney Langdon
Knowledge Manager, Q2 eBanking
Cynthia Balusek
VP, Global Customer Support
Deborah Mendelson
CEO, Founder, Bouyant
Deeksha Srinath
Product Experience, CURB, Inc.
Elise Graham Kennedy
Honey & Vinegar, Founder
Fo Neale-May
Vice President, Lending Operations, Kasasa
Heather Le
Cofounder, Candidly
Jami Caruso
Director of Customer Happiness, uShip
Jennifer Haston
Founder, Haston Helping Hands
Jessica Miller-Merrell
CEO, Workology
Kaneisha Grayson
Founder & CEO, The Art of Applying
Katie Stephens
CEO & Founder, MakeCrate
Kelsi Cochran
Head of People, Everlywell
Kristin Steiner
Digital Lifecycle Services Manager, Emerson Automation Solutions
Lani Rosales
COO at The American Genius
Lauren Goldstein
Founder, Golden Key Partnership
Lav Chintapalli
CEO & Leadership Coach, Pathway Power; Founder, Women Leaders Rising
Lindsay Cooper
Senior Project Manager, Handsome
Lisa Andrade
CEO, M33
Lisa Besserman
Head of Program – Incubator, Indeed; CEO & Founder, Startup Buenos Aires
Lisa Novak
Head of talent, data.world
Mandalyn McDaniel
Data Analyst, FEMA
Marisa Goldenberg
CEO, Skyvera
Melissa Arnett
Business Intelligence Program Manager, Oracle
Melissa Moloney
Senior Manager, Accenture
Micaela Eller
Sr Agile Transformation Leader, IBM
Mirrya Huszka
Director of Program Management, Entegris
Mojdeh Gharbi
Co-Owner/VP of Marketing & Operations, Certain Affinity
Monica Cornetti
CEO Sententia Gamification
Nada Lulic
Head of Human Resources and Talent, SpyCloud
Nancy Maxfield-Wilson
Chief Resilience Officer, MyMaxPerformance LLC
Nicole Tanzillo
Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder of CERESA
Oktavia Merazga
Talent Analytics Manager, Hintt
Rebecca Clay
Enterprise Sales Engineer, data.world
Renee Trepagnier
VP Operations, Aunt Bertha
Renee Trudeau
Founder & President, Renee Trudeau
RM Harrison
Career Pivot Consultant
Rachelle Oribio
CEO & Founder at ValorUp
Raechele Greenwald
Founder + CEO, Software Sandbox
Renée Hopkins
Head of Global Workforce Planning & Analytics, Facebook
Sara Canaday
Leadership + keynote speaker, Sara Canaday & Associates
Sarah Figge
Director, Customer Success, Khoros
Sarah Roche
Digital Project Manager, Charles Schwab
Shelley Delayne
Founder, Orange Coworking
Siri Chakka
Co-founder, Reset
Sophia Dozier
Diversity and Inclusion Leader, IBM
Syd Markle
Agile Coach, IBM
Theresa Kushner
Partner, Business Data Leadership
Tracy Hennessy
Director of Delivery, Handsome
Unji Udeshi
Director of Global Customer Marketing, HomeAway
Vaishali Jadhav
Program Manager, Global Manager Development, Indeed
Valerie Figlin
Program/Project Manager, Facebook
Vickie Sokol Evans
Founder, RedCape Co.
Victoria Sherman
Partner/Head of Global Operations, The Lonely Entrepreneur
Vi Nguyen
CEO and cofounder, Homads
Zinni Jha
Business Strategy Lead, Data Optimization, Transunion
Security and/or Tech Law
Cheska Lesaca
Business Operations Analyst, Ethoca/MasterCard
Karen M Landolt
Lecturer, The University of Texas at Austin
Laura Frederick
Senior Counsel, Tesla
Laura Powell
Privacy Director, Indeed
Marissa E Palmer
IT Security Risk & Compliance Analyst, HomeAway
Mary Haskett
CEO & Co-Founder, Blink Identity
Reda Hicks
Founder, GotSpot, Inc.
Sarah Van Sicklen
Commercial Counsel
UX/UI Design and/or Research
Abbey McCoy
CEO/CXO, AbbeyXD
Addy RuthSr. Front End Web Design/Developer, Strive Logistics
Alex O’Neal
Principal UX Designer, Infor
Alyssa Hess
Lead Researcher, UX Measurement & Foundations, HomeAway
Anna Krachey
Senior Experience Designer, Handsome
Annette Neu
UX Principal, InStride
Annette Priest
President, Revel Insight
Annie Hardy
Senior Experience Design Visioneer, Cisco
April Wright
UX Designer, Blackbaud
Bethany Sonefeld
Lead Product Designer, Cloudflare
Céline Thibault
Researcher and Designer, Handsome
Denise Heebner
UX & Interaction Designer, IBM
Emily Sue Tomac
Research Manager, TrustRadius
Erin Young
Founder and Principal Architect, Slide UX
Hailey Farris
Experience Designer, HomeAway
Harib Massu
UX Content Strategist, Charles Schwab
Jane Jones
UX Research Operations Manager, The Zebra
Jenn Lindeman
UX Designer, Silvercar
Jennifer Houlihan
Freelance UX Designer & Researcher
Jess Moss
Sr. Experience Designer, projekt202
Jessica Steinbomer
Author and Researcher, Progress UX Research
Jessica Sustaita
Senior UX Research, HomeAway
Joie Chung
Design Lead, HomeAway
Kati Presley
Head of UX, Rocksauce Studios
Krystal Webber
Global Design & Strategy Leader, IBM Blockchain Services, IBM
Laura Trujillo
Content Strategist, City of Austin
Lauren Golembiewski
CEO & Co-founder, Voxable
Leslie Harris
Visual Designer, T3
Marla Erwin
UX/UI Product Design Manager, Charles Schwab
Mary Hannah Duhon
Interaction Designer, Handsome
Megan Johns
Owner, Astire Games & Professor at University of Texas
Melissa Lau
UX Design, Self Employed
Samantha Saenz
UX Content Strategist & Copywriter
Sameera Kapila
Design Director, thoughtbot
Sarah Kettles
Director of Research, The Zebra
Selina Martinez
Senior Product Owner, Quest Software
Shadeequa (Dee) Miller, Ph.D.
Independent Consultant, Dawn Specialty Consulting
Sharon Brener
Director of User Experience, data.world
Tori Breitling
Product Designer, City of Austin
Zoha Shafiq
Experience Designer, HomeAway
Methodology Notes:– We opted out of using pictures because this is not about appearances, rather skill.- This is not an awards show, these are people who filled out a simple form indicating their interest. – We asked for LinkedIn profiles rather than transient social media profiles or websites that may not remain up to date.
Lani is the Chief Operating Officer at The American Genius - she has co-authored a book, co-founded BASHH and Austin Digital Jobs, and is a seasoned business writer and editorialist with a penchant for the irreverent.

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Tech News
Wow! This synthetic cornea gave a legally blind man his vision back!
(TECH NEWS) Another instance of “technology is amazing:” this minimally invasive eye implant has opened new doors for sight restoration surgeries for the legally blind.
Published
14 hours agoon
January 21, 2021
After being the first patient to receive a cutting-edge cornea implant, a legally blind 78-year-old man can see again. Directly after his surgery, the patient was able to recognize his family members and read an eye chart. The KPro implant comes from the company CorNeat.
KPro is the first implant that can be directly integrated into the eye wall, replacing damaged or deformed corneas with no donor tissue. The clear layer that protects the front portion of the eye is called the corona. The corona is susceptible to degeneration or scarring, as well as a number of diseases such as keratopathy, keratoconus and pseudophakia bullous.
While artificial cornea implants already exist, the surgeries are complex and typically only used as a last resort when transplants or cornea ring implants don’t work. That is perhaps what makes the CorNeat transplants so remarkable – it’s a simple procedure that’s minimally invasive.
Additionally, KPro uses a biomimetic material that “stimulates cellular proliferation, leading to progressive tissue integration”. Not only can these implants give you your sight back instantly, but they also can help the natural tissue in your eyes to grow back and integrate. Now, THIS is cool stuff.
CorNeat said that ten more patients in Israel are approved for trials, as well as two in Canada. Six others are in the approval process in France, U.S., and the Netherlands. Professor Irit Bahar of CorNeat stated that he believes this project will ultimately impact millions of people’s lives. Only time will tell.
This advancement in biotech comes at a time where many Americans are uninsured and at a higher risk for health ailments due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent effects. At its best, CorNeat’s KPro offers some hope – while COVID has brought many industries to their knees, advancements in medical technology seem to persist.
If the results of the implants continue to stay as promising as they are now, who knows – maybe we’ll all be receiving cornea implants as a normal part of health upkeep in the not-so-distant future. I know I’ll be first in line.
Tech News
The top 10 languages you can know as a programmer
(TECH NEWS) Considering a career as a developer or programmer? You’re not alone. Here’s top 10 programming languages to enhance or start your career.
Published
2 days agoon
January 20, 2021
The COVID economy has thousands of Americans reconsidering their career paths – with so many jobs dissolving due to various reasons (i.e., automation, a decrease in full-time creative positions), it’s no wonder why scores of professionals are seeking to reskill ASAP.
If this sounds like you, look no further; have you ever considered the lucrative career of computer programming?
Programmers on average make a salary of $89,590 a year. And better yet, coding jobs might never become obsolete. The trick is to know exactly what you want to do – different coding languages best serve specific purposes. So, which one should you learn first?
Top ten languages for new developers:
- Python – Learn Python if you’re interested in data analysis, machine learning, scripting, web development and Internet of Things (it’s the future!). Python is also the easiest language to learn, so give it a go!
- JavaScript – JavaScript is for you if you want a career in making websites interactive.
- The Go Programming Language – You can learn to build simple, reliable, and efficient software.
- Java – Want to work on computer programs, games, apps and web applications? What about Internet of Things and robots? Learn Java to tap into these fields. Keep in mind, Java is considered difficult for novice programmers.
- C# – C# is great for websites, web applications, games, and apps – especially Windows apps. It’s also perfect for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.
- PHP – Want to get your hands dirty doing back-end website programming? PHP is the language for you.
- C++ – For programming apps, games and web browsers, C++ is the language you’ll need to learn. Though it’s notoriously tough to grasp, knowing this language could be the competitive edge you need to set you apart from the pool of programmers.
- C – C will prepare you for operating systems, compilers and databases.
- R – The world is always in need of those who conduct data and statistical analyses – check out R to dive in.
- Swift – For apps and software for Apple devices, check out Swift.
My advice? Figure out exactly it is you want to do in your new career as a programmer. Set your goal. Then, after you’re sure what direction you want to go in, see which programming language best suits your needs.
Get proficient at one language to start and become top-notch at it. Then, you can expand your rolodex to include multiple languages and grow your abilities as a programmer.
Good luck!
Tech News
The inventor of the internet wants to give back control of your data
(TECH NEWS) Using the internet has given us access to many things, but we’ve also lost control of our data. Can the father of the internet give it back?
Published
1 week agoon
January 13, 2021
Since it was first introduced in 1989, the internet has come a long way, both in good and bad ways. With several communication tools available online, connecting with friends and family on the other side of the world hasn’t been this easy. However, it has taken away something, too — the control over our data.
Our information is everywhere. Once it’s out there, there is very little, if anything, we can do to control how it’s being used or who’s using it. But, the father of the internet, Tim Berners-Lee, wants to reinvent how users take back control of their data.
“We’re on a mission to change the way the web works and the way to basically make the web a better place for all of us,” said Berners-Lee on The Telegraph Live.
In an attempt to “fix the web”, Berners-Lee launched a privacy-focused startup, Inrupt. Using the company’s data storage technology called Solid, the tech company changes how data is stored to give you more control.
“Solid is the new way to connect to people and data. It’s an open-source web-based protocol that re-architects the way data is stored and shared,” said Berners-Lee.
With Solid, you put your personal data together into a personal online data store called a “pod”. Any kind of information can be stored in a pod such as websites visited, travel plans, health records, or credit card purchases.
The pod can be hosted on any Pod Provider, or you can host it yourself. Pods hosted on a Solid Server are fully compartmentalized from other Pods. Each one has its own set of data and access rules, and you decide who to share your data with using Solid’s authentication and authorization systems. And, you can also remove access to anyone at any time.
Inrupt was introduced back in November 2020, and the Solid technology is already being used by some large companies like the BBC and the National Health Service (NHS) in Britain.
The company’s business model is based on charging licensing fees for its commercial software, which uses Solid open-source technology. According to The New York Times, Inrupt has raised about $20 million in venture funding.
Getting data back into a user’s hands is very good. But, is it something that will quickly be adopted by everyone, including the tech giants?
Well, users will finally gain control of how they share their data. According to Berners-Lee, Solid will provide a “generic back-end store that works with all apps without modification.” This means developers don’t have to worry about creating back-ends for different apps.
And companies, what will they get out of it? According to Inrupt CEO & Co-founder John Bruce, over the years, he found that a lot of companies were “spending a great deal of time and money collecting and protecting user data.” So, “by moving the point of control of data from the organization to the user everybody wants.” (i.e. money is saved)
“This is just the beginning of how we turn the red web right side up, restore some of its original values, like how we empower everyone to participate in and benefit from a web that serves us all,” said the internet inventor. “The future of the web is a lot bigger than its past.”
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Mary Pustejovsky
February 24, 2019 at 10:14 pm
How do we go about being added? I am a Senior Technical Product Manager and I’m happy to speak at events.
Lani Rosales
February 25, 2019 at 11:54 am
It has been added to the story now (sorry about that!), but the direct link is https://goo.gl/forms/mCboSmyr4YQmeoNo2 and we’d be honored if you raised your hand! 😀
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