Women's Wealth & Wellness: The conversation no one is having.

Join us for Women’s Wealth & Wellness, a dynamic panel discussion focused on empowering women in technology leadership to take charge of their relationship with money. This event will help women understand the connection between money, self-esteem, and success. You will leave this event with tips and actionable strategies for making more confident career and money decisions.

Key Discussion Topics:

Why money matters – resources to improve financial literacy & independence. How financial independence shapes career and life choices. How to talk about money – tips & tricks for salary negotiations. How to navigate financial risks and career transitions with confidence. How financial choices impact your health & wellness. This event is designed for women at all stages of their careers, from emerging leaders to seasoned professionals. Gain insights, share experiences, and walk away with practical steps to strengthen your financial future.

Meet our Panel:

Lori Gilyard, Vice President of IT, Ardon Health, is an experienced IT leader with a strong background in managing large teams and optimizing technology operations. As Vice President of IT at Ardon Health, she oversees IT solutions and support for key business functions. She has led teams of up to 140 full-time employees and contractors, managed outsourced IT production support, and coordinated multiple vendor relationships. Over the past 13 years, her teams have provided IT support and solutions for Human Resources, Quality Assurance, Business Operations, North America Geography, Global Sales, and IT Service Management. Lori focuses on efficient IT management, vendor coordination, and delivering reliable technology support.

Aimee Keeney, Wealth Advisor, Firenze Wealth Management, is an experienced Financial Planner who brings strategy and simplicity to financial planning for busy professionals. She is a collaborator, connector, educator and leader in Financial Services and Risk Protection, with over 25 years experience working with Small Business owners, Individuals and Families. Aimee helps clients understand their relationship to money, build a strong, comprehensive vision, and set realistic goals to secure Retirement and achieve Financial Independence.

Prior to training as a Psilocybin Facilitator, Michelle Harrell, Founder, Tree of Life Facilitation Services & Purple City Retreats enjoyed a successful international corporate career working primarily in Human Resources and Information Technology. For over 20 years, Michelle supported global teams through various change programs, from organizational restructures to implementing new process and technology systems, to standing up entirely new functions and teams. Through her work, she realized how difficult change is for most people and she enjoyed supporting others through their own life transitions, big and small. Living and working abroad while raising two children overseas provided opportunity to work with individuals of all backgrounds, cultures & nationalities. She aims to bring this passion for diversity and personalized service to her facilitation practice. Michelle’s own experiences with psilocybin created a paradigm shift in how she saw herself, how she saw the world and how she related with others, resulting in positive changes to her life overall. She felt called to pivot and make one of the biggest changes in her career, becoming a licensed psilocybin facilitator. She is excited and humbled to serve others as they embark on their own healing journeys to improved mental health, wellness, and relationships.

Vidhya Chanderasekaran is a seasoned technology leader with over 20 years of experience in software engineering. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Engineering and Chief Information Security Officer at Fond, where she oversaw software engineering practices, product delivery, resource planning, budgeting, data privacy, and compliance—ensuring alignment with business goals. Vidhya is known for driving a "shift-left" approach to quality, embedding it throughout the software development lifecycle, and advocates for applying the same principles to security. She has led teams through agile transformations, introduced automated testing, and implemented process improvements to boost efficiency and product reliability. Passionate about team development, Vidhya prioritizes coaching and mentoring to help individuals grow in their careers. She remains committed to continuous learning and staying adaptable in the fast-moving tech industry.

Our Moderator:

Jennifer Waldrip, Vice President, Client & Talent Services at ProFocus Technology, drives growth by leading sales and delivery teams. She focuses on hiring, training, and developing talent while helping shape key growth strategies. With extensive staffing experience, she bridges the corporate and talent worlds. Before joining ProFocus, she consulted with a strong focus on quality. Outside of work, Jennifer enjoys adventures with her husband and three children. She loves the outdoors, especially running, walking, or biking. Passionate about giving back, she serves on the Astoria High School Scholarship Board and volunteers at her church teaching youth and self-reliance courses.

Agenda

4:30 - 5:00 Networking 5:00 - 6:00 Panel Discussion 6:00 - 6:30 Open Group Discussion and Q & A

Collective Eye Films and the Hollywood Theatre present the film Big Dream, a film that promotes women and girls to pursue their dreams in the Math, Science, Engineering, and Technology fields.

Big Dream follows the intimate stories of seven young women who are breaking barriers and overcoming personal challenges to follow their passion in science, math, computing & engineering (STEM) fields. Through video diaries and verité moments, each of these girls defy the stereotype of what it means to be an over achieving woman in the fields of technology. From small town Iowa to the busy streets of the Middle East, Big Dream immerses viewers in a world designed by the next generation of girls. Watch the trailer here: https://vimeo.com/145552629

Join the filmmaker and industry professionals from ChickTech and PDXWIT after the event for a conversation about taking initiative to build girls' confidence in their capabilities and the importance of gender diversity in STEM fields.

RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/506175236260505/

The WIS Fundraising Gala is designed to be a “choose your own adventure” experience. We will have a number of activity stations and fundraising options to choose from, the majority of which will feature female owned and operated businesses.

We are most excited about our silent auction for the St. Mary’s Art Club series depicting famous Women in Science! Students from the St. Mary’s Art Club will be attending and showcasing their work at the gala and donating the proceeds of their auction to WIS. We will also have a range of items available via the raffle, grab bag, and silent auction.

Our goal is to raise enough money to cover the costs of our standard yearly programming, including the annual networking Mixer at OMSI, in addition to new Professional Development and Education & Outreach programming that we would like to roll out in 2019.

Early bird tickets are available at a 25% discount. You will receive an additional 10% discount for purchasing 2 or more tickets at one time.


Please RSVP at our Meetup page and get the Zoom connection info: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/263795497/

What is Coderetreat?

Coderetreat is a day-long practice event that focuses on the fundamentals of good software development and design. Developers are given the opportunity of focused practice away from the pressures of “getting things done”, allowing them to sharpen their craft and to learn new skills in a safe environment. Yes, this event is women-focused, and everyone is welcome.

(Originally developed by Corey Haines, the global webpage is located at http://coderetreat.org/ if you would like to read more about it.)

Why attend a Coderetreat?

~ Learn new skills to help you write better code ~ Learn to take risks and experiment ~ Learn to practice writing code ~ Gain collaborative experience through pair programming ~ Network and make new friends

Wait...it’s free?

Yes, Coderetreat is free. There are simply 2 requirements that will help you get the most out of a Coderetreat: ~ Show up with an open mind and learner’s attitude. ~ Bring a laptop with a working development environment and testing framework, and be prepared to use it (see below for a list of popular IDEs).

What does a full day of coding practice involve?

Coderetreat is built on a specific formula. The day consists of usually 5-7 45-minute iterations in which participants are presented with a specific problem that they need to code. Emphasis is NOT placed on finishing, in fact participants are not expected to finish within the given 45 minutes. Instead, the emphasis is placed on learning new skills that enable participants to write code in a different way than would normally be the case. Participants change partners with each iteration, with the goal being that everyone should pair with someone different for every iteration. Techniques such as Test Driven Development will be introduced, with exposure to core fundamentals such as the 4 Rules of Simple Design and SOLID. Breakfast and lunch are both included, with gluten free options available. This is your chance to learn something new, and to be fed while doing it.

If you learn one new thing that you can take back to the office, you have a win, and so do we! We’ll also be supporting you in understanding the importance of taking care of yourself while coding and strategies for attracting skills transfer opportunities.

Come early and meet other attendees for a leisurely chat over coffee!

More details and handouts will be posted as we near the event, so watch this space and manage your RSVP so we have an accurate food and coffee headcount. This space is cozy, so seats are limited.

Popular Development Environments: PyCharm Community, VS Code, Visual Studio Community, Aptana Studio, Eclipse, Netbeans

Please RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/265127438/

Hanna Tomas recently published an article in Medium about Agile. https://medium.com/@Hanna.Thomas/why-dont-we-just-call-agile-what-it-is-feminist-8bdd9193edba

The hypothesis is that Agile is not just a software engineering methodology or framework but it is a set of social values that apply more broadly to people.

The author asserts the following: "Successful organisations aren’t ones that adopt an ‘Agile mindset’. Successful organisations are ones that adopt a feminist, queer, anti-establishment, progressive mindset — one that is flexible, experimental, pushes boundaries, self-organises, and acts in service of community."

Lets all get together at McMenamins Ringlers Pub downtown and discuss this thought. Bring yourself and your friends to our community of purpose and talk with us about this idea. This event is inclusive and open to all.

You can find us in the back under the Crystal Ballroom, ask for the Agile PDX group and you will find us over yummy food and drinks.

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology (https://www.profocustechnology.com/). Learn more about our sponsors at agilepdx.org.

Additional Information:

Q: Is the space ADA accessible? A: Yes, McMenamins Ringlers Pub is ADA accessible. Please note, doors are manual but the staff is available to assist should you require assistance.

Q: Will there be gender neutral restrooms? A: McMenamins Ringlers Pub restrooms are designated Men and Women. There are no unisex/family/gender neutral restrooms at this location.

Q: Will there be food and drinks at this event? A: Food & Drink (including alcohol) is available to purchase, and we have table service. Standard pub fare & pub prices.

Q: What is the easiest way to get to the venue? A: Parking downtown is limited, so we recommend public transportation or a ride-share option, or another personal transportation (bicycle, etc). For public transportation options, please visit trimet website to plan your trip to Ringlers at 1332 W Burnside Street in Downtown Portland.

Q: How do I enter the building? A: We are in the side room under the Crystal Ballroom. You can use the entrance on the corner of Burnside & 14th. Let yourself in, and find us at the large table.

ProFocus Technology is thrilled to host a dynamic panel of women on January 29th, 2025, to discuss Strategies for Women Leaders in Recruitment, Retention, and Management in the Tech Industry.

This event aims to create a collaborative environment where women tech leaders and emerging leaders can exchange ideas and strategies.

This event is focused on Strategies for Women Leaders in Recruitment, Retention, and Management in the Tech Industry. Do you identify as part of the target audience for this event? If so, RSVP today!

Event Details:

January 29th, 2025 4:15 - 5:45 PM with optional networking until 6:30 PM Food & beverages provided by ProFocus Technology More details about the panelists will be announced at a later date. Questions? Email people@profocustechnology.com.