On January 25th, 2025, at the Wingspan Event & Conference Center, the Silicon Forest Tech Summit returns to Hillsboro, Oregon! We are bringing together the entire tech ecosystem, uniting emerging tech startups, established corporations, innovative technologists, and educational institutions.

Join us for Lightning Talks, Tech Demos, and Networking with thought leaders and industry pioneers.

This year’s summit is titled Advancing Technology and Building a Global Community. We aim to spotlight emerging technologies, demystify advanced manufacturing, and illuminate the future of work and career opportunities in the tech industry.

The upcoming Silicon Forest Tech Summit promises to be a transformative gathering, spotlighting cutting-edge tech companies and amplifying inspiring stories from across the industry. With a diverse agenda and dedicated spaces for career insights and resources, this year’s summit will offer attendees a unique opportunity to connect with industry leaders, explore the latest tech innovations, and gain insights into Oregon’s rapidly evolving tech ecosystem.

Key Highlights: 🚀 600+ attendees: a dynamic audience of tech enthusiasts and community leaders. 🚀 30+ expert speakers: thought leaders sharing valuable perspectives and new ideas. 🚀 40+ companies: a broad network of startups, local companies and organizations. 🚀 17 BIPOC-led organizations: showcasing tech demos and celebrating diversity and innovation. 🚀 1000+ registrations expected: reflecting the summit’s wide-reaching impact and appeal.

We will start 2025 off right with the Silicon Forest Tech Summit, advancing technology and building a global community. This event will unite visionaries, innovators, and community leaders to inspire, connect, and shape the future of technology. With a strong focus on inclusivity and collaboration, the summit is dedicated to strengthening the Pacific Northwest’s tech ecosystem and fostering ideas that drive meaningful change well beyond the event itself.

Website: www.STEAMcircuit.com Email: [email protected]

presented by: Ashe Dryden

abstract: It's been scientifically proven that more diverse communities and workplaces create better products and the solutions to difficult problems are more complete and diverse themselves. Companies are struggling to find adequate talent. So why do we see so few women, people of color, and LGBTQ people at our events and on the about pages of our websites? Even more curiously, why do 60% of women leave the tech industry within 10 years? Why are fewer women choosing to pursue computer science and related degrees than ever before? Why have stories of active discouragement, dismissal, harassment, or worse become regular news?

In this talk we’ll examine the causes behind the lack of diversity in our communities, events, and workplaces. We’ll discuss what we can do as community members, event organizers, and co-workers to not only combat this problem, but to encourage positive change by contributing to an atmosphere of inclusivity.

bio: Ashe Dryden is an indie ruby developer living in Madison, WI. She's been involved with the web in some form or another over the course of the past 12 years. Ashe is an outspoken educator for diversity, inclusiveness, and empathy. She's currently writing a book on increasing diversity within companies, as well as working on a video series and site to serve as a resource to people who want to get involved. When she isn't discussing technology or it’s intersection with culture, she's cycling, tweeting, playing board games, debating the social implications of Star Trek episodes, being that awkward girl at the party, and waiting for her next burrito fix.

FEBRUARY 24th EVENT

Hi All - very excited to announce our February event. Vanessa Van Edwards will treat us with a private workshop on body language, especially targeted to women entrepreneurs. Can't wait! See you all there!

Body Language for Female Entrepreneurs

How can body language increase your presence, power and charisma? Vanessa Van Edwards has a special presentation for Female Founders Forum on how female entrepreneurs can use nonverbal to:

• Get an edge in negotiations
• Rock their elevator pitch
• Master networking events
• Pitch investors

Vanessa will use the latest research on nonverbal communication to teach women how to increase their success with people in the business world.

Speaker Bio:

Vanessa Van Edwards (Science Of People) Vanessa is a published author and behavioral investigator. Her specialties are human lie detection and body language. She is a Huffington Post columnist and regularly appears on CNN, Forbes, Business Week and the Wall Street Journal to talk about her research. Vanessa is a published Penguin author and regularly gives keynotes and appears in the media. She teaches a popular online class on Body Language for Entrepreneurs about the use of nonverbal communication to increase influence as a business owner. She helps entrepreneurs use body language to pitch investors, fundraise, get in the media, negotiate, increase sales and do effective customer validation.

Diversity and Education in Tech

› Please RSVP via Eventbrite HERE

Programming, Education, and the American Dream

The learn to code movement has popularized the idea that coding is a skill everyone can learn. It's the American dream: learn the desirable skill and you'll succeed financially. Liz will discuss the history of the American Dream, how new programming education endeavors have repackaged it, and how the lack of awareness and analysis of this privileged rhetoric is damaging our culture and workforce.

Liz Abinante is an engineer living in Portland working for New Relic. Previously, she has served as co-leader for the Chicago chapter of Girl Develop It, where she taught and organized programming classes for women and minorities. She is infectiously enthusiastic about web development, teaching, learning, and feminism. She enjoys knitting, writing knitting programs and patterns, and hacking away on interesting problems. Her greatest dream in life is to spend her entire day surrounded by puppies while coding.

Women in Today's Tech

At ChickTech, we're often asked exactly why women are so underrepresented in technology. This is a hard question to answer, because it rarely is just one thing. It's a complex mix that we often call "death by a thousand cuts". Janice will guide us through the stats on technical women in various national and local tech companies and then take a dive into anecdotes that help to illustrate some of the reasons why women leave technology at twice the rate of men.

Janice Levenhagen is the Executive Director of ChickTech. She has a BS in Computer Engineering from Oregon State University and an MBA from Willamette University. She believes strongly that the diversity and strengths that women can bring will push high tech to even more impressive heights. Her inspiration for creating ChickTech came from her own experiences in computer engineering and the realization that the percentage of women in engineering isn’t going to get higher by itself.

› Doors will open at 5:30 for a 30-minute networking happy hour! The food, beer and drinks are provided by Bellagios and New Relic.

› The presentation will begin right at 6p.

› FutureTalk is brought to you by New Relic in collaboration with TAO

› Stay tuned for the latest developments and updates on this and upcoming events by joining our Meetup group, New Relic FutureTalks PDX, and following us on Twitter @newrelic.

Join us at ChickTech to celebrate the release of our Indiegogo Campaign and to participate in spreading the word!

We need your help to make this campaign a success. Join us for some pizza and beer, watch our Indiegogo video, and bring your laptops and smartphones to help us spread the word about this campaign to anyone and everyone.

This event features a candid discussion among women who will share real stories of success and give insight to what it's really like working within the technology industry, with a panel of technologists, executives in other functional areas in tech companies, and a local student.

Following the panel discussion, there will be a screening of Big Dream, a documentary about seven young women breaking barriers to follow their dreams in science, math, computing and engineering. http://ironwayfilms.com/bigdream/

This event should be of interest to anyone who is interested in closing the gender gap in technology, and to students who are considering a career in technology.

Free. Registration required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/off-the-record-women-of-technology-panel-and-big-dream-screening-tickets-15168084148?ref=ebapi

We'll be talking about issues of diversity, accountability and representation in nonprofit technology and technology in general. Presenters will cover topics like:

• Building diversity in tech teams, and why diversity is critical to success whether you're for-profit or nonprofit.

• Local and national projects by nonprofits to broaden the types of people who get involved in technology and programming as young people.

• Local and national efforts by nonprofits to address sexism and racism that often plays out within "tech culture."

• The state of the Portland tech community when it comes to inclusion and accountability, especially as it relates to sexism and racism.

PRESENTERS

Melissa Chavez is a digital and physical space UX designer who organizes events for tech and nonprofit communities. Open Source Bridge, the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference, PyDX, and Portland VegFest are some of the events she helps run. Reading YA novels helps keep her sane. Twitter: @capnleela

Jennifer Davidson works at Intel as a User Experience Researcher and Software Interaction Designer. She recently completed her PhD in Computer Science at Oregon State University, where she researched human-computer interaction, specifically involving older adults in the design and development of open source software. She is Interim Board President of ChickTeck. She strongly believes that everyone should have a say in our technology revolution. Twitter: @jewifer

Robert Raleigh is helping underserved youth build successful careers as technology professionals in the software/IT industries. Robert is a front-end web developer, and the executive director of Log Camp, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) providing technology-focused career-and-technical education for low-income youth, and youth from communities of color. Log Camp's Tech Works Youth Developer Academy and after-school enrichment programming have created a diverse youth talent pipeline. Log Camp works with corporate, nonprofit, government, and educational partners to increase diversity and equitable access to technology, coding, and computer science education for youth in the Portland metro region. Robert is an Alaskan Native (Tlingit), a first-generation college graduate, and a former foster-child. In the past, Robert has worked for the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce, Technology Association of Oregon, and Oregon Health Sciences University. Robert is an active member of the NAYA Family Center Community Leaders Council, and the Portland City Club. Twitter: @RobertGRaleigh

Jennifer Cazares, better known as "Yenni," identifies as a vessel for social change. As a non-binary Queer Latin@, Yenni began the journey in activism at the ripe age of 15 when after taking over the high school Key Club was able to enlist over 70 active volunteers in community events. Despite leaving high school on the suspicion of a queer identity and experiencing fear of coming out due to a Latin@ upbringing, Yenni made it to engineering school in Oregon where due to the lack of support for diversity Yenni was pushed out. Having dedicated the last decade to positive youth development in various arenas of the youth empowerment movement with organizations such as Altamed, Six Rivers Planned Parenthood, ChickTech, Northwest Youth Corps, and currently with LULAC Vancouver. Yenni looks forward to creating change through the power of education and technology. Lover of the outdoors and all things living. "Dropping knowledge and love everywhere I go." (Pronouns: Yenni)

TWITTER

Event: Use the #pdxt4g hashtag, and/or mention @PDXTech4Good
Presenters: @capnleela @jewifer @RobertGRaleigh
Venue host: @idealist
Sponsors: @NTENorg and @NetSquared

AGENDA

Networking and refreshments: 6pm-6:30pm
Presentation: 6:30pm-7:30pm
Q&A: 7:30pm-8pm

WHAT YOU'LL GET OUT OF PDXTECH4GOOD EVENTS

Nonprofit staffers will find a friendly, welcoming atmosphere for those not experienced with technology, and many chances to ask questions of tech-experienced nonprofits and experts.

Techies will find opportunities to hear the real-world stories of nonprofit clients, and put their own expertise to social good — as well as the potential for lasting relationships (be they paid or volunteer) with leading organizations in our community.

Activists and community organizers will see and be given the chance to present on successful uses of technology for social change. We'll explore how technology can help support activism and where activism can push it forward.

We're planning a holiday party. Please say you'll be here. Let's celebrate the season with good friends & good cheer!

We cordially invite you to a festive holiday celebration! PDX NALTA is a networking group for Native, Afro-Americans & Latinxs in tech, but this event is open to all!

Join up for drinks, hors d'oeuvres & dancing. We'll also be raffling off prizes to raise money for iUrbanTeen!

Wednesday, December 16th, 2015 6-9 pm

Meet and network with new and existing members including the ALPFA Board, volunteers, and Latino Entrepreneurs in Portland’s growing Latino Entrepreneur community.

We are kicking off 2016 with a panel "Latino Entrepreneurs Journey and Access to Capital" with Latino Entrepreneurs sharing their journey and experience launching Latino led Startups.

"In diversity there is beauty and there is strength." - Maya Angelou

Design has the power to permeate every product, moment, and solution in our lives.

At the same time, diversity of thought leads to innovations in design that have the power to transform everyday life.

The question is, how do we design products, services & environments that reflect a diversity of experiences and perspectives, which are shaped by things like race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual identity, ability/disability and location, among other factors?

Please join us and our incredible panel of diversity, design + technology leaders, as we seek to address what diversity means, not only in the world of design and technology, but in the world at large.

About our panelists:

Tyesha Snow has spent more than a decade creating and shaping interactive experiences and successfully managing software products, working with some of the world’s largest agencies to create brand affinity for Fortune 500 companies in multiple industries.

James Pritchett is an award-winning designer, known for delivering out-of-the-box concepts, dynamic visuals and innovative strategies for online and print delivery. His background includes acclaimed work on campaigns for startups to leading Fortune 500 brands. He is currently founder & CEO of The More Company.

Joy Alise Davis is a collaborative design strategist and interdisciplinary social practitioner. She is a founding partner of Design Culture Lab, a research-based social lab dedicated to the transformation of neighborhoods through collaborative design strategies that address complex spatial issues of cultural, racial and ethnic inequality.

An expert in front-end web development and UI, Darren Bruckner has been designing and building quality websites and web applications for major companies for almost 10 years. He’s currently founder and CEO of Workfrom.

About our moderator:

Stephen Green is currently serving as community director of Elevate Capital and has over 10 years of experience connecting small/diverse businesses owners to the resources they need.

Portland's startup scene is like no other city's. Join us on Wednesday, February 3, as we shine a spotlight on the creatives and entrepreneurs you need to know locally.

You'll hear about local startups through the lenses of design, negotiation, and diversity during this slate of talks:

10 AM — "Sales Before Storytelling"
Paige Hendrix Bruckner, founder at ClientJoy

11 AM — "Design Thinking for Startups"
Amelia Abreu, product designer and UX consultant at Abreu.co

12 PM — Lunch Break

1:30 PM — "What Women Entrepreneurs in Portland Need"
moderated by Paige Hubbell, founder of Women's Tech Radio
Christie Koehler, founder of Stumptown Syndicate and Authentic Engine
Paige Hendrix Bruckner, founder at ClientJoy
Jewel Mlnarik, founder at Workfrom

2:30 PM — "Beyond Leaning In: How to Negotiate to Get What You Want"
Katie Lane, attorney and negotiation consultant at Work Made for Hire

3:30 PM — "Practical Diversity in the Portland Tech Scene"
moderated by Audrey Eschright, founder of The Recompiler
Thursday Bram, founder of Urgency Inc.
Elea Chang, founder of Affect
Sev Leonard, founder of The Data Scout

Please note that no lunch will be provided, though you're encouraged to take one of our speakers out to lunch at one of the many restaurants near the PDC.

WHEN
Wednesday, February 3, 2016 from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM (PST)

WHERE
Portland Development Commission - 222 Northwest 5th Avenue Portland, OR 97209

There's been a recent shift in how activists are trying to bring about social change, and SJF is at the forefront of this shift.

Come find out how you can get involved!

This article has a great breakdown on this new trend of entrepreneurial activism:

For some activists, being entrepreneurial has meant the following things: treating their activist work like a business, turning to popular social media platforms to put out their own press releases and looking for people to invest in their initiative with money and not just good faith.

More about the hosting organizations:

Social Justice Fund Northwest is a foundation working at the frontlines of social change. They leverage the resources of their members to foster significant, long-term social justice solutions throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana & Wyoming.

PDXNALTA is a networking group for underrepresented people of color in tech.

Idealist is all about connecting idealists - people who want to do good - with opportunities for action and collaboration. With more than 100,000 organizations and 1.4 million monthly visitors to our English, Spanish & French sites, Idealist helps people move from intention to action all over the world.

Come see what happens when you hack the gender debate in an interactive unconference format with the help of trained facilitators.

You’ll be talking, laughing, listening and connecting with other Portlanders who care about gender, tech and authentic conversation. You’ll get to:

• Have a real conversation with skilled facilitation.

• Overcome politically correct limitations to conversation.

• Learn to take perspectives fluidly in a conversation.

• Be more empathetic.

• Take risks and be willing to make mistakes.

• Gain confidence in having delicate conversations.

And chances are, you’ll find this experience useful for how you create culture, build better workplace relationships, and lead.

Ticket includes:

• Wine + cheese + festive atmosphere.

• Professional facilitation, led by master facilitator Diane Hamilton, with a team of Integral Facilitators. Integral Facilitator® is a professional facilitative leadership training program and community, hosted by Ten Directions.

Join us for this enlightening, fun and perspective-enhancing experience.

Cost $20

You can register at http://www.meetup.com/Navigate/events/227512135/ or http://somacollaborations.com/wit/

Come to be informed and inspired by stories from Women about studying in STEM fields.

Moderated by Janice Levenhagen-Seeley, CEO and Founder of ChickTech Inc. There will be representatives from STEM fields around PSU.

RSVP Required. See link.

NOTE: This event is for Women Only

The 4K 4Charity Fun Run PDX 2016 is a 4km (2.49-mile) run and walk event that celebrates the achievements of the growing technology community in Portland while promoting diversity, wellness and charitable giving in a fun, casual environment. All proceeds will benefit Rosemary Anderson High School (RAHS), an Opportunities Industrialization Center, Inc. (OIC) community-based alternative high school.

The run and walk event is followed by a complimentary after-party at the finish line featuring music, food and beverages, and fun for the whole family. Register today!

Interested in a job in the tech industry?

The Urban Tech Jobs Program provides: - Free classes & training - Career coaching - Choice in preferred technology training program from Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA, and others - Paid on-the-job training - Connections with local employers

Program Eligibility: - At least 18 years of age - Long-term unemployed or underemployed (lost full time job over 27 weeks ago) - High school diploma or GED

Come to the information session to learn more - open to the public! No registration is required.

We are accepting applications through mid-February so come to learn more about the program and learn about how to apply!!

Portland’s technology community has much to celebrate; however, when it comes to having an inclusive and diverse industry we must improve. Diversifying our workforce to include all from our community is the right thing to do, and the data shows it benefits us in terms of innovation, team functioning, and bottom line results. We know that greater diversity leads to greater innovation. Tech + Inclusion Community Conversation is an opportunity for companies who have joined the PDC Diversity Pledge and the community to come together. This event is open to those working in the tech sector, to students and prospective tech sector workers, and those interested in the tech industry. The Tech + Inclusion event will help create partnerships that can ultimately lead to hiring and career advancement of women and people of color in Portland’s Tech industry.

Are you losing market share by leaving out segments of potential customers and clients? Join Jeff Selby for AMA PDX’s March 14 luncheon as he introduces you to the concept of equity and the use of an equity lens in your work. By learning more about systemic racism, understanding implicit bias, and adopting an equity lens, we can become more inclusive marketers and discover new audiences.

Join us at Epicodus for our free Introduction to Programming Workshop on Saturday, May 6, 2017, from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. This workshop is intended for beginners interested in programming. No prior experience is necessary. During our workshop, you'll have the opportunity to meet some of our instructors, get a feel for Epicodus' unique classroom environment and gain a solid understanding of web design and web development. We look forward to seeing you there!

Schedule: Saturday, May 6, 2017 from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

What you'll learn: - Git, HTML and CSS objectives - Basic front-end development - JavaScript and jQuery

What to bring?:

We will provide 27" iMac computers for you to use, but please feel free to bring your laptop if you have one. We will also provide a light lunch.

Please register on Eventbrite so we know how much lunch to order!

Connect with other business owners, HR professionals, and job seekers that care about the role of diversity in the future of Oregon's economy. You are invited to celebrate the launch of ScoutSavvy, a Portland-based startup that is on a mission to give everyone a fair shot at finding meaningful employment.

Come eat, drink, and party with us!

About ScoutSavvy

ScoutSavvy is a talent finding app that helps recruiters at competitive companies tap into a broader network of qualified candidates with our inclusive career matching technology.

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We've been hustling for a year, and many of you are like, "Kathryn . . . when is your app going to be ready? Is this thing even REAL?"

Well party people, ScoutSavvy for iOS, Android, and web will be revealed to the public for the first time at our launch party on May 10th from 5:30 - 7:30pm at CENTRL Office Eastside, 329 NE Couch St, Portland.

In addition to our public launch, we will be celebrating our recognition as one of the finalists for Company of the Year: Pre-Revenue at the Oregon Technology Awards to be held the following evening.

PLEASE RSVP here -> https://impactflow.com/event/scoutsavvy-launch-party-2672

"411": Ten entrepreneurs will get five minutes to pitch the audience and then three minutes of questions about their idea. After the last pitcher has answered questions from the audience, attendees will then vote for the three (3) winners who will split the prize money equally. When: First pitch will be at 6:00pm with doors opening at 5:30pm and everyone out by 8:00pm Where: Our gracious hosts are the great folks at Instrument. Their amazing HQ is located at the One North development in the heart of inner N/NE Portland on North Williams Ave.

Who: This event is the brainchild of Stephen Green @PDXStepheng, economist, entrepreneur & strong advocate of CHEATING to support small businesses. By day he is the Community Manager for Townsquared where he is engaging area small businesses to support each other and share knowledge. Stephen, along with others in the community have been looking to spread broader narratives about black founders locally. This event wouldn't be possible without the support of some amazing partners; Instrument, Spirit Mountain Community Fund, Silicon Florist, Digital Trends, Built Oregon, ClientJoy, Albina Community Bank, Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP, Business For A Better Portland

Why: To connect the region's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem with the increasing number of African-American founders.

Cost: Tickets are $22 with ALL PROCEEDS from ticket sales going directly to the three winners. Bring some extra cash to make sure you leave with some event swag.

Affect Conf is a 2-day community conference examining the work, design, and culture of social change. To keep the emphasis on action, Affect also includes a Group Volunteering Half Day for attendees to directly help out local nonprofits.

This year: join us for our second-ever event on Sept 15 and 16 to go behind the scenes of social impact projects like 5 Calls, Code for America's Clear My Record, and We Read Too and get primers on social issues like intersectional disability justice and small-scale wealth redistribution.

Our keynotes Sydette Harry (@Blackamazon) and Shaun Lau (@NoTotally) will bookend Affect. Tickets are available via: https://affectconf.com/register

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At Affect, we work hard to prioritize accessibility and will have:

onsite childcare
a quiet room
live CART captioning
ASL interpreters
reserved seating
all-gender restrooms (multi-stall and one single stall)
wheelchair-accessible paths

The annual Festival of Nations by the Division Midway Alliance is back! Taking place at Dukes Bar & Grill on 146th & Division September 17th from 11:00am-5:00pm. We'd like to invite you, our neighbors, community members, family and friends to celebrate our wonderful community as a whole. In addition, we'd love to have you share a little bit of your culture by becoming a vendor or entertainer! (Info below on these opportunities).

EVENT FEATURES: Live Music & Performances Taste of the Nations’ tent which offers delicious ethnic foods! Over 50 Unique Vendors Huge Model Train Exhibit And More! There's something for everyone!

In alignment with the TechTown PDX Diversity Pledge, we too believe it is necessary to do more than just talking about the need for a more diverse tech sector. As tech professionals, we think collective action and accountability are required to address the underrepresentation of women, LGBTQ+, and people of color in our industry.

Sponsored by Thinkful, the #1 coding boot camp in America by Course Report, join panelists from Chick Tech, Free Geek, Out in Tech, Lesbians Who Tech, WeWork and more for a discussion on how some organizations are continuously working to empower diversity and digital inclusion in our community.

Panelists: Justin Hulog - Out in Tech, Portland Chapter Founder Sara Rasmussen - Free Geek, Digital Inclusion Manager Janel Hull - ChickTech, Community Manager Heather Knight - Lesbians Who Tech, Portland Chapter Representative Marianne Moyer - WeWork, Community Manager

Moderator: Emma Holland - Thinkful, Community Manager

Thinkful is a career accelerator that supports graduates seeking high-growth careers in technology. We focus on the flexibility and accessibility offered online with the support and networking opportunities offered in-person. Thinkful grads are job-ready after working alongside professional engineers through 1-on-1 mentorship, in-depth curriculum and a learning model that emphasizes real-world application over theory. Ranked #1 best overall Bootcamp in America by Course Report, 91% of our graduates finding a job within six months. Find out more about Thinkful Portland on our website.

You’ve studied, worked hard, and racked up lots of long nights learning the latest tech skills. Now you just need that boost of fuel to get your new career off the ground!

In addition to top tech skills, companies need to know that you can mesh well with their team, manage their development cycle, and work within their established processes.

Liftoff: All-In is a targeted program for candidates in the Portland and Seattle areas from traditionally marginalized groups with existing tech skills. Students are selected through an application process and, once selected, can enroll in the program at no cost. Our experienced mentors and teaching fellows will teach you material focused on what local hiring managers are asking for, customized for your needs over three months of programming plus three months of ongoing support.

We hear a lot about the entrepreneurs, engineers, and companies that shape the digital landscape. But what about the communities that radicalize and transform the world, enacting power from below, using digital technology?

With a series of guest speakers and artists from Portland’s tech and creative scene, we will examine:

• The question of digital globalization and the emergence of tech in Africa, Latin America, and in indigenous communities.
• What it means to be an engineer: How do gender, race, and place affect who is recognized as such, and who is not?
• The relationship of Black aesthetics, girl culture, and the global arts to the digital world, which draws heavily from this creativity in form and content.
• Ways to advocate for distributing digital resources to marginalized groups in the Portland area and beyond.

Instructor: Ali Colleen Neff, Ph.D. is a digital anthropologist, UX researcher, and the founder of CultureEncode, a center for advocacy and consulting for digital diversity.

Learn more and sign up here: https://www.pugspdx.com/march-2018-courses/digital-undergrounds

July has a reputation for scorching hot temperatures - especially in the afternoons and early evenings. Luckily, you can beat the heat by spending your Wednesday evening with pdxFLIT! This month, our event will revolve around diversity and inclusivity. It will feature a few all-star speakers and some time to mingle and interact outside of speaking time. This month, you'll have a chance to see the following presentations:

Tiberius Hefflin - "The Monster On the Project". Tiberius works for Go Boldly. She will be speaking about working and dealing with toxic coworkers.

Perry Eising - "This Is the Signal You've Been Waiting For: Diversity, Economy, and Messaging". Perry is a former faculty lead from Epicodus. They have contributed a wealth of knowledge to the Portland tech community. Perry's latest Medium article is about making tech events more gender inclusive. You can find it here: https://blog.usejournal.com/gender-inclusive-tech-events-a-hands-on-how-to-guide-ec93ee477035

Marcus Carter - 'Diversity and Inclusion In the Workforce: Themes, Trends, and What We Might Do Differently". Marcus is a recruiter at Cloudability.

This month's event is generously being sponsored by Puppet. Food and drinks will be provided at this event. We're always looking for sponsors to help provide refreshments, catering, and other resources for future events. If you are interested in helping us with this in the future, please contact Masen at [email protected].

pdxFLIT is also looking for volunteers! If you're interested in volunteering with us, there will be information about it at this event. Information about these opportunities will also be coming via Meetup and other online forums (Twitter, Slack) in the coming weeks.

Doors open at 5 30 PM and talks will happen at roughly 6 PM. There will be time for mingling, conversation, and networking outside of the speaking times. If you need to come a bit later, don't worry about getting locked out! Just post on this page and somebody can come downstairs and let you in. This event will be happening at Puppet Labs on SW 2nd Avenue.

Are you interested in speaking at a future pdxFLIT event? We're always looking for speakers - no experience is necessary! If you're interested in giving a talk, please contact Katie at [email protected].

We kindly ask that you abide by our Code of Conduct and Puppet's Code of Conduct when attending this event. They can be found at the following destinations:

Puppet: https://puppet.com/community/community-guidelines#event-code-of-conduct

pdxFLIT: https://www.meetup.com/pdxFLIT-Portland-Future-Leaders-In-Tech/photos/28737494/471776346/

The end of August means that Fall is around the corner. Are you switching careers this season? Are you looking to get into the tech industry for the first time? This month, pdxFLIT is taking a break from presentations to host a special workshop about professional development! We'll be partnering with our friends from Intel to provide a two-hour event featuring a variety of activities. There will be opportunities to turn strengths into interview stories, participate in resume reviews, practice elevator pitches, and practice answering tricky behavioral interview questions. If you're searching for a job, take a night off to work on these valuable skills!

Workshop events will begin at 6 PM. Our event facilitators will cover introductions and elevator pitches, resumés, authentic interviewing, the STAR method, and more! There will be a variety of activities to help you practice these skills so that you can put your best foot forward when you land an interview at your dream company. If you have any questions about various aspects of this event, please contact Masen or Katie via Meetup, Twitter, email, or Slack.

This event will be fully catered thanks to our awesome sponsors at Thinkful. Pizza will be served and there will be vegan and gluten-free options available. Thinkful is an online coding bootcamp that is helping the next generation of software developers transition into the tech industry. They host a variety of events in Portland and are always accepting new students. If you're interested in learning more, be sure to check out their site at https://www.thinkful.com/.

Are you interested in speaking at a future pdxFLIT event? We're always looking for speakers - no experience is necessary! If you're interested in giving a talk, please contact Katie at [email protected].

We kindly ask that you abide by our Code of Conduct and Puppet's Code of Conduct when attending this event. They can be found at the following destinations:

Puppet: https://puppet.com/community/community-guidelines#event-code-of-conduct

pdxFLIT: https://www.meetup.com/pdxFLIT-Portland-Future-Leaders-In-Tech/photos/28737494/471776346/

Affect ("effect") is a 2-day conference featuring stories from multiply marginalized activists, creators, and technologists working towards systemic change. To pair words with action, we also partner with local nonprofits to create projects that attendees can dive into.

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This year's topics:
The Future Is Accessible, Annie Segarra (keynote)

The Personal is Political #BeingBlackandMuslim, Aïdah Aliyah Rasheed

By and for Us: How Marginalized Communities Are Redesigning Sex Ed Online, Cameron Glover

Consensual Software: Prioritizing User Trust and Safety, Danielle Leong

Queering Mental Health: An Analysis on the Criminalization of Black People and Mental Health, Da’Shaun Harrison

Activism Is Not Accessible: How To Include Disabled and Chronically Ill Folks in Your Movement, Diane Murray

We the Dreamers, Heldáy de la Cruz

How Gabby Antonio is Smashing the Imperialist, White Supremacist, Capitalist Patriarchy, Luann Algoso

Patterns of Digital Gentrification, Lynn Cyrin

Is Wakanda Accessible? And Other Questions from the Intersection of Black Womanhood and Disability., Mallory Thomas

Grassroots Organizing Strategies for Healing Our Black Trans, Nonbinary & Queer Bodies, Neesha Powell-Twagirumukiza

We will have a panel of professionals from industry-leading companies with considerable experience in multicultural settings (i.e. in different countries, with people from different ethnic groups and sexual orientations, etc.). Through a thought-provoking conversation and questions from our audience, the panelists will share their experiences and insights about multicultural awareness and how to use diversity to maximize the performance of teams.

Panelists:

Nuno Silva - Senior Director, Global Digital Business Lead Nike

Anahita Crawford - Diversity & Inclusion Manager Daimler

Lynette Liwanag - Senior Product Designer Zendesk

EPOP Exclusives are geared toward connecting emerging professionals with established civic and business leaders in the Portland region. EPOP Exclusives include a moderated Q&A session with featured guests as well as an opportunity to network with like-minded emerging professionals.

Fees/Admission: Members $10.00 Non-Members $10.00 Complimentary appetizers, wine and beer. Online registration closes at 2:00 pm on September 20, 2018, but you can still attend by paying at the door.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Rachael Arnold at 503-552-6772 or [email protected] for more information.

Are you a Professional POC in the Portland area? It’s time to make some new connections with other professionals!

Our group, Blacks in Technology - PDX (bit-PDX), wants to see you on October 1st at New Relic for our networking event with food, drinks, fellowship, and brilliant speakers.

Kelsey Hightower has worn every hat possible throughout his career in tech but most enjoys leadership roles focused on making things happen and shipping software. Kelsey is a strong open source advocate focused on building simple tools that make people smile. When he is not slinging Go code, you can catch him giving technical workshops covering everything from programming and system administration, to his favorite Linux distro of the month.

All POCs are welcome and encouraged to attend our inperson events! This is an inclusive event for all professionals in the greater Portland area.

Schedule of Events:

6:00PM - 6:30PM Check-in + Drinks, Food

6:30PM - 6:45PM Welcome and Opening Remarks. Jené (Software Engineer) + Dwayne (Security Engineer)

6:45PM - 6:50PM Sponsorship introductions. New Relic, Jené (Software Engineer). Airbnb, Lieghti (Project Coordinator), Carbon Black, Noah (Manager).

7:00PM - 7:30PM Speaker. Kelsey Hightower (Google Inc. Developer Advocate) + Q&A

7:30PM - 8:30PM Networking + Happy Hour

ACT-W (Advancing the Careers of Tech Women) PDX Evenings are events hosted on the 1st Wednesday of the month intended to bring women and allies in technology together for a night of local inspiration!

Every ACT-W PDX Evening will feature a local leader in the women in tech community and offers the opportunity for you to authentically connect with others in the Portland tech community. This event is hosted in the lobby of CENTRL Office Eastside from 5:30-7:30pm, with the talk beginning at 6:15pm and networking before and after. Drinks and appetizers will be served.

Our October ACT-W PDX Evening will feature Maigen Thomas, Chief Motivational Officer of Empowered Women in Tech and UX Designer for Compli, who will share her personal story of pivoting from being a Flight Attendant to Full Stack Developer to UX Designer. Her talk will focus on actionable ways you can get and stay radically motivated to reach your long term goals.

Please make sure you have read and agree to the ACT-W Code of Conduct! (http://www.act-w.org/about-act-w/conduct/)

https://www.meetup.com/PDX-Blacks-in-Technology-Meetup/

What we're about Our group supports and celebrates the participation of Black diaspora and POC folk in the Portland professional community. We have frequent public networking social events (every two weeks) and more speaker-focused events (every quarter). Multicultural partners and collaborators are welcome.

Please join us in the private Slack channel as well and--when you're good and ready-- suggest meetup locations.

About the event
Most organizations want to succeed at what they do, right? And an inclusive workplace is a key aspect of successful organizations. What does an inclusive workplace feel like? What behaviors make people feel like they’re part of the team? These questions must be answered if the goal is to create an environment where everyone can grow and thrive. To build such a culture, there are specific strategies that can be employed in any organization.

Join us for the SIM Portland November 2018 meeting when we will discuss the concepts of diversity and inclusion, along with the behaviors that make it possible – or impossible – to achieve true workplace inclusion and highly effective organizations.

Key topics that will be explored include,
• Key aspects of successful organizations
• The concepts of diversity and inclusion
• Strategies that create an inclusive workplace
• What does this all mean to IT leadership? How can you create an environment where everyone can grow and thrive.

The Distinguished Panelists
• Bob Leek, Interim Director and Chief Information Officer, Department of County Assets at Multnomah County, Oregon
• Kory Murphy, Equity and Inclusion Manager, Department of County Assets, Multnomah County, Oregon

Agenda
5:30 PM Social
6:30 PM Dinner
6:50 PM Meeting Start
7:00 PM Keynote and Q&A
8:15 PM Close

ACT-W (Advancing the Careers of Tech Women) Career Advance is designed to share tangible job search skills for women and allies in technology. We partner with local technology companies to provide interview tips, resume coaching, professional headshot photos and introduce you to hiring managers. Whether you are simply curious about technology careers or looking for a senior role, Career Advance will help you grow your career in an inclusive environment.

Join us on November 14th from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at iovation. iovation develops software to help companies fight fraud and ensure their customers have a seamless experience. They are currently hiring for roles in engineering, information technology, sales, marketing and more. Please join us for an evening to learn more about iovation and to visit many career advancement themed tables that are listed below:

Interview Tips Resume Tips Headshot Photography Service Reliability Engineering Roles Security Analyst Roles Marketing Roles Sales Roles

Agenda

5:30-6:00 Networking 6:00-6:15 Welcome from ACT-W and Iovation 6:15-7:30 Rotation to different Career Advance tables including: Service Reliability Engineering Roles, Security Analyst Roles, Marketing Roles, Sales Roles, Interview Tips, Resume Tips, Headshot Photography.

Please make sure you have read and agree to the ACT-W Code of Conduct!

FAQs

Who should attend? People of all genders interested in learning job skills in technology! Men, nonbinary people, trans people, and women are all welcome.

Is the event 21+? No, minors are welcome to attend.

Is the venue ADA accessible? Yes, elevators are located in the lobby.

Are there gender-neutral bathrooms? Yes, they are located in the hallway.

We usually sit in a circle. We listen, share, encourage: rinse, repeat.

*Friends and any guests are welcome.

Come join Out in Tech PDX for our April Social at Crush Bar!

If you are interested in connecting with the Out in Tech PDX chapter, want to meet some fabulous people or are a part of / interested in the tech industry, then come mingle with us and have a few drinks. We'll be at Crush Bar on Tuesday, April 2nd from 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm. Please RSVP through Eventbrite using the link above. We are looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Out in Tech unites the LGBTQ+ tech community, empowering aspiring tech leaders to improve our world by showcasing accomplished speakers, producing timely and thought-provoking events, and connecting our members to new opportunities and each other. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, we provide resources and mentorship to ensure career access for LGBTQ youth and provide web services for LGBTQ activists around the world.

Women Who Code Portland is hosting a Resume Review & Salary Negotiation workshop. The goal of this workshop is to provide people with the opportunity to have their resumes reviewed by recruiters from local companies and hear from members in our community about their experiences negotiating their salaries. This event is geared towards helping women, but we welcome everyone who supports our mission of inspiring women to excel in technology careers and follows our code of conduct.

EVENT COST

The event cost is $12 for participants and includes lunch. Scholarships: If you are a student, under-employed, or in need of financial assistance, we have full scholarships available for this event. Please submit an application here.

There will be no refunds for this event. If you cannot attend, you can email us to transfer the ticket to another attendee, or we can add it to our scholarship pool.

AGENDA

• 9:30 - Doors Open, Introductions & Welcome note by WWCode
• 10:00 - Salary Negotiation Panel
• 11:00 - Jarvis Sam talk: In the Know - Demystifying Resume Writing and Interviewing
• 12:00 - Lunch
• 1:00 - Breakout sessions for resume review with recruiters
• 4:30 - Finish

RULES

By coming to this event, you are agreeing to follow our Code of Conduct. Read the full version

CODE OF CONDUCT

WWCode is an inclusive community, dedicated to providing an empowering experience for everyone who participates in or supports our community, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, age, religion, socioeconomic status, caste or creed. Our events are intended to inspire women to excel in technology careers, and anyone who is there for this purpose is welcome. We do not tolerate harassment of members in any form.

Our Code of Conduct applies to all WWCode events and online communities.

If you would like to report an incident, please reach out to one of our volunteers or submit an incident report form.

Please join the Chasing Grace Project for the Portland premiere of Episode #2: Progress & the Power of Community. It will be screened as a double feature with Episode #1: Eighty Twenty and include the expanding Chasing Grace Project photo exhibit Persistence. Thanks to the generous support of this event's exclusive sponsor New Relic, the event is free to attend. Doors open at 5 p.m., and show begins at 6 p.m. Please arrive early for the best seats and to enjoy the photo exhibit.

This second episode in the series of six originally premiered at the Saturday Night Live studio at 30 Rock in New York but will be seen for the first time by the Portland community at this special event. The Chasing Grace series launched in Portland, Ore., home to the executive producer, writer and director Jennifer Cloer, with the premiere of Episode #1: Eighty Twenty in March 2018. Both episode #1 and #2 feature women from Portland.

Episode #2 explores whether or not we're making progress in the fight for equality in the tech industry and how the role of community is helping to elevate women in their careers and support them in speaking out and challenging the status quo. The trailer can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/356736419

The Chasing Grace Project is a docuseries of six episodes that seeks to build a more inclusive and transparent culture in tech and to recruit and retain women to help build the future. It was created by Portland-based filmmaker Jennifer Cloer. If we don’t have everyone at the table today, we risk living in a less inclusive world tomorrow. The Project also gives women a platform to be seen and heard for their experiences. Stories are exclusively our own and have the power to change culture and transform others. It is supported by Boeing, Cloud Foundry Foundation, Cloud Native Computing Foundation, Cloudability, Comcast NBCUniversal, eBay, Gorge Tech Alliance, Intel, New Relic, OpenStack, PDXWIT, Red Hat, The Linux Foundation and Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT). It is produced by reTHINKit Media. chasinggracefilm.com

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.

Join us for a panel of distinguished QTPOC (Queer/Trans People of Color) designers and illustrators to discuss designing for equity and inclusion! There will a Q&A inviting the community to come up with new solutions, challenge existing systems, and feel empowered to create a world that is designed for all people.

This is a DE&I-focused entered event meant to uplift and center BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Color). This event is all-inclusive. Allies of all identities are welcome.

Panelists:

Heldáy de la Cruz - https://www.heldaydelacruz.com/
Simon Sotelo - http://hiresimon.com/

more TBA

Schedule:

5:30pm | doors

6:00pm | short presentation

6:30pm | panel + audience Q&A

7:30pm | social + networking

8:30pm | closes

Drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be provided. Must be 21+ to drink. Arrive early to guarantee entrance.

A BIG thank you to our FABULOUS hosts Swift Agency who made this event possible by graciously allowing us to use their space.

Check out our Code of Conduct.

Questions/Concerns? Please email [email protected]

WHEN IT COMES TO REPRESENTATION, TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCES HAVE A DIVERSITY PROBLEM

We can address this challenge by creating space for women* and other underrepresented groups of speakers to get their start.

We believe that the world is better when we can learn from the brilliance of the many, not just the few. 300 Seconds events give our peers, and in particular women, a means of gaining confidence and experience speaking in public.

We give new speakers the opportunity to gain confidence and improve speaking skills in a safe, supportive environment. Our veteran speakers volunteer their time to sharpen up presentations, provide support, connections, and tips on shaping a personal brand.

*By women we mean all women (trans, intersex and cis), all those who experience oppression as women (including non-binary and gender non-conforming people) and all those who identify as women.

ColorBlock PDX presents a Black History Month Celebration, “Financial Exclusion and Crypto” featuring Walidah Imarisha.

We'll have dinner and engaging conversation with Walidah about Financial Exclusion in Oregon. You'll also have the opportunity to network with others as we hope to continue to build community throughout our respective companies here in Portland.

Please RSVP at the following link and feel free to invite friends and allies. https://coinbase-bhm2020.splashthat.com/

Walidah Imarisha, a historian at heart, reporter by (w)right, rebel by reason. Walidah Imarisha is an educator, writer, public scholar, and spoken word artist.

New Normals: BiT Online Leadership Roundtable Event & Careers Announcement (ZOOM Info TBD)

We'll have tech leaders speak about how tech companies are showing up in this era for our communities. We are featuring Orlando Williams, Blaire Hervey, Peter Beasley (MC/speaker), and likely a third panelist.

We are targeting work from home, economic uncertainty, and Black Lives Matter. Our communities are often a source of shared creativity but there are growing professional & wealth gaps.

We will have a RAFFLE and BREAK OUT rooms. Event will be online through Zoom. Please enable your video when you can and feel free to text comments during the meeting.

Orlando founded Motus Recruiting and Staffing in 2006, and in a short time the company has grown to be one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest and most respected staffing firms under his hands-on, high-integrity leadership. He attributes his success across a wide scope of careers to his personal approach of “servant leadership.” He is also a game analyst for the NBA Portland Trailblazers. https://motusrecruiting.com/

Blaire is a badass Business + Career Coach, Culture Influencer, Motivational Speaker + Sales Enablement Leader at Amazon Web Services. Blaire also serves as The Corporate Strategist on the Visionary Squad for PDX Women of Color, on the Board of Directors of Metropolitan Family Services’ DEI committee, Junior League of Portland’s DEI Strategy committee & Racial Justice for BIPOCs special committee. She also consults for the Vancouver NAACP, crafting culturally specific messaging to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the Black community. https://www.thecorporatestrategist.com/

Executive Director of BIT Foundation Peter is a technologist, having led corporate technology infrastructure teams for over 30 years in oil & gas, healthcare, government, and in the financial services industries. Peter on behalf of BiT National was recently quoted in the Wallstreet Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/black-and-hispanic-job-seekers-still-face-wage-gap-in-tech-11592437077?mc_cid=8e1a95bf06&mc_eid=01907cb963

Appllications are now closed.

Join us for a small, informal yet focused discussion where we can share our experiences with diversity in the workplace.

The intimate and safe setting will allow us to discuss tactics, strategies, and support to resolve the issues that arise. This event will be led by Marcus Carter, Crystal Sincoff, Zhou Fang, and Emma Holland.

Our goal is to ensure this event results in a well-represented, honest and impactful conversation about diversity in our industry, so we are asking folks to apply to attend this event by copying and pasting the link noted below and completing the form.

Link to apply: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeX2HwaaTXHyhzkaNlkrWeOpBWVetYRse1ICTN3_dTzjy4_IA/viewform?c=0&vc=0&w=1

Applications are due by October 21st and the 10 invitees will be notified by October 26th, 2020, on how to register in Zoom.

Our events are inclusive. ALL people who support our purpose are welcome.

Rooted School Vancouver, a first-of-its-kind public high school seeking approval to open in Vancouver, WA fall 2022. Rooted School prepares underrepresented and underestimated students for careers in technology directly after high school. You can learn more about the school model [here] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUty3y1TjDE). Currently, we’re in the final stages of the charter authorization process and could use your help.

On Wednesday, November 18, at 6PM PST we will have our virtual public forum which is an opportunity for state Commissioners, parents, community members, local residents, and other members of the public to learn about Rooted School Vancouver’s proposed school and team and to provide feedback about the model.

Ask: Could you help us across the finish line by doing the following?

Attending the virtual public forum.

When: November 18, 2020 at 6PM

RSVP [here] (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSednorDGv9ONb5XO9BdvQQlnWE3HHwLpJACoEawV3IRiU0v8g/viewform?gxids=7628), and we’ll be sure you get the Zoom link:

Submitting public comment in support of the school.

Public comment can be submitted in the following ways:

Members of the public may use the “chat” feature to submit up to 15 minutes after the live public forum end time.

Individuals and groups can submit their written comments to the Commission by mailing their comments to:

Washington State Charter School Commission

RE: Public Forum Comment

P.O. Box 40996

Olympia, WA 98504-0996

Written comments are limited to one page (using at-least 12 point font)

Individuals and groups can submit their comments to the Commission via email by emailing the

Application Coordinator at [email protected]

Emails are limited to 500 words

Individuals and groups can provide public comment via phone/voicemail by calling the Commission at 360-725-5511.

Sample public comment statements-- feel free to modify any of the below or write your own entirely!:

Dear Washington State Charter Commissioners,

My name is [insert name] and I am [insert role, i.e., community member, business leader, educator, parent, student, etc.]. Please accept my public comment in support of Rooted School Vancouver being granted a charter to open a public high school in partnership with the Vancouver community. I believe our community needs more options that set students up for job success in the local economy, and Rooted School Vancouver is looking to provide that.

Dear Washington State Charter Commissioners,

My name is [insert name] and I am [insert role, i.e., community member, business leader, educator, parent, student, etc.]. I strongly support the authorization of Rooted School Vancouver because students in our community would benefit from a school that helps them to develop work-force AND college-ready skills.

Dear Washington State Charter Commissioners,

My name is [insert name] and I am [insert role, i.e., community member, business leader, educator, parent, student, etc.]. I am excited to support Rooted School Vancouver in their mission to provide personal pathways to financial freedom for young people and families across Vancouver. The Rooted team has demonstrated unprecedented results in New Orleans and Indianapolis, and I’m confident will have a positive impact in Vancouver in the years to come.

Really appreciate your support in any shape or form!

Zoom registration required for this event. REGISTER using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GUwR8sQtRlmVke_gOepNoQ ***

Access to healthcare is tough enough, and for the LGBTQ+ community, it is even harder and more challenging to navigate. We’re excited for you to join PDXWIT, Plume, Euphoria and Included Health for a panel discussion on how technology is bridging some of that gap. Sign up to learn how the LGBTQ+ community can gain access to healthcare resources including gender affirming hormone therapy (GAHT).

Panel Moderator: Hazel Valdez, PDXWIT Operations Manager

Panelists: Soltan Bryce, Head of Growth Plume

Colin Quinn, Cofounder and CEO Included Health

Robbi Katherine Anthony, CEO Euphoria

Agenda: 5:00 p.m. - Webinar open 5:05 p.m. - PDXWIT and Host Introduction 5:15 p.m. - Panel Discussion 6:00 p.m. - Q&A 6:30 p.m. - Event ends

Purpose: PDXWIT encourages women, non-binary and underrepresented people to join and stay in tech. Our events are inclusive. ALL people who support our purpose are welcome.

Please join the Portland State Business Accelerator and Christine Slattery, Portland-based attorney, trainer and workplace investigator, for a training session on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In this training, Christine will discuss how to craft a meaningful value statement for your company, why this is important, and how to bring this statement to life. Additionally, the need of having a company handbook will be covered as well as an anti-harassment policy, required for all Oregon companies as of October 1, 2020.

Details

High technology is known for its lack of diversity and inclusion but change is on the way - and technology may be part of the solution!

Trey Boynton, Cisco's Director of Inclusion & Collaboration Strategy & Solutions, will share the approach and vision of Cisco’s Inclusion and Collaboration strategy. Specifically, she will share how digitization across the global enterprise helps deliver outcomes in service of a diverse workforce and inclusive culture. She will anchor her talk by showing two examples of Cisco's use of technology, namely the Multiplier Effect and our Social Justice Beliefs and Actions. In addition, she’ll highlight the thought leadership behind a few of the Inclusive Solutions that deliver on Cisco’s promise to drive inclusion at scale.

Speaker: Trey Boynton has spent her professional career working to create inclusive environments. For nearly 20 years, she worked in university settings driving equity and inclusion for students, faculty, and staff at the University of Michigan.

She shifted to the tech industry in 2017 when she joined Duo Security as their first head of diversity and inclusion. As the lead for overall diversity strategy, Trey envisioned a bold road ahead for Duo and implemented company-wide programs and initiatives that positively grew Duo’s magical culture and team. Duo achieved a milestone in August 2018 when it was acquired by Cisco as a cornerstone of their software-as-a-service (SAAS) cloud security business. In her new Cisco role as the Global Lead for Inclusion Strategy & Alignment, she manages a team dedicated to building and delivering on inclusion promises and aspirations at scale.

For Trey, inclusion work is deeply personal. She describes it as head and heart work centered on creating space so that employees and teams are valued, celebrated, and able to define their own success. In short, her ultimate goal is to reduce barriers to brilliance.

Originally from her beloved northern California, she studied at Spelman College, Georgetown University, and the University of Michigan. Her most important job is helping her two teen feminist daughters continue to be awesome and giving attention to their needy dog, Toby. In the two minutes of time, she has left to spare, she fancies herself an overly hopeful San Francisco 49ers fan, a budding Lego engineer, and an expert on all things Jane Austen.

We know that investors often look for patterns, referrals and pedigree to make the investment process efficient, safely fitting into established norms.

The unintended consequence is that brilliant founders without the right connections are often passed over. This expresses itself in many ways but often we see that LGBTQIA+, Black, Latinx, and Native American founders are largely left out of the VC ecosystem.

Today, companies are creating specific, application based, Opportunity Funds - their goals being inviting more underrepresented founders into the global ecosystem. This looks like a diverse Investment Committee that includes members from both inside and outside of the investment institution, the goal being to review at early stage investments alongside growth investments.

The result? Underestimated founders have access to direct capital.

Join StartOut Founders, Morrison & Foerster, and Bank of America/Merrill Lynch as we discuss how investors set up these kinds of funds, what current programs look like, how to maintain these funds, and how to bring investors and entrepreneurs into this ecosystem.

Moderator:

Alexa Hall, Startup Program Manager - Google Cloud

Supporting Panelists:

Fredo Silva - Partner, Morrison & Foerster - Event Sponsor

Fredo Silva is one of the Partners of Morrison & Foerster. We are an international law firm with lawyers practicing throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe working with large businesses to secure their funds and support a diverse ecosystem.

Kimelyn Harris - SVP, ESG and Public Policy, Bank of America - Event Sponsor

Kimelyn Harris is an ESG Program Executive for the Racial Equality and Economic Opportunity initiative at Bank of America. In this role, she is responsible for executing programming to support the bank’s $1.25 billion, 5-year effort to advance economic opportunity, health care initiatives and racial equality, for people and communities of color. Kimelyn drives business planning and integration for this companywide initiative while also working to identify and build partnerships with organizations, institutions and community leaders.

Riana Lynn - CEO & Co-Founder, Journey Foods

Riana leads fast-growing software startup Journey Foods. The company is backed by top VCs in North America, Europe and Asia. Riana has served as a top consultant and VC to fortune 500 food and CPG companies. She's currently an angel investor and former Google Entrepreneur in Residence. She is one of just a few dozen black women that have raised more than a million dollars in venture funding. Riana has been featured in Forbes, MIT 35 under 35, USA Today, Fast Company, CNBC, Wired, TechCrunch, Entrepreneur Magazine and more.

A Chicago native and Austin-based that enjoys growing fruit trees, writing film scripts, and exploring black culinary and architectural heritage sites around the world. She currently sits on the board of AGLIFF, one of the country's largest annual and inclusive film fests.

Damola Ogundipe - CEO & Co-Founder, Civic Eagle + Advisor for Lunar Startups

Damola Ogundipe is the co-founder and CEO of Civic Eagle, a company building technology to make government policy tracking easier for people and organizations. Damola is a graduate of The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance. He’s a 2018 Camelback Fellow and 2017 Google for Startups Entrepreneur in Residence. Damola is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. In his free time, he enjoys sports and documentaries.

Dan Vaughn - Senior Director/Associate General Counsel, M&A and Equity for PayPal

The annual PDX Annual October Tech Writing Supermeetup returns, with the topic of "Maintaining Inclusion in a Remote Atmosphere". The topic will be presented by Zhou Fang and Betzabe Villareal from Portland Women in Tech (PDXWIT) organization. The Supermeetup will be hosted virtually on Zoom platform.

The schedule for the Supermeeting is as follows: 5:30 - Start meeting (general networking) 6:00 - "Maintaining Inclusion in a Remote Atmosphere" presentation by Zhou Fang and Betzabe Villareal 6:30 - Questions and Answers

When: Wed., October 20, 2021, 5:30-7:00pm (Pacific Time)

The PDX Annual October Tech Writing Supermeetup is brought to you by Write the Docs PDX, PDX UX Writing, and PSU Technical Communications Meetup.

https://www.meetup.com/Write-The-Docs-PDX/events/28136330

Join PDXWIT as we kick off Latinx Heritage Month with our friends at Nike! Come for the dynamic lightning talks, and stay for the networking and community building. ¡Hasta pronto!

Job seeking? Connect directly with recruiters and hiring managers who have open roles on the PDXWIT job board in a dedicated breakout session after the main event.

ASL interpretation and closed captions will be available. Contact [email protected] if you have other accessibility needs.

Hope to see you there!

Agenda: 12:00 p.m. - Event opens/Networking 12:05 p.m. - Introductions 12:20 p.m. - PDXWIT Announcements and lightning talk 12:35 p.m. - Networking in breakout rooms 1:10 p.m. - Event ends

Purpose: We are building a better tech industry by creating access, dismantling barriers and fueling belonging.

Our events are inclusive. ALL people who support our purpose are welcome.

Join PDXWIT for a small and informal in-person dinner discussion where we share our experiences with diversity in the tech workplace. If you identify as a tech professional from a marginalized* background, this opportunity is for you. In order to create a dedicated space for an honest and impactful conversation, we are asking folks to apply to attend this event (link below).

Applications are due by 9/13 11:59 p.m. PDT, and the 10 invitees will be notified no later than a week before the event via email. This event will be in-person, held in the Laurelhurst area of Portland. Dinner will be provided, and ASL interpretation will be provided upon request.

• This includes folks who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, or varying physical or cognitive abilities. If you think this sounds like you, please apply!

Link to application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQQbZktKd7CstfPXGtAlUTZnGJlQbp0UDVRhatDbzz6ZvXXA/viewform?usp=sf_link

An honest panel discussion centering the identities and experiences of our friends and colleagues across the Latinx & Hispanic culture.

Hosted by Cinder, we will continue to examine what equity and inclusion means for different and intersecting identities in these panel discussions throughout 2022.

Our intention with these conversations is to interrogate the integrity and efficacy of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion programming in our workplaces and communities.

We are curious to explore the question: Is Equity and Inclusion in the workplace and beyond?

Please help us spread the word!

Join PDXWIT for a small and informal in-person dinner discussion where we share our experiences with diversity in the tech workplace. If you identify as a tech professional from a marginalized* background, this opportunity is for you.

In order to create an intentional space for honest and impactful conversation, we cap the number of invitees at 10 people. An application is required to be considered to attend this event (link below).

Applications are due by 1/11 @11:59 p.m. PST. Invitees will be notified via email no later than 1/23. This event will be in-person, held in the Laurelhurst area of Portland. Dinner will be provided, and ASL interpretation will be provided upon request.

• This includes folks who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and/or varying physical or cognitive abilities. If you think this sounds like you, please apply!

Apply to attend: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQQbZktKd7CstfPXGtAlUTZnGJlQbp0UDVRhatDbzz6ZvXXA/viewform

Proof of vaccination will be required. Learn more about our COVID-19 policy at: https://www.pdxwit.org/covid-19-what-to-expect

PDXWIT and Blacks in Tech (BiT), along with host NV5 Geospatial, have teamed up to highlight Portland organizations working to provide access to tech to marginalized and underserved communities in our school system.

Dwayne Thomas, BiT Portland Chapter President will share the work BiT is doing to make sure students understand their path and opportunities in tech and other Portland organizations will share how they are supporting underserved students with access to learning, opportunities and funding.

Agenda: 5:00pm - Doors Open 5:30pm - Welcome, Announcements & Introductions 5:40pm - Program Begins 6:10pm - Networking 7:00pm - Event Ends

Please note: all attendees will be required to show proof of a COVID vaccination or a negative COVID test within 48 hours of the event start.

PDXWIT is building a better tech industry by creating access, dismantling inequities and fueling belonging. Our events are inclusive. ALL people who support our purpose are welcome.

COVID Safety FAQ: Q: Will masks be required in indoor spaces? Will masks be required outside? Will hand sanitizer be provided and plentiful? A: Masks are optional and our host will provide hand sanitizer. We will ask all attendees to show proof of vaccination OR have a negative COVID test within 48 hours of the event.

Event FAQ Q: What is the in-person event capacity? A: 50-75 people

Q: Will there be gender neutral restrooms? A: Yes

Q: Is the space ADA accessible? A: Yes

Q: Will there be food and drink at this event? A: Yes.

Q: What is the parking situation? A: NV5 Geospatial is located at 421 SW 6th Avenue between SW Washington and SW Harvey Milk. There may be street parking but it is limited. The building is on several major bus lines and close to the Pioneer Place Max Station. There are also several parking structures nearby, including: Alder Street Garage; 111 SW 5th Ave. Garage; and City Center Parking (Broadway).

Q: Is there any special information that might help me find the entrance? A: Guests will enter through the main entrance on SW 6th Ave. There will be a security guard present who can let guests in. The elevators are visible upon entering – use them to access the 8th floor and our suite is the only one on that floor. The suite door will be open

Q: Is there secured bike parking? A: Yes, with assistance. If you will need bike parking please email [email protected] and we will make arrangements.

Q: Should I consider using public transportation? A: Yes. NV5 Geospatial is on several major bus lines and close the Pioneer Place Max Station.

Q: Can I bring my dog? A: Sadly, no.

In this virtual happy hour in collaboration with hosts FirstTech and PixelSpoke, PDXWIT is celebrating Black voices. Lightning speakers Shakunda Murphy Wilson and Kym Hampton will share their personal and professional experiences as Black women, and leave you with words of wisdom and advice.

Agenda: 5:25pm - Zoom Room Opens 5:30pm - Welcome, Announcements & Introductions 5:40pm - Lighting Speakers 6:00pm - Recruiter Roll Call 6:10pm - Networking and Breakout Rooms 7:00pm - Event Ends

PDXWIT is building a better tech industry by creating access, dismantling inequities and fueling belonging. Our events are inclusive. ALL people who support our purpose are welcome.

Event FAQ Q: Will ASL or closed captioning be available? A: Yes. We plan to have ASL interpreters in attendance and will use the closed captioning features supported in Zoom.

Please using link below:

Join us for a small, informal yet focused discussion where we can share our experiences with diversity in the workplace. The intimate and safe setting will allow us to discuss tactics, strategies, and support to resolve the issues that arise. This event will be led by Marcus Carter, Zhou Fang and Kari Fass.

Our goal is to ensure this event results in an honest and impactful conversation exploring our shared experiences as individuals underrepresented* in the industry. This is a dedicated space for individuals who are currently underrepresented in the tech industry.

We are asking folks to apply to attend this event by completing this form.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQQbZktKd7CstfPXGtAlUTZnGJlQbp0UDVRhatDbzz6ZvXXA/viewform

Applications are due by June 9, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. The 10 invitees will be notified no later than one week before the event via email. This event will be in-person, held in downtown Portland. Dinner will be provided, and ASL interpretation will be provided upon request.

Our events are inclusive. ALL people who support our purpose are welcome.

Proof of vaccination will be required to attend.

Navigating potential career paths can often seem overwhelming amid the ever-evolving landscape of innovation. The Silicon Forest Tech Summit, however, seeks to unveil the true essence of local tech companies and elucidate pathways to join them. In addition, this is a safe space for companies to engage, attract, and retain a diverse workforce.

The event will take place from 12-5PM at the NW Events & Environments at 2900 NE Century Blvd #100. Attendees can expect to leave feeling inspired and energized. Don't miss this opportunity to be a part of the discussion and shape the future of Technology!