Virtual

Delivering products, services, and experiences that truly delight and inspire people requires human-centered designers, researchers, and product managers to have a huge influence on the strategic business decisions made by their leaders. Learn proven ways to draw C-suite and other key stakeholders into your design process at the right moments to help them build empathy and invest in innovations that maximize customer and business impact. Our session will use case study examples to introduce techniques you can apply now to design for influence.

About our speaker: Jed Cahill has spent the majority of his career driving strategic initiatives at the intersection of business planning, strategic design, and innovation in both management consulting and corporate strategy leadership roles. With a passion for creating inclusive work environments that promote empathy, creativity, and future thinking, he empowers people across all backgrounds and organizational levels to push the boundaries of what's possible.

Jed and his teams have led the strategic design of new experiences and digital products rolled out to tens of millions of customers, transformed business operations to drive efficiency and better employee experiences, and generated hundreds of patented inventions at the intersection of emerging technology and human needs. A graduate of University of Oregon's Lundquist College of Business (MBA), he now lives in SE Portland.

If you have any questions or would like to connect with other members of PDT, join our Slack community.

PDT is a volunteer-run organization, and as you can imagine, organizing events can be expensive. We rely on sponsors and donations to help us offset these costs. If you would like to help, we accept donations through Venmo @PortlandDesignThinkers.

Portland Design Thinkers is excited to announce our next event with Danielle Green: Where to Start with Strategic Product Research

Strategic Product Research is in high demand, but Product and UX professionals are often set up to fail. What exactly does strategic research entail? And how does it differ from discovery research? Learn why showing conceptual designs to users doesn’t work and explore better ways to evaluate whether you are building the right product or feature. Geared toward product managers, designers, product leaders, and entrepreneurs, this framework is designed to empower UX and Product professionals to make strategic decisions confidently.

Portland Design Thinkers is excited to announce our next event with Line Mørkbak, Co-Create Solutions: Tapping into Your Most Valuable Resource - Your People

In this engaging and practical talk, we will explore how to harness the collective intelligence of your organization. Learn how to foster collaboration across teams and silos, enabling the co-creation of innovative solutions that would otherwise be impossible. By looking at Open Space Technology, LEAN Coffee, and a few of the Liberating Structures. Through these co-creative practices, we will try our self-organization to uncover hidden pockets of knowledge from individuals at all levels.

Co-creation builds advocacy among all participants and encourages pushing beyond the familiar, avoiding the pitfalls of mere consensus. Join us to discover how to truly tap into your most valuable resource: your people.

The Portland Design Thinkers are happy to announce our next event with Stacey Murphy, Regenerative Design: From Vision to Reality.

Can your product, service, or corporation actively restore ecosystems and communities on the other side of the globe? Discover how to apply the holistic principles of Regenerative Design for you and your team to achieve the positive impact you desire.

Tap into the regenerative mindset that’s not only helping the planet but also disrupting a $17 trillion market. You’ll enjoy mind-boggling real-world solutions that sound like science fiction.

About our speaker: Stacey Murphy is an award-winning serial entrepreneur, impact investor, architect, engineer, and the Founder of Dreaming Earth, an architectural venture capital studio with the Earthshot of growing buildings by 2030.

Stacey incubates startups focused on Regenerative Materials and systems in architecture and construction innovation. Her experience starting BK Farmyards, a decentralized urban farming network in Brooklyn, led her to deliver keynote talks in Regenerative Design Thinking for groups that want to improve efficiencies and leave a positive impact on the planet.

Stacey has been featured in Fast Company, New York Magazine, New York Times, BBC, Martha Stewart Radio, David Letterman, PBS, and two TEDx talks on the future of food.

Portland Design Thinkers is thrilled to host our next speaker Lucy Ziegler: The Power of Design and Strategic Foresight in Practice.

An exploration of the combined power of Design and Strategic Foresight in practice: why and how to apply human-centric research, creativity, and long-term mindset to strategic business problem-solving.

Join us for an enlightening evening as Lucy Ziegler shares her expertise, providing invaluable insights and practical strategies to enhance your approach to tackling challenges.

About our speaker: Lucy Ziegler has been a practitioner in Industrial Design, Experience Design, and Service Design for 20+ years. Over the past 5 years at McKinsey & Company, she split her focus between design projects and projects that use Design to solve complex business problems. As a Certified Futurist and co-creator and leader of McKinsey's Design x Foresight practice, she had the opportunity to bring the unique combination of Design and Strategic Foresight to numerous clients across many industries from startups to Fortune 10 and learned many lessons on how to make this approach more nimble and effective. As a mother of a young daughter, she is committed to helping leaders make the right decisions today to proactively shape a future for generations to come.

If you have any questions or would like to connect with other members of PDT, join our Slack community.

PDT is a volunteer-run organization, and as you can imagine, organizing events can be expensive. We rely on sponsors and donations to help us offset these costs. If you would like to help, we accept donations through Venmo @PortlandDesignThinkers.

Portland Design Thinkers is thrilled to host our next speaker Nandini Nayak: Herding the Cats with Service Blueprinting.

In any human experience-centered program, bringing vision to optimized execution requires continuous cross-functional alignment and collaboration, which often falls apart! Nan will discuss how she has used Service Blueprinting as a key framework to drive alignment in complex organizations. You will learn how UX and Service Design are complementary, the difference between journey mapping and service blueprinting, and why it is important to take a systems view to be a successful design professional.

About our speaker: Nan is an experienced Digital Strategy and Transformation leader with a Human-Centered mindset. She has spent a career at Hewlett Packard and Accenture driving strategic design programs and practices serving audiences across industry segments. Nan holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology

Join us for an insightful panel discussion at the next Portland Design Thinkers event, exploring Surprises and Speed bumps When Practicing Design Thinking.

As a design-thinker, you might often find yourself collaborating with individuals who may not fully understand the value of your approach. How do you effectively advocate for design thinking and demonstrate its impact on your projects and organization? Learn from seasoned experts on how to thrive (or survive) in a dynamic, multi-function workplace. Whether you're an experienced pro or just starting out, bring your questions and gain valuable strategies to adapt, innovate, and lead.

Meet the panel:

Shashi Jain: Shashi Jain is a Technologist, Entrepreneur, and Teacher who believes in the power of deep-tech literacy and youth entrepreneurship. He began his journey at Intel incubating frontier technology into new business models, with partners. Over the course of 24 years, he’s delivered concepts in AI, the Internet of Things, Mixed Reality, Space, Healthcare, Additive Manufacturing, and Blockchain. He’s been mentor to deep tech startups (orbital observation, silicon photonics) and has sponsored translational research in AI for Space applications with NASA Frontier Development Lab. He currently serves as Principal at the Portland Seed Fund, advising and evaluating deep tech startups. When he’s not dreaming about quantum computers and neuroscience (in space), you’ll find him teaching innovation and entrepreneurship to high school students through TiE Young Entrepreneurs and serving on the Board of Directors at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. Shashi is also the author of “Creating Unstoppable Innovation” (coming in 2024)

Jamie Sherman: Jamie Sherman, PhD is a cultural anthropologist and user experience researcher. She has been working in the technology and UX space since 2012 when she was fortunate to join Intel, working on a range of existing and emerging technologies from virtual reality to gaming, content creation, and AI. Today she is Principal UX Researcher at ESRI focusing the UX of data and analytics in Geographic Information Systems.

Mike Premi: Mike Premi is an accomplished professional with a track record of success in sales and business development leadership, healthcare product management, and product marketing. With extensive experience in managing clinical trials of new technology solutions and driving global service innovation, Mike has cultivated strategic partnerships with prominent organizations such as the VA, American Medical Association, and American Pharmacists Association. His contributions extend beyond corporate realms, with multiple patents issued in healthcare software. As a co-founder of a healthcare startup business at Intel, Mike led partnerships with the AMA and APhA, resulting in the acquisition by a market segment leader. Transitioning to his third career, following roles as a US Naval Officer and Intel Business Development Leader, Mike's passion lies in leveraging computer technology to improve lives. He is currently dedicated to enhancing the lives of US Military Veterans through his work with SoldierStrong.org.

Paul Sorenson: With over 40 years of Human Factors Engineering/UX Research experience and a background that includes roles at Facebook, IBM, Lockheed, Hewlett Packard, and Intel, Paul Sorenson is an expert in user experience research. Specializing in user-centered, mixed-methods research, Paul's recent focus has been hand-held, wearable, and augmented/mixed reality technology and products. His expertise in experimental design, sensory perception, cognition, and human factors engineering has significantly influenced multi-sensory experience research and design.

Portland Design Thinkers is thrilled to announce our next event with Jim Kalbach, AI Joins The Team: Integrating AI Into Research

Explore the dynamic relationship between the Jobs to be Done (JTBD) framework and AI in research with renowned industry expert Jim Kalbach. Investigate the pivotal role of AI tools, including ChatGPT, in refining target jobs, generating comprehensive job maps, and swiftly grasping unfamiliar fields. AI can improve efficiency but also learn from Jim about the importance of understanding its limitations.

Join Jim Kalbach on this insightful journey as he expertly guides you through the powerful synergy between JTBD and AI, empowering researchers to seamlessly transition from a blank page to deeper validation and innovation when AI becomes a part of the team.

About our speaker: Jim Kalbach is a noted author, speaker, and instructor in innovation, design, and the future of work. He is currently Chief Evangelist at Mural, the leading online whiteboard.

Jim is the author of several books: Designing Web Navigation (O’Reilly, 2007), Mapping Experiences, 2nd Ed. (O’Reilly, 2020), and The Jobs To Be Done Playbook (Rosenfeld, 2020). In 2023 he co-authored Collaborative Intelligence (Wiley, 2023) with Mariano Battan. Jim is also the Co-founder and Principal at the JTBD Toolkit, an online resource with learning, trainings, and content.

Portland Design Thinkers is thrilled to announce our next event with Heather Blaikie: Personal Brand Sprint

Focus on your brand, defining the path of your choosing. This session will be focused on personal brand, but can easily be done for a small business or start-up.

In this hands-on session, Heather will lead you in the method she has used as a Design Strategist for Reverence Global digital media firm and as an independent consultant.

You'll walk away with: -clear goals -outlined target audiences -keys to your niche -your secret sauce defined

This is great for consultants, entrepreneurs, job seekers, artists, and anyone wanting to communicate how Fabulous you are clearly. Past clients have found that this process gives them a chance to look at their brand differently and leave with clarity on how to position themselves. Give the gift of time to yourself, setting you up for success in 2024.

About our speaker: Heather Blaikie is an accomplished Industrial Designer, currently specializing in Sports Product Design as an M.S. Candidate at U O. With over a decade of experience, she's excelled in leading creative teams and shaping design strategies for major brands. Heather shares her expertise by teaching design-related courses and facilitating workshops. She enjoys yoga, hiking with her wife and dogs, and drag performances in her free time.

Portland Design Thinkers is thrilled to announce our next event with Damon Gaumont: Turning Empathy into Action – This Is How Digital Products Attain True Success

Turning empathy into action in digital product experiences is crucial for creating products that resonate with users, provide value, and foster positive relationships between users and businesses. It not only leads to better user satisfaction but also contributes to the success and reputation of the product and the company behind it. In this talk, Damon will cover why it is so important, various methods to achieve it, how to measure it, and how to ensure it is continually improved.

About our speaker: Damon currently guides brands accountably through the creation of digital experiences by tapping his extensive background and expertise in brand building, creative strategy, and experience design. His belief that all brand extensions start best with a clearly articulated vision is the first step in an accountable process that culminates with beautifully usable and inherently humanized branded digital experiences.

If you have any questions or would like to join the PDT Slack you can do so at this link: https://bit.ly/2JuQ2V6

PDT is a volunteer-run organization, and as you can imagine, organizing events can be expensive. We rely on sponsors and donations to help us offset these costs. If you would like to help, we accept donations through Venmo @PortlandDesignThinkers.

Ignite your design thinking with a twist of spontaneity in a "Virtual Improv Shenanigans for Design Thinkers" session brought to you by Portland Design Thinkers.

Join us for an electrifying online experience where creativity meets unpredictability. Led by seasoned improviser and consultant, Kat Kojic of Hello Gorgeous, this session blends laughter and innovative challenges to enhance your adaptability, ideation, and collaboration skills. Get ready to break free from the ordinary, improvise with fellow designers, and fuel your imagination in unexpected ways!

5 pm (NOTE, this event will start earlier than many of our events)

Portland Design Thinkers is thrilled to announce an evening with April Reissmann; Sketchnoting 101: Intro to Visual Thinking for Design Thinkers.

Sketchnoting isn't art. It's communication.

Accessible, visual communication focused on clarity and transferring of knowledge quickly and efficiently. It’s a skill that can benefit everyone and brings joy to those who see and create sketchnotes. As Design Thinkers, we often have to communicate how and why this seemingly "unorthodox" method of problem-solving is so effective. Visual thinking can help win over your audience and get their buy-in sooner and with more dedication to the process. So grab a paper and pen and join this hands-on session to get started sketchnoting and learn how visual thinking can benefit your communication, work, and overall life (for real!).

Portland Design Thinkers is excited to announce a SPECIAL EVENT with The New Rules For Work!

You’re invited to participate in an experimental meeting designed to test how a meeting’s location and technology impact meeting results.

By participating in this experiment, you can help answer questions about when groups should meet in person and how to have the best possible meeting experience no matter where you might be. You may also experience new meeting techniques and technology that you can use in your work.

If you agree to participate, here’s how it will work.

-Please join the ZOOM call up to 10 minutes early. You will spend the first 15 minutes filling out a consent form and completing a brief survey. -The group will then participate in a 60-minute creative problem-solving meeting. Your goal is to identify two or three quality responses to a complex challenge. -A meeting leader will guide you through a pre-scripted process. -Following the 60-minute meeting, you will complete a post-meeting survey about your experience. -In addition to the surveys, researchers will collect audio-video recordings for further analysis. You must be 18 years or older to participate and consent to the audio-video recording.

Note: because this is an interactive workshop, the event is limited to the first 30 people. If your registration status changes, please update in MeetUp, in case there are others on the waitlist.

For more information about The New Rules for Work can be found on their website: https://newrulesforwork.com

If you have any questions or would like to join the PDT Slack you can do so at this link: https://bit.ly/2JuQ2V6

Portland Design Thinkers is excited to announce an evening with Todd Harple - From Silos to Synergy: An Anthropologist's Journey in Bridging Methodologies for Collaborative Design

Over the course of two decades, Todd has adapted his toolkit of methods to suit the audiences, challenges, resources, and desired outcomes of specific projects. With experience and time, he moved from rejecting Design Thinking to embracing it, to relegating elements of it to a part of a multi- (or anti-disciplinary) collaborative toolkit. This talk will illustrate with examples from Todd's work in consumer electronics, fashion, fitness, health and sports how his approach to collaborative design has evolved.

Portland Design Thinkers invites you to join us for an evening with Charles Buchwald: Growing Design Ethics

Charles has been designing, inventing and making in a variety of industries across North America. He's led a wide array of efforts, from online learning to AR/VR museums to digital banking perks, for clients including BMW, Pillsbury, the government of British Columbia and Televisa. Among other current projects, he's growing a design ethics community group in one of the country's largest UX design studios, at U.S. Bank.

This talk will discuss the intersection of design, ethics, and four related topics: behavioral science, data science, personalization at scale, and inclusive design - And what this has to do with making sandwiches.

Portland Design Thinkers is happy to announce an evening with Dan Self and the Science of Storytelling: How the Brain Fires on Story.

100,000 years of human reliance on story has rewired the human brain to think in story terms and story structure to make sense and create meaning out of events and others’ actions.

Meaning…Cells that fire together wire together. And, this evolutionary predisposition is reinforced by the dominant use of story throughout childhood.

So what does this mean for all of us? How can we use this knowledge to create memorable stories? And how can we use our predisposition to turn everything that enters through sensory input into story for engagement?

About Dan Self: Story first. Story always. I've spent most of my working life or what is known as "a career" thinking about, studying, and uncovering the importance of story.

And in the pursuit of discovering the importance of story, I've explored many different job paths that have revealed some important aspects of the brain on story.

Bottom line? I'm not a neurologist, but I've played one on TV, and that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Join us for a student-led presentation by the University of Oregon’s Senior Product Design Research class. The online event will reveal the results of a collaboration between PDT’s Advisors (Deb Mrazek, John Furukawa, Colin Bay, and Herman D’Hooge) and the UO students.

The students engaged in a research sprint with their PDT Advisors to uncover valuable insights about PDT’s member community and ecosystem. Over five days, students practiced primary and secondary research, including interviews with members. The four student teams will present their findings to the PDT community for feedback.

Each team will present its research findings to the PDT online community via Zoom on Monday, January 30th, from 4 pm-5 pm PST.

Join Portland Design Thinkers for an evening with Tony Salvador discussing: Catalytic Factor Analysis.

Many (most?) of our design-research methods are designed for point-problems that demand point solutions. All good. But not so good when those methods are applied to complex problems.

Catalytic Factor Analysis is a method designed to address complex sociotechnical challenges through a structured conversation with the crowd. This technique specifically creates a means for both characterizing wicked socio-technical problems and identifying the focus areas to transform the system toward a resolution. The result is the ability to focus resources – state, civil, and institutional, political, entrepreneurial, and educational – on those catalytic factors to transform the system. I will use several examples from recent work to illustrate the method.

Registration through Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMtdOGqqjwtHd2EwYLqN6ttwHPGtR0Pm-sA) is required to attend this event.

Join us for a virtual Town Hall Happy Hour where you’ll hear from PDXWIT’s new Executive Director, Hazel Valdez! Hazel will share her vision for the future of PDXWIT, and you’ll be able to ask her your most pressing questions.

Before we hear from Hazel, Katherine Johnson from True Self - Leadership Presence Consulting will talk to us about leadership and being our authentic selves.

Recruiters and hiring managers who have jobs on the PDXWIT job board will be sharing opportunities and will be ready to meet with you in virtual breakout rooms.

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

Hope to see you there!

Agenda: 5:30 p.m. - Event opens/Networking 5:35 p.m. - Introductions and Announcements 5:45 p.m. - Lightning Speaker - Katherine Johnson, True Self - Leadership Presence Consulting 5:50 p.m. Q&A with PDXWIT Executive Director Hazel Valdez 6:15 p.m. - Recruiter Roll Call and Networking in breakout rooms 7:30 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.

Registration through Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpcOuqpjguGdfXYCqrFoSgN7GEoJRoZMor) is required to attend this event.

Join PDXWIT as we celebrate Native American Heritage Month! In this virtual mixer, Natives In Tech (https://nativesintech.org/) members will share their career journeys and advice. You’ll also connect with recruiters and hiring managers in a breakout session after the main event. Don’t miss out on this opportunity!

This community will center the experiences of Indigenous peoples of North America. While this group is for folks that have a grounding in their Native American identities, we understand that Indigenous folks exist around the globe and welcome you as well. We recognize the varied experiences of indigeneity for those who have had barriers in reclaiming their culture.

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

Hope to see you there!

Agenda: 12:00 p.m. - Event Begins/Networking 12:05 p.m. - Introductions and Announcements 12:20 p.m. - Lightning Talks and Recruiter Roll Call 12:35 p.m. - Networking in Breakout Rooms 1:00 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.

Registration through Zoom required.

PDXWIT Job Board Live: The networking event that comes to you!

Are you ready to get hired up?!? Then this virtual meetup is for you. PDXWIT’s Job Board LIVE is tailor-made to help you find the career of your dreams.

Eight companies with open roles on the PDXWIT job board will share their open positions (local and remote) during our Recruiter Roll Call. You’ll have a chance to chat with them in breakout rooms after the presentation, so bring your questions, your professional statements, and be ready to share your brilliant skills and qualifications.

In order to create a productive and thoughtful space, we are limiting capacity to the first 60 attendees.

We will have ASL and live closed captioning for this event. Please reach out to [email protected] with any additional accessibility needs you have.

Agenda: 12:00 p.m. - Event Begins 12:03 p.m. - Intros, Announcements, Lightning Talk 12:10 p.m. - Recruiter Roll Call 12:20 p.m. - Breakout Rooms (Recruiter and Networking) 1:00 p.m. - Event Ends

Mission: 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.

Registration through Zoom is required to attend.

Last year we came together to debunk the model minority myth. This year, join PDXWIT and AAPI in Tech to highlight powerful women who are leading us into the future.

Moderated by Zhou Fang, this conversation will include a panel of leaders in and adjacent to the tech industry including Anna Madill, Padmashree Koneti, and Virginia Luka. Their collective lived experience gives us a glimpse of how communities can rally together, lift each other up, and demolish the bamboo ceiling.

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

Register for the event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrd-morjkiGdQslL4Vp6fQq-Ig9cMWbzIH

The long-awaited AAPI in Tech group is kicking off its first official meetup, Let’s F*cking Go!!

AAPI In Tech centers people who identify as part of the Asian, Asian American, Pacific Islander community, while welcoming people who not only consider themselves as allies, but also take action toward supporting their AAPI comrades. During the event, we will learn more about PDXWIT’s AAPI in Tech initiative, hear from host company Avenue Agency, lightning speakers and have the opportunity to connect in breakout rooms.

Agenda: 12:00 p.m. - PDXWIT and host intro 12:10 p.m. - Raffle! 12:15 p.m. - Lightning talks 12:30 p.m. - Networking in breakout rooms 1:00 p.m. - Event ends

More about AAPI in Tech: The group aims to curate a space where AAPI members feel safe and included, so much so that they have the liberty to speak their minds and listen to others with openness. The group is a place where violence of any kind (verbal or/and physical, online or/and in reality) is not tolerated and civil discussions are reinforced.

The group is also an ally to other communities including but not limited to: the Black community, the Latinx community, the LGBTQ+ community, the disability community, the Indigenous and Native American community, the immigrant community, and so on. It is worth noting that many people belong to multiple communities at the same time. While complexity is to be expected while navigating the ever evolving space of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, it is imperative to acknowledge intersectionality and how it can guide our community through conflicts and issues such as anti-Asian crimes, anti-immigrant rhetoric, the land-back movement, etc.

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

Registration through Zoom is required to gain entry to this virtual event

A new year is upon us and with that often comes a financial check in. Join PDXWIT, Simple X, and First Tech Federal Credit Union for industry tips exploring the basics of getting your finances in order.

During the first half of the presentation, we’ll share how to build a plan for getting out of debt and how to save in ways that fit your budget. . The second half of the presentation will focus on ways to secure your financial future that go beyond saving a little bit every month.

We recognize that not everyone has had the opportunity or means to save, and that the financial sector has historically been set up to benefit existing racial and class hierarchies. We will spend some time touching on these important themes, and the myths that back them, during the event.

Agenda: 12:00 p.m. - Event opens/networking 12:05 p.m. - Introductions 12:10 p.m. - Presentation begins 12:50 p.m. - Q&A 1:00 p.m. - Event ends

Purpose: 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.

Registration through Zoom is required to gain entry to this virtual event

We’re launching into 2022, and we’re excited to announce PDXWIT’s January Happy Hour in partnership with Slalom!

This month, our theme will focus on Artificial Intelligence. Lightning speakers will share their thoughts on a human-centered approach to AI, and how it can be used responsibly while unlocking potential today, tomorrow, and beyond.

As always, we will have recruiters ready to share our open positions at their companies, and they will be available to directly connect with job seekers who are looking for their next opportunity.

For those of you looking to network with the community, we save the last 15 minutes of each event (5:45 p.m. - 6 p.m. PST) for optional on-camera discussion, but you don’t have to wait until then to meet someone new! Get involved in the chat throughout the event as well.

We will have ASL interpretation and closed captioning throughout. Please get in touch at [email protected] with any additional accessibility needs you may have.

• You will have the option to provide your address at registration so we can send you something cool ahead of the event in the mail.

Hope to see you there!

Join our Slack channel: http://pdxwit.org/slack

Registration through Zoom is required to gain entry to this virtual event

Can you believe we made it through another pandemic year? Thanks for sticking with us and standing up for one other. This December marks TEN YEARS since the co-founders of PDXWIT decided they were going to build this incredible community! Let’s celebrate this milestone together.

Join PDXWIT and host Alchemy Code Lab as we celebrate a decade of changemaking.

During the event, we will reveal who this community identified as the Best Contributor (it’s not too late to get your nominations in*) and as always, we will have our usual live, friendly and supportive vote-off of our top three speakers of the year. Our audience will get to choose the big winner in real time!

There will be a special edition Recruiter Roll Call where you can learn about some open positions throughout Portland and beyond. Chat with these recruiters and hiring managers in our Virtual Job Seekers Lounge using Slack after the event.

We will have ASL interpretation and closed captioning throughout the event.

• You will have the option to provide your address at registration so we can send you something cool ahead of the event in the mail.

Agenda: 5:00 p.m. - Zoom Webinar Open/Virtual Networking 5:05 p.m. - Introductions, Announcements + Lightning Speakers 5:20 p.m. - Special Edition Recruiter Roll Call 5:45 p.m. - Virtual Job Seekers Section via Slack/Face-to-Face Networking 6:00 p.m. - Event ends

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

Registration through Zoom is required to gain entry to this virtual event.

PDXWIT Job Board Live: The networking event that comes to you!

Are you job seeking? We are rounding out our 2021 events calendar with an event tailor-made to help you find the career of your dreams.

Companies with open roles on the PDXWIT job board will have recruiters and hiring managers share their open positions (local and remote) during our Recruiter Roll Call, and you’ll have a chance to chat with them in breakout rooms after the presentation. Bring your questions, your professional statements, and be ready to share your brilliant skills and qualifications.

And don’t forget to bring your up-to-date resume! We’ll have a team dedicated to reviewing resumes so you can make an even better impression and a lightning speaker to get you fired up.

In order to create a productive and thoughtful space, space will be limited to the first 50 attendees.

We will have live closed captioning for this event. Please reach out to [email protected] with any additional accessibility needs you have.

Agenda: 12:00 p.m. - Event Begins 12:03 p.m. - Intros, Announcements, Lightning Talk 12:10 p.m. - Recruiter Roll Call 12:20 p.m. - Breakout Rooms (Recruiter and Networking) 1:00 p.m. - Event Ends

Mission: 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.

Registration through Zoom is required to attend this event.

Join PDXWIT and talented folks throughout our community for our second annual PDXWIT Talent Show, a night of fun where we’ll showcase some of our many talents. Let’s leave work behind and come together to sing, dance, tell jokes, read poetry, twirl a baton, and more! We’ve also got some extremely talented pets and kids, too.

Got a special talent? Sign up to perform!Submissions due by 11/16. Since this is a virtual event, performers will submit videos of their talents ahead of time, and they will be played live during the event. Check out the performances from last year.

This free event is part of our #PDXWITturns10 Celebration and fundraiser! Donating is definitely not required, but those of you who donate during the event, you will be entered to win amazing raffle prizes. Don’t miss out on seeing this other side of our community!

Agenda: 5:00 p.m. - Event begins 5:03 p.m. - PDXWIT and Host Introduction 5:10 p.m. - Talent Show & Raffle Drawings 5:50 p.m. - Voting and Announcement of Winner 6:00 p.m. - Event ends

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

Application is required to gain entry to this virtual event

Join PDXWIT for a small, informal-yet-focused virtual discussion where we share our experiences with diversity in the workplace. If you identify as being historically and systematically underrepresented* in tech, this opportunity is for you.

Our goal is to create a dedicated space for an honest and impactful conversation exploring our shared experiences as individuals in the industry. We are asking folks to apply to attend this event (link below) so we can ensure the group has representation across the continuum.

Applications are due by Monday, 10/18/21 5 p.m. ET, and the 10 invitees will be notified by Friday, 10/22/21. A zoom link will be shared with attendees ahead of the event. Attendees will be provided with a gift certificate so they can order dinner for themselves in the spirit of our pre-pandemic in-person Diversity Dinners.

• Underrepresented may mean BIPOC, LGBTQ+, or varying physical or cognitive abilities. If you think this sounds like you, please apply!

Registration through Zoom is required to gain entry to this virtual event

Interviewing for a new job can be a stressful proposition. A group of volunteers from Amazon Web Services (AWS) created this training to demystify the interview process. This is tailored to job seekers seeking employment in tech. In this virtual seminar, we will review good and bad interviewing practices we’ve witnessed through our careers and present helpful tips to prepare for technical interviews. We will also give you the resources you need to practice for your next interview.

During this session, we will: - Prepare you for the interview. - Set expectations for the day of the interview. - Walk through a mock interview. - Provide approaches to navigating a coding test. - Share great information resources!

Due to the level of interaction required, attendance will be capped at 50.

Registration through Zoom is required to gain entry to this virtual event

Join Oregon Venture Fund and PDXWIT for our 3rd annual pitch event.

Calling all entrepreneurs! If you’ve been working on a business idea through the pandemic or are in the process of growing your business and ready for the next phase of talking with investors, keep your momentum going by pitching your vision and the progress of your product. Oregon Venture Fund investors will weigh in with constructive feedback and connections. Ninety percent of OVF investors have started or run a business at some point in their career, and this is a great way to get feedback from these local entrepreneurs and tech leaders.

Agenda: 5:00 p.m. - PDXWIT and OVF welcome and introductions 5:05 p.m. - Entrepreneur pitches (5 minutes each + 1 min questions) 6:00 p.m. - Investors and community connect directly with entrepreneurs 6:15 p.m. - Event ends

Entrepreneurs: In addition to registering for the event below, fill out this Slow Pitch form to tell us about your company and be considered for pitching. We’ll get in touch with you to review. We have limited slots so sign up today!

Investors: Sign up to provide constructive feedback and connections for local entrepreneurs.

Community Members: Come observe these inspiring entrepreneurs as they share their brilliant ideas. Hopefully you will leave inspired to present at the next pitch event!

We will have ASL interpretation and live closed captioning throughout. Please get in touch with any additional accessibility needs you may have.

Hope to see you there!

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

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

Let's talk InfoSec!

RSVP: https://www.meetup.com/OWASP-Portland-Chapter/events/280657220/

Bios:

Cassie Clark: Passionate about bringing humans into security. She develops awareness programs focused on behavior change, user enablement, and culture. As Security Awareness Lead Engineer at Brex, she built and leads security awareness for employees and customers. Prior to Brex, she built the security awareness function at Cruise and focused on security engagement at Salesforce. She holds a Master’s degree in Women’s Studies and can often be seen holding a cup of coffee.

Traci Esteve: As Director of Technology Governance and Risk for The Standard in Portland, Oregon, Traci Esteve is committed to protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and processing resources. She began her career as a developer and infrastructure engineer. This led to her rise to a premier technical architect at Accenture and to expanding the practice in Asia and Europe. Her journey includes staying home to raise her two sons and serving as an advisor to organizations to increase profitability, maximize customer value, and effectively meet regulatory requirements. She has a BS in Applied Science, MBA certification from Miami University, and a certification in Cybersecurity Risk Management from Harvard University. Traci enjoys cooking with her family, drawing, hiking, and encouraging high-school students to believe in themselves.

Today, data-driven technologies are being used to improve nutrition and health outcomes at the individual level and on a global scale. For individuals, there are now hundreds of thousands of mobile health apps available for download in global app stores related to fitness, diet or medical health. In an effort to address nutrition and health at scale, emerging technologies are being adopted to transform the entire health system. Diet and nutrition apps are playing a growing role in supporting individual health-related behavior change. During this webinar, you’ll learn how data tracking can help improve your nutrition balance.

We all need a vision to work towards and one of the best ways to start making things happen is by creating your authentic career vision.

This session will take you through the visioning process to help crystallize your career direction, capture your goals, and keep your authentic self fresh in your mind on a daily basis.

We will go through: A framework for planning your authentic career Simple visioning techniques to help you define what's most important to you

Join us for some fun, reflective session.

Registration through Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GE8L4FzfRhSpJRVNasTrJw is required to gain entry to this virtual event

Join PDXWIT and host Viewpoint for a summer lunchtime Happy Hour event. The theme of the evening will be Technology: The First Generation. We will hear from speakers who are the first in their families to explore a career in tech and what that has meant for them as they have moved through their career.

Featured lightning speaker Hanan Alnizami will share her story as an immigrant and first generation woman in tech along with other special guests. As always, we’ll have our Recruiter Roll Call and Virtual Job Seekers Lounge. If you are looking for a job, you don’t want to miss this.

And for those of you looking to connect on camera, we will come together face-to-face (or screen-to-screen) after the presentations for a little dose of community.

We will have ASL interpretation and live closed captioning throughout. Contact [email protected] if you have other accessibility needs.

Hope to see you there!

PDXWIT's mission: Building a better tech industry by creating access, dismantling inequities and fueling belonging.

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

The struggle is real when it comes to charging for your freelance services. If you’re like other side-hustlers today, you may be asking yourself one (or more!) of these questions:

What language should a proposal, SOW, or contract include? What is the best price for my services at my level… that my clients won’t fight me on? How do I get paid on time, every time? What do I do when I really want to turn down a potential client, but don’t want to sound like a jerk doing it? How do I keep my invoices, payments, and other numbers organized?

We will share the straightforward answers to these and other questions about freelancing pricing, proposals & payments.

We invite you to join us for this interactive breakfast for Women in Technology & Entrepreneurship. We are featuring Oregon women in tech to give their insight on how they reached their level of success, advise on navigating the workplace, and how we can help the next generation of women in tech. This dynamic panel will be moderated by an expert in the field.

Our esteemed panel of speakers are pioneers in their respective fields, representing many facets of international tech industry.

After the panel, we will invite attendees to participate in a Q&A session with our panelists before we continue the rest of our busy day!

Registration through Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMofuypqjsjGtLme-rED9_sa8LXmXDnGXJ5 is required to gain entry to this virtual event

Join us for a special summer edition of our BIPOC in Tech event series. We will explore how leveraging technology can help reduce the barriers BIPOC folks face when it comes to the outdoors.

The outdoors can offer a place of peace, joy, or even a simple moment to step away from our computers and unplug. From your window, it can seem so accessible, yet forests, mountain tops, and swimming holes are often lacking diversity. We are here to help change that! Whether it’s for walking around in your neighborhood park, gardening, fishing, hiking, rock climbing, cycling, etc., share your favorite apps or tech that help you get outside, stay safe, and reclaim the spirit of our ancestors.

The presentation portion of this event is open to everyone, but please be aware that the perspectives and needs of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) will be centered. After the presentation portion, white allies in attendance will be asked to leave in order to create dedicated, small breakout spaces for BIPOC attendees.

We will have ASL interpretation and live closed captioning during the event and available for breakout rooms.

We'd all love to have mentors, but even so you can't rely on them always. What if there was a way to coach yourself out of problems, hold yourself accountable and catalyze growth? This webinar will teach you to be more self-motivated, structured for success and improve your time management skills. Get ready to become the coach you wish you had!

Sleep is a vital, often neglected, component of every person's overall health and well-being. Sleep is important because it enables the body to repair and be fit and ready for another day. Getting adequate rest may also help prevent excess weight gain, heart disease, and increased illness duration. Lack of sleep can lead to a higher risk of accidents and productivity losses. Sleep tracking can improve your sleep, providing you with a wealth of data such as how much time you've spent in each stage of sleep. But how do you use this data wisely?

Join experts as they share about Data-Driven approach to sleep during this webinar.

"Flood your life with ideas from many sources. Creativity needs to be exercised like a muscle. If you don't use it, you'll lose it!" -Brian Tracy

You know what they say. Creativity = Success. Creativity helps you stand out - it helps differentiate you from your competitors, and it makes you more memorable in your customers' minds.

Except it isn't that easy to come up with creative ideas and more often than not, you find yourself stuck with the same old ideas. Big ideas don’t just grow on trees. You can't force creativity, and sometimes, "creative" isn't enough for an idea to succeed.

We might just know how to help you out! Join our experts as they take you through a tried and tested frameworks to generate creative ideas and train your creative muscle on a regular basis.

Life can sometimes present as a sea of constant tug and pull, chaos and flow, change and transitioning individually and sometimes all at once. In the midst of trying to create balance, how do we stand strong in our own uniqueness and how can we find, understand and appreciate what that strength looks like in order to become it more within our lives. This webinar will explore the different concepts and ways of how we can identify and measure how we are living in our unique strength, whilst offering tools and techniques to help maintain that place.

Sarba is currently the Product Security Consultant at Umpqua Bank where she is collaborating and acting as a security advisor to the Product teams when new digital technologies and/or business needs are identified. She is also the Membership Chair for the Women In Cybersecurity(WiCyS) Oregon Affiliate, the Chapter Lead for Infosec Girls - Oregon and the Founding member of WomenH2H, a global community for women leaders and changemakers. She is also a passionate volunteer and advocate for women’s empowerment, education equity while being a writer and mentor at heart, dedicated to helping individuals and organizations become more compassionate, curious and cybersmart.

RSVP: https://www.meetup.com/OWASP-Portland-Chapter/events/278536668/

Your career is an ever-evolving process. How do you get to the next level?

This webinar will help you achieve clarity to create an actionable plan to get your next promotion. We’ll start with the foundation of showcasing your value to the organization.

Next, we’ll dive into effective ways for you to showcase your value to an organization. Regardless of your seniority within an organization or if you’re starting a new gig. Recognize your strengths and speak about them confidently not arrogantly to get noticed.

Lastly, this webinar will teach you how to unpack your networking skills to build relationships that are mutually beneficial. It’s not about swapping business cards it’s about getting to know the person whose name is on that business card.

This webinar is designed for the professional who’s ready to take it to the next level.

Debunk the myths of networking challenges and gain new perspective on how easy and helpful networking can be for helping you to achieve your goals.

Learn how to meet valuable contacts on apps and online Establish and maintain authentic relationships Frame your existing employment situation in a positive light Get the most out of virtual/remote networking events

and More!

Join Yelp for Business and General Assembly for a series of workshops focused on empowering business owners.

If you're a startup or small business, you're likely time-poor and resource constrained, so on top of growing your business and acquiring users and customers, how do you also market your company brilliantly?

If you want to reduce your marketing mistakes and increase your successes—this is the workshop for you. Packed with practical tips on how to fast track your business growth through proven lean marketing strategies, this session will help you get started on effectively getting the word out about your business. You'll learn the basics of content marketing strategy, social media marketing, email marketing, and so much more. You'll also gain knowledge of the appropriate marketing channel to use based on your business model and startup marketing strategy.

Come along if you're a startup and small business owner—or are thinking about starting one—with little or no marketing experience.

This free webinar is an orientation to help newcomers to the startup scene get acquainted with the exciting world of startups in Oregon. We will canvas key events/meetups to attend, startups to know, people, companies, VCs, blogs, hot issues, and more. You'll also learn how to participate in the community to advance your startup or startup career.

Registration through Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrc-ysrTosE9bkJOuhJWBxv6Lept2DUrN8 is required to gain entry to this virtual event

Join us during Pride Month for a celebration hosted by Cambia.

It’s PRIDE month! The usual PRIDE parade where folks line the streets and wear our glittered rainbow outfits is not happening for the 2nd year in a row, but that doesn’t mean the celebration has to be put on hold. How are you celebrating PRIDE this month?

Join us as we meet with Queer leaders in tech spaces, creating connections to talk about what they’re doing to celebrate and connect with the community at-large. From driveway dinners to virtual happy hours, the community is built by us, and the pandemic can’t stop our spirit!

Facilitated by Crystal Sincoff and Hazel Valdez, this panel discussion with Denise McCarty from Autodesk, Jennifer Bantelman from Zapproved, and others will share their connections to the queer community in the past, present and future.

Event sponsored by our friends at Cambia.

We will have ASL interpretation and live closed captioning throughout.

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

Without question, it takes something for we humans – even in great times – to have a vision and take the right actions to create the success we want in our lives, both personally and professionally.

Whether you want to take on your career, love life, health, fun & adventure, family (yes, even yours), and/or bank account, this workshop will help you wake up to your summer dreams and get into the right actions to realize them. You will walk away with a new perspective, attainable goals, and an inspired personal plan.

Join us for an insightful, thought-provoking workshop to kick off your summer, and not only design your next move but ensure its success.

Registration through Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Eaemc3fVQtyr0D_4grtqjA is required to gain entry to this virtual event

Why are Asians labeled as Model Minorities? Join PDXWIT and our host Avenue Agency for a panel discussion where we’ll debunk the Model Minority Myth, a stereotypical idea that has caused confusion, misunderstanding, and harm to the Asian community for generations. Recent attacks on Asian Americans and Asians have sparked national discussions around Anti-Asian Racism, Asian Hate, and Asian Culture- but why did it take so long to come to light?

Moderated by Padmashree Koneti, this conversation will include panelists Zhou Fang, Hazel Valdez and Deana Solis. Panelists will share their personal and interpersonal experiences as Asian Americans and Asians in Portland and the U.S. Their collective lived experience gives us a glimpse of how communities can rally together and create a united voice that rejects the model minority myth.

We will have ASL interpretation and live closed captioning throughout.

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

RSVP: https://www.meetup.com/OWASP-Portland-Chapter/events/277480846/

Excerpt:

Traditionally, breaches that make the news are about stealing data and that data being resold for financial gains. Think Target, Ashley Madison, Marriott and so many more. Recently a spotlight was put on supply chain security via the SolarWinds breach and how that affected many companies. The adversaries were able to inject malicious code into applications that have a lot or rights and are widely deployed in many organizations, small and large alike.

We will discuss the framework, your SDLC (SDL, SSDLC, etc.) – Secure Development Lifecycle – to lay out how you are going to develop and secure your applications. Customers care about this. Once you have your SDLC, you need to define your processes, select your tools, integrate them into your SDLC and finally automate those tools. This is not a short process and often multiple iterations are necessary to get to a good place. The goal of this presentation is to make you aware of a variety of tools that are out there, the various steps along the way of your SDLC you need to take and how to complete each of these steps.

BIO:

Derek Hill has over 25 years of experience in Information Security and Information Technology. He is currently the Director of AppSec engineering at ForgeRock, an Identity and Access management company, based in Vancouver, WA. He is responsible for implementing and improving the company’s product security on a continual basis. He works closely with software engineers and security engineers in multiple countries to ensure the ForgeRock products are developed securely and tested in all phases of the development lifecycle. In addition to his full time job, Derek is also a SANS community instructor teaching Security Leadership and CISSP prep courses.

Prior to his current position, Derek held Information Security, IT management and technical roles at both large and small companies. In each role, he consistently focused on managing high-performing teams, delivering efficient solutions and providing excellent services to a variety of stakeholders, maximizing uptime and security. Derek also has significant experience in cloud technologies, responsible for moving, securing and maintaining them in various cloud environments through their lifecycle.

Registration through Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NTtEyErWSeKDkMujZNKHoQ is required to gain entry to this virtual event

Join PDXWIT, along with PDX Blacks in Tech and Simple X, for a conversation with several Portland transplants who’ve created supportive spaces. Dianne Jarvis Lumsden, Front End Software Developer at Coinbase and facilitator of PDX Blacks in Tech, and Wilson Kubwayo, founder of Simple X and Adjunct Instructor at Portland Community College, will be taking part.

This honest conversation, facilitated by Krystal Ngene, Community & Corporate Engagement Manager at In4All, will explore the stories of each speakers’ relocation to PDX and the challenges they faced in finding a supportive network. As a result, they are building and nurturing those networks for themselves.

After hearing from the speakers, all attendees will have the option of on camera networking. There will be a dedicated breakout room for BIPOC and a space for white allies to connect.

There will be live ASL and closed captioning throughout the event.

Agenda: 5:00 p.m. - Webinar open 5:05 p.m. - PDXWIT and Host Introduction 5:15 p.m. - Talk begins 5:45 p.m. - Q&A 6 p.m. - Breakout rooms including dedicated space for BIPOC to connect without white allies present 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.