QA has seen so much happen in the last 5 years, from mobile, to cloud, to social media and beyond - challenging every company to do things faster and still maintain high quality. The question on the table is: Where does QA go from here? We’ve been hearing from our members that they would like a discussion about the future of Quality Assurance, Testing methodologies, and the impact it may have on our career paths. This is highlighted by the need to define the role of QA on an Agile team, which may differ from the classic "career QA” path.

We have assembled a panel of thought leaders representing the academic, business, and practitioner view to discuss and clarify the future path of QA . We hope you can join us for this interactive lunch event!

Click here for more information and to register!.

Sponsored by AgilePDX, Agile Open Northwest, TAO QA & Dev Forums, PNSQC:

"Agile Testing: How do WE Make it Work?"

As our organizations move toward "Agile” for developing software, we all face the challenge of understanding how to adapt our former roles and ways of working to new work roles and processes. How do we ensure the continued value of testing?

Join us in Open Space to share your questions, challenges, strategies, success stories, and how you've overcome stumbling blocks.

In small groups, we’ll discuss topics such as:

· How is Agile testing different from how we’ve always done it? · How do we know what to test? · How do we know what not to test? · On Agile teams, when does testing happen and whose job is it? · What is Exploratory Testing and why should we care? · How do regression tests work? · How does testing improve my design? Should it? · How do we ensure it is cost effective? · What do people mean when they say, "no defects”? · Does Agile change how we test or does it just raise the existing issues?

Bring the topics you feel passion for and add them to the list!

Each self-organizing discussion group will create a document or other record of their discussion, ideas, questions, and insights. We’ll share everyone’s experiences at the end of the day.

Who should attend?

· Testers facing an Agile adoption/People new to the testing role/Testers eager to jump in · Devs who want to get serious about defect-free code · CTOs and Managers of Test/Validation, Dev, Application Delivery · Academics preparing new software/IT professionals for the real world

Cost to attend: $75 per person (Register early. We expect to sell out.)

CREATING AND PROMOTING A CULTURE OF INNOVATION: With Facebook's Former VP of HR: Beth Steinberg

Beth will talk about her experience at Facebook as VP of HR and the strategies and tactics she used to build an attractive culture and retain the talent that helped fuel Facebook’s explosive growth. She will share some stories about her time at Facebook and other leading technology companies and will talk about some roles that a CEO/Founder can play in helping to build a great team and market corporate culture in support of recruitment efforts.

• Learn strategies and tactics used to attract and retain the talent that helped fuel Facebook’s explosive growth
• Learn what roles a CEO/Founder can play in helping to build a great team and market corporate culture in support of recruitment efforts
• Gain strategies that local companies can use to attract C-level talent as well as top-notch developers in a market that is growing more competitive by the day
• Gain helpful insight for Tech leaders and companies with complex organizational and growth issues

Agenda 5:30pm Doors Open, Cocktails and Networking 6:00pm Program Begins 8:00pm Program Ends

Click Here for information and to Register.

Technology Association of Oregon LAUNCH PARTY

PROMOTE | EDUCATE | CONNECT

Join our industry’s top technology leaders as we come together to celebrate the inauguration of the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO)! During this highly interactive and experiential event you will be able to network with your peers and learn about ways to get involved in TAO committees, events, and initiatives. In addition to the unveiling of a new website, logo, and communication tool, this event will showcase ways in which TAO is delivering greater value to its members and sponsors. This event will highlight the companies and organizations that make our technology community great!

In partnership with Nitin Khanna and Mergertech, the TAO Launch Party will feature the ever popular "Scotch Lounge” in celebration of the recent successes of local tech startups. This is not your typical corporate event. Come learn why the TAO is not your typical trade association.

Presenting Sponsor: Comcast Business Class

Promote Lounge Sponsor: Catalyst IT

Scotch Lounge Sponsor: MergerTech

Fun Factor Sponsor: First Tech Federal Credit Union

When: Thursday, November 15, 2012 Where: Pure Space, Portland, OR Time: 6:00 - 9:00 PM Table of 10: $2,000 Members $2,500 Nonmembers Single Ticket: $75 Members $125 Nonmembers To Register: (503) 228-5452

This event will include a lively discussion of the potential returns of a Wellness Program, setting goals, and effectively marketing to increase employee engagement. We will include real life examples of what works and what doesn't work in the wellness arena, and describe some cutting edge programs.

What Will You Learn?

• How to provide employees with tools to be healthy and financially strong, cultivate their careers and support their communities
• How to enhance business results through a total wellness program
• How to enhance employee engagement by setting goals and marketing
• How to involve "at risk” employees in your wellness program

Panelists:

• Anne Donovan, SPHR, is president of Xenium HR with 20 dedicated years served at the Stoller Group of Companies. In additional to PHR and SPR certifications, Anne holds a certificate for Human Resource Management from Portland State University. Anne will describe Xenium’s rollout of a major wellness initiative in 2012, and identify Best Practices in the wellness arena.

• Monique Little, First Tech Federal Credit Union’s Chief People Officer, will describe the credit union’s comprehensive approach to total employee wellness called WiredWell. This program focuses on health, financial strength, career cultivation and community involvement. Monique will describe how this program enhanced First Tech’s employee engagement, satisfaction and business results.

• David Mays is a founder of Portland based Walker Tracker, a company that designs and implements activity programs for corporations and organizations. Walker Tracker engages walkers in 77 countries. David will describe setting wellness program goals and marketing, as well as sharing the three components to involve "at risk” employees in your wellness program.

Moderator:

• Sarah J. Ryan, Managing Partner of the Portland office of Jackson Lewis LLP, specializes in employment law and routinely advises companies regarding employee issues. Sarah will provide a brief highlight of the legal issues that must be considered in implementing a wellness program.

Who Should Attend?

• Corporate benefits administrators
• HR Executives
• Corporate risk advisors
• Company executives

For more Information and to Register, Click here

Can smart wrist bands, digital shoes or intelligent sweat pants make us healthier? Do our smart phones hold the power to enable our physicians to provide improved treatment and drive better health outcomes? Patient engagement is all the rage, but quantified patients are using fitness devices and apps to collect and interpret extensive data to make better health decisions in growing numbers, and the technology community is there to meet the growing demand for new and smarter tools.

Join TAO and HIMSS Oregon for a pre-panel expo that will feature cutting edge personal fitness devices and health and fitness apps from companies like Nike, Fitbit and Athletepath that are driving the quantified self. Then hear from leaders that are helping to define the way devices and apps can go beyond fitness to address our biggest healthcare challenges.

Is the quantified self the next healthcare revolution?

Panelists:

• Dr. Margie Morris, Clinical Psychologist and Senior Researcher, Intel
• Christian Reed, Co-Founder, Athletepath
• Ben Chodor, Co-Founder, Happtique
• Bill Arzt, Chief Operations Officer and Co-Founder, GoRecess

Moderator:

• Jim Moon, Chief Technology Officer at Sotera Wireless

For more Information and to Register Click here

With the NHIT Week theme: One Voice, One Vision: Transforming Health and Care, HIMSS Oregon, in partnership with Technology Association of Oregon (TAO), will hold - Ignite Health - from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Oregon Health & Science University's Old Auditorium and Grand Hall in Portland.

Healthcare and technology enthusiasts, as well as media, are encouraged to attend to learn about emerging, innovative, unconventional, inspiring, locally-sourced concepts and tools and connect with a diverse and passionate crowd of like-minded health innovation enthusiasts. There is no cost for attendance but registration is required. Visit http://bit.ly/1dX4JuW to register today.

The event on September 19th, 2013 will bring together more than 200 local Healthcare IT Leaders to at Ignite Health to listen to over 15 local presenters with big ideas on innovation in healthcare technology – each presenting their ideas in just five minutes.

Ignite Health is an event where local people who have a burning idea and the guts to get onstage are able to share their personal and professional passions, in this case, regarding healthcare and wellness. Each speaker is limited to just 300 seconds to get their idea across, and each presentation will offer a quick, fun, thought-provoking, social, local or global perspective on the true value that American healthcare can realize through an integrated information management system.

Presenters, and their topics, include:

MELISSA BOOKER (Systems Analyst, Cambia Health): How Sparky Anderson & Baseball Can Help Healthcare Organizations Make Better Decisions

DAWN BONDER (President, CEO, Health Republic): Consumer-Operated & Oriented Plans: Offering Solutions to Healthcare Conundrums

CALE BRUCKNER, (Principle, Emergent Health Care Solutions): Using Mobile Technology to Improve Patient Engagement & Outcomes

RAY CONSTANTITI (CoFounder, BrightMD): Emcee

DOUG COOKE (President, Tinder): ACA: The Big "A" or the Little "a"?

MILES ELLENBY (Associate Professor, Pediatric Critical Care, OHSU): Like Skype On Steroids: Telemedicine

ART FLETCHER (CNA, Filius Bonacci): Actionable Clinical Quality Intelligence

STEVE GEHLEN (Director of Marketing, HealthSparq): How come I can shop for a $25-60 t-shirt, but not a $2500-$6000 Gallbladder Removal?

JEFFERY GOLD (Associate Professor, Pulmonary & Critical Care, OHSU): Stimulation to Improve Health & Safety of Electronic Health Records

WILLIAM HERSH (Professor, Chair Dept of Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology at OHSU): The OHSU Informatics Discover Lab

AL LEE (Engineer, Author): Transform Your Life: One Breath at a Time

MOLLY LINDQUIST (Founder, CEO, Consano): Bringing "the crowd" to medical research

MITCHELL LUSHENKO (3rd Year Master's Student, OHSU-PSU): HAL

TONY McCOMICK (CTO, Medical Information Integration, LLC): Changing the Health Care IT Model with Open Source

MOHAN NAIR (CIO, Cambia Health Solutions): Journey of Innovation for Military Health

KEVIN RENNER (President, BrandNew): A Next-Generation Approach to Health Cost Containment

MARK STEEVES (CIO, WiserCare): Engineering Challenges of Shared Decision Making

KATIE VAHLE (CoFounder, CoPatient): Empowering Patients to Bend their Own Cost-Curve with Technology-Enabled Advocacy

VIOLET V (MBA, Stanford): Psychedelic-Assisted Chemotherapy & Other Defenses Against Homicidal Breasts

"Our participation in National Health IT Week highlights our organization's commitment to ensure health information technology is integrated, interactive, interoperable, and intelligent to provide the best patient outcomes", said Mark Fromuth, HIMSS Oregon Chapter President. "By working together we can leverage the technology to promote for the betterment of our healthcare system."

Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been going strong for years, small business success demands effort on many fronts: building brand awareness, making sales, attracting talent, fundraising, and business development to name a few. So, how do you drive all these priorities effectively—with limited time and resources? And how can the LinkedIn platform help?

To find out, join LinkedIn and the Technology Association of Oregon on Tuesday, March 18th, for “LinkedIn Live in Portland”, where you’ll hear from local LinkedIn experts on how they’re flexing the world’s largest professional network to achieve their business goals.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Anyone looking to grow their business on LinkedIn - individual entrepreneurs, small-business owners, CXOs, VPs, and Directors - will benefit from this highly interactive half-day event!

This event will cover a range of core functional areas in which small business professionals are using LinkedIn.

KEYNOTE: Insights on the Portland LinkedIn network. Hear LinkedIn representatives share insights on the area's LinkedIn presence, and how local members and companies are using the platform to create value.

LINKEDIN NETWORKING: Not like your typical networking session, LinkedIn leverages your regional network to create a structured and purposeful networking environment with like-minded professionals.

EXPERT STORIES: In these fast-paced, 10-minute presentations, local LinkedIn experts provide real-life examples of their personal success using LinkedIn to help drive their small business forward. Expect stories packed with proven tactics, and opportunities to dig into the details with follow up Q&A.

Marketing. Hear how building a brand presence on LinkedIn enables you to attract new talent, partners, and customers. • Kent Lewis, President & Founder of Anvil Media • Hunter Marshall, Brand Strategy Director, Liquid Agency

Sales/Business Development. Sales and partnerships come easier when you’re talking to the right people. Find out how professionals are finding them on LinkedIn. • Dan Scroggin, Vice President Business Development, Montgomery & Graham, Inc. • Heidi Kayser, Managing Director Business Development at ADi - Animation Dynamics, Inc.

Personal branding. Learn how to leverage your personal brand on LinkedIn to attract business, make the right connections, and build relationships that unlock breakout opportunities for your company. • Pinky Gonzales, Founder of Upriver Solutions, Partner at Soleia Company

Hiring. See how LinkedIn can help you find the right hire, quickly and easily. • TBD

PANEL: Cracking the small business code. Driving ongoing success in your business is no simple task. At the core, it’s all about building relationships to move your business forward—decision makers, hires, and new customers to name a few. This panel of local business leaders will share how they’ve tapped into the LinkedIn network to find those key individuals and take their businesses to new heights. • Dan Gaul, Chief Technology Officer, Digital Trends • Richard Lazar, President, Readiness Systems LLC

DETAILS: When: Tuesday, March 18, 2014 Time: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM Where: Oregon Zoo, Vista Ballroom, Portland, OR Cost: $20 Members and Nonmembers Register: All attendees must read and agree to the Publicity Agreement on the event website, http://www.techoregon.org/event?eventid=10649463833

AGENDA: 8:00AM - Doors Open & Breakfast 8:30AM - Introduction 8:40AM - Keynote: Insights on the Portland LinkedIn network 9:10AM - LinkedIn networking 9:45AM - LinkedIn expert stories (4) 10:45AM - Break 10:50AM - LinkedIn expert stories (2) 11:20AM - Break 11:30AM - Panel: Cracking the small business code

A Look Into Oregon Research Universities – what have they been up to and how can you help?

In a survey of technology company CEOs that TAO and the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) conducted this past fall, concerns about the strength of Oregon's research institutions rose to top of the list among survey respondents. Please join your peers for a networking dinner and panel discussion which will include VPs of Research from Oregon Research Universities who will give an overview of their research including total research funding, segmentation of funding, programs supporting commercialization, and top academic research programs that align with the technology industry. The goal of this event is to begin to close the knowledge gap about Oregon's university research and to move toward garnering more industry support for Oregon's research universities.

Panelists Include:

Ron Adams, Interim Vice President for Research at Oregon State University

Patrick L. Jones, Associate Vice President for Research Finance and Business Administration at University of Oregon

Daniel Dorsa, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Research at Oregon Health & Science University

Jonathan Fink, Vice President for Research and Strategic Partnerships, Portland State University

Mateo Aboy, Associate Provost & VP for Research, Oregon Institute of Technology

The evening will be moderated by Michael Burger, CEO of Cascade Microtech and Skip Newberry, President of TAO.

Details: When: Thursday, September 11, 2014 Where: Nel Centro, 1408 SW 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97201 Time: 5:30 – 8:30 PM Cost: $95 Members | $125 Nonmembers

Join us for, the TAO Agile Smack-Down, a thought-provoking discussion and debate of the good, bad, and ugly ways to implement Agile methodologies. Adam Light will moderate a rousing dialog between Frank D'Andrea, VP Software Development at Tater Tot Designs, and James Shore, author of The Art of Agile Development. Our panel will discuss real-world lessons from applying and misapplying Agile to application development, with time set aside for Q&A from the audience.

he changing business environment, and rapid company growth force companies to change, add and upgrade their technology. Rolling out new technology puts additional demands on the organization and its employees that aren't always anticipated during the project planning stages. Employees that you thought would like the new technology are now suddenly barriers and some might even be vocal detractors. How do you keep the implementation on track and gain employee buy in of the new technology to ensure it is adopted successfully?

Join our panel of IT & HR executives to learn how this key partnership can help your company and your people achieve successful change and transformation.

Discussion Topics Include:

• Changing the perception of IT implementation
• Key planning lessons for preparing your teams for significant change and transformation
• How to develop an employee readiness plan to keep your employees informed, engaged and prepared to embrace something new
• Leveraging employee champions and addressing the detractors or even ones that are actively trying to derail the adoption
• Best practices in managing the outcomes of significant change: shifts in culture, transforming jobs and changes in staffing, and declines in employee satisfaction and engagement levels
• Laying the proper groundwork to establish policies managers can enforce

Panel:

First Tech Federal Credit Union - How the HR and IT Departments at First Tech Federal Credit Union worked together to implement several new system integrations effectively. - Monique Little, Chief People Officer, First Tech Federal Credit Union Mike Upton, Chief Technology and Digital Officer, First Tech Federal Credit Union

HR Technology Consulting / Pacific Natural Foods -- How utilizing a 3rd party consultant can add support and value. - Kathy Galaway, Principal, HR Technology Consulting - Kathy Murray, Vice President of Human Resources, Pacific Natural Foods

Multnomah County -- Will share tips, tricks and valuable tools they use to manage change within their organization. - Becca Beck, Applications Manager for the Heath Department (MCHD) and the Department of County Human Services (DCHS) Portfolios, Multnomah County, Department of County Assets

• Jane Williams, PMP, Manager for Technology, Learning Development Projects, Multnomah County, Department of County Management

Moderator: Ken Wiley, Wiley and Associates LLC

Please register on Eventbrite.

This roundtable is for startup's who are not members of the Technology Association of Oregon. We're looking at ways for TAO to engage in the local startup community and would like to hear why a startup would or would not consider TAO membership.

Attendees will be sent a quick survey about TAO before the round table.

Snacks, coffee, and networking time will be had. You'll also learn about TAO and what we have going on.

If you're a startup we'ed love to have you. For any questions, please email Aaron Epperson at [email protected].

Meet, mingle and learn from other People, Program and Project Managers during our lightning talks.

All registrants are invited to submit a topic, attendees will vote on topics, and three people will be asked to speak during our Happy Hour. Present an unsolved question or an inspirational answer - it's your choice. The only rules are that the topic is Project Management and you only have five minutes.

5 pm - Welcome Reception 6:30 pm - Dinner and Awards Ceremony 8:30 pm - After Party

The Oregon Technology Awards celebrates excellence and achievement in the region's technology industry and honors outstanding individuals with prestigious Lifetime Achievement, Sam Blackman (formerly Technology Executive of the Year), and - new this year - Tech Champion awards and eight companies are recognized for their accomplishments, leadership, and commitment to the industry and community.

The 34th annual event will draw more than 600 attendees including entrepreneurs and tech professionals from across the region and around the globe.

In Oregon we love our trees. We love our mountains. We love our blackberries, our salmon, and our... semiconductors. Our state has always cherished a love of mother nature and a love of technology, but it has never been a better time to explore how the two can work together. From a VC boom in climate tech investing that beat recession and inflation fears, to massive government programs, to a critical mass of consumer demand - for those in tech who want to make an impact on the planet the moment is now.

Join us to learn how Oregon is leading the way in cleantech, and what you can do today to help.

Agenda

11:30 AM to 12:30 PM - Registration, Networking, Lunch

12:30 to 12:45 PM - Opening Remarks

12:45 to 1:30 PM - Please Install Upgrade: What Earth needs most from Tech

Experienced sustainability leaders share front-line experiences in leveraging innovation to fight climate change and reduce human impact on the earth. Learn about the technological step-changes they think have been most crucial in changing how we engage with things like climate, and hear their problem-solving wishlists of the top opportunities they see coming for clean tech.

• Panelists include Lina Cowen, Kara Valikai, and Cyrus Wadia

1:45 to 2:30 PM - Fireside Chat with Tobias Read & Jordan Rice

Open conversation with our State Treasurer about his office's net-zero commitment, how public-private partnership can accelerate Oregon's leadership in clean tech, and his personal ask of environmentally-minded Oregon businesspeople.

2:30 to 3:00 PM - Break

3:00 to 3:45 PM - Local Solutions

Melanie Adamson leads a panel discussion on how Oregon is harnessing climate tech solutions to make an impact on the planet, and what others can do to help. Featuring industry experts from startups, scale-ups and ecosystem accelerators, the discussion will explore some of the exciting ways that Oregon tech leaders are leveraging innovation to fight climate change and reduce human impact on the earth.

• Panelists include Jo Brickman, Tanya Barham, Dexter Turner, and Morgan Pitts

3:45 to 4:30 PM - Hosted Roundtable Discussions

• Earth Day Oregon, Beneficial State Bank, and more to be announced.

4:30 to 5:30 PM - Happy Hour

AI is everywhere! And TAO is here for it! Our existing Data Community is growing to encompass AI and we hope that you will join us. Our kickoff event of 2024 will feature you, our community members, and give you time to share your thoughts, ideas, fears, challenges, and insights on AI. If you have opinions, we want to hear them! This is an opportunity to grow the community, network, and share ideas for future programming.

Are you feeling the buzz around AI but struggling to find clear guidance on using or building AI tools and systems safely and ethically, while taking advantage of the power of AI? What best practices are organizations adopting now around the ethics and safety of AI? What questions should you be asking? What should you do now to prepare for possible laws and regulations?

The TAO AI & Data Community invites you to join us for an informal, conversational panel discussion that aims to foster AI literacy and spark dialogue about AI's emerging role in all kinds of organizations.