Softec, the Central Coast’s premier software and technology association is pleased to announce its 3rd Annual Women in Technology Dinner at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at MINDBODY. Four keynote speakers will be presenting – “Ted Talk” style – covering the topic “Talent, Technology, and Tactics: Everything You Need to Know About Attracting and Retaining Talent.”
Don’t miss this informative networking event, including great talks, meaningful discussions, opportunities to meet locals who are hiring, prizes, and delicious food—appetizers, salad, pasta bar, taco bar, and desserts—catered by our local Splash Café. Local wine and beer are also included.
This event is ideal for any woman age eighteen to ninety-eight interested in technology, building a career, or supporting women in their community and organization. Locally-based tech company, MINDBODY is the key sponsor of the event. In addition to hosting the event at their San Luis Obispo headquarters, the company has donated $5,000 towards the event and is subsidizing the cost of the discounted student ticket.
“The Women In Technology group of Softec has taken off in the past three years!” said Stewart Morse President of Softec. “They’ve become so popular that they have a strong turnout for their monthly breakfasts, lunches, and happy hours. The monthly meetups and annual dinners provide a forum where they can collaborate to advance their careers, find work life balance solutions and share valuable information and knowledge with each other.”
Tickets may be purchased for $40 and student pricing is available. Bring your business cards to participate in the drawing.
Distinguished speakers include:
Dr. Jane L. Lehr is Chair of Women’s & Gender Studies and Associate Professor in Ethnic Studies at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She is also Faculty Director of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority and Underrepresented Student Participation (LSAMP) in STEM Program. She previously served as elected co-chair of the Science & Technology Taskforce of the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA), and as a Postdoctoral Research Officer at the Centre for Informal Learning and Schools (CILS) at King’s College, University of London. Her graduate training is in Science & Technology Studies and Women’s Studies at Virginia Tech and her teaching and research focus on the complex relationships between gender, race, culture, science, technology, and education.
Kristen Hazard (@timesarrow) is a SLO native currently running a software consultancy called Suntoucher and bootstrapping a startup called Wildnote. Wildnote is an environmental data collection and management application. The business she looks up to most is Patagonia. In her spare time she volunteers with CodeSLO to mentor women who want to break into tech.
Amy Kardel loves technology and people, but what she really enjoys is seeing how IT can improve business processes. As the founder of two start-ups, advisory board member of ConnectWise and chairwoman of the board the CompTIA, she knows first-hand what it takes to help a business use IT and grow an organization by growing its people. With over 20 years of experience in the IT industry, she nurtures relationships with partners in the IT channel to continuously improve the services she can deliver for her clients. As the premier IT consulting and services firm in San Luis Obispo, Clever Ducks services a range of business industries including medical, accounting and finance. Amy is married to Peter, a mother of four teenagers, a lifelong sailor and a proud Rotarian.
Sarah Risley (@SarahRisley) is the Nuclear Training Accreditation Supervisor at Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) Diablo Canyon Power Plant. In 2010, driven by her passion for recruitment and retention of women in technology, she founded the Diablo Canyon Chapter of U.S. Women in Nuclear (U.S. WIN). U.S. WIN is the premier network of more than 8,000 members that work in, and support nuclear and radiation-related fields, with a keen focus on public outreach and professional development. She continues on the board today, and also represents members from the central and pacific regions on the national level by her service on the U.S. WIN Steering Committee, and is the Executive Sponsor for the national Professional Development Committee. Sarah holds a Master of Business Administration from Cal Poly and Bachelor of Science in Corporate Communication from the University of Texas, Austin. Sarah, her husband Chris, and their two young children reside in San Luis Obispo’s south county.
Softec is a nonprofit organization with over 2,000 members committed to creating and promoting technology events for enthusiasts of all ages throughout the community to connect, network, educate and learn.
Our goal is to cultivate relationships, advocacy, and economic development for the software and technology industries here on the Central Coast by aligning local businesses, individuals and educational resources in our community to produce a thriving hub of innovation. Softec hosts monthly Tech Brews in San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria spotlighting the community’s latest technologies, an annual Robotics Expo, Women In Technology monthly events and an annual dinner, and open houses.
For more information visit: www.softec.org