WIT Conference - Colorado Technology Association

Create Your Own Story

The Women in Technology (WIT) Conference is a virtual event celebrating women across Colorado’s tech community. Participants will hear from a variety of dynamic speakers and engage in meaningful discourse on technology trends, leadership and opportunities and challenges surrounding women in today’s tech workforce.

Enjoy two jam-packed half days of direct access to executive-level women and community leaders from all corners of Colorado tech and beyond, as well as the opportunity to network with other women in technology.

The virtual WIT Conference will include:

Renowned Keynote Speakers
Technology-focused General Sessions
Professional Development Workshops
Networking Opportunities
Digital Event Journal
Digital Photo Booth
Sponsor Expo

Presented by:

Thursday, September 24, 2020
12 – 6:00 PM

Friday, September 25, 2020
9 AM – 3 PM

Virtual

#WIT2020

Watch Our 2019 WIT Conference Video

https://youtu.be/LO8dvmNHcKs

Who Will Be There?
Take a look at the impressive group attending the 2020 Women in Technology (WIT) Conference!

Acara Solutions
Adams 12 Five Star Schools
Advanced Systems Group
Allegion
ANGI Homeservices
Ardent Mills
Arrow Electronics
Aurora Public Schools
Bank of America
Centura Health
CGI
City & County of Denver – Technology Services
CoBank
Computershare
Connected EC
CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business
Davis Graham & Stubbs, LLP
DCP Midstream
Denver Economic Development & Opportunity (DEDO)
DISH
Google
Google Cloud
Gorilla Logic
Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT)
Green House Data
Havenly
Hitachi-Vantara
Hubb
Janus Henderson
Microsoft
Moss Adams
Moxie Exchange
Moye White LLP
New Relic
North Highland
Oracle
PGi
Pinnacol Assurance
Plante Moran
Principal Financial
Prologis
Propeller
Soona
St. Vrain Valley School District
Techtonic Group
The Confidence Factor for Women in Leadership
TiLT
Trimble
VeriCour
Visible
Western Governors University
WorkN
Xilinx, Inc.
Zayo Group
Zivaro

TICKET PRICES + IMPORTANT DATES

Premier Corporate Large + Mid Members

All Access Team
$85

General Admission
$35

Premier Corporate Small Members

All Access Team
$85

General Admission
$35

Company Team Members

All Access Team
$99

General Admission
$50

Individual Professional Members

All Access Team
NA

General Admission
$65

September 21

All Access Team Tickets will not be available after September 21st.

September 24

Purchase General Admission Tickets up to the day of the event!

TICKET INFORMATION

All Access Team

Available in Groups of 5 or 10 Only

Access to Professional Development Workshops

Access to Luminary Mentor Program Elements

VIP Swag Package for each Team Member

Special Team Building Elements

Book & Post-event Book Club

Team Branding at the Event

Keynotes

Tech Talks

Mindfulness // Rejuvenation Programming

On-demand and Archived Content

Community Networking // Virtual Happy Hour

Digital Event Journal

Digital Photo Booth

(Purchase tickets by 9/11 to receive the VIP Swag Package)

General Admission

Keynotes

Tech Talks

Mindfulness // Rejuvenation Programming

On-demand and Archived Content

Community Networking // Virtual Happy Hour

Digital Event Journal

Digital Photo Booth

Introducing Hubb!

Through the WIT event platform Hubb, you’ll be able to view the conference program and enter the virtual rooms, build your personal schedule, connect with the community and visit our sponsors.

You’ll also be able to take a selfie in our Digital Photo Booth and follow the event on our Social Connections Wall.

2020 PROGRAM

Thursday, September 24

12:00 pm // WIT Kickoff Luminary Roundtable Discussions - ALL ACCESS TEAM TICKETS ONLY

Gather your team and BYO Lunch as you kickoff WIT with a guided roundtable discussion led by a WIT Luminary. WIT Luminaries are female-identifying technology executives and community leaders who join the event to meet our attendees and share their leadership journey.Teams will have the opportunity to participate in a pre-event or post-event Luminary discussion. This will be pre-scheduled by CTA with your team.
12:50 pm // Break
1:00 pm // Welcome Remarks
- Frannie Matthews, President & CEO, Colorado Technology Association
1:20 pm // Opening Keynote - Becoming the Author of Your Own Story
- Angie Hicks, Chief Customer Officer, ANGI Homeservices | Cofounder, Angie’s List
Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angie’s List and Chief Customer Officer of ANGI Homeservices, shares her experience as an entrepreneur and business leader. Angie will recount her experience starting and growing a business, describing how she handled hurdles and sharing the lessons she’s learned along the way, including the importance of owning your own story and making decisions to take it in the direction you want it to go.
1:50 pm // Break
2:00 pm // TECH TALK: Creating Your Own Story in Tech

This year’s event theme is Create Your Own Story, and we’re honored to hear from prominent tech leaders on how they created their story in tech. Each journey is unique and no journey is linear. As females in technology, there is the additional hurdle of sometimes being the only women in the room. These leaders will share their story of advances and setbacks of the past and how they’re crafting their narrative for the future.

Moderated by: Elaine Marino, Managing Director, Diversity & Inclusion, Charles Schwab
– Liz Giorgi, Founder, Soona
– Allie Magyar, CEO & Founder, Hubb
– Lee Mayer, CEO & Co-founder, Havenly
– Sandi Mays, Co-Founder, Chief Information Officer & Chief Customer Experience Officer, Zayo
2:45 pm // Break - Sponsor Expo Open
3:00 pm // Professional Development Workshop: Inclusive Leadership: Becoming a Value Ally - ALL ACCESS TEAM TICKETS ONLY

– Facilitated by: Sara Jones, CEO, InclusionPro
In this era of social activism, there is a strong desire to ally with people of color and other marginalized communities. Using real life scenarios, Sara Jones will help connect the dots on how to be an effective ally. She will cover:
– Social justice and the desire to act
– What type of actions matter?
– Support Ally v. Value Ally
– How Value Allyship is rooted in equity
– Value Allyship is to become a learner
– How to practice Value Allyship now
This will be a highly interactive workshop focused on leadership skills and business value as we build and grow inclusive teams.
3:50 pm // Break
4:00 pm // Rejuvenation Exercise - Personal Reflection
- Jamie Shapiro, CEO/Founder, Connected EC; Author, Brilliant: Be the Leader Who Shine Brightly Without Burning Out
Spend a moment in reflection and calm connecting to your inner wisdom and story. In this session you will have the opportunity to give to yourself and nourish your energy and insight.
4:20 pm // Break
4:30 pm // Closing Keynote - Confidence, COVID 19 & Self Promotion
- Carol Sankar, Founder & CEO, The Confidence Factor for Women in Leadership
In the wake of Covid 19, women must continue to accelerate their value and presence in gender-normative spaces, professions and business models. Some women will be forced to pivot or make new life decisions. However, to commence anything new, we need the confidence to close the self-promotion gap. It may sound quite controversial, but there was a study conducted in 2019 and released in Forbes, which stated that women were less likely to boast about their accomplishments, and often felt a little shame to self promote themselves, rather they were more comfortable bragging about the accomplishments of other successful women. However, this lack of self promotion will limit women from excelling in the leadership spectrum if they continue to discount their achievements. This talk is designed to help women “brag more” and how to gain the confidence to accelerate.
Key takeaways
– Why self promotion is an important skill, especially during the changing landscape of the world
– How to build your confidence and avoid self-doubt
– Why minimizing your previous accomplishment(s) is the greatest risk to making your next decision
5:00 pm // Virtual Happy Hour - Sponsor Expo Open
6:00 pm // Day 1 Event End

Friday, September 25

9:00 am // Sponsor Expo Open
9:00 am // Community Networking Event
9:00 am // Luminary Panel - Q&A Session with our WIT Luminaries - ALL ACCESS TEAM TICKETS ONLY

What is one thing you attribute to your success? How do you spend your time outside of work? What are things you still struggle with? These are just a few questions we’ll dive into with our Luminaries in this candid Q&A session. Join us to ask your question!

Moderated by: Monica Coughlin, COO, Colorado Technology Association
– Ashlee Collins, SVP, Technology and Product, Inspirato
– Aleta Jeffress, VP Consulting Services – State & Local, CGI
– Gauri Kapur, Vice President-Software Engineering/Business Intelligence, National CineMedia
– Aleks Krusko, Vice President of Information Technology and Digitization, CoreSite
9:50 am // Break
10:00 am // Morning Meditation and Stretch
- Carrie Carroll, RYT 200 Yoga Instructor, Ohana Yoga + Barre Denver
Carrie will lead a 15-minute guided meditation and restorative stretch session to create space in the body with deeper breathing, which can translate to a clear and calmer mind. This session will give you the opportunity to shed any distraction, negativity or tension, resulting in a clear and more focused mind that can follow you for this event and beyond. Everyone deserves time for self-care, which translates into a calmer consciousness.
10:20 am // Welcome + Opening Remarks
- Frannie Matthews, President & CEO, Colorado Technology Association
10:30 am // Opening Keynote - A Fireside Chat with Gina Loften, US CTO, Microsoft Corporation
- Gina Loften, US Chief Technology Officer, Microsoft
Gina currently serves as the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft US, helping companies put innovation into practice and leading Microsoft’s 15 Microsoft Technology Centers across the US. Gina built her technology career at IBM from Systems Engineering Lead to Research Program Director to leading Global initiatives for IBM’s Watson. Gina is also a passionate Diversity and Inclusion Leader. In this session we’ll hear about how she’s created her story in technology.
10:55 am // Break
11:00 am // TECH TALK: How Businesses Can Better Support Women in the Workplace Amid a Global Pandemic (and Always!)

Many impacts of the pandemic are hitting women disproportionately hard. Women already do three times more unpaid care work as men and in addition have unequal pay, healthcare services and leadership roles. Businesses must place women at the center of their efforts to carry their teams through this crisis. This panel will explore some actions companies can take to support the women in their business through these challenging times.

– Moderated by: Ericka Hyson, President, WorkN
– Jennifer Henderson, CEO & Founder, Tilt
– Alison Moy, Senior Product Manager, DISH
– Elise Birkhofer, Global Head of Women’s Community & Programs, Google
11:45 am // Sponsor Expo Open
11:45 am // Professional Development Workshop: Knowing Who You Are and How to Tell Your Story- ALL ACCESS TEAM TICKETS ONLY
- Facilitated by: Erin Weed, Educator on Authentic Communication
In line with this year’s event theme, the ability to tell your story can be a powerful tool in your professional journey. How can we communicate and connect with each other more authentically? In this workshop, Erin will share a simple formula: Speaking from the head, heart and core. When we dare to show up as fully human – thoughts, feelings and desires – we are able to relate to one another in a more meaningful way. This translates into deeper connections in one-to-one conversations, one-to-some group interactions and one-to-many communication (like speeches).
Erin will cover:
– How to tell your own story from your head, heart and core
– When to tap into these stories in your professional career
This will be an interactive workshop.
12:30 pm // Break
12:40 pm // Rejuvenation Exercise - Where Do We Go From Here?
- Jamie Shapiro, CEO/Founder, Connected EC; Author, Brilliant: Be the Leader Who Shine Brightly Without Burning Out
In this session you will have the opportunity to reflect on how to take your learning from the event and put it into action. This session will give you the space to envision what is possible in your life from creating change. We will spend time pausing and connecting.
1:00 pm // Closing Keynote - Why We Must Inclusive Now
- Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson, Author, Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams // Associate Professor, CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business
In this session, Dr. Johnson will explain how people experience inclusion, why it is so important, and how leaders can create it. In addition, she will discuss some of the unique challenges and opportunities that Covid-19 has created for diversity and inclusion initiatives.
1:35 pm // Closing Remarks + Takeaways
2:00 pm // WIT Kickoff Luminary Roundtable Discussions - ALL ACCESS TEAM TICKETS ONLY

Gather your team as you wrap up WIT with a guided roundtable discussion led by a WIT Luminary. WIT Luminaries are female-identifying technology executives and community leaders who join the event to meet our attendees and share their leadership journey. Teams will have the opportunity to participate in a pre-event or post-event Luminary discussion. This will be pre-scheduled by CTA with your team.
3:00 pm // Day 2 Event End

Additional Speakers To Be Announced

Program Is Subject To Change

2020 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Angie Hicks

Chief Customer Officer, ANGI Homeservices // Cofounder, Angie’s List

Carol Sankar

Founder + CEO, The Confidence Factor for Women in Leadership

Gina Loften

US Chief Technology Officer, Microsoft

Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson

Author, Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams // Associate Professor, CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business

BIO

2020 SPEAKERS

Elise Birkhofer

Global Head of Women’s Community & Programs, Google

Carrie Carroll

RYT 200 Yoga Instructor, Ohana Yoga + Barre Denver

Ashlee Collins

Senior Vice President, Technology and Product, Inspirato

Liz Giorgi

CEO & Co-founder, Soona

BIO

As the Global Head of Women’s Community & Programs at Google, Elise oversees the strategy to ensure women have thriving careers and feel like they belong at the company. She manages the Women@ Employee Resource Group with 20,000 members with 120 chapters around the world. She graduated with honors from Stanford University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and minor in Communication, and held prior roles in Marketing. She is also an executive coach and frequent speaker on diversity and inclusion, mindfulness and emotional intelligence.

BIO

Yoga has been incorporated in Carrie’s life for 15 years as a reset for the body during sports and rehabilitation. Carrie believes the moving meditation is integral to centering one’s mind to be more present and mindful of what the body needs for nourishment and strength. Carrie believes that the connection of the mind, body, and breath offers a truly spiritual experience that one can take off the mat into their daily routine. Carrie’s practice increased as she pursued the mental health field as a counselor as a means for self-care. Carrie is known for the challenging Vinyasa classes to encourage her students to push past comfort zones while infusing inspirational words and fun music to maintain a purposeful flow. As an instructor, Carrie’s goal is to offer a non-judgmental, playful, and authentic experience for each and every student.

BIO

Ashlee Collins graduated with a Finance degree from Texas A&M University and then pivoted her focus to software implementations when she joined Deloitte Consulting after graduation. For the next several years, she gained exposure to a variety of industries and functions as she helped her clients solve their problems with technology. Leveraging technology and process to make an impact on business goals became her passion and strength. Ashlee came to Inspirato in 2013 where she built the Product Management team and grew her leadership responsibilities to her current position of SVP, Product and Technology, overseeing the end-to-end software development lifecycle.

BIO

Elizabeth Giorgi is a media entrepreneur on a mission to make quality content available to brands everywhere. She is the founder of two successful content companies. She is currently the CEO and Co-Founder of soona, a same-day photo and video service that makes it possible for brands to get pro content in 24 hours.
In 2013, she founded Mighteor, one of the world’s first internet video production companies. Mighteor’s innovative approach to video has helped clients achieve more than 500 million organic views.
Liz is an Emmy-Award winner whose work has appeared on PBS, The Discovery Channel, Big Ten Network and at festivals and museums across the globe. She is also a current Tory Burch Foundation Fellow.
She is a passionate advocate for women. She is also the founder of the Candor Clause, an open-source legal agreement to promote gender equity in venture financing. She is current Board Member for the Women Who Startup Foundation and the Women in Business National Council’s Next Generation Board. She is a graduate of the Hubbard School of Broadcasting and Journalism at the University of Minnesota and Babson College’s Executive Education program.

Jen Henderson

CEO & Founder, TiLT

Ericka Hyson

President, WorkN

Aleta Jeffress

Vice President, Consulting Services – State and Local, CGI

Sara Jones

CEO, InclusionPro // Founder, Women Tech Council

BIO

Jennifer Henderson is the founder and CEO of TiLT, a company revolutionizing employee leave in the workplace. TiLT’s tech-enabled platform manages the entire lifecycle before, during and after leave to help companies stay compliant while retaining top talent.

BIO

Ericka Hyson https://www.linkedin.com/in/erickabhyson/
Ericka is President of WorkN, and brings over 20 years of combined experience as both an executive in the staffing industry and staffing-tech industry. She has incredible passion and drive for leadership, innovation, building world class service organizations, and leveraging mobile- first technology to deliver incredible customer experiences. She is a three time honoree of Staffing Industry Analysts Global Power 100 – Women in Staffing list, which recognizes and honors women around the globe who are thought leaders, who share a passion for promoting and shaping talent, and who are key influencers in the staffing industry. Ericka has been honored by the Charlotte Business Journal with a 2018 Women in Business Award and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Technology Association and volunteers for the ASA’s Women in Leadership Council and non-profit All-in to Fight Cancer. Ericka is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and resides in Boulder, CO.

BIO

Aleta Jeffress is the Vice President of Consulting Services for CGI. She has over 20 years as a successful CIO, executive business leader and technologist building relationships between business and technology to enable digital transformation and market growth. She drives innovative strategies for business and IT leadership, and has developed teams for Cybersecurity and Project Management Offices from the ground up. She currently drives business development and manages client relationships for public sector organizations in Colorado. Her career began in startup software companies where she started in a call center environment and moved through private and public sector organizations in the areas of software quality, development, product management, and ultimately leadership.

BIO

Sara Jones creates global diversity and inclusion strategies to elevate inclusive work cultures. She has advocated throughout her career for the benefits of greater diversity in our companies, boardrooms, and circles of power. Sara is an inclusionist, working to amplify inclusion as a core leadership skill. As CEO of InclusionPro®, Sara’s approach is based on 20 years of real-world applied experience, where her concepts of Inclusion by Design™, Inclusion Growth™ Framework, and Language of Inclusion™ guides thoughtful and strategic leaders in the art of inclusive leadership. InclusionPro’s clients include companies in technology, engineering, manufacturing, financial services, legal services, e-commerce, distribution and non-profit organizations. Sara was adopted from South Korea in 1977 at age three and miraculously found her birth family after 42 years of separation. TED featured her powerful story on go.ted.com/sarajones.
Sara is a Founder of Women Tech Council (WTC), established in 2007, a national organization focused on the economic impact of women in driving high growth for the technology sector. She also serves on the Utah State Workforce Development Board, Board of Trustees for Intermountain Healthcare Salt Lake Valley Hospitals and the Executive Board of Silicon Slopes, and has a strong interest in lending her expertise to corporate boards nationwide. Her extensive professional background in technology, business development, law and leadership roles has made her a valued executive coach, a strategic advisor, and a valuable connector.
Sara began her career as a patent attorney at law firm Workman Nydegger and became a partner. She then took on leadership roles as Head of Business Development at School Improvement Network, an educational technology company, VP of Strategic Development at Patent Law Works, a Silicon Valley law firm, and CEO of ApplicantPro, an HR technology company. Sara was honored as a Utah Business Magazine’s CEO of the Year, received a Distinguished Alumna award from the University of Utah College of Engineering, and was a Utah Innovation Awardee. She and her husband reside in Salt Lake City, Utah, with their two kids and two dogs.

Gauri Kapur

Vice President-Software Engineering/Business Intelligence, National CineMedia

Aleks Krusko

VP of IT and Digitization, CoreSite

Tracy Kubasti

SVP, Global Service Center, Green House Data

Allie Magyar

CEO & Founder, Hubb

BIO

As an accomplished leader in Information Technology with over twenty years of experience in
the field, Gauri Kapur has been helping companies grow their technological capabilities with
keen insight and creative ideas. She is currently the Vice President of Software Engineering /
Data & Analytics at National CineMedia (NCM).
She is responsible for overseeing the architecture and implementation of all operational and
business support systems that the organization uses to operate and manage the business with
a high emphasis on data. She is very passionate about data and focuses on data quality,
stewardship and governance, as well as analytics enablement for the company. Her technology-
focused teams ensure the company's actions are efficient and information-driven to run the
business.
In her role she is also responsible for alignment of IT solutions to business objectives &
strategies and assessing internal technological capabilities. She then assesses these initiatives
in the scope of the company growth and funding status in order to derive the most relevant
projects for completion. She has helped to make operations at NCM more streamlined through
technological innovation and transition.
Prior to NCM, Gauri was a Product Architect for Blue Dot Solutions. Her responsibilities included
driving increase in product revenue, developing product strategies, pricing for customers and
composing go-to-market launch plans.
Gauri holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communications.
Gauri applies her dedication and professional excellence in advocating and promoting Women
in Leadership through her association with CWCC (Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce)
and SIM (Society of Information Management Women).

BIO

Aleks Krusko is the Vice President of Information Technology and Digitization at CoreSite. She is responsible for the execution of CoreSite’s digital strategies through technology, automation and business transformation. She leads the IT Solutions Delivery and IT Operations teams, including: software development, system support, information security and business intelligence. Aleks joined CoreSite in 2008. Before her current role, Aleks spearheaded the delivery of system and process efficiencies, change management and architected cross-functional solutions across the organization. Prior to joining CoreSite, Aleks held various roles of increasing responsibility in the Real Estate industry. She earned a B.S. in Chemistry, with honors, from Regis University.

BIO

Tracy Kubasti leverages 30 years in technology and manufacturing, leading technical support and delivery teams. Tracy has a passion for organizational and customer experience management as well as mentoring young women in technology. With broad experience in Digital Transformation Journeys, Private and Public Clouds in Multi-Platform Environments, Microsoft Ecosystems, SaaS and Technology Manufacturing.

Tracy is currently the SVP of Green House Data’s Global Service Center.

BIO

Allie Magyar is a skilled entrepreneur and technology maven with over 15 years of experience driving successful technology-enabled service companies. She founded Hubb in 2015 to build a technology solution that directly addressed the event technology needs of meeting planners as they manage the overload of information for their events. As CEO of Hubb, Allie directs the company’s strategic direction with an emphasis on partnerships, integrations, and growth. A renowned speaker, Allie is a member of Vistage, a two-time Inc. 5000 award winner, and was named a 2017 Top Women Entrepreneur by Smart Meetings, was a 2018 EY Pacific NW Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, and in 2019 was named to Smart Meetings Women in Events Hall of Fame, as was as a finalist for Entrepreneurial Achievement at the OEN Tom Holce Awards.Karyn Lu is the Director of Digital Experience & the first Chief Diversity Officer (a new, annually rotating role) at Four Winds Interactive. Prior to FWI, she spent nearly a decade at CNN, and with several startups & nonprofits, in roles ranging from UX to digital strategy to futurist. She has been a TEDx & Creative Mornings speaker, and her work has earned a Webby Award & a CES Innovation Award.

Elaine Marino

Managing Director, Diversity & Inclusion, Charles Schwab

Frannie Matthews

President & CEO, Colorado Technology Association

Lee Mayer

CEO & Co-founder, Havenly

Sandi Mays

Co-Founder, Chief Information Officer & Chief Customer Experience Officer, Zayo Group

BIO

Elaine Marino is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion Strategy at Charles Schwab. Elaine knows first-hand how diverse, unique perspectives are invaluable for a thriving workspace. Prior to entering financial services, Elaine spearheaded a movement to transform diversity in the tech space as Founder of Equili, CoDiv and the LadyCoders Conference. As a former Ruby on Rails developer, she experienced the tremendous diversity gap in software development: women and people of color were woefully underrepresented. Elaine saw clearly how change could be made for the better with her unique perspective on the tech industry as both an insider and an outsider. During her tenure at Equili, she designed, implemented, and managed events, workshops, and content aimed at bringing more diversity into the tech arena. As the Founder of CoDiv she co-created a community organization providing a safe space to learn, share and support people who care about diversity and inclusion. As Founder of the LadyCoders Conference, she helps women and non-binary technologists who are on the front lines of tech’s diversity and inclusion problem thrive in their careers and stay in the industry. In 2018 she was the recipient of the Micki Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award from SIM Women for her work mentoring women in tech. Elaine is an accomplished public speaker and an alum of Georgetown University.

BIO

Frannie Matthews serves as the President & CEO for Colorado Technology Association, the state’s premier non-profit tech organization advancing the Colorado technology industry through advocacy, economic development, community building, and workforce development.

Prior to her role at CTA, Frannie spent nearly 20 years at IBM, most recently as the IBM Senior Location Executive for Denver. As a public sector, healthcare, and life sciences sales leader for the western region, she was responsible for growing the IBM portfolio within the territory. She has over ten years of sales management and leadership experience with regional high-performance teams. Industry verticals have included higher education, state and local, healthcare, and telecommunications.
Technology solutions have always been her point of strength. Frannie has expertise in the areas of SaaS, cloud, analytics, high-performance computing, mobile, social, and security solutions.
She has a passion for helping the next generation and has a particular interest in S.T.E.M. education. Frannie has taught high school-level Junior Achievement courses and works with University of Colorado students through the Leeds School of Business Professional Mentoring Program and Professional Selling course. She also mentors a high school student at the IBM sponsored PTECH program at Skyline High School.
Frannie has been a member of the University of Colorado Wellness Center Board and currently serves as a board member of Colorado Technology Association. She is also an active member of the Colorado Business Roundtable’s InnerCircle. Governor John Hickenlooper appointed her to the Colorado Workforce Development Council.
Born and raised in Orlando, Florida, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida and earned her Master of Science in Telecommunications Management from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.

BIO

Lee is the Co-Founder and CEO of interior design start-up Havenly, based in Denver, CO. She founded Havenly in 2014 with the mission of creating a delightful experience around home shopping and design, and the company has since raised over $57M – most recently completing a Series C raise in 2019. Previously, Lee was the VP & GM of Auto at Bankrate. She moved to Denver from New York City, where she worked at Bain & Company, and held corporate strategy and development roles at Canon, USA. Lee has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS from Columbia University.

BIO

Zayo is a leader in global telecommunications providing bandwidth and connectivity over an exceptional network infrastructure. Sandi’s passion is providing an effortless customer experience for both internal and external customers. She is a champion for diversity in the tech community and serves on the Board of the Latino Leadership Institute, the Salesforce CIO Advisory Board and the Denver Metro Chamber Economic Development Executive Committee. She is also a patron/supporter of the Denver Art Museum, the Colorado Ballet, Denver Performing Arts Center and Greenhouse scholars and an active member of many minority and diverse charities. In 2016 Sandi was named Women in Comms Leading Lights: Most Inspiring Woman in Comms. In 2018 she was named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Colorado and Latinas First Foundation Trailblazer Award. Sandi was named CIO of the Year in 2019 at the Colorado Technology Association (CTA) Apex Awards.

Previously, Sandi served in various management positions at ICG Communications, Level 3 Communications, MFS Telecom, WorldCom, Focus Enterprises and Northern Trust. Sandi earned a B.S. (magna cum laude) in Finance from DePaul University.

Alison Moy

Senior Product Manager, DISH

Kristin Nease

Vice President, Human Resources, Vertafore

Kristin Russell

President, Arrow Global Services, Arrow Electronics

Jamie Shapiro

Founder/CEO, Connected EC // Author, Brilliant: Be the Leader Who Shines Brightly Without Burning Out

BIO

Alison Moy has built her career in the technology sector and is currently a Senior Product Manager at Sling TV. As a diversity and inclusion leader, she has served as President of the DISH Women’s Network since 2018 which aims to empower women through providing training, networking, and mentorship opportunities. Alison has grown the network to 1,500 members across the U.S. and expanded its mission to create an inclusive work environment, recognizing the importance of driving equality for women and all underrepresented groups.

BIO

Kristin Nease leads the HR function for Vertafore. After graduating from Montana State University with a BS in Applied Psychology, she joined the automotive industry in a Human Resources function. While working there, she earned her MSA in Human Resources Administration from Central Michigan. She moved to Denver in 2009 to work for DISH Network’s Human Resources team and there focused on many functions of HR including employee relations, total rewards, and performance management. She joined Vertafore in October of 2017 as Vice President, Human Resources. In her role at Vertafore, she is responsible for all things people, including talent acquisition, employee development, engagement programs, culture, belonging, diversity & inclusion, internal communications, and total rewards.

BIO

Kristin Russell is a C-level executive with a successful track record in leading and
transforming technology organizations. She consistently demonstrates the ability to
utilize both technical and business acumen to innovate and implement new strategies in
order to drive growth. She is a proven leader in building high performing teams
delivering sustainable results. As a strong communicator and leader, Kristin is able to
gain commitment from diverse constituents and bring leading edge programs into
existence. She currently is the President of Global Services at Arrow Electronics, a
Fortune 109 company, where she and her team help enable customers’ growth through
a simple, sustainable, and scalable technology lifecycle experience.
Previously, Kristin was Managing Director with Deloitte Digital, focused on bringing
innovative, cloud-based solutions to public-sector and higher education markets. Prior to
her work at Deloitte, Kristin was appointed by Governor Hickenlooper in February 2011
to serve as Colorado’s Secretary of Technology and Chief Information Officer (CIO). As
the CIO, she was responsible for the overall information systems statewide and
increasing the government’s effectiveness through the use of shared information and
technology. As Secretary of Technology, Kristin led the state’s IT economic development
strategy focused on attracting new tech companies and tech workers to the state.
Kristin has received several awards including Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers,
Dreamers & Drivers, the Denver Business Journal CIO of the Year Award, Top Innovator
for Embedded Computing Design and in 2015, she was recognized as one of the Top 25
Most Powerful Women by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce. In 2018,
Kristin received the Bob Newman Lifetime Achievement Award from the Colorado
Technology Association.
Kristin serves her community through numerous boards as the previous Chairwoman
and current board member of the Colorado Technology Association, advisor for the
Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network and as a board member of both the University of
Denver’s Business Intelligence and Analytics Program and Rocky Mountain Junior
Achievement. Previously, she also served as the first Chairwoman for the Colorado
Innovation Network Board of Advisors.
A sought-after expert and engaging speaker, Kristin has been featured in several
publications, books and events.

BIO

Jamie Shapiro is a leading authority on connecting leadership performance and wellbeing and the bestselling author of Brilliant, Be the Leader Who Shines Brightly Without Burning Out. Having experienced burnout in the corporate world, she understands the incredible pressure we face in our lives and the difficulty in staying connected to professional and personal goals in demanding environments.
Through her corporate career, she realized the toll that high pressure, stressful and demanding roles can take. She left the corporate world with a mission to make changes for people and organizations. Jamie’s vision is to bring a new form of full body coaching to people in the business world. Her company, Connected EC, helps people develop a keen awareness of how both their health and mindset have an effect on their capacity to reliably tap into their capabilities. Jamie has brought executive coaching and wellbeing together to give people a new approach to leadership, health and outstanding personal, professional and organizational performance.
Jamie has been coaching and developing high performing teams since 1998 in executive roles within large-scale corporate companies and now externally. She is helping executives and teams within leading companies and organizations, including Comcast, GE and Magellan Health. Jamie has an MBA and a Masters in Information Technology and is certified as both an executive coach and a nutritionist.

Erin Weed

Educator on Authentic Communication

BIO

Erin Weed helps people clarify their purpose, simplify their message and amplify their truth. She is creator of The Dig, a process for unearthing your purpose and distilling it to just one word. She also founded EVOSO and Speaker School, two programs that train mission-driven leaders to become authentic public speakers.

Formerly Erin was Founder & CEO of Girls Fight Back – a company that conducts women’s safety seminars across the world. It was founded in 2001 in response to the murder of Erin’s college friend and sorority sister, Shannon McNamara. Erin has since sold the company but remains an advisor.

Erin has spoken to over 1 million people at live events worldwide. She has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and was named CosmoGirl of the year. An active philanthropist, Erin works with organizations including TEDx, Hollaback, Greenhouse Scholars, Unreasonable Institute and Minds Matter.

2020 LUMINARIES

Luminaries are female-identifying technology executives and community leaders who join the event to meet our attendees and share their stories. Each “team” will be paired with a Luminary for a roundtable discussion at the event, affording participants the opportunity to connect and ask questions. Luminary program elements are open to All Access Team Ticket holders only.

Shawn Adamson

Regional Vice President, Comcast Business

Betty Arkell

Shareholder, Robinson Waters & O’Dorisio, P.C.

Eileen Baines

CIO, CoBank

Barbara Bauer

Rockies Venture Club

Ann Boyd

VP Communications, Rubrik

Kim Brown-Wilmsen

Vice President Global Infrastructure, Arrow electronics, Inc.

Lissa Burkholder

Head of Cloud Sales, Google Cloud

Michelle Carr

Assurance Partner, Moss Adams

Ashlee Collins

SVP Technology & Product, Inspirato

Katie Curtis

VP Global Technology Solutions & Event Marketing, Zayo Group

Melanie Cutlan

Managing Director, Accenture

Christina Frantz

Director, Social Impact, Twilio

Kassendra Galindo

Associate, Cooley

Chany Ghosh

COO & GM, Emergency Services, Inteliquent

Paige Goss

President/CEO, Point Solutions Group

Kathleen Greenburg

IT Director, FirstBank

Tammie Hilend

VP, IT & Facilities, Maxar Technologies

Brenda Horn

VP, Arrow Electronics

Ericka Hyson

President, WorkN

Aleta Jeffress

Vice President Consulting Services – State and Local, CGI

Stacy Kamigaki

Director of Marketing, Green House Data

Gauri Kapur

VP Software Development/Business Intelligence, National CineMedia

Paula Kautzmann

CIO, Colorado Access

Debi Kelly

VP – Technology Transformation, Computershare

Gina King

IBM Denver & Colo Spgs Senior Location Executive, IBM

Molly Kocialski

Regional Director, Rocky Mountain USPTO

Sunita Krishna

VP Sonet, Zayo Group

Aleks Krusko

Vice President of Information Technology and Digitization, CoreSite

Suma Nallapati

Chief Digital Officer, DISH

Jessica Olsen

Sr. Manager, Recruiting Operations and Employment Branding, ‎DISH

Christina Primeau

Head of Google Cloud Customer Engineering, CO, Google Cloud

Julia Richman

Chief Strategy Officer, Governor’s Office of IT

Heather Terenzio

Founder & CEO, Techtonic Group

Michelle Vercellino

CIO, IMA Financial Group

Purnima Wagle

CIO & Digital Transformation Leader, DCP Midstream

Chrissy Winkler

Vice President, Client Services, RevGen Partners

FAQ

I have questions about the event platform. . .

If you have questions regarding our event platform, Hubb, please take a moment to review this attendee overview video. You can also view Hubb’s attendee support page.
You can also reach out to us at any time at eventsmgr@coloradotechnology.org.
How do I log into the Women in Tech event platform?

You should have received an email from eventsmgr@coloradotechnology.org inviting you to enter your email and create a password to access the event platform. If you are unable to access that email, please contact eventsmgr@coloradotechnology.org. Please include your cell phone on your email inquiry for an immediate response.
I forgot my Women in Tech event platform password. . .

If you are unable to login to the event platform, please contact eventsmgr@coloradotechnology.org for help resetting your password.
I’m getting invited to a lot of virtual events, what makes this one different?

The CTA Women in Technology (WIT) Conference is one that our community looks forward to each year. While we’re as disappointed as all of you to not be at the ranch this year, we’re bringing all the elements of the WIT Conference to the comfort of your own home, including high-quality speakers and content and several networking opportunities, such as Luminary discussions (All Access Team Ticket holders only) and a virtual happy hour.
Who can attend this event?

The CTA Women in Tech Conference is open to CTA member-only and the program and content is targeted to female and female-identifying women in the technology industry across Colorado and beyond. WIT provides a safe space for women to openly discuss the opportunities and challenges of being a woman in the technology industry. We encourage women in all roles to join us including software developers, engineers, IT Network professionals, human resources, operations, marketing, etc.
I am a CTA Individual Professional Member - can I attend the event?

CTA Individual Professional Members are eligible to attend the event by purchasing a General Admission ticket (limit 1 per person).
Can I attend the event if I am not a CTA member?

The WIT Conference is open to CTA members only. Interested in learning more about becoming a member to attend this event and receive year-round benefits? Contact membership@coloradotechnology.org to learn more!
What is the difference between an All Access Team Ticket and a General Admission Ticket?

All Access Team Tickets are sold in groups of 5 or 10 and receive all the benefits of a General Admission Ticket, as well as additional benefits including access to Luminary Roundtable Discussions and Professional Development Workshops. We’ll also bring the event to you with our VIP Swag Box for each team member. All Access Team Tickets can be made up of individuals from one company, or a company might choose to purchase a group and invite clients or peers. Team tickets are limited and sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
General Admission tickets can be purchased as individual tickets or groups and will receive access to the keynotes, tech-focused programming, mindfulness programming, and community networking and virtual happy hour, as well as a digital journal and digital photo booth.
How many All Access Team Tickets can I purchase?

All Access Team Tickets will be limited to 10 tickets per company in the first wave of ticket sales. This is to ensure that many different companies are able to join us as a team. General Admission Tickets are unlimited to Premier Corporate and Company Team members. Please note that only the tickets purchased under the All Access Team Ticket benefits will receive the related All Access benefits. If you are interested in purchasing additional All Access Team Tickets, you will be able to add your name to a ticket waitlist and will be contacted should additional inventory become available. You can also reach out to Jason Delp at jason@coloradotechnology.org to inquire about purchasing additional All Access Team Tickets through sponsorship.
I am trying to register but the system does not recognize my email?

In order to register for the WIT Conference you need to be a CTA Member and have an email that is verified in our registration system, GrowthZone. Please keep this in mind if you are forwarding this email to a member of your team who may not be in our system.
If you are trying to register for you or your team and are having trouble, please contact membership@coloradotechnology.org.
What is an All Access Team Ticket VIP Package? How will we receive our packages?

Each All Access Team Ticket holders will receive a VIP Swag Package. This package will include a copy of Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams by Author Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson – our WIT closing keynote speaker – so that you and your team can all read along and be ready for our post- event WIT Book Club.
We will be delivering the team packages to your main point of contact / “team lead” and also providing pick up options the week of Sept. 14th. We’ve provided these details to your team lead. Not sure who your team lead is or have questions – please reach out to eventsmgr@coloradotechnology.org.
What is the capacity for the event? Will it sell out or will registration close?
All Access Team tickets are limited and are subject to sell out on a first-come, first-served basis.
Important dates:
- September 11 – Purchase your All Access Team Tickets by Sept. 11th so receive your VIP Swag Package prior to the event. All Access Team Tickets purchased after this date will have the opportunity to pick up your Team’s VIP Swag Packages after the event.
- September 21 – All Access Team Tickets will not be available after September 21st.
- September 24 – Purchase General Admission Tickets up to the day of the event!
If you would like more information on upgrading your membership or joining as a member, please contact membership@coloradotechnology.org. General Admission Tickets are unlimited.
What is the agenda?

The event will take place over two days on September 24th 12 pm – 6 pm and September 25th 9 am – 3 pm. You can find the agenda on our event website, and we will continue to announce our speakers and program details as the event nears.
How do I join the virtual event?

You can register for the event on our event registration site. As the event nears, we’ll invite you to log into our event platform to build your profile and start planning your experience. To attend the event, you’ll log into the event platform and click on the agenda item you are interested in joining to access the virtual rooms and programming.

You can register for the event on our event registration site. As the event nears, we’ll invite you to log into our event platform to build your profile and start planning your experience. To attend the event, you’ll log into the event platform and click on the agenda item you are interested in joining to access the virtual rooms and programming. The majority of the event program will take place on Zoom, so you need to be sure to have that downloaded and available.
What is a Luminary?

Luminaries are female-identifying technology executives and community leaders who join the event to meet our attendees and share their stories. Each “team” will be paired with a Luminary for a roundtable discussion at the event, affording participants the opportunity to connect and ask questions. Luminary program elements are open to All Access Team Ticket holders only.
Are sponsorships still available?

When you become a Women in Technology Conference sponsor, your organization unlocks the opportunity to elevate your brand in front of tech professionals from all across Colorado’s tech community and showcase your support for women in technology initiatives. Each sponsorship also comes with a half or full team (5 or 10 All Access Team Tickets). Contact Jason Delp at jason@coloradotechnology.org for additional information.
I still have question. . .

If you have further questions about the event or anything CTA-related, please reach out to eventsmgr@coloradotechnology.org.

2020 SPONSORS

Interested in sponsoring WIT in 2020? Contact Jason Delp at 303-592-4070 or jason@coloradotechnology.org.

2020 ALL ACCESS TEAMS

Adams 12 Five Star Schools
Arrow Electronics
Aurora Public Schools
AST Corporation
Bank of America
Centura Health
CGI

CoBank
Comcast Business
Computershare
DCP Midstream
DISH
Google Cloud
Gorilla Logic

Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT)
Green House Data
Janus Hendersen
Moss Adams
Moxie Exchange
North Highland
Oracle

Prologis
St. Vrain Valley School District
Trimble
WGU
Xilinx
Zayo Group
Zivaro