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ACM-W’s “Celebrating Technology Leaders” Web Series


By Jodi Tims, ACM-W Chair

ACM-W’s “Celebrating Technology Leaders” web series brings stories and advice from engaging speakers, with diverse careers in computing, directly to you.
Some of ACM-W’s most successful events and panels in the past (chapters, celebrations, etc.) were focused on career advice, especially non-academic careers (industry, research labs, government, non-profit, etc.). However, the unfortunate outbreak of COVID-19 has halted such meaningful events. Furthermore, stories and survey responses from our members tell us that younger professionals want to hear from people with non-traditional career routes, moving between research labs, academia, industry, government, or non-profits. These needs became the motivating factor in devising a new initiative by ACM-W: the “Celebrating Technology Leaders” web series. 

Expand your horizons as we celebrate these inspiring women in computing.
We have designed the series so students and early career professionals can expand their horizons, learn about the multitude of career options available, and make informed choices about the next step in their professional journeys. At the same time, staying true to the ACM-W mission, we aim to celebrate women in computing. Thus in each episode, we invite women in computing who have excelled in their careers for an online panel discussion. During the one hour conversation, we highlight their journeys, share inspiring stories, and learn what it takes to succeed in their career of choice.   

Panelists from all career levels in research, industry, government, and non-profits are featured.
While choosing our panelists, we emphasize the diversity of backgrounds and experiences of the panelists so that our discussion is applicable and relatable to a wide variety of listeners. The series is geared towards students and early-career professionals, and we’re hoping to provide valuable experiences for anyone considering switching their career path in a technical direction. For example, our earliest panels have discussed the bond between academia and industry (Session 1), experiences in entrepreneurship (Session 2), and opportunities in the growing world of User Experience / User Interfaces (Session 3).

Free sessions for all, live or recorded.
The series is free and open for public viewership. We organize one session every 6 to 8 weeks. Each session features a 45-minute discussion followed by a 15-minute interactive Q&A session. See our entire series on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn0nrSd4xjjYGDX_sD8C66Ss80dTZpaNY).

Check out the upcoming event:
Wednesday, February 3rd at 3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT,  a panel discussion featuring Samia Khalid (Senior AI Engineer at Microsoft), Lilla Czako (Data Engineer at Doximity) and Liza Layne (Lead Data & Analytics Manager at Eurostar International Ltd), with host Bushra Anjum. Click here to register!

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