She's Geeky Convening

She's Geeky

Special 1-Day, 1-Time Convening

Saturday • January 28, 2017
Computer History Museum, Mountain View CA

Regroup.  Reenergize.  Redirect.

 Join us for this one day She’s Geeky gathering one week after the Inauguration on January 20th followed the next day by womens’ marches around the country.  

Come as you are.   Come as a team.   If you’re a woman out to build great products, do great science,  and/or create new realities,   you deserve to spend this day with passionate peers.

Bring your daughters.  Bring your mothers.   Most important,  bring your fears,  your questions,  your proposals for sessions during the day,  and your resolve to put new energy and action into building the future. 

We are considering this question together:

What are we doing as women of Technology & STEAM* in this time?

* Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math

Even before Election Day,  2016 was shaping up to be a momentous year for women in, of, or from Technology.   

•     A woman running for President.  A female US CTO.     Adding the A to make STEAM.
•     Artificial Intelligence.  Machine Learning.  Battles of the Mega Platforms.   Rise of the Unicorns.
•     The 3rd Machine Age literally materializing in our hands, our kitchens,  our cars,  our fitness trackers.
•     The gig economy.  The non-profit industrial complex.   The corporate-job-as-military-mission economy.   The if-I’m-lucky-I-get-to-interweave-work-and-family economy.
•     Images of glamorous, gritty, smart women entrepreneurs, engineers and executives.  (Even if under-funded and under-promoted.)
•     Open discussion of implicit bias,  shifting the focus from pipeline to retention, parental leave ..   Oh, and,  “The Elephant in the Valley.”
•     Tech in the hands of dedicated people fueling movements of a new scale and speed.
•     Education Tech that just as often reinforces outdated teaching and leaves the schools to prison pipeline in place.
•     Trolling.  (Enough said)

An almost steady drumbeat of data about us. And dozens if not hundreds of conferences, networks, and institutes clamoring to talk to, about or for us.
After ten years of great bottoms-up She’s Geeky unconferences, it felt great.  And time for a rethink.
Then came the wake up call.   No matter who you voted for:

•     What does it mean for misogyny, racism, sexual and verbal assault, and trafficking in lies to not be politically disqualifiying?    
•     What new responses are called for in this unprecedented time  ?   What new forms of action – personal, professional or collective.   (Everyday acts of feminism,  anyone? )  
•     What can we be doing together to influence the future direction of technology development and policy?

We’ll gather at 9am with coffee, eats, and Organizing Questions.   Beginning at 10 AM with a blank wall and in less than an hour, with facilitator guidance, attendees create a full day, multi-track conference agenda that is relevant and inspiring to everyone who attends.  All are welcome to put forward presentations or propose conversations.

Purchase tickets at eventbrite.