Girls In Tech

Midwestern developers are all abuzz this week in anticipation of the Heartland Developers Conference, an event for building professional skills and cultivating community relationships, taking place Oct. 15-16 in Omaha. With 68 sessions and four development categories packed into two days, HDC is the place to be for software designers, developers, engineers, analysts, architects…you get the picture.

For the first time since the conference began in 2004, Girls in Tech will have a presence at the event to share our mission, experience and passion. We’re excited about networking with fellow techies, but we’re also looking forward to some high quality speakers and sessions. The first day features keynotes by Microsoft’s Scott Guthrie and Adobe’s Kevin Hoyt. The next day is no shabbier, with keynotes by Neal Ford of ThoughtWorks  and Google’s Patrick Chanezon . Session topics range from iPhone dev and jQuery to alternative database technologies and Flex.

If you’ll be attending HDC, let us know at Omaha@GirlsInTech.net and be sure to stop by our booth. If not, follow the action on Twitter with the official event hashtag #HDC09. We’ll be sure to report back with a recap of the conference and its awesome evening events soon.

The Omaha chapter officially launched last Friday with a launch event that coincided with Big Omaha, and the announcement of the chapter and the event were both huge successes! More than 200 people came out to show their interest in and support of bringing Girls in Tech to the Omaha area, sharing ideas and creativity through simple graffiti walls throughout the venue and good ol’ conversations. More than 30 women signed up to become members and so many more party-goers signed up to support GIT in other ways. GIT founder Adriana Gascoigne was in town as a featured speaker for Big Omaha and attended the launch in support of the new chapter.

The event wouldn’t have been as awesome and probably wouldn’t have gotten off the ground at all without the help of the amazing GIT Omaha Advisory Board. So without further ado, meet the other ladies behind the launch of the Omaha chapter:

Erin Hawkins, a senior developer at Brightmix, is our events coordinator. She secured the venue, planned and ordered our food and beverages and worked with the launch party sponsors. Erin brings an attention to detail and a determination to get the job done to the advisory board and her position.

Megan Hunt, the mastermind behind Princess Lasertron, is our outreach/speakers coordinator. She made the graffiti wall installations accessible and relevant and brought a friendly, welcoming presence to the entrance of the event. Megan’s creativity and passion for education and involvement will be tremendous assets in planning and executing future GIT events.

Jaci Rebrovich, marketing manager at the AIM Institute, is our business coordinator. She managed our contact database and sponsorship documentation and despite feeling under the weather managed to welcome nearly each and every guest at the launch party. Jaci’s organizational skills and enthusiasm are a killer combination when it comes to getting anything done.

Thanks to everyone who attended the Omaha launch party, supported the chapter’s origination and expressed their interest in the development of the Omaha chapter. Keep an eye out for our first girls-only event soon, and check out photos from the event (special thanks to Andy Peters for his excellent photography!).

Omaha: home to the world’s second richest person, the College World Series and yes, some pretty awesome steaks. But Omaha is also home to a rich and thriving tech community; think NetShops, PayPal and the Peter Kiewit Institute. So it makes perfect sense that Girls in Tech would launch a chapter in Omaha…and that’s exactly what’s happened.

Come celebrate the official launch of Girls in Tech Omaha this Friday, May 8 at Urban Wine Company. The launch coincides with Big Omaha, a gathering of innovators and entrepreneurs including GIT founder Adriana Gascoigne. We’ll be celebrating the women who’ve made their mark in Omaha’s tech community, and it’ll be an opportunity to connect with peers and supporters while having a great time and enjoying a glass of wine. For more details on the launch party, view it on EventBrite or visit the Facebook event.

We’re excited to bring the messages, resources and passion of Girls in Tech to Omaha as well as sharing our community and quirks with you. Look for posts from the members of the Omaha advisory board soon, and get ready to see what is really going on in the Heartland.

May 7, 2009 9:00 am

to

May 8, 2009 5:00 pm

Girls in Tech is a proud supporter of the inaugural BIG Omaha Conference happening on May 7 & 8th 2009. It’s exciting and quite surprising to know that Omaha, Nebraska is becoming another tech hub, launching a variety of cutting-edge start-ups, hosting Tweetups and most recently this conference, which I’m sure will prove to be fruitful. Girls in Tech founder, Adriana Gascoigne will be speaking on a panel and a variety of Girls in Tech members will be attending to help promote and create awareness for the new Omaha chapter.

Here is a little more information on the event:

What happens when the country’s foremost creatives, entrepreneurs and innovators descend on one place? That place explodes. Which is precisely what we plan for Omaha.

The energy will be impossible to contain. We will begin building communities, companies and friendships. We will inspire new thoughts and completely new ways of thinking. We will develop visions: personal, shared, and civic. Speakers will come from some of the most innovative companies in the nation. And you’ll hear fantastic stories from numerous emerging businesses.

In the end, you’ll take away a network and an energy that will propel those new connections to greatness. For you. For your business. For your community.

Come to the heart of the Midwest. And let’s rebuild this country from the inside out.

 

Welcome to the new and improved Girls in Tech corporate site! We hope that you enjoy our makeover as we know it will provide a more aesthetic, creative and engaging experience that will contribute to your participation and interest within our network of superstars!

Girls In Tech is dedicated to influencing the technology landscape and promoting the work and contribution of women in the space. We will continuously update this site with new events, social mixers, educational workshops, along with news and blog content — all with the focus of highlighting technology community leaders throughout all of our chapters.

We’re excited to announce that Girls in Tech has an official presence in the following cities:

Atlanta, Austin, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kuwait, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Omaha, Orlando, Paris, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Stamford, Tampa, and Washington DC

With the help of our chapter principals we will be a valuable addition to the thriving women in tech scene spreading throughout the country and the globe. The team is comprised of powerful, influential, female leaders in tech that underscore the importance of empowerment, mentorship and education as the source for career enhancement and support within the community.

Thank you!

Girls in Tech Corporate Team

Adriana F. Gascoigne