8:00 AM: Registration and breakfast – Flight Event Space

9:00 AM 

Opening Keynote: Monica Dominic, Chief Client Officer, PSI (Proteam Solutions): Ferocious Ambition

Location: Flight Event Space (Main Ballroom)

What does it really take to thrive after failure — to stare down fear, lean into the unknown, and rise with unstoppable purpose? In Ferocious Ambition, Monica takes the stage with an unapologetically real exploration of the messy, bold, and transformational path to success. 

Through her personal stories — including getting fired (three times), facing imposter syndrome, and redefining her career in a brand new industry — Monica unpacks the Three F’s that shape us: Firing, Fears, and Ferocity. This high-energy, interactive session challenges outdated ideas of perfection and teaches attendees how to reframe failure as fuel, turn fear into clarity, and unleash their own fierce ambition. 

You’ll explore the power of mentorship, the value of collaboration, and how embracing vulnerability can lead to your greatest growth. Get ready for reflection, connection, a few surprises (maybe even a shirt or two!), and the fire you need to chase your next big dream — fearlessly and ferociously.

Because ambition isn’t a quiet whisper. It’s a roar.

10:00 AM     

AI Panel: How AI Is Transforming our World

• Panelists: Kyle Smith, Elizabeth Wadsworth, Mel Mcgee , Rob Buchwald 

• Location: Flight Event Space (Main Ballroom)

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming industries and daily life. This panel brings together experts in technology and business to explore both the opportunities and challenges of AI. Discussion will cover real-world applications, ethical concerns like bias and transparency, and the future of work in an AI-driven world. Attendees will leave with a clearer view of how to harness AI responsibly and effectively.

Volunteer with GetWITit! 

• Presenters: Elizabeth Tolia, Chelsea Cooper

• Location: Gabrielle

Hear from GetWITit founder Elizabeth Tolia and incoming Cleveland ChapterPresident Chelsea Cooper as they share their personal journeys—Elizabeth’s founding vision and passion for empowering women in tech, and Chelsea’s path to board leadership and what it means to serve. This session will inspire attendees to get involved, make an impact, and consider joining the board for next year.

From What Is to What’s Next: Turning Your Reality Into a Career Path

• Presenter: Ruthy Lichtenstein

• Location: Maria

You don’t need a perfect plan, just a starting point. My journey from growing up in a cult-like community and teaching, to building a thriving career in product design.  It wasn’t always pretty. It took my blood, sweat and tears, and was full of reinvention, discomfort, and unexpected moments of clarity.  I’ve learned that using what’s already around you can spark real momentum, and then asking for help after you’ve started is so much easier!  If you’ve ever felt behind or out of place, this is your reminder: you’re already ready.

Mentoring and Sponsorship

• Presenter: Deepa Rao

• Location: Sophia

Mentoring and sponsorship both play a vital role in a career of a person. This presentation will explain why we need to have both and how an individual can go into taking advantage of both strategies.

10:50 AM

Success Has a Sound: Speak the Language That Gets You Seen and Heard

• Presenter: Annette Garsteck 

• Location: Flight Event Space (Main Ballroom)

 Success isn’t just measured by what you accomplish. It’s shaped by how you communicate your value. In this engaging session, we’ll explore how the words you choose, the stories you share, and the presence you bring influence how others see your contributions. Designed for professionals ready to elevate their impact, this talk will help you speak with clarity, authenticity, and purpose. You’ll leave with practical strategies to articulate your achievements, boost your visibility, and ensure your success doesn’t just happen—it gets noticed.

P.I.V.O.T. like a BOSS

• Presenter: La’Shaunda Ewing

• Location: Gabrielle

In a world that constantly pressures Black women to conform, shrink, or prove their worth, it’s time to reclaim our power, purpose, and authenticity. This dynamic and interactive session will empower you to be intentionally YOU while mastering the art of the P.I.V.O.T.—an essential strategy for navigating change, challenges, and career transitions like a BOSS.

Whether you are leading in corporate spaces, academia, entrepreneurship, or community leadership, knowing when and how to pivot can make the difference between stagnation and next-level success. You’ll learn to embrace your authentic self while developing the agility to shift when necessary—without compromising your power, integrity, or purpose.

The Load We Carry and How To Lighten It

• Presenter: Lynda Kane

• Location: Maria

In today’s fast-paced world, both professionally and personally, we often find ourselves weighed down by unseen burdens. This presentation explores two critical forms of this “load”: Technical Debt and Invisible Work. This session will define these concepts and illustrate their impact with real-world examples, examining how they contribute to burnout, work-life imbalance, and diminished well-being. The consequences are far-reaching, from dissatisfaction and stress to gender inequality and career stagnation. The good news? We can lighten these loads. Join me as together we delve into ways to lighten the load we carry and create healthier, more productive environments both at work and in life.

 Navigating the AI-Driven Future of Work and What This Means to Women in Tech

• Presenter: Kyle Smith

• Location: Sophia

The rise of artificial intelligence is not a distant trend—it’s here, embedded in hiring practices, leadership pipelines, career development tools, and digital communication platforms. For women in tech, this evolution presents both unique challenges and powerful opportunities.

In this forward-focused session, Kyle Patrick Smith, CEO of HRKyle Services, explores the critical intersection of AI and career growth through the lens of women leading in technical fields. Attendees will examine how AI is shaping the workplace—from resume screening algorithms and digital networking to skill-building and leadership visibility—and learn how to strategically position themselves and their teams for success in this new reality.

Emphasizing digital literacy, professional credibility, and human-centered leadership, this session provides actionable insights for women who are ready to take ownership of their careers, guide their teams through transformation, and thrive in the AI-powered world of work.

11:30: Lunch

12:40 PM

Panel | Words of Wisdom: Lessons from Women Who Lead in IT

• Panelists: Jess Walpole, Michelle Tomallo, Chelsea Treboniak

• Location: Flight Event Space (Main Ballroom)

In this inspiring fireside chat, hear from seasoned leaders as they have navigated career changes, lead transformational initiatives, and learned from lived experiences. Covering a range of industries and topics, you’ll hear and discuss with these inspiring women. 

From Bootcamp to Breakthrough: Building the getWITit Conference & Events Platform

• Presenters: Anja Setala, Mel McGee, Elizabeth Tolia

• Location: Gabrielle

As the capstone project for We Can Code IT, a cohort of students took newly learned skills into a real-world solution: a dynamic conference and events web app for getWITit, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing women in technology. This presentation highlights how the project moved from concept to completion—covering the design process, technology stack, and key challenges of creating an intuitive platform for event management and attendee engagement. Attendees will gain insight into how a bootcamp capstone can evolve into an impactful product and learn practical lessons for turning classroom experience into professional success.

Progress without Permission: Take agency in your career

• Presenter: Olivia Vick

• Location: Maria

We often hold ourselves back, waiting for permission — for Executive buy-in, formal authority, or the “right time.” Yet this perceived need for permission is more often an unnecessary blocker to growth and progress.

In this session, we’ll explore the art of agency: recognizing when permission isn’t actually required, cultivating the confidence and self-awareness to act, and learning practical strategies to move forward without waiting. Through real-world examples and tactical tips, you’ll learn how to navigate work — and life — with greater autonomy, informal leadership, and impact. 

What if, instead of asking, you told? What if you could lead without waiting to be crowned a leader? Let’s rethink what’s possible when you stop waiting and start acting.

The Typing Edge: Personality Typing for Influence and Impact

• Presenter: Ann Marie Bergman

• Location: Sophia

This interactive session introduces participants to the power of personality typing for enhanced success. Participants will explore four core personality types and learn how understanding these styles can enhance communication, collaboration, and leadership effectiveness.

Through engaging exercises, real-world examples, and practical communication strategies, attendees will:

• Increase self-awareness and emotional intelligence.

• Learn to identify and adapt to others’ styles for better teamwork and influence.

• Discover how to flex communication styles to build stronger relationships and navigate diverse work environments.

Whether you’re leading a team, managing stakeholders, or growing your career, this session equips you with actionable tools to connect more authentically and effectively with others.

1:30 PM

Leading with the Brain in Mind: Unlocking Success and Peak Performance for Women in Tech

• Presenter: Jill Windelspecht

• Location: Flight Event Space (Main Ballroom)

In the fast-paced world of technology, effective leadership is crucial for driving innovation and maintaining a competitive edge. This presentation not only addresses the unique challenges faced by women in tech but also equips them with cutting-edge neuroscience insights and practical tools to enhance their leadership capabilities. By fostering a deep understanding of neuroplasticity, this session empowers women to cultivate emotional intelligence, resilience, and peak mental performance, thereby positioning themselves as influential and effective leaders in the technology sector.

The Power of Collaboration: Elevating Women in Tech

• Presenter: Michelle Hedger

• Location: Gabrielle

Collaboration is a driving force for innovation and inclusion in the tech industry. This session explores how collaborative cultures, mentoring, sponsorship, and technology can open doors for women to thrive and lead. Through success stories, lessons learned, and actionable strategies, we’ll address both the opportunities and challenges of fostering collaboration. Attendees will leave with practical steps to build stronger networks, support women in tech, and create more inclusive, innovative teams.

Breaking the Silos: Creating Alignment Between Technology and People

• Presenter: Frances DiBello

• Location: Maria

Even the best technology fails without buy-in. Drawing from her roles in engineering, support, project management, and application leadership, Frances DiBello shares how to build bridges between IT and the business. Learn how to translate technical needs into business value, drive adoption, and make sure your team is always at the table.

C’mon! Give me a SMiSh!

• Presenters: Tristan Mahan, Kayleigh Dean, Kaitlyn Kusche

• Location: Sophia

Have you ever received an unsolicited text message about owing US tolls or alleged money transfers via Zelle? The fraudsters are constantly changing their tactics to keep you from thriving! First there were emails with urgent tones and typos.. and now the scams have evolved to eloquently-worded text messages, voice calls, and even AI deepfake videos. Join us for a tantalizing review of the latest trends in SMS/text and voice call phishing, hear stories from our collective 20+ years of experience fighting cyber crime, and get some REAL actionable takeaways to help keep you and your loved ones thriving.

2:20 PM

Future-Ready Isn’t Just for Big Tech: Building AI Strategy That Works Anywhere

• Presenter: Elizabeth Wadsworth

• Location: Flight Event Space (Main Ballroom)

AI is reshaping every industry and every role, but most strategy playbooks are built for companies with billion-dollar budgets and deep technical teams. This talk breaks that mold. You’ll get a practical framework for building a responsible AI strategy in any organization, no matter the size, industry, or starting point. We’ll cover how to spot meaningful AI opportunities, avoid common pitfalls, and align strategy with your mission and values. Whether you work in tech, product, ops, or leadership, this session gives you the tools to confidently thrive forward in the age of AI.

Vibe Code Your MVP: Using English as Your New Coding Language

• Presenter: Mel McGee

• Location: Gabrielle

Software development isn’t just for engineers anymore—it’s for everyone with an idea worth building. With prompt engineering, plain English becomes your new coding language. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how “vibe coding” can transform a vision into a working MVP in record time.

Bring your laptop and project idea, and follow along with SkillSpout co-founder and We Can Code IT CEO Mel McGee—a 30-year tech veteran and AI expert. Using general logic, natural language, and free tools like Replit, you’ll prototype something tangible that accelerates product development, sparks clearer feedback, and moves your project closer to reality.

Whether you’re working on a small concept or preparing for a larger build, this session will help you create, test, and refine ideas faster—without needing to use a single line of traditional code.

Unlock excellence: Achieve High Performance through Team Working Agreements

• Presenter: Damira Campbell

• Location: Maria

Discover how these agreements serve as the cornerstone for fostering agility, collaboration, accountability, and innovation, ultimately driving teams to become high performing. Explore real examples and actionable insights that illustrate the profound impact of cultivating a culture centered around clear, mutually-agreed upon norms and expectations.

The Human Side of Tech Adoption 

• Presenters: Chris Keller, Libby Melhus

• Location: Sophia

Technology doesn’t fail because of bad code — it fails because people won’t adopt it. Learn strategies for building trust, aligning incentives, and creating partnerships that make transformation stick. You’ll takeaway a playbook for overcoming resistance to change across organizations and industries. 

3:00 PM

Closing Keynote: Tonjia Coverdale

• Location: Flight Event Space (Main Ballroom)

Dr. Coverdale is a trailblazing executive—CEO, CIO, and Chief Technology Strategy Officer—who also made history as the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Information Science & Systems from Morgan State University.With a career spanning from hands-on engineering to the C-suite, she has spent decades transforming technology into a strategic force for business growth. Her keynote, Fearless Leadership Meets Technology Excellence, will deliver the bold ideas, real stories, and actionable insights you need to lead with impact. 

Whether you’re a tech exec, strategist, or rising leader—this is the keynote you cannot miss.

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

• Happy Hour and Networking

• Location: Aviator Rooftop Bar (weather permitting) or Flight Aviator Space (alternate)