Hackerati Launches "Leaping Up and Over": A Diversity in Tech Initiative About Taking Action
Technology Consultancy Kicks Off Effort with an Event that Inspired Change
NEW YORK, July 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, on Wednesday, July 20th, over 100 women and men gathered at Primary NYC for Leaping Up and Over (LUAO), an event that marked the start of an ongoing initiative aimed at fostering immediate and meaningful improvements for diversity in technology.
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The event, hosted by premier technology consultancy, Hackerati, featured Lightning Talks by five speakers that highlighted four Leaping Up and Over themes, breakout "huddles," and culminated with attendees committing to personal LUAO goals.
"Hackeratibrought together leaders, trailblazers, and a new generations of people that wanted to begin a conversation about how [it] can be better for everyone. Thank you [Hackerati] for helping us realize what action looks like." - Ileana Rodriguez, Factual
Lightning Talks:
Leaping Up and Over Your Comfort Zone: Jeanne M. Sullivan, Venture Capitalist and Chief Inspiration Officer of Sullivan Adventures LLC., told the story of how she went from SAAS to Grass — leveraging 25 years as a tech venture capitalist to advocate for legalization and regulation of the cannabis industry.
Leaping Up and Over Career Roadblocks: Yvette Pasqua, CTO of Meetup and Matthew Rechs, General Manager of Adobe Type and Typekit illustrated how their alliance supported Yvette's career growth.
Leaping Up and Over Societal Norms and Stereotypes: Leslie Borell, Technology, Product and Operations Consultant, shared her journey addressing stereotypes about women, working moms, and being in a position of authority in a male-dominated industry.
Leaping Up and Over What You Can't See: Jerelyn Rodriguez, Co-founder and CEO of The Knowledge House spoke to technology's current talent landscape and the specific actions that can be taken to change what we see as we move toward 2020.
Breakout Huddles:
Attendees explored the challenges surrounding the speaker themes, the existing macro solutions and external resources that address these challenges, as well as the personal and company actions that can be taken to foster change. At the end of the round-robin style breakouts, which were comprised of attendees, the speakers and other subject leaders (Co-founders, CTO's, Diversity & Inclusion executives), attendees were invited to write down a personal Leaping Up and Over commitment(s).
Hackerati's Commitment:
The attendees Leaping Up and Over commitments were received with a commitment from Hackerati - to turn the evening's work into an ongoing mission to develop LUAO groups based on shared goals and provide those group with tools (e.g. a dedicated Slack channel, suggested tasks, and timelines) to facilitate communication and continuous action.
"I want to thank you for inviting me to the Leaping Up and Over event last night. I woke up inspired and truly felt a change. The conversations that I had and witnessed during the experience were impactful. I spoke to a young women coming up in the field and talked about her challenges and possible solutions. I witnessed job opportunities come to fruition in front of my eyes. I learned about what people want to do and hearing them work through how to make it happen was energizing. The call to action is huge!" - Cathy Mebane, Arrow Promotional
About Hackerati: Hackerati is a company of premier technology consultants that Code & Craft transformative Web, Mobile, Data and Infrastructure strategies, products and solutions that accelerate business. Founded in 2012, the company is headquartered in NYC, and among its clients includes Huffington Post, Vocativ, Meetup, Nestle Waters and Viacom.
Contact Information
Jordana Yellin
Vice President of Marketing
[email protected]
(646) 768.0596 x1017
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SOURCE Hackerati
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