This month, NYC Apps is focusing on one of the most important topics that has come to light in recent months. We are fortunate enough to have a collective of great individuals providing their unique views and experiences regarding the Furthering of Diversity and Inclusion in Tech.
Overview:

7:00 pm – Good eats and conversations

7:20 pm – Discussion on the latest in the mobile landscape

7:30 pm – Featured Presentations: Heather Currier Hunt / Alana Marie Smith / Torin Perez

8:15 pm – Panel Discussion: Alana Marie Smith / Danielle Li / Allison Esposito / Torin Perez / Tara Benjamin

9:00 pm – NYC Apps after-party

Presenters:

Heather Currier Hunt, Global Director of Learning & Development, IDEO
Heather is IDEO’s Global Director of Learning & Development and a member of IDEO’s Global Talent Team whose areas of focus include: Compensation, Benefits & Policy, Recruiting, Culture and Communications and specifically leads Learning & Development. Working across these talent disciplines has informed a holistic approach she brings to bear when designing the programs that best support a community of creative experts and lifelong learners in multiple disciplines. Whether it’s a global onboarding experience or the support of teams across a project’s span, Currier Hunt designs for moments of transition to ensure our people are met with what they will need to be the most successful individually and as members of high functioning teams.

Passion areas include nurturing purpose, Diversity and Inclusion, supporting skills for having difficult conversations, Feedback and developing relationships with external partners in Leadership Development and Startups in the talent space.

Alana Marie Smith, Mobile + Connected Devices Product Manager, Bloomberg L.P.

Alana Marie Smith is a Product Manager at Bloomberg on the Mobile and Connected Devices team, where she builds products that reinvent the way that news, financial information and insights are delivered to global decision makers.

Prior to joining Bloomberg, Alana held Product Manager roles on high-profile mobile apps at world-recognized companies such as American Express and Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, with additional experience in mobile e-commerce and mobile marketing campaigns at NY-based agencies.

Alana built her foundation in technology and product management through the DTLP program at GE Energy and her B.S. degree from Syracuse University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Danielle Li, Founder, Popshop Live

Danielle Li is the founder of Popshop Live (IG:@popshoplive) a cutting-edge mobile marketplace enabled by interactive live videos. She has reimagined the e-commerce experience for the Snapchat generation and made it her mission to build online spaces where social, entertainment, and commerce intersect.

Danielle believes the next generation demands a tech-intuitive work style where they can not only be financially independent, entrepreneurial and creative, but also maintain flexibility, in-person connection, and immediate feedback. With that worldview, she built Popshop Live, where people are instantly rewarded by their creativity and individuality, to empower the next generation to achieve their new expectation of “working to live”. Popshop Live is more than a marketplace for e-commerce transactions, it’s a space where people create communities and share person-to-person connection via physical goods.

Danielle graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, one of the premier centers of technology and engineering education in the world, worked at United Nations Global Compact on sustainability and a contributor for Elle, National Geographic Traveler, L’official. She was honored by Hearst Corporation with the “Best interview of the year” award in 2014.

Allison Esposito, CEO and Founder, Tech Ladies

Allison Esposito is the CEO and Founder of Tech Ladies. The goal of Tech Ladies is to connect women with the best jobs and opportunities in tech, and to connect companies with the best women techmakers. The group has grown to 15,000 members worldwide. Before launching Tech Ladies, Allison worked on product and marketing teams at Google and Foursquare. She tweets @allisonveronica.

Torin Perez, Inclusive Leadership Expert, Torin Perez

Inclusive leadership expert Torin Perez is on a mission to help organizations realize the power of inclusion. As a passionate speaker and masterful facilitator, Torin uses his uplifting perspective and engaging style to inspire people to take personal responsibility in building workplace inclusion. With his work grounded academically in Psychology and practically as a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and Accredited Mind Gym Coach, Torin has been invited to speak and facilitate learning experiences at over 30 organizations including Fortune 500 companies. In 2017, he was nominated for the Rosoff Award as a 20-something leading the way for his generation with a new vision for diversity & inclusion.

Torin is a StartingBloc Social Innovation Fellow, One Young World Ambassador, and TED Resident. Through the TED Residency incubator for breakthrough ideas, Torin joined a select group of global thinkers and did a TED Talk about his vision for DreamAfrica – an inclusion project focused on celebrating cultural diversity in animations and films from around the world.

Tara Benjamin, IT Engineer, Oscar Health

Tara is an IT Engineer at Oscar Health where she creates top notch infrastructure that drives the tech revolution happening in healthcare. Tara’s previous positions include IT Manager at LittleBits and Senior Systems Administrator at MakerBot. She has a great passion for working at companies with strong mission statements and products that seek to drastically change the way our world works.