24WIP SPEAKERS

Anne is a Product Leader at Ford Motor Company who is passionate about driving business transformation through transparent and energetic leadership. Her journey spans from being a Director of Product Management at Ford Motor Company to leading digital product teams at Floyd, where she emphasized human-centered design. Anne’s commitment to innovation is evident in her efforts to champion inclusive moments at Salud, creating celebrations that resonate with people.

Shalini Mani is a seasoned product leader at Discover Financial Services, where she directs Product and Operations for the student loans business. Under her leadership, her team has driven significant growth and efficiency improvements despite a competitive market. She has an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and a strong background in finance, marketing, and operations strategy. Her career is marked by key roles at Capital One and Cap Gemini Consulting, where she enhanced product strategies and led high-stakes compliance and analytics initiatives. Shalini is recognized for her strategic approach to technology integration and data-driven product management in the financial services industry.

Wendy Shotts is a Director in Acquisition, leading Discover’s Loyalty Marketing programs. As part of the company’s growth engine, the team is focused on driving new card accounts and identifying incremental growth opportunities while managing overall channel operations, the program platform, and the end-to-end customer experience. In her six years with Discover, Wendy most recently served as the Head of Strategy and Chief of Staff for Global Products & Pricing in the Discover Global Network. Prior to that, she held positions supporting website and mobile app marketing efforts for US Card. Wendy has a passion for helping women excel. She is the lead for Discover’s Women In Product sponsorship and a member of the US Card DE&I Council. Prior to Discover Wendy led app launches and SaaS product creation for Silicon Valley start-ups. She earned her B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University, an M.B.A. from Babson College, and a Master’s in Education. Outside Discover, Wendy enjoys boxing, hiking, and rock climbing with her family, and has been an adjunct professor at Lake Forest College.

Rachna Sethi, VP of Product at Ford Credit, brings a wealth of experience from her diverse background, including scientific research and leadership roles at tech giants like AOL, Meta, and Syniverse. As a product-led leader, Rachna excels in unlocking talent across teams to deliver high-quality results, focusing on areas like product innovation, growth strategy, user acquisition, and customer engagement while bringing a discerning taste to every project she undertakes. Joining Ford Credit in 2021, Rachna continues to leverage her strategic insights and leadership to shape the future of financial services within the automotive industry.

Ana Grace is a distinguished product management leader with a rich history of spearheading innovation and strategy for globally renowned organizations. With a track record that includes Meta/Facebook, Walmart, Best Buy, GoDaddy, Macy’s, and currently, The Walt Disney Company, Ana has consistently elevated product development and management to new heights.

As a fervent advocate for advancing the Product Management profession, Ana serves on the Board of Directors for Women In Product, where she is dedicated to nurturing future leaders and fostering diversity within the industry. Her commitment to excellence and
empowerment has made her an influential figure in shaping the landscape of product management on a global scale.

Alex Purdy is a leader in digital innovation, currently spearheading Ford’s digital product management in Model E. With a background in precision farming technology at John Deere Labs and experience in management consulting, he brings expertise in HMI, AI, and corporate strategy to drive transformative change across industries.

Kathy leads Product Management and Experience Design for Autodesk’s platform team. She is a hands-on, pragmatic problem solver and visual storyteller who thrives on product strategy. A favorite saying is, “fast beats right”. Simplifying complex topics into digestible content is her specialty, and she believes a great picture can speak a thousand words. Authentic and empowering, she leads by example, inspired by the great people and teams around her.

Evelyn brings behavioral insights from academia and into the real world, helping product teams drive business outcomes and customer value.

As a product manager at the beginning of their career, they quickly saw the potential of behavioral science to transform products. They soon took up the mantle full time and have since worked with TikTok, Google, Airbnb, Procter & Gamble, The World Bank, Microsoft, Intuit, and Indeed, implemented scalable behavioral training programs at companies such as Aetna, and been written about by the New York Times and Chicago Sun.

They are a frequent speaker, media guest, and noted expert wherever behavioral economics intersects with real people’s needs—and they are also an outsider who will challenge your company and product to do better and grow faster.

Meghna is a technology partner at PwC with a passion to apply leading product management practices to solve customer and business pain points. She has over 17 years of experience in designing, building, and implementing technology products that leverage innovative and emerging technologies to modernize customer experience and business functions.

Diya is a results-driven product strategist and a U.S. patent holder with more than 20 years in financial product management. She has broad leadership experience in all aspects of product and business strategy, which includes cross-product strategy and roadmaps and product management across a range of technologies. She has been instrumental in driving the success of Airbnb’s Payments Compliance and Risk and, more recently, Trust and Safety initiatives, ensuring the safety and well-being of both guests and hosts. Diya is passionate about creating a supportive environment built on empathy, trust, and collaboration. With her expertise in the field, Diya brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table.

Kirsten helps Fortive’s operating companies drive performance and inclusion through deep adoption of the Fortive Business System and oversees its continual evolution, with a focus on growth and innovation. She also leads Fortive’s external innovation studio. She was recently named to the Forbes CXO100 list and is an active contributor to industry groups focused on continuous improvement. She holds a BA in mathematics and economics from Whitman College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She lives with her husband and two daughters in the Seattle area. She serves on the board of the Edmonds Community College Foundation and Pacific Science Center.

Judy Chang is a Director of Product Management for Play Books, Google’s ebook and audiobook global retail store. Judy leads an 80+xfn team to help users find their next great read or listen.

In prior Google roles, Judy identified a greenfield opportunity to improve sales efficiency and grow revenue for the flagship ads business. She led a team to deliver a suite of tools that relied upon machine learning to identify high-potential prospects. Judy also led the international expansion of GSuite (now Google Workspace) into emerging markets, adapting the product, pricing, and distribution to local market needs, exceeding projections. Before joining Google, Judy led product teams at PayPal, where she established new vertical solutions to help charities, governments, and schools accept online payments, as well as startups.

Judy mentors numerous women, serves as a chapter lead for Women In Product (WIP), and has been a panelist at the WIP conference.

Hema Budaraju is a technology leader with over 20 years of experience and a diverse background in software engineering, product management, and leadership roles across various organizations, including Microsoft and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Hema has a passion for building and scaling innovative technology solutions that drive business growth and customer success. Hema is also a dedicated advocate for diversity and inclusion in the tech industry, actively promoting initiatives to support women in technology and underrepresented groups. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Stanford University. Throughout her career, Hema has demonstrated a strong commitment to continuous learning and professional development, staying at the forefront of emerging technologies and industry trends. She is driven by a mission to empower teams to achieve their full potential and make a positive impact through technology innovation.

Elizabeth Stone was named Chief Technology Officer in October 2023. She joined Netflix in 2020, serving first as Vice President, Product Data Science & Engineering, and more recently as Vice President, Data & Insights. Elizabeth previously worked in finance as a trader at Merrill Lynch and economist at Analysis Group before transitioning to the tech industry, where she served as Chief Operating Officer at Nuna and Vice President, Science at Lyft. She is a graduate of MIT and Stanford University.

As executive vice president of Autodesk’s Media & Entertainment (M&E) solutions group, Diana plays a key role in growing and expanding Autodesk’s presence in the M&E industry. She leads a 450-person team on both the strategy and execution of Autodesk’s award-winning products, including Maya, 3ds Max, Flow Capture, Flow Production Tracking, Arnold, and Flame.

In the two decades that Diana has been with Autodesk, she has occupied a wide range of leadership roles, deepening her experience in strategically transforming business models, creating new product offerings, and optimizing processes on a global scale. Diana is a strong advocate for women within Autodesk and serves as the executive sponsor for the company’s global women’s network. In this role, she helps empower women across the business to achieve their full potential.

Diana holds a Master of Business Administration from McGill–HEC University in Montreal, Canada, and a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from Concordia University in Montreal.

Lea has spent over 30 years helping product teams build products that customers love and work for the business. She has a deep passion for helping product teams and individuals realize their full potential.

She has worked for brands such as IBM, Netscape, Macromedia, and Adobe. She has been both an individual contributor and a leader in these organizations. She especially loves new product development and building transformative products.

She has been a Partner at Silicon Valley Product Group for the last eight years, working with a group of exceptional product leaders from around the world. Her work at SVPG has been some of the most satisfying work as she gets to meet and work with clients from all geographies and industries.

She is the proud mother of three amazing women who inspire her daily. She is married to an amazing serial entrepreneur who supports, challenges, and humors her constantly.

As vice president of Strategic Technologies at Autodesk, Susanna Holt drives the development of an ecosystem of building blocks for Autodesk’s Design and Make products. She leads a team of more than 300 software engineers and professionals.

A 20+ year veteran of the software industry, Susanna served as a software development manager and senior software developer in Autodesk’s Cambridge office in the United Kingdom before joining the San Francisco office as a director leading the graphics team. Prior to Autodesk, Susanna was a software developer at D-Cubed where she consulted for Spatial Inc. (acquired by Dassault Systèmes) and where she contributed to building a geometric solid modeler.

Susanna received her doctoral degree in mathematics from Heriot-Watt University and her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main. Susanna taught mathematics at the Open University and is a Women’s Masters and Mixed Masters rowing champion.

Jennifer is an experienced Product Manager and UX researcher specializing in working on Enterprise SaaS software since 2015. They’ve mostly worked with scale-up companies in the areas of e-commerce, fintech, and industry 4.0. Since 2018, they have been at the forefront of leveraging machine-learning technology and have led Smartling’s growth in the area of implementing ML solutions in the field of localization. As the Head of AI Product Strategy, they now focus on AI technology research and development and share their expertise both internally and externally.

Chon “Choon” Chua brings over 20 years of innovation experience to her role as Sr. Director of Product Management for Partnership – Financial Management at Workday.

Recognized for excellence with Yahoo’s “You Rock” award and LogMeIn’s elite “President’s Club,” Chon is a proven team builder who creates culture and community. She pioneered Innovation Games to engage stakeholders and built a skilled user tribe through her creative badging program.

Chon’s strengths as an Agile/Scrum Master empower her to develop high-performing teams and draw out the best in each individual, even with remote and distributed groups. She has spearheaded cutting-edge AI, machine learning, big data, and SaaS solutions for enterprise and consumer products’ companies.

At Workday, Chon channels her passion into partnering across organizations to transform financial management through human-centered innovation. She sees immense opportunity to use technology like AI to augment jobs for the better. She creates possibilities wherever she goes. Her pioneering spirit and ability to build collaboration are what drive impact.

Kim is a Product Technology Leader with over ten years of experience with mostly early-stage tech companies.

With all of her teams, she has worked to integrate the tools and principles of conscious leadership. She believes a greater transformation in this world starts by transforming managers and company cultures.

After getting laid off last year, Kim started building a Product Consulting and Conscious Leadership Coaching Business. Reach out to her to talk about creating great product visions, finding product market fit, growing and fostering your product talent, and more!

Kim is Colorado-based. You’ll find her in the mountains hiking with her partner, step-son, and her (sometimes) adventure cat, Mango.

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Jameelah Calhoun is a strategy expert and growth leader who has led teams at the world’s top companies to launch new products that fuel profitable growth. Her unique career path has brought her from Wall Street to Silicon Valley, and she has served in diverse roles, from analyst to product manager to product marketing executive. After starting her career in investment banking at Citi, Jameelah held leadership roles at American Express, OnDeck Capital, and Audible, where she helped launch products like Amex Checkout, Contactless Payments, 3D Secure, and Audible Plus. Today, she serves as the VP and global head of product and customer marketing at Eventbrite, the world’s largest events marketplace. She has driven new subscription and ad products and led global product repositioning.

Jameelah has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Product Marketing Mentor by Sharebird two years in a row and is passionate about developing the next generation of diverse leaders. She earned her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and her B.A. from Yale University. During her spare time, Jameelah enjoys taking dance classes, SoulCycle, and listening to politics and economics podcasts.

She is currently in her third month as the Director of Product at Agero, a prominent provider of roadside assistance in the US. In this role, she leads the Product group responsible for the Operations of their digital product, a critical tool that aids millions of drivers each year during emergency situations.

Before joining Agero, she contributed to the success of Lytx, a video telematics company focused on helping commercial vehicle fleets save lives and enhance operations. Her journey at Lytx spanned 12 years, where she began as a Customer Success Manager and advanced to the position of Senior Director of Product. During this time, she navigated the challenges of a growing organization, built high-performing teams, and evolved a leading digital product to thrive in a highly competitive landscape. Among her most impactful achievements was spearheading the launch of the company’s first machine-vision and AI product. Additionally, she played a key role in orchestrating a total customer migration to a newly designed platform, leading the strategic vision.

She comes from a family of school teachers and while she knew that was not her calling, she has a passion for teaching individuals and teams how to enhance their skills, communicate effectively, and uncover their true aspirations.

Outside of her professional pursuits, she is honored to serve as the co-chapter lead of Women In Product San Diego. She founded the chapter in 2018 and now co-leads with an exceptional Product Manager. Together, they have established a robust Mentorship program entering its third year and a dynamic volunteer committee.

On a personal note, she is a proud wife celebrating eight years of marriage, and she and her husband are blessed with a delightful five-year-old son. Together, they embrace the vibrant spirit of San Diego, enjoying hiking, beach outings, exploring Balboa Park, and making frequent visits to dog parks with their beloved pup.

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Jamaila is an enthusiastic product advisor and business coach for tech founders. A seasoned Product Manager with nearly two decades of work experience across Vanguard, LinkedIn, and SAP, Jamaila uses her product expertise to guide founders to develop product strategies that solve impactful problems and to create engaging user experiences.

From her tenure as Chief of Staff to the COO of North America to her leadership roles in Product Management at SAP, she has consistently excelled in identifying business insights and turning them into bottom-line growth opportunities. As a product lead at LinkedIn, Jamaila has built dynamic consumer and enterprise products that focus on instructor experience and employer brand analytics.

A mentor to a number of aspirational Product Managers, Jamaila coaches recent grads on how to successfully pass product interviews and obtain job offers. More recently, she hosted a webinar for The Product School describing how she monetized the Product skills learned during her corporate tenure to now work for herself as a Product Advisor. A 2014 business school graduate of Duke University, Jamaila has guest lectured on Product Management at Columbia Business School and has been recognized by The Product School as an influential product leader.

When the solo-preneurship journey is not keeping her busy, Jamaila enjoys creative outlets such as dancing samba, attending art events, playing tennis, and doing beachside yoga in Miami, where she resides.

Dr. Marie-Ange Tagne is Tech and Product leader with 15+ years of experience designing, developing and launching 0 to 1 product initiatives that have impact in the lives of billions of users around the world. She has led product strategy, vision and execution at top companies in Silicon Valley including META, Amazon, Yahoo, Roku, McAfee and Intel.

Outside of work, she is a founding member of ROUND and SideBar, in the Board of DevNetwork Community and Bay Area Center. She has also served on the board of Directors of UPWARD and AkiliDada, and is a teaching assistant for product management-related courses at Standford University.

Dr. Tagne has been actively involved in her community in Silicon Valley to promote STEM education, mentorship, and diversity within various non-profit organizations, including Girls Who Code, Techwomen, Techbridge, Greene Scholar Program.

Dr. Tagne holds a Master’s and PhD in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from University of California Berkeley with research expertise in SiGe MEMS advanced process technology.

Dr Tagne is married and has two adorable children (6 and 8 years old). She is a marathon runner and CrossFit geek. She is an avid reader of fiction novels and enjoys adventurous traveling.

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In her current role as the Director of Product Management for Intuit Assist QuickBooks, Carol Howe spearheads the development and rollout of Generative Artificial Intelligence experiences tailored for small businesses new to QuickBooks.

Carol (she/her) is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of expertise in product management and strategy. She is passionate about guiding products from conception to successful launch, harnessing cutting-edge technologies along the way. During her tenure at Intuit, Carol pioneered several groundbreaking initiatives, such as introducing their first mobile app featuring photo OCR for document entry and implementing the company’s first suite of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning models to streamline the tax preparation experience for TurboTax.

Carol’s insights and innovations have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, MIT Technology Review, WSJ All Things Digital, and The Lean Startup. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of Southern California.

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Carly Wood is Director of Product Management for Intuit Assist in QuickBooks at Intuit. In this role, she is responsible for revolutionizing the existing QuickBooks customer experience with the new Gen AI-powered small business assistant, “Intuit Assist” to help small businesses save time, get paid faster, and optimize their cash flow. Carly oversees the Accounts Receivable and E2E Business Feed teams to accelerate innovation and deliver a future of “done for you” benefits to customers.

Carly has spent 8 years at Intuit, building self-employed and small business products, starting as an entry-level PM growing to director, and roles spanning new offerings and mature businesses. Previously, she worked on the rapid growth of QuickBooks Self-Employed, transformed the tech and user experience of Invoicing, led QuickBooks Mobile, led Core QuickBooks and Ecosystem Shared Experience, and initiated the brand new Solopreneur FMS offering.

Carly grew up in a small city in Wisconsin and moved to California in 2015. She now lives in Mountain View, CA, with her husband of 8 years, their cat, and soon their first child, expected in July.

Cassie Gillespie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a full-time faculty member in the University of Vermont’s Social Work Department, and the host of the The Social Work Lens podcast. Early in her career, Cassie got curious about the impact of workplace stress and started to explore what keeps people in their jobs. Cassie specializes in providing training, coaching & consultation to individuals & organizations experiencing chronic workplace stress and workplace trauma. She lives with her family in the mountains of Vermont.

Helen is a first-gen Chinese-Canadian, as well as an earth scientist turned product manager turned startup founder. After leaving her mark at companies such as Zynga, Microsoft, and Github, she’s gone on to co-found Co.Lab, an education program that helps aspiring technologists gain real-world, collaborative tech experience. Most recently, her work at Co.Lab has landed her on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Helen is especially passionate about thought diversity in the workforce, the power of active learning, and cute cats.

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Jenny Chang is a design leader with more than 10 years of experience working in the B2B space. She specializes in analytics platforms and is currently the Head of Design at digital analytics leader Amplitude. Jenny leads with her ability to inspire teams with data, strategy, and collaboration.

Leveraging the knowledge she’s gained from leading the Analytics Product at Amplitude, she’s seen how data can transform the lives of a design team. She is now on a personal mission to share that message with the industry, where she hopes everyone can use data responsibly to inform their product experience and drive change within an organization.

Kashmira boasts over 20 years of experience as a veteran in the engineering field. Despite being relatively new to the product management domain, having just under two years under her belt, she is steadily gaining strength and knowledge with each passing day.

Currently, Kashmira holds the role of Principal Technical Product Manager for Platform Engineering at Shutterfly. In this capacity, she is deeply dedicated to constructing secure, resilient, and cost-effective internal platforms while prioritizing an exceptional developer experience.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Kashmira is committed to raising awareness about the significance of internal platforms in facilitating successful cloud transformation initiatives.

Outside of the workplace, Kashmira volunteers her time with an organization dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence. For leisure, she finds joy in traveling, practicing yoga (including contorting herself into various poses), and delving into the world of Indian classical singing, a current fascination of hers.

Dessa has been immersed in digital product development since 2011, primarily based in Columbus, Ohio, with a strong entrepreneurial spirit driving her journey. Beginning her career in the non-profit sector, she successfully raised over half a million dollars to realize her product vision for data-driven applications supporting workforce development. Dessa leveraged design thinking principles and championed user-centered design throughout this endeavor.

Transitioning into the for-profit realm in 2017, Dessa ventured into startups within the healthcare sector, where she played integral roles in developing digital products from inception. Her experiences included leading the development of a VoIP application facilitating communication between nurses and doctors across healthcare facilities. Subsequently, she spearheaded the creation of a digital quoting tool for brokers, streamlining quote aggregation across multiple ancillary benefits plans.

Most recently, Dessa ventured into the realm of deep tech, focusing on AI-driven computer vision and robotics. At Path Robotics, she contributed to transforming an engineering-centric platform into persona-based applications for autonomous Robotics-as-a-Service.

In February 2024, Dessa made the voluntary decision to depart from Path Robotics, shifting her focus towards her own product development pursuits, particularly centered around modern housing. This move reflects her ongoing commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship in the digital product landscape.

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Amelie is a fractional Head of Product with over 10 years of experience building products and leading teams at more than 40 companies, spanning from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 enterprises. In addition to her leadership roles, she also actively engages as an advisor, mentor, and speaker, with a focus on product management, AI/ML, the future of work, and diversity in technology.

Alisa has amassed 8 years of experience as a Product Manager in the AR/VR field. During her tenure at Meta, she played pivotal roles in shipping Workrooms, a virtual meeting product, and is presently dedicated to the development of Quest for Business, Meta’s Enterprise solution for VR. Her passion lies in harnessing the power of immersion and social presence to enhance the remote working experience, a cause particularly close to her heart as a mother with two young children.

Tiffany holds the role of Senior Technical Program Manager at Okta’s Customer Identity Cloud, powered by Auth0 technology. In this capacity, she plays a crucial role in assisting product development teams in creating meaningful experiences aimed at enhancing the quality of life for the diverse individuals they serve. Tiffany is dedicated to infusing joy and play into her work while tackling challenging problems across various industries, including cybersecurity, supply chain, incident response, process engineering, and education.

In the past two years, Tiffany has intensified her commitment to leading a life of learning, love, and determination through her spiritual journey.

For leisure, Tiffany writes a blog about product management titled Product Muses, contributes to the leadership team of the Women in Product Toastmasters Club, and nurtures the Product Mind Community, offering a supportive space for product professionals worldwide to enhance their mental health, wellness, and careers. Additionally, she enjoys exploring new music, delving into historical topics, and indoor bouldering.

Sarah Field is a Senior UX Designer and strategist who blends her passion for psychology and innovation to transform product visions into reality. At UEGroup, a female-dominated product design and research consultancy, Sarah collaborates with clients from diverse industries to craft successful solutions for their users. Her excitement as a designer stems from navigating tensions and chaos within problem spaces to develop unique solutions that empower users to succeed. Specializing in designing solutions within enterprise, aerospace, and security sectors, Sarah thrives on challenges.

In her role as a lead designer and manager, Sarah serves as the creative force behind her clients’ product visions, crafting wireframes and design strategies while adeptly integrating stakeholder and user feedback to drive success. Collaborating closely with developers and visual designers, she ensures seamless integration and optimal user experiences, balancing technical constraints with innovative design concepts.

Sarah’s proficiency in user research further enhances her contributions. Leading user testing sessions and synthesizing insightful reports, she informs strategic decision-making and enhances project outcomes through actionable insights derived from research findings. Sarah is based in LA. When not working or traveling, Sarah can often be found at the beach with her dog Oliver and a book in hand, enjoying moments of relaxation.

Based in Silicon Valley, Dr. Marily Nika is an award-winning AI Product Management leader & one of the world’s best AI educators, with 12+ years of experience at Google & Meta & a PhD in Machine Learning.

Marily founded the AI Product Academy, which has courses about breaking into AI Product Management that 3,000 people have taken. Marily has been recognized for her contributions to AI & tech several times: Medal of Outstanding Achievement, WISE Influence Award (Women in Science & Engineering by Princess Anne), 2020’s Top 100 Women in tech, 2021’s Emerging Leader Award (Imperial College London), 2021’s 40 under 40 list.

Marily is also an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, where she teaches AI Product Management.
Reach out for corporate trainings and group/student discounts.

Lisa holds the position of Senior Product Manager at Microsoft Security, where she leads the development of identity and access innovations for Entra Conditional Access. With over 10 years of experience spanning various industries, including identity access management, aerospace, strategic consulting, and financial services, Lisa brings a diverse skill set and a wealth of expertise to her role at Microsoft Security.

Jasmine Lawrence is an accomplished Senior Product Manager and Founder, with extensive experience in creating innovative consumer and developer-focused products. In her former role as a Staff Technical Product Manager on the AI Platform team at Cruise, Jasmine contributed to the advancement of fully driverless rides in cities across the US. Her career in the tech industry boasts an impressive track record, with notable roles at Everyday Robots (Google), Facebook, Softbank Robotics America, and Microsoft, showcasing her versatility and expertise in product management.

With a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Georgia Tech and a Masters in Human-Centered Design and Engineering from the University of Washington, Jasmine combines technical proficiency with a deep understanding of user-centric design principles.

Beyond her corporate endeavors, Jasmine is the visionary Founder of EDEN BodyWorks. Inspired by her own needs, she established the company at the age of 13 to address the need for affordable, natural hair and body care products that deliver exceptional results. For nearly 20 years, EDEN BodyWorks has evolved into a global brand, offering over 50 products catering to the needs of curly-haired women. Her products are now available at major retailers nationwide, including Target.com, Walmart, CVS, Amazon.com, HEB, and Sally Beauty Supply Store.

Jasmine’s entrepreneurial journey has garnered widespread recognition, from being featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show to earning a spot on the Forbes 30 under 30 List in 2017. She was also recognized on Inc. Magazine’s 2021 Top 100 Female Founders list, underscoring her significant impact on the business world. Outside of her professional pursuits, Jasmine is a dynamic speaker, a talented poet, a passionate STEM advocate, and a dedicated Board Member at Open Door Legal.

Gayle is perpetually curious about all things people and product. She is rarely without a point of view but remains committed to holding perspectives loosely enough to change her mind. She is known for saying, “Two things can be true at one time.”

With over 15 years of experience in product organizations and consulting, Gayle finds both domains weirdly wonderful and challenging in their own ways. Currently, she is on a campaign to make saying hard things less weird because she believes that communicating with clarity and kindness is a critical success factor in building teams that work with authenticity.

Farah Abdallah Akoum is a seasoned product leader currently serving as the Senior Director of Digital Shopping Experience at Nordstrom. In this role, she shapes the future of online retail by leveraging AI.
Before joining Nordstrom, Farah held pivotal roles at Zillow and eBay. Her strategic vision and leadership were instrumental in launching AI-based experiences, including search enhancements, the Gen AI Plug-in, personalized recommendations, and conversational AI assistants.

Farah is a change agent who thrives on tackling novel customer problems at the intersection of AI technology and social impact. Her commitment to fostering a more diverse and inclusive workplace drives her advocacy efforts.

As a co-founder of the Women In Product chapter in Seattle, Farah empowers women in tech and champions their professional growth. Additionally, she served as a founding board member of the University of Washington Product Management Program.

Having worked with the United Nations and lived across the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, Farah brings a global perspective to her work. She aspires to create positive change by leveraging technology for social good.

Connect with Farah on LinkedIn to learn more about her journey and join the conversation on using AI to build new products.

Deb is a successful Product executive who is now the CEO & founder of Criya, a Y Combinator and venture-backed tech startup, supporting a massive community of tech professionals to offer their coaching and expertise with ease.

Deb was the keynote speaker at WIP ’22. Deb is the epitome of the PM to CEO journey. Through Criya, product leaders and top influencers from Meta, Amazon, Oracle, and PayPal have launched their own Coaching brand and helped upskill more than 2000+ professionals.

Deb is a successful Product executive (Ex-PayPal, Microsoft) with 13+ years of experience and holds a MS in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon. Before Criya, Deb was Head of Product Management at PayPal, leading a global team of product managers responsible for PayPal’s AI-powered Customer Success experiences. Prior to joining PayPal, Deb was Head of Product at Hitachi’s smart city IoT group.

Deb writes for Forbes, leads the Women In Product Peninsula chapter, mentors at First Round, and has been featured in the New York Times and TechCrunch.
IG: 150K followers, partnered with 300+ brands. Visit @debduttaofficial

Deb is a strong Advocate for Women in Tech & Leadership and is a Keynote Speaker at several national & international product conferences. Deb was awarded the EB-1 (A) Green Card by the US Govt for her contributions in the Product Management space.

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Martina spent 30 years as a marketing and product leader. She started her career working on market-defining software, Microsoft Office and Netscape Navigator. She teaches what she’s learned with SVPG and is a lecturer at UC Berkeley’s graduate school of engineering. As a partner at Costanoa Ventures, she sits on multiple boards and coaches startups. She is the author of LOVED: How to Rethink Marketing Tech Products, a #1 Amazon Best Seller. Martina holds a B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in Organizational Behavior from Stanford University. She’s a native Californian, mother of two, and proud wife to Chris.

Adithi (she/her) is a seasoned product leader with over 18 years of experience in product management, strategy, and product development. She has built and led product teams across various industries including social media, e-commerce, marketing technology, and personal finance. Adithi has held leadership positions at prominent companies such as Meta, Walmart, Microsoft, IBM, as well as other growth-stage companies.

Currently, Adithi serves as the Head of Product at Uber. Prior to her role at Uber, she led the cross-app experiences team at Meta and was responsible for leading digital shopping customer experiences at Walmart for both US and International markets.

Early in her career, Adithi held multiple product roles at companies like Machine Zone, Quinstreet, and Microsoft. She holds an MBA from the University of Southern California and a degree in computer science engineering.

Outside of work, Adithi enjoys traveling, practicing yoga, and spending quality time with her two kids. She is passionate about giving back to the product community and has been an active speaker at numerous product events, an instructor at Product School, and a product mentor at First Round Capital.

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Lauren is a Group Product Manager who oversees a suite of exciting mobile products and leads a motivated team of Product Managers. With nearly 20 years of experience, she has dedicated the last decade to Product Management, primarily focusing on the B2B2C space, serving tens of millions of daily users with the products she has worked on. Lauren’s expertise spans various areas including front-end web development, API and SDK mobile development, Machine Learning, and more across multiple industries. She holds a Liberal Arts undergraduate degree and is drawn to deeply technical products due to her enjoyment of working cross-functionally. Lauren finds technical aspects genuinely enjoyable to learn, and solving tough problems with a strategic mindset is where she excels.

Outside of work, Lauren resides in Chicago with her two children. She thrives on balancing a busy work life with parenting responsibilities, community involvement, staying active through workouts, and spreading joy and fun wherever she can.

Kate Radway (she/her) currently serves as the Vice President of Product, Engagement Experience for Peacock. In this capacity, she leads a product organization comprising over 15 Product Managers across three distinct teams. These teams are dedicated to crafting an exceptional streaming service that enables users to effortlessly discover the most suitable content for their preferences.

Throughout her career, Kate has remained at the intersection of content, media, and technology. Having held positions at ESPN, Spredfast, Disney Streaming, and now Peacock, she has established herself as a trusted Product leader renowned for shaping new and undefined projects while driving innovation.

Kate finds the most fulfillment in synthesizing diverse inputs, whether they stem from industry trends, customer feedback, or stakeholder priorities, to develop innovative products that address genuine user needs. While the formats may vary—from television segments and social videos in her early career to consumer products in her current role—she firmly believes that all creativity originates from the passionate consumption of books, newspapers, magazines, art, and video content. Kate is never without a few half-baked ideas, eagerly awaiting an impassioned discussion.

Alex Hurworth (she/her) is a certified leadership and executive coach for women.

Previously, she worked for 20 years in tech, leading teams responsible for the design and launch of software in a spectrum of organizations: multi-nationals, startups, philanthropic entities, and state-run organizations. Her work relocated her from London to Hong Kong, to Tokyo, and now to New York where she currently resides. Alex left corporate to pursue her entrepreneurial dream of running her own business and focusing on her passion: supporting women in their careers!

Shweta is a Senior Director of Product Management at Waymo, an autonomous driving technology company. Prior to joining Waymo, she served as the Chief Product Officer at Nauto, an AI startup concentrating on driver and automotive safety. In her role, Shweta led Product Management, Design, Strategy, and Marketing initiatives.

Earlier in her career, she held the position of Head of Product Management at Amazon Web Services, overseeing their database and analytics services. Before that, Shweta held various strategy and product management leadership roles at McKinsey and Cisco.

Shweta holds an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and an M.B.A. from INSEAD.

Shadi Rostami is the SVP of engineering at the digital analytics platform Amplitude. She is a passionate, seasoned technology leader and architect experienced in building and managing highly proficient engineering teams. Prior to Amplitude, she was VP of Engineering at Palo Alto Networks. She has innovated and delivered several product lines and services specializing in distributed systems, cloud computing, big data, machine learning, and security. She has a Ph.D. in computer engineering from the University of British Columbia and a B.Sc. from Sharif University of Technology. Shadi has published several peer-reviewed conference articles, journals, and patents.

Ketaki sees herself as a “water droplet,” — stable yet adaptable.

Currently, she is an AI Product Manager at Oracle. She moved from India to the US for this role. Passionate about personal branding, she hosts the “Personal Branding for Professionals” podcast, reaching 7000+ professionals. As a woman in STEM, she’s involved in initiatives like Women in Data Science, aiming to bridge the gender gap. Ketaki mentors professionals in product/tech and shares her insights through blogs on Medium and LinkedIn, with articles garnering over a million views. She delivers talks on “Product Management” and “Personal Branding for Career Growth” at conferences like the Grace Hopper Celebration, advocating for diversity and career development.

Janice Fraser built a storied career in Silicon Valley as a startup founder, product manager, and confidante for entrepreneurs and enterprise executives alike. From creating the second-ever personal interface to the web in the early days of Netscape to leading the world’s first user experience firm, Janice has often found herself “sitting at the bleeding edge and making it boring” by figuring out how to make the latest evolutions repeatable, useful, and commonplace. Janice currently supports “VLOs” (very large organizations), including P&G, in becoming more innovative and agile.

She also guides several venture-funded startup companies, federal government entities, and non-profit organizations, helping them do more with less, make bold moves, and achieve extraordinary results.

She sits on the board of the Ohio University Entrepreneur Center and served on The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine workshop committee focused on the innovation ecosystem for NASA. Over the years, Janice has been a guest lecturer at Harvard Business School, Berkeley HAAS School of Business, Kellogg School of Management, and Stanford, among others.

Drawing on her almost three decades of coaching hundreds of leaders and teams to achieve success, Janice is a sought-after speaker offering audiences around the world the opportunity to learn from her experiences and sharpen their leadership skills, build stronger teams, make meaningful progress quickly, and drive business transformation. Her exuberant big-stage keynotes and practical, empathetic brown-bag talks have become cult favorites.

She is the co-author of Farther, Faster, and Far Less Drama: How to Reduce Stress and Make Extraordinary Progress Wherever You Lead (April 2023), which outlines a groundbreaking framework for modern leadership that empowers greater alignment and quicker decision-making.

Allison is passionate about building things and motivated by opportunities to tackle ambiguous problems that desperately need to be understood before they can be solved.

As many do, her career began as a Consultant. She was fascinated by the varying problems she could help tackle and reveled in the opportunity to lead research initiatives and get to the heart of the problem. She was frustrated that she didn’t get to build and execute the solution she helped design.

Moving into Strategy and Operations, she finally got her chance to have a true, measurable impact. She invested in understanding the customer as intimately as possible and made their challenges her own. As a result, we redefined Axial’s approach to the customer lifecycle and customized applications to help us deliver at every turn. Where customer service was inefficient or ineffective, she synthesized feedback and liaised with our Product team to develop a product solution to the customer’s pain.

That is when she discovered the immense joy of product management. At Axiom, she had the remarkable opportunity to help transform a company and industry. She helped usher in an age of technological advancement at Axiom, bringing our marketplace online and delivering digital experiences that delight users and differentiate Axiom as an employer. With that experience, she moved to Workiva and has advanced her career from Senior to Lead Product Manager with an evolving scope of responsibility and the ability to contribute back to the R&D organization as a whole.

Kaylen Williams-Henry, Sr, Product Manager at Workiva, has 10 years of experience in SaaS product management, over 6 of which were spent with Workiva.

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Hillary Eckert is Vice President of Global Solutions at Workiva Inc. Workiva has built the world’s leading Assured Integrated Reporting SaaS platform that brings together customers’ Financial Reporting, ESG, GRC data and processes.

At Workiva, Hillary heads the global solution strategy and growth for the company’s largest Financial Reporting business line. Ensuring alignment, prioritization, and commercial success across the business, including product, partner, sales and marketing, and customer success.

Hillary has been at Workiva for 11 years, supporting business growth and customers’ success as the company accelerated from a private company to public, growing to today to over 6,000 customers globally.

She also proudly serves as an Executive Sponsor of Workiva’s Women Business Employee Resource Group.

Hillary lives in Ames, Iowa, with two beautiful girls and a wonderfully supportive husband. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, bird watching, sipping wine, and going to concerts and live music events.

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Lori is passionate about product management and has enjoyed working in the space for over 23 years. As a leader, Lori loves to coach and mentor. She enjoys using her experience to help teams scale effectively by introducing structure while maintaining creativity.

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Molly Rempe holds an M.S. in Applied Cultural Anthropology and has worked as a UX Researcher in product development for a decade. She has researched users interacting with hardware, firmware, and software across the globe. Molly is currently focused on triangulating user research with other data inputs to influence how Workiva’s SaaS platform might scale for high volume user segments.

Shelly is an accomplished product leader with expertise in mobile and web products, focusing on outcomes and impact. She is a thought leader in hiring, building, and developing high-performing product teams and cultivating a strong product culture. With a proven track record, Shelly excels in defining and socializing vision and strategy for products and platforms across diverse B2B and B2C industries.

Currently serving as the Senior Director of Product & Design at Sittercity, Shelly continues to drive innovation and excellence in product development, leveraging her extensive experience and leadership skills.

Nic is a seasoned Product leader with more than a decade of experience in both B2B and B2C Product Management and Product Marketing Management. Passionate about operations, growth, community building, and AI/ML, she is dedicated to helping women from non-traditional and underrepresented backgrounds succeed in the tech industry.

Throughout her career, Nic has demonstrated leadership in guiding product teams to success across diverse industries, including e-commerce, fintech, and government. With a natural aptitude for problem-solving, she excels at devising simple solutions to complex challenges, driving impactful outcomes for her teams and organizations.

Madhuri is VP of engineering at Salesforce. She is a Technology executive focused on driving the delivery of critical customer-facing applications in global markets while managing global high-performance technical org (200+). She has over 20 years of experience in technology, financial, and consulting industries.

She leads with her core values of compassion, curiosity, and courage to empower teams to bring their best to the table.
 She holds an MS, MBA, and BS in engineering degrees from three continents.

Lacey is the Founder & CEO of ZoCo, a renowned product studio dedicated to serving customer-centric companies. Over the past decade, ZoCo has earned recognition as a leading advocate for human-centered technology, collaborating closely with internal product teams and infusing every conversation with a customer-centric mindset. Through ZoCo’s efforts, valuable and beloved experiences are crafted for users.

Lacey’s achievements have garnered significant acclaim, including being honored as a NAWBO Visionary and as a member of Columbus CEO’s inaugural ‘Future 50’ class. Additionally, she has been recognized in Business First’s ‘Forty Under 40’, Smart Business’s ‘Smart 50’, the C-Suite Awards as Most Admired Executive, and received the BizTech Awards as ‘Outstanding Woman in Technology’. Her dedication to innovation and customer-centricity has established her as a respected leader in the industry.

Young but a complete powerhouse, Grace builds businesses that get acquired, products that win customers & awards, and teams & cultures that star players want to join. Early employee at three acquired startups (Tribe Dynamics –> CreatorIQ, Crossix Analytics –> Veeva Systems, Lasso –> IQVIA) whose exits total $1 billion.

She started her career in machine learning and data science before moving to the product management and commercialization of data products. She’s an inspirational and genuinely kind leader and people connector who leads with her whole heart, and that shows in the many employees, vendors, investors, and clients who trust and follow her. Most recently, she served as General Manager / COO at Ethermed, a prior authorization automation startup.

Domain expertise in healthcare data, pharma, adtech, advertising measurement, audience targeting, RWE/RWD, market access, data monetization, data sourcing and unicorn leader who can play almost any role, including but not limited to CEO, COO, CPO, CRO, CGO, CSO, CXO, GM (general manager).

Outside of tech, Grace is also a professional, multi-published art model.

Kathy is deeply passionate about product management and advocating for women in product roles. Drawing from her upbringing as the child of a truck driver and nail salon worker, she learned invaluable lessons in grit, resilience, and empathy, which she applies to her role as a Product Leader. She is committed to building solutions that cater to all segments of society, particularly leveraging advancements in AI and Machine Learning.

With a diverse background spanning industry, academia, non-profits, venture capital, and government, Kathy has made significant contributions across various domains. Currently serving as the Vice President of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at Workday, she also dedicates her time to teaching. Kathy instructs Product Management and Society at Harvard and imparts soccer lessons to grade school children.

Kathy’s illustrious career includes roles such as the inaugural Executive Director of the National AI Advisory Committee, Deputy Chief Technologist at the Federal Trade Commission, and a founding Engineering and Product member of the U.S. Digital Service at the White House. At Mozilla, she serves as a Senior Advisor and played a pivotal role in co-founding the Mozilla Builders Incubator and Mozilla Responsible Computing initiatives.

Additionally, Kathy is a respected figure in academia, serving on the faculty at Harvard, where she created and teaches Product Management and Society. She also co-founded the Ethical Tech Working Group. Her affiliations include being a Fellow at the MIT Media Lab and Harvard Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Initiative. Furthermore, Kathy is actively involved in various tech and non-profit boards.

Prior to her current roles, Kathy spent over a decade building large-scale systems in industry and healthcare at companies such as Google (Search, Health, People Operations), IBM, and Harris Healthcare. She completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, and Supelec in Metz, France.

Kalia is a dynamic product leader deeply committed to data privacy and mission-driven work. At Flatiron Health, she spearheads efforts to optimize data platforms and leads enterprise product teams transforming developer experiences and infrastructure. With a legacy that includes launching Disney+ internationally and creating platforms for under-represented communities, Kalia’s passion for inclusivity and collaboration defines her approach to building the best products in a rapidly evolving world. Her modern narrative inspires us all to innovate boldly and work towards a more inclusive future.

Frankie Berkoben (she/her) is an ADHD & leadership coach helping brilliant ADHD tech professionals build lives that work WITH their brains. Formerly an engineering consultant, endurance cyclist, PhD & MBA dropout, and no-code software nerd, she’s also a public speaker and has delivered talks, workshops, and trainings on ADHD & self-advocacy for Fortune500 companies, at the International Conference on ADHD (2021, 2022) and ongoing programming with the ADD Association and the ADHD Coaches Organization.

Aside from talks/workshops and leadership coaching, she is most sought-after for her Building Your Authentic ADHD Life coaching series. Check out www.franklyquiteadhd.com to learn more.

Lori is the Director of Product at Niche (N-itch), a rapid growth Ed-tech company specializing in school search. They are a product leader who’s helped multiple growth companies reach profitability. In 2 years, they have ignited their career from a Sr. Product Manager to Director of Product by embracing their athlete mindset. Lori is the Co-founder of the Women In Product Toastmasters Club, a mentor in the Career Climb community, and a three-time national bowling champion.

Preethika

Preetika’s journey started with building a strong experience in data, evolving into global product ownership, and now thriving on building impactful customer experiences. She started her career as a Product Analyst at Latentview Analytics. Later, she moved to Uber, where she worked on data on a global scale. There, she also discovered her passion for Product. After pursuing her Master of Science in Analytics from Columbia University, she transitioned into a Product Manager role for Mulberry Technology. Currently, she is building better customer experiences as an Analytics Manager at Lyft. She thrives in fast-paced environments with challenging problems and uses data to experiment, optimize, and scale.

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Anu is passionate about helping organizations find alignment between ideas, humans, and the planet and achieves delightful outcomes using proven human and earth-centric design principles.

She is a serial innovator with 15+ product launches and 3 successful exits under her belt from her time at Intuit, Sunbasket, Care.com, and several early-stage startups.

As a Terra.do climate fellow, Anu hosts OpenDoor Climate conversations for the Terra community. She is a Venture Advisor at Ankur Capital, a Mumbai-based VC focused on scaling ag-tech and climate tech solutions, and a Startup Mentor at Princeton’s Keller Center of Entrepreneurship. Anu recently co-launched [The Greenhouse](http://greenhousewomen.com/), a collaborative innovation program to pull more women founders into starting climate ventures.

She received her MBA from Stanford Business School and a BA in Computer Science and Economics from Mount Holyoke College.

Spectra brings a wealth of experience to their roles as a former CEO of a venture-backed startup, product strategy executive, and CX practice lead at a multi-national consulting firm. With over 20 years of experience, they have specialized in building and launching platform products for startups, Fortune 500 companies, and social impact ventures across the globe.

As the founder of Project LELA, Spectra has created a legaltech platform that connects individuals facing workplace challenges to quality and affordable attorneys. Additionally, they are the founder of Momentum Tech Leaders, an inclusive leadership accelerator aimed at supporting emerging tech startup leaders and CEOs. Furthermore, they established B Side Ventures, a network of mission-driven founders, funders, and operators focused on addressing the world’s most pressing challenges.

Spectra is actively involved in mentoring and advising early-stage startups as a mentor-in-residence at Techstars and VC-in-Residence at Pipeline Angels. They provide guidance on go-to-market strategies, product leadership, and team building to startups as they prepare for fundraising.

In addition to their professional endeavors, Spectra serves on several non-profit boards and is a prolific writer and speaker on topics such as leadership, technology, entrepreneurship, and economic justice. They are particularly passionate about discussing the future of work and driving conversations around this critical topic.

Seena Iype brings a diverse background in software engineering, data analysis, and now product leadership for ADP, a global provider of HCM solutions. With a focus on application security, Seena champions secure product design, collaborating cross-functionally to balance user experience and development velocity while adhering to risk mitigation strategies defined by the Global Security and Risk teams. Her career trajectory reflects a passion for innovation and a commitment to building secure, user-centric products.
Outside of her professional pursuits, Seena has a passion for travel and enjoys exploring new adventures. Recently, she has taken up improv, embracing the discomfort of pushing oneself outside their comfort zone.

As the founder of Her.Move, Sabrina is dedicated to empowering women to cultivate self-directed careers that align with their aspirations and values. She facilitates this empowerment by helping women break free from self-imposed limitations and external constraints. Her.Move is an invitation for women to embark on a transformative journey to recognize, activate, and harness their potential, build self-confidence, and establish clear goals and boundaries in both their professional and personal lives.

With over 10 years of experience in Product Management and Leadership, Sabrina has utilized her expertise to grow, lead, and accelerate product teams in multinational companies across various industries, including automotive, PropTech, e-commerce, and digital marketplaces. In addition to her corporate career, she has co-founded Product Professionals, a platform designed to train and coach professionals in Product Management, focusing on skill mastery and personal growth to accelerate and elevate their careers.

Sabrina’s purpose is to guide professionals in creating meaningful career paths, transforming individual capabilities into powerful strengths, and fostering a healthy work-life relationship. Through her work, she aims to inspire diverse leadership styles and make a positive impact on society.

Renee brings over 15 years of extensive experience in Software and Product Management to her roles. With a proven track record of driving innovation across diverse industries, she excels in taking new and emerging products from concept to fruition and guiding startups to scalable success. Renee leverages best practices acquired from her tenure at top Fortune 500 companies like Intuit and Raytheon, as well as her leadership of product teams at six startups.

Currently serving as the Head of Digital Products at World View, a Space-tech company in Series D, Renee also acts as a strategic product advisor for early-stage climate-tech startups. Additionally, she holds a role as a Climate Change Fellow at Terra.do. Passionate about making a positive environmental impact and addressing global challenges, Renee dedicates herself to driving meaningful change through her work.

Michelle has had a diverse and fascinating career journey, transitioning from being a hostage negotiator and FBI special agent to becoming a teacher for 2nd-grade students. This seemingly logical career change speaks volumes about her adaptability and versatility. Michelle has since entered the business arena, where she shares her expertise in elite listening skills with people from various backgrounds.

In her roles as a counter-terrorism agent, contributor to the 9/11 trial, and educator, Michelle has accumulated a wealth of experiences and insights, some of which she can share openly while others remain classified. Nevertheless, the lessons she imparts from her high-octane career are invaluable and applicable to everyday life.

Currently, Michelle serves as the US Lead for The Listening Institute, where she continues to challenge, entertain, and educate individuals. She resides with her super-supportive husband and sporty son, cherishing the balance between her professional and personal life.

Jen Blatz is a Principal UX Researcher at BECU (Boeing Employee Credit Union), one of the largest credit unions in the United States. Jen’s path to UX started in journalism and graphic design, progressed to UX design, and finally landed in UX research and strategy. She has worked in a number of fields, including finance, mortgage, cloud storage, security, and pet health. Jen loves being active in the UX community and is the co-founder of the UX Research and Strategy group, one of the largest UX groups in the world. Jen is a seasoned conference speaker who has spoken at several UX international conferences.

Irene Yu is the CEO & Founder of Skiplevel.co, a platform dedicated to helping product managers and product teams enhance their technical skills and collaborate effectively with engineering counterparts through the Skiplevel program. This program offers courses and community training tailored to equip product managers with essential technical knowledge and skills.

Prior to founding Skiplevel, Irene spent a decade as a full-stack software engineer, where she worked closely with and mentored numerous product managers. Her most recent role was as a software engineer at Amazon, where she contributed to building highly-scalable applications for Amazon Ads and internal tools.

In 2018, Irene began mentoring product management colleagues in technology while working as a developer at Amazon. This experience provided her with valuable insights into the challenges of imposter syndrome faced by many PMs and the lack of resources available to enhance their technical literacy and confidence.

The most rewarding aspect of Irene’s mentoring experience was witnessing the growth of her PM colleagues’ confidence in technical discussions over time. Observing their ability to pose insightful questions during such discussions, a crucial indicator of technical literacy, inspired Irene to pursue her passion and vision of bringing technical literacy to the product management community and the broader tech industry.

Helen serves as the co-founder of Women Defining AI and the bestselling author of “How the Future Works.” Prior to her current ventures, she held a prominent role as a strategy and operations leader at Slack. During her tenure leading Strategy & Analytics at Slack, Helen played a pivotal role in guiding the company’s growth trajectory from a $75M ARR to over $1B in enterprise ARR. She directly managed launches such as the enterprise product and entry into international markets, contributing significantly to Slack’s expansion.

Beyond her professional achievements, Helen is deeply passionate about promoting diversity and inclusivity in the tech industry, particularly in leveling the playing field for women and underrepresented groups. In her spare time, amidst coaching and mentoring calls, she enjoys running, immersing herself in sci-fi/fantasy literature, and embarking on adventures with her two small children and husband.

Becky is a product and tech executive based in the Silicon Valley. She has built and scaled product and engineering teams globally for both startups and Fortune 500 companies. Currently, Becky is the founder and CEO of Dragonboat, which is on a mission to empower responsive leaders and their teams to build better products faster. Prior to founding Dragonboat, Becky held executive roles at Feedzai, Bigcommerce, Tinyprints/Shutterfly, and PayPal.

Ali is a media anthropologist turned Product Manager, product strategist, UX researcher, and thought leader. Since 2005, Ali has traveled extensively to explore how humans create and utilize technologies around the world.

As a professor and later as a principal researcher with AWS, SaaS, and public service design agencies, Ali conducted research and published works on various topics, including the emergence of technology in West Africa, the implementation of custom AI tools in supply chain planning, and illuminated signs for Seattle train stations. Since 2017, Ali has been involved in projects related to AI and other highly technical products, culminating in the upcoming launch of a podcast titled “Culture of Cloud” in 2024.

Throughout their career, Ali has held teaching positions in women’s and gender studies, human-computer interaction, media, and methods at esteemed institutions such as Portland State University, Virginia Tech, UNC, and William & Mary. Additionally, Ali is a sought-after speaker and workshop facilitator, sharing their insights and expertise on a global scale.

Ali’s contributions have been recognized with awards from organizations such as Wilgus, Peacock REACH, and the NAACP, and they have served as a Mellon ACLS fellow. They are a staunch advocate for diversity and inclusion in product leadership, believing strongly in the importance of individuals from all backgrounds shaping the field. Ali is committed to fostering lifelong alliances and collaborations to drive positive change within the industry.

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Vidya is a partner at Product Rebels, a renowned product training and coaching company dedicated to teaching teams practical methods to become more customer-centric and build products that resonate with customers. With over 20 years of experience in product management, including multiple executive roles at prominent companies like Intuit, Vidya brings a wealth of expertise to her role.

Throughout her career, Vidya and her team have coached over 200 teams ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 50 companies. They take pride in witnessing teams undergo transformation as they grasp better approaches to product development.

In addition to her work at Product Rebels, Vidya is the co-author of “Groundwork: Get Better at Making Better Products” and serves as the co-host of the podcast “Product Rebels.” Her dedication to advancing product management practices and empowering teams is evident in her multifaceted contributions to the industry.

Nonya serves as the Senior Manager for Global Product Commercialization at Indeed, where she specializes in launching early products. With a background in launching new ad products at eBay and leading innovation at TD Bank, Nonya brings a wealth of experience to her role. Additionally, she is a skilled facilitator, with expertise in team building for both remote and co-located teams.

Nonya holds an MBA in Management from The Wharton School of Business and a BA in Sociology from Spelman College. Her diverse educational background and extensive professional experience contribute to her success in driving product commercialization at Indeed.