Girl Geek Dinners Ottawa

Last Wednesday, Serena Ngai of Girl Develop It Ottawa presented her case about the revolution of women in technology. From Mattel’s Barbie career innovations to five-year old girls dreaming of being astronauts, Serena pointed out the large social gap between girls and boys in the field of computer science and everything related.

When you Google search “computer scientist”, what’s the first image that appears? Is it a guy with glasses and a plaid shirt? Trust us, we’re not being biased. In fact, research has shown the number of women with bachelor degrees in computer sciences has decreased rapidly over the past 20 years from 37 per cent to less than 20 per cent. Today, less than one per cent of women would be interested in studying computer science as an elective in university. But, there is hope!

In 2010, Mattel posted a public survey asking girls which career they would like Barbie to pursue. To everyone’s surprise, the number one career was computer engineer. Are women beginning to see technology as a fun, innovative, career savvy form of income?  Let’s hope so!

To help regain the number of women in computer sciences, Serena and Gail Carmichael founded Girl Develop It Ottawa to bring back the flare and fun of building websites in a supportive environment. Serena taught us how technical skills can be valuable for your career and any career, why this “women in technology” thing really matters, and how their upcoming workshops can help you become the next Marissa Mayer. Well, in part.

Girl Develop It is hosting their next workshop Intro to HTML and CSS on Nov. 29 and Dec. 6, from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. They’re also looking for volunteers to help teach workshops and share technological skills with Ottawa women. If you or someone you know likes to teach and is tech savvy, contact Serena or Gail.

And lastly, congratulations to our Girl Geek prize winners who went home with fabulous gifts from our event sponsors – the National Arts Centre, Media Miser, UsedOttawa.com and Ingrid Aesthetics.

To read more about this month’s event, check out the following reviews from our Girl Geek attendees:

Amy Campsall (blog post)– @AmyCampsall

Alexandra Reid – @TechAlly

Mel Gallant – @MelGallant

Hana Abaza – @HanaAbaza

From mobile apps to social media technology and from open data to public policy, women are continually influencing the way information is being shared across the world.

On March 30, three women taught us that technology isn’t just an objective, it changes society and infrastructure as a whole.

Mary Beth Baker, Emily Daniels and Tracey Lauriault, were part of a technological revolution known as Open Data Ottawa. A few months back, they organized Hackfest, an opportunity for technology lovers to come together to create unique and innovative mobile apps with the purpose of helping Ottawa citizens to enjoy and easily access recreation and services the city has to offer.

Thanks to our wonderful speakers and guests, the event generated huge awareness on Twitter.  We highly encourage participation from everyone, male or female, and if you know someone that’s passionate about technology or has an idea for an event, please don’t hesitate to talk to us, we love questions and feedback!

What can we take away from this event? From creative ideas for new apps to learning resources you can take home with you,  Mary Beth, Tracey and Emily enlightened us with their passion for the pursuit of open data :

• If you’re not reading this, make sure to pick up The Real World of Technology by Ursula Franklin and also check out Datalibre.ca.
• Remember Erin Brockovich? Well, she’s back in the spotlight and working on passing an open data bill about disease clusters being mapped and made public. Does this mean a sequel?!
• Another great quote is from the lovely Jane Jacobs, “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”
• If you loved the past Hackfest and want to take part again, Mary Beth is hoping to start a Mother’s Day Hackfest in May. Feel free to contact her for more information, maribethbaker <at> gmail.com. You can also check out photos from the last Hackfest on behalf of Edward  Ocampo-Gooding.
• And last, but not least, open data is not about sharing personal information with the public.  In order to share public information we have the right to know and to answer public policy issues that affect us and our communities.

Thanks again to our sponsors for their continued support.  We hope all the door prize winners enjoy their prizes!

CIRA .CA

Thornley Fallis

Open Data Ottawa

The Lemon Kitchen

Media Miser

The National Arts Centre

Swing Dynamite

Join us Wednesday, January 26th at The Black Tomato for a panel discussion featuring three female business leaders, representing both the public and private sector. The panelists are:

• Jennifer MacKinnon – Founder and CEO of Fenix Solutions Inc.
• Sherry Noble – Senior VP, Business Development at Export Development Canada
• Janet Harris-Campbell – Chief Information Officer, IM-IT, Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada

Our panelists will share their career journey to the top, including lessons learned in striving for work-life balance, setting career goals, mentorship and more. Please join us for an insightful and engaging discussion on leadership and coaching in the workplace!

What: Panel discussion on career journey, leadership and coaching

Where: The Black Tomato, 11 George Street at Sussex (get directions)

When: 6 p.m.

Register now: To register, please visit our event registration page.

More About Our Speakers

Sherry L. Noble

A native of Waterloo, Ontario, Sherry Noble joined Export Development Canada (EDC) in 1977. Since joining EDC, Sherry has held positions of increasing responsibility in the Corporate Communications, Treasury and Business Development & Operations groups. Effective July 2003, she was appointed Senior Vice President, Business Solutions & Technology, a newly created group.

With oversight of the information technology function at EDC, Sherry is responsible for ensuring alignment of the corporate IT strategy and architecture with business objectives; reliability of the technical and communications infrastructure for clients and employees; and effective project management and application development.  Her Group is also looked to for leadership in the areas of Business Process Management, and Enterprise Information Management.

Ms. Noble has an undergraduate degree in Science in Language (French and Spanish) and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Ottawa. Travelling is something Sherry has always enjoyed, and working at EDC has given her the opportunity to visit interesting cities around the world.

Jennifer MacKinnon

Jennifer is the founder and CEO of Fenix Solutions Inc. a web software development company specializing in online application development and the use of emerging technologies & trends.

A previous Top Forty Under 40 win ner, Jennifer is a businesswoman who counts her role as mom the most rewarding.

Janet Harris-Campbell

Janet is CIO for The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada (OSFI). Janet joined this federal government agency, which is responsible for regulating Canada’s banks, insurance companies and federally regulated private pension funds, in 2009. As the organization’s first CIO, Janet established and is now leading a five-year information and technology renewal program that supports the agency’s ability to respond to the increasingly complex regulatory environment.

Previously, Janet had been the CIO at the City of Ottawa for five years. Under her leadership, in 2008, the City’s IT Services team won four GTEC awards for technology innovation in the public sector. Janet focused her career on IM/IT ten years ago; before then her management experience with the municipal government had been in areas outside the IT field.

Aside from work, Janet is mom to a competitive soccer playing daughter, and enjoys golf, yoga, skiing and volunteering.

Our Event Sponsors

Logistics and door prizes for our January GGD Ottawa event  is made possible by the generous contribution of our sponsors – a big thank you to the following organizations.

Beyond Events

Blend Creations

The National Arts Centre

Sara McConnell Photography

The Lemon Kitchen

ThornleyFallis

We all know that to land that perfect job or promotion there are certain skills you need. Sure you may have the right qualifications…but do you know how to create a resume that sells or how to market yourself effectively?

And what if you want to shift your career goals entirely? Where do you start?

Maureen McCann, career coach and founder of ProMotion Career Solutions, will be our guest speaker on Monday, October 26th, and she wants to know which scenario the GGD Ottawa community is most interested in discussing that evening.

When we started planning this event with Maureen she said,

What I hear from most people these days – is that they struggle to communicate their value to their employer. It is a frustrating exercise for them because they struggle to find the words and the stories that match the ideas employers are looking to find.

To find out which career scenario our GGD Ottawa community identifies with the most, we’ve created a quick poll we hope you’ll participate in. We will then use the results to orient an interactive discussion with Maureen! Please take a moment to answer:

Which of the following topics are you most interested in hearing about at the next Girl Geek Dinner Ottawa?(poll)

After you’ve responded to the poll, why not leave a comment to let us know the response you chose and any specific questions you may have for Maureen. You can also send Maureen a message on Twitter with @mypromotion.

Event details tbd so Save the Date!

When: Monday, October 26 at 6 p.m.

Where: *** We are still working on a location for this event and will share those details within a day or two so please save the date!  ***

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***Oct 20th – update*** register for the event here.

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A bit about Maureen (updated Oct 21)

An inspiring, resourceful, and well-organized Master Certified Resume Strategist and Career Consultant, Maureen McCann is passionate about communicating the value of business leaders. As a consummate career teacher, coach, and mentor, Maureen works with clients to develop the documents and interview skills required for success.

Maureen has been delivering one-on-one career counselling, resume writing and interview coaching to a diverse clientele for years. She helps clients break the cycle of career mediocrity by improving their confidence and marketability. As a testament to her leadership, in both 2007 and 2008, Maureen was honoured by the Career Professionals of Canada (CPC) with the Award of Excellence.

As a respected leader in the Canadian career industry, Maureen has been a central speaker at Opportunities 2008 “Workforce 2010,” the Ontario-wide conference for the employment community; Women 2.0 in Ottawa; Ottawa Citizen Job Fair 2009; and National Career Event for IT Professionals 2007.

A few years ago, Veronica and I have both had the opportunity to participate in a workshop Maureen conducted with the former Women 2.0 Ottawa chapter. She is a great speaker and I guarantee will offer some valuable insights on how to reach your career goals.

Read Maureen’s job interview advice in this Oct 21, 2009 Globe & Mail article Simplify the search: Be organized.

Girl Geek Dinner (GGD) Ottawa was featured last night on CTV Ottawa’s Tech Now segment of the Sunday 6 o’clock news. The interview provided us the opportunity to explain why we founded a chapter in Ottawa and to discuss opportunities for women in social media.

Paul Brent of CTV Ottawa's Tech Now discusses the new Girl Geek Dinner chapter in Ottawa

Also featured in the interview is Ian Capstick of MediaStyle who gives his perspective on why he thinks women are more naturally adapt as social media strategists.

To watch the video, visit the CTV Ottawa website. FYI: I can’t find a way to link directly to the video, so once you navigate to the page, click the CTV News Video Player to the right of the page.

You can also read the accompanying article here.

On a final note, we would like to thank the community for supporting our chapter launch event scheduled for tomorrow night with guest speaker Tara Hunt. The event has sold out and is an indication that Ottawa women working and/or interested in high tech want these kind of networking and learning events.