(as of October 28, 2022 and subject to change)
Event Schedule (all times PT):
8 a.m. : Venue Opens
9 a.m. : Opening Remarks/General Sessions Begin
12:45 p.m. : Networking Luncheon
2 p.m. : General Sessions Resume
3:15 p.m. : WiTH Leadership Awards Program
4:30 p.m. : Closing Remarks/Networking Reception
Conference Program
9 – 9:10 a.m.
Opening Remarks
Christina Aguilera, Head of Technology Workflow & Strategy, Amazon Studios, and President, WiTH Foundation
Guy Finley, President & Chief Executive Officer, MESA, and Executive Director, WiTH Foundation
9:10 -9:15 p.m.
Conference Welcome Remarks
Arjun Ramamurthy, Chief Technology Officer, Ateliere
9:15 – 9:30 a.m.
A Look at the 2022 Leadership Awards Nominees
This session looks at this year’s award nominees along with previous year’s winners. Join us for a look at who is making the impact and why we are honoring them this afternoon at the SoCal Women’s Leadership Awards ceremony.
Guy Finley, Executive Director, WiTH Foundation
Nadya Ichinomiya, Executive Director – Head of Agile Center of Excellence, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Chairwoman, WiTH Foundation
9:30 – 10 a.m.
OPENING KEYNOTE: Future Women Leaders in Tech Wear Green
The harsh reality is that by the time that a young woman has graduated from high school and begun to decide on her aspirational career path (declaring themselves a STEM or technology related field major), she is already behind in the career race and may never catch up. Girl Scouts presents the critical leadership development training for future change agents in tech and that training starts in kindergarten and continues to the C-Suite. Setting the stage for the day’s agenda, our Opening Keynote will discuss the ROI of Girl Scouting and the Gold Award and local opportunities for you to partner with Girl Scouts.
Karen P. Layng, President, Board of Directors, The Girl Scouts of USA & Chief Executive Officer, M.A.I.T. Co
Introduction by: Nina Skorus-Neely, Digital Advisor, Microsoft, and Vice President/Secretary, WiTH Foundation
10 – 10:30 a.m.
Lasting Impact: Empowering the WiTH Community
Have you ever wondered about the impact that WiTH has in our local community? In this panel session, you’ll hear personal stories and journeys from the women who have been directly impacted by our community engagement efforts over the years and how they have been able to change their trajectory. You’ll also hear more about what these WiTH supported non-profits do with their members and for their broader community.
Moderator: April Schneider, Executive Director, IT – TV Distribution, Sony Pictures, and Board Member, WiTH Foundation
Panelists:
Temitope Adepoju, Women’s Empowerment Institute Alumna, and Salesforce System Administrator, Redpath Consulting Group
Patricia Cruz, DIY Girls Alumna, Computer Engineering at CSUN & Co-Lead Instructor, Invent Girls
Karen Elzy, Codetalk Alumna, Workforce Development & Graphic Designer, Codetalk
Hailey Lister, Boundless Brilliance Alumna, and Product Manager, Kinotek Software
Leslie Segovia, STEM Advantage Alumna, Software Engineer, Disney Streaming Services
10:30 – 11 a.m.
Building Community through Leadership
This panel discussion highlights the organizations and individuals who empower women in our industry. From allies to mentors to leaders this session highlights the history and strength of collaboration within M+E.
Moderator: Nina Skorus-Neely, Digital Advisor, Microsoft, and Vice President/Secretary, WiTH
Panelists:
Angeline Buenaventura, Creative Talent Development Manager, Netflix
Kari Grubin, Executive Board Member, Hollywood Professional Association
11 – 11:30 a.m.
NETWORKING BREAK – Topic: How can YOU make a difference?
11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Leading (Women!) Through Technology Innovation
This session gathers WiTH Leadership Award Nominees to discuss their impact as a technology leader within their organizations. Learn how to motivate teams and inspire women to move beyond their comfort zone to create or drive adoption of products throughout the production and distribution supply chain. We’ll be discussing their individual career paths while focusing on the technology innovations that made the most impact on their career path(s) as well as the mentors and allies who helped along the way. Join us!
Moderator: Guy Finley, Executive Director, WiTH Foundation and President & CEO, MESA
Panelists:
James Andrews, Founder, Creator Mode Studios
Albertina Cardiel Chavez, IT Governance, Risk and Compliance Director and CyberSec Evangelist, Softtek Integration Systems
Anna Claiborne, Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder, PacketFabric
Eric Iverson, Director of Products, Amazon Studios
12 – 12:30 p.m.
AFTERNOON KEYNOTE: Women in Technology Leadership
A leadership path starts from within and isn’t bound by economics or borders. The inner strength required starts with pure determination and is further fueled by life experiences and team work. Starting as an immigrant to America thru building a successful career in technology, and now one of the top leaders within a $50B company, in this Keynote presentation you will learn how this executive’s journey has shaped her career.
Jana Vondran, Senior Vice President, Global Business Services, Ingram Micro
12:30 – 1:45 p.m.
NETWORKING LUNCHEON
12:30 – 1:15 p.m.
METAVERSE MEETUP – AMA
Meet in the metaverse for a virtual lunch and open networking session to jam with other Infinity Festival WiTH attendees. Grab a sandwich, pull up a digital chair and connect with other powerhouses in the digital universe. This “Ask Me Anything” is designed to give our virtual participants a platform to engage with leaders in this emerging technology space.
Moderator: Jeanette DePatie, Lead Writer/Analyst, Propellerhead-Inc
1:15 – 1:45 p.m.
LUNCH MENTORSHIP WORKSHOP – The Four Mentors: The Case for Kind Leadership
Mentorship has not only yielded a faster track toward salary increases but has also given its participants a greater sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in their lives at work. Like mountaineers linked at the hip, mentors and mentees typically stay loyal to their jobs and are justly valued for their professionalism and commitment.
During this talk, we’ll review the Four Mentors:
1. Your Mentor (you as Mentee)
2. You as Mentor
3. Peer To Peer Mentoring
4.Your Inner Mentor (which will include a visualization exercise)
This interactive session will include a worksheet exercises (and homework!) Participants will walk away with practical actions to take to increase mentorship in their professional and personal lives.
Nadya Ichinomiya, Executive Director – Head of Agile Center of Excellence, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Chairwoman, WiTH Foundation
1:45 – 2:15 p.m.
Creating Diversity in the Metaverse
Blockchain Technology & how to foster diversity in the Metaverse–Blockchain technologies such as DeFi, DAOs, NFTs, and Web 3.0 offer unique opportunities to both serve and create opportunities for populations that are currently underserved due to conscious and unconscious bias. In this session we discuss how avatars and other identity tools within the Metaverse can be used to make members feel represented and welcome. We will also talk about how these technologies may be used to bank the unbanked or underbanked, create merit-based opportunities for young techs who may not have degrees from prestigious institutions and how these technologies may be among the best tools to manage income inequality in the future. While these opportunities exist, we must be careful to safeguard the tech from the same sorts of unconscious bias we see creeping into other new technologies such as machine learning/AI (coded bias). This panel will also offer suggestions for how to safeguard the opportunities of blockchain from these same sorts of biases.
Moderator: Jeanette DePatie, Lead Writer/Analyst, Propellerhead-Inc
Panelists:
Mariana Danilovic, Managing Director, Infiom
Heidi Pease, Head of Investment Products, Wave Financial
Christina Trampota, Managing Director, Innovate Grow Scale
2:15 – 2:45 p.m.
Accessibility in the Metaverse
Metaverse is not just a 3D virtual world but a future state of technology. It is far bigger than you can imagine. Physical disabilities are not reflected to the Metaverse., therefore others don’t know if you are using accessibility aids or different devices to move your virtual avatar in the meeting. This creates the opportunity for tech to bridge the gap where limitations once existed. Let’s talk about leveraging accessibility in the Metaverse to optimize bringing people together.
iAsia Brown, Data & AI Specialist, Microsoft, and Board Member, WiTH Foundation
2:45 – 3 p.m.
Using Cloud Transformation as a DE&I Opportunity
MGM is one of the most iconic names with some of the most beloved movies and TV series ever made. But after an extended period of manual asset processing, it was time to remake MGM Studios using the best modern content technology available. Jinsu will share her experience leading one of the largest studio transformations of our industry and the enormous opportunities cloud, analytics, AI/ML and media supply chain technologies like Ateliere brings to M&E and the opportunities for women to lead an industry-wide transformation.
Jinsu Wang, Senior Vice President, Business Operations, MGM
Introduction by: Arjun Ramamurthy, Global Chief Technology Officer, Ateliere
3 – 3:30 p.m.
CLOSING KEYNOTE: From Silicon Valley to Sony Pictures – My Adventures in Executive Leadership
Our closing “fireside” chat explores our Keynote’s career journey and discusses how a theater major with a law degree ended up in the tech field developing some of the first ecommerce platforms and later moving into cybersecurity. Learn how to guide your own path through personal triumphs and tribulations as you hear career advice on learning about new opportunities or deciding your “non-negotiables”. Join us for this insightful conversation that spans multiple brands and organizational cultures.
Virginia Lyons, Chief Information Security Officer, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Interviewed by: Theresa Miller, Chief Information Officer, Lionsgate, and Vice President/Treasurer, WiTH Foundation
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
2022 WiTH LEADERSHIP AWARDS PRESENTATION
– Introduction
– Past Winners/Nominees
– Winner Announcements
– Closing Remarks
4:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Christina Aguilera, President, WiTH Foundation, and Head of Technology Workflow & Strategy, Amazon Studios
Guy Finley, Executive Director, WiTH Foundation and President & Chief Executive Officer, MESA
4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
NETWORKING RECPTION
