Cincinnati WITCON 2025: Thrive Forward, Shape Tomorrow

Welcome to our Annual Women in Technology Conference: Thrive

getWITit aspires to cultivate local community engagement so that women can sustain, excel, and advance in technology careers. WITCON 2025 will deliver on just that! This year, we’re excited to announce an in-person conference event with a focus on bringing local women and allies in technology together for a day of inspiration, learning, workshops and connection. Breakfast, Lunch, and Happy Hour included in this all day event!

Our mission is to inspire more women to enter the field of technology by building a supportive environment where those women can flourish and create opportunities for more women to ascend into leadership roles. As a non-profit, we rely on the help of external sponsors to help us unite, support, and promote diversity in tech throughout the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region.

About getWITit National

getWITit is a non-profit national organization, with the specific mission of addressing the declining number of women in the IT industry, through programs that promote awareness, address attrition, create opportunities to transition to tech, and preparation for leadership. Our mission is to inspire more women to enter the field of technology, to build an environment where those women can flourish, and to create opportunities for more women to ascend into leadership roles.

getWITit runs various events, seminars and conferences from time to time to update, educate and provoke discussion amongst its community members, potential community members and industry bodies (“Events”). This privacy notice is a disclosure that getWITit uses your personal data when you register for and attend an Event run by getWITit.

~~~AGENDA ~~~

7:30 AM: Registration and Breakfast – Lobby

8:15 AM

Announcements

Opening Keynote: Heléne Smuts, Founder and Group CEO of Credo Growth, "Thriving Isn't An Accident: How to Build a High-Performance Culture"

Location: Main Ballroom

In this dynamic and empowering session, participants will gain insights into the common causes of team dysfunction and the strategies to overcome them. Through exploring of poor communication, lack of trust, and conflicting goals and priorities, attendees will grasp the root causes of team challenges and learn how to address them effectively. With a focus on the role of leadership, this talk will unpack the actions leaders can implement to foster a cohesive and high-performing team culture. Armed with practical tools and knowledge, attendees will leave equipped to cultivate a thriving team dynamic, driving success and achievement.

9:45 AM

The Top 10 Reasons to be a Project Manager

• Presenters: Kelly Barnett - Project Manager, Vernovis

• Location: Main Ballroom

Today’s business climate has changed extremely within the past five years post Covid. This talk will address some of those changes and add some humor to help professionals in today’s digital world and provide valuable insights about how to survive and thrive in today’sproject management arena.

The Algorithm of You: Hacking Your Career with Personal Branding

• Presenter: Mariana Padilla - Community Evangelist, Harmonic Security

• Location: Meeting Room 2,3

Unlock your career potential by mastering the art of personal branding. In this dynamic workshop, you’ll learn how to build an authentic and powerful brand that showcases your unique skills and value. We’ll go beyond technical resumes to define your narrative, cultivate a strong online presence, and network with purpose. You'll leave with actionable strategies to amplify your influence and confidently navigate your career path in the tech industry.

What you'll learn:
-How to define and articulate your unique professional story.
-Tips for curating a compelling online presence.
-Strategies for networking and building a community.
-The power of authenticity in a digital world.

Design ROI: The Untapped Value Companies Overlook

• Presenters: Kristy Sieve - President, Mertz Design Studio; Holly Shoemaker - Director of Graphic Design, Mertz Design Studio

• Location: Meeting Room 4,5

At many companies, engineering and design are treated as separate tracks, but design is far more than a finishing touch. It’s a measurable growth driver. In this session, Mertz Design Studio reveals how strategic brand identity, packaging, and digital design can increase adoption, attract investment, and strengthen performance across industries. Backed by real-world case studies, the presentation demonstrates how design strategy directly impacts ROI and why tech leaders should prioritize it alongside development. Attendees will walk away with a new perspective on design as a business accelerator and practical ways to unlock its value inside their own organizations.

Beyond Automation: The Rise of Agentic AI and the Next Era of Intelligent Systems

• Presenter: Madhavi Najana - Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati ; Women in AI Ohio State Ambassador

• Location: Meeting Room 6

Artificial Intelligence is transitioning from mere automation toward autonomous, goal-driven systems known as Agentic AI. This session provides clarity on the significant distinctions between traditional AI, Generative AI, AI Agents, and the emerging paradigm of Agentic AI, highlighting their architectures, use cases, and practical applications.

Participants will walk away with a robust understanding of best practices for the ethical, responsible, and effective implementation of Agentic AI, supported by real-world examples, setting guardrails and strategic recommendations that guide organizations safely into this next transformative era.

AWS Cloud 101: Essential Insights for Successful Cloud Adoption

• Presenter: Jocelyn Whitfield - Digital Identity Engineering Leader, Fifth Third Bank

• Location: Meeting Room 7

Everywhere we turn nowadays the applications we use are “In The Cloud” but what really is “The Cloud” and is it the right strategy for your IT Systems and applications? Join me in this exciting discussion as we learn about the core building blocks of AWS, including compute, storage, networking and best practices in security, cost management, and cloud CI/CD. In addition to the nuts & bolts of AWS we will talk about determining cloud readiness, cloud alternatives and how to prepare for a successful cloud adoption strategy for your applications and systems. Whether you are new to AWS or seeking to solidify your foundational knowledge, this session provides the essential insight needed to unlock the full potential of cloud adoption.

Mastering Data Quality

• Presenter: Megala Sinnaraj - Lead Data Quality Engineer, Costrategix

• Location: Meeting Room 8

In a world powered by software and AI, insight quality depends on data quality. This presentation will explore why data quality isn't just a technical task, but a strategic pillar that reduces business risk, improves decision-making, and protects AI investments.

Learn the crucial difference between simply checking if a system is running versus ensuring the data it produces is trustworthy. We'll show you how to embed data quality checks into business processes without creating roadblocks, and make the case for a Data Quality Engineer as a guardian of business value. You'll leave knowing how to lead your teams toward building more reliable systems and making more confident, data-driven decisions.

Managing 3rd-Party Risk

• Presenter: Dave Hatter - Cybersecurity and Compliance Consultant, Intrust IT

• Location: The Learning Center

As businesses increasingly rely on third-party services, from cloud providers to software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms, the potential for data breaches, compliance violations, reputational damage, and operational disruptions grows. The session will explore real-world case studies, such as the 2020 SolarWinds attack, to illustrate how third-party weaknesses can compromise entire networks. Attendees will gain actionable strategies, including vendor risk assessments, contract enforcement, and best practices, to mitigate these risks. This talk emphasizes practical tools, emerging threats like supply chain attacks, and regulatory considerations, equipping participants to strengthen their organizations' defenses against third-party risks.

10:45 AM

AI as Your Career Wing Woman: Work Smarter, Lead Bolder, Grow Faster

• Presenter: Ashima Sharma - Founder & CEO, Ayuka Consulting

• Location: Main Ballroom

Artificial Intelligence isn’t here to take your job — it’s here to amplify your potential. In this dynamic session for women professionals, we’ll explore how AI can be your ultimate career ally. Whether you’re leading teams, building a business, or juggling daily tasks, AI tools can help you work smarter, lead stronger, and reclaim your time. No tech background needed — we’ll dive into practical, real-world uses of AI, from automating to strategizing, and enhancing your voice and visibility. Through stories and hands-on tips, you’ll leave with the confidence to use AI not as a threat, but as your digital career wingwoman.

From Test Cases to AI Agents: The Future of Quality Engineering

• Presenter: Tanvi Mittal - Software Engineer/Test Automation specialist, US Bank

• Location: Meeting Room 2,3

The rise of AI agents is changing how QA teams design, execute, and scale test automation. In this session, we’ll explore how generative AI can accelerate test creation, enable predictive defect detection, and power self-healing frameworks. Attendees will learn real-world applications from banking and enterprise systems, as well as the challenges of bias, false positives, and over-reliance on automation.

From Chaos to Cohesion: Driving Tooling Transformation in Complex Organizations

• Presenter: Krystiana Peterson - Sr. Portfolio Manager, Dick's Sporting Goods

• Location: Meeting Room 4,5

When you join an organization that doesn’t fully leverage its own product and engineering tools — and you’re told not to automate work — the easy path is to adapt. The better path? Transform. In this lightning talk, Krystiana Peterson shares how she went from quietly building automation “on the side of her desk” to leading a cross-functional tooling transformation that aligned portfolio, program, product, and engineering teams to a single source of truth. Learn how small, strategic wins can spark cultural change, improve collaboration, and get even the most complex organizations moving in the same direction.

Move Quickly from Journey Map to Story Map: how to keep your user stories and roadmap grounded in your research

• Presenter: Nick Hawes - Product Strategy & Ops, Design Leader, Experience Shaper
• Location: Meeting Room 4,5

How can a Scrum Team (Designer + PO/PM + Developers) overcome the often overwhelming task of transitioning from a Journey Map into User Stories and then into a Story Map? It is not uncommon for teams to get stuck at this particular point in the process. Translating observations and their importance into User Stories, Use Cases and Acceptance Criteria that the Dev Team can start execute can quickly get daunting or confusing. In this talk, I will show to identify the structure - or spine - of your story map within the Journey map and thereby, kickstart a concept that retains a foundation clearly rooted in your user research.

Understanding Your Emotional Intelligence in Times of Change

• Presenter: Kara Spinosi – Change Management Specialist, Great American Insurance Group

• Location: Meeting Room 6

You've likely heard of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Change Management—but have you ever considered how your EQ directly impacts the way you navigate change?

In this presentation, we'll explore the four quadrants of emotional intelligence and their connection to successful change management. Together, we'll uncover:

- The fundamental aspects of EQ
- How each quadrant influences the change process
- The ways EQ contributes to effective transitions
- The key differences between EQ and Change Management

By the end, you'll gain a deeper understanding of how strengthening your emotional intelligence can lead to smoother, more adaptive change experiences. Let’s dive in!

Beyond Feelings: What The Data Tells Us About DEI

• Presenter: Katie Dwyer – Software Engineering Manager, Myriad Genetics

• Location: Meeting Room 7

Let’s face it, DEI has become a polarizing word. This talk will move beyond assumptions and emotional appeals, instead exploring the performance of diverse versus homogeneous teams by examining data and real-world outcomes.

Build, Buy & Belonging - Fifth Third's Modern Data Strategy

• Presenters: Kayleigh Lavorini – VP, Director of Data Engineering and Data Strategy, Fifth Third Bank; Hannah Petersen – Data Engineer, Fifth Third Bank

• Location: Meeting Room 8

This presentation will explore Fifth Third's strategic approach to modernizing its data ecosystem through a balanced combination of building proprietary software, buying best-in-class solutions, and fostering a culture of belonging and adoption across the organization.

We'll walk through how Fifth Third's custom platforms and solutions are built with human experience and adoption in mind. We'll also hear firsthand accounts from our data producer enablement programs, which will reinforce that transformation is just as much about people as it is about technology.

Leading with Authenticity: Courage, Clarity, and Connection

• Presenter: Whitney Gaskins - Product Strategy & Ops, Design Leader, Experience Shaper, University of Cincinnati

• Location: The Learning Center

Leadership today requires more than strategy,it demands heart. In this session, Dr. Whitney Gaskins explores what authentic leadership looks like in action: leading with empathy, setting boundaries, building trust, and embracing reinvention. Through storytelling, reflection, and Q&A, Whitney will share how she’s navigated leadership in academia, business, and philanthropy and how women can lead powerfully without losing themselves.

Key Takeaways:
• How to show up as your full self without apology.
• Turning challenges and transitions into growth moments.
• Practical ways to lead diverse teams with empathy and accountability.
• Q&A segment: “Ask Me Anything About Leadership and Life.

Ideal Audience: Women in leadership roles or aspiring leaders seeking inspiration and real-world strategies.

11:30: LUNCH

1:15 PM

Your True North: Leading with Integrity When the Map is Missing

• Presenter: Megan Bachman - Director of Enterprise Research Systems, Cincinnati Children's Hospital

• Location: Main Ballroom

In today’s rapidly shifting IT and business landscapes, the familiar maps and frameworks we once relied on can quickly become obsolete. When the map is missing, it’s your true north—your core values and unwavering integrity—that become your most reliable guide. This session, 'Your True North: Leading with Integrity When the Map is Missing,' will explore how values-driven leadership can help you navigate ambiguity, foster resilience, and maintain trust, even when the way forward is uncertain. Whether you’re just starting to build your influence, expanding your leadership, or shaping strategy at the highest levels, you’ll gain practical tools to anchor your decisions in integrity and lead confidently through change.

How has ADM been applying Continuous Improvement and BPM within Global Technology?

• Presenter: Ana Claudia Rodrigues – Continuous Improvement Specialist, ADM

• Location: Meeting Room 2

ADM has been on a Lean journey, applying tools such as VSM, A3, BPM, Fishbone, and the 5 Whys to identify and measure problems, as well as address them at their root cause. To support these initiatives, the teams are using Azure for work management, ensuring proper execution and on-time delivery.

Women in Charge: Maximizing Female Leaders

• Presenters: Erica Day - Director Cyber Security, First Financial Bank; Melissa Donovan - Director Enterprise Fraud, First Financial Bank; Monica Wahl - Director Cyber Strategic Enablement, First Financial Bank; Lex Adkins - Fraud Investigator III, First Financial Bank

• Location: Meeting Room 4,5

Erica Day, Monica Wahl, and Melissa Donovan are experienced leaders and mentors. We currently run the FFB Ladies of Tech Resource Group and maximize opportunities to develop other women. We are also passionate about community involvement and helping women find purpose not only in their professional lives, but in their personal lives, too.

Join us for an honest conversation with 3 female leaders in Cyber Security and Fraud, sharing their experiences and approach to building strong female leaders.

From Resistance to Resilience: Unlocking Successful Adoption in Tech Transformations

• Presenter: Allie Quarry - Operations Specialist, Advanced Technology Consulting (ATC)

• Location: Meeting Room 6

The biggest challenge in any digital transformation isn’t the technology—it’s the people. This session uncovers strategies to move teams from pushback to progress by focusing on human-centered adoption and change management. Attendees will gain actionable tactics to lead through change and build stronger, more resilient organizations.

The Death of SaaS, The Rise of AI-Native Velocity

• Presenters: Jarrod Anderson -CAIO, CTO, CIO, SYRV.AI; Taylor Deboodt - Director of Partner & Client Engagement, SYRV.AI

• Location: Meeting Room 7

The era of SaaS as the default operating model is crashing down around us—and the clock is ticking. SaaS Sprawl has crippled every organization: the average company uses 112+ distinct apps, up to 30% of SaaS spend is wasted, and shadow IT drains budgets while productivity collapses as knowledge workers waste up to an hour a day switching between tools. CFOs are pressuring IT to show real outcomes, not more vendors, yet the pace of change is accelerating beyond traditional teams’ capacity to keep up. This is not a distant future problem—it’s happening now, and mid-market leaders who wait will be left behind.

In this high-stakes session, Jarrod, a 20+ year AI veteran and author of The Chief AI Officers Handbook, partners with Taylor—a seasoned digital transformation consultant and advocate for accessible AI—to translate bold AI potential into actionable outcomes & reveal the bold alternative: AI-native, agentic architectures that orchestrate hundreds of specialized agents and thousands of assets to automate end-to-end workflows—delivering measurable ROI in weeks, not quarters. SYRV Velocity is the engine: a coordinated digital workforce that can do the work of dozens, with built-in governance, security, and ethics. See live demos and industry-focused use cases across finance, manufacturing, and logistics, plus a practical blueprint for AI readiness and culture shift. This is the moment to transition from chasing tools to owning outcomes. End of SaaS is here—are you ready to lead the change?

Strategies and Technologies for Balancing Your Work and Home life

• Presenter: Spencer Hogan – Business Development Manager, Afidence

• Location: Meeting Room 8

Strategies and Technologies for Balancing Your Work and Home Life” is a practical, conversation-driven presentation focused on helping technology professionals achieve better balance and productivity. Drawing on Afidence’s IT consulting experience, it introduces three pillars: Prioritization (identifying values, setting goals, and building accountability), Delegation (clarifying responsibilities, offloading tasks, and strengthening partnerships), and Automation (streamlining tools, simplifying infrastructure, and leveraging AI like Fathom and Copilot). Attendees walk away with actionable strategies to manage work effectively while making space for what matters most.

So You Want To Create a Chat Application: A Choose-Your-Own Adventure

• Presenter: Chuck Zimmer – Digital Apps Manager, ADM; Riley Williams - Enterprise Digital Architect, ADM

• Location: The Learning Center

Are you considering building a chat application for your company? In this interactive, "choose-your-own-adventure" style talk, we’ll walk through the key decisions faced when building a chat-focused company: from choosing your use case to selecting your tech stack, handling scale, and privacy.

Along the way, the audience will help shape the journey — choosing paths that reflect real-world tradeoffs you are likely to encounter. You’ll leave with a practical map of the terrain (and some cautionary tales) for creating a Chat application for your company.

Get ready to explore the wild world of chat innovation — no coding required, but plenty of strategic thinking.

2:15 PM

Barrel Proof Leadership: Deliver the Outcome

• Presenters: Jamie Stamper - SVP - Chief Delivery Officer, NTT DATA Business Solutions, Inc.

• Location: Main Ballroom

In today’s fast-paced development environments, retrofitting security at the end of the In the spirit of what Kentucky is known for around the world —bourbon—this session explores what it takes to craft leadership that’s as authentic and enduring as the spirit itself. In bourbon, collaboration runs deep: brands share knowledge, distillers trade wisdom, and the legacy of the craft rises above competition. That same spirit is what true transformation requires.

Join Jamie Stamper—SVP and Chief Delivery Officer at NTT DATA Business Solutions—for a candid pour of leadership lessons from the world of ERP transformations. Jamie will share stories that age well: the bitter sips of chasing short-term wins, and the remarkably smooth finish that comes from delivering the outcome.

From Bootcamp to Breakthrough

• Presenters: Anja Setala; Lauren Monowar-Jones; Courtney Hamilton; Kasandra Murray

• Location: Meeting Room 2

Explore how three students turned their Java coding bootcamp experience into real-world success. Alongside their mentor, they’ll share key lessons, challenges, and breakthroughs from their journey—highlighting how hands-on learning can lead to lasting impact in tech.

Vibe Code Your MVP: Using English as Your New Coding Language

• Presenter: Mel McGee - SkillSpout

• Location: Meeting Room 3

Software development isn’t just for engineers anymore—it’s for everyone with an idea worth building. With prompt engineering, plain English becomes your new coding language. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how “vibe coding” can transform a vision into a working MVP in record time. Bring your laptop and project idea, and follow along with SkillSpout co-founder and We Can Code IT CEO Mel McGee—a 30-year tech veteran and AI expert. Using general logic, natural language, and free tools like Replit, you’ll prototype something tangible that accelerates product development, sparks clearer feedback, and moves your project closer to reality. Whether you’re working on a small concept or preparing for a larger build, this session will help you create, test, and refine ideas faster—without needing to use a single line of traditional code.

Leading a Team without Comprising YOU!

• Presenter: Paula Orezi - Author & Speaker | Founder of Paula O! Store LLC

• Location: Meeting Room 4,5

This presentation is about leading well in male-dominated corporate environments. It provides tips on how to lead effectively without compromising who you are. When we lead from our most authentic selves, we empower others to do the same. No masks—just leaders with personality. No more cookie-cutter, “I was told to lead this way” thinking.

AI That Gives Time Back: Helping Nonprofits Focus on People, Not Paperwork

• Presenter: Isabel Perez - Chief Growth Officer, KindMind LLC

• Location: Meeting Room 4,5

AI doesn’t have to replace humans—it can give us time back to be more human. For nonprofits, where real impact comes from relationships and community connection, AI can take on the repetitive admin work that drains staff energy and distracts from the mission.

In this 15-minute lightning talk, Isabel Perez, Founder of KindMind, will show how nonprofits can use AI to cut through busywork, reduce burnout, and free up staff to focus on what matters most: building deeper connections with donors, volunteers, and the communities they serve. Attendees will walk away with a new perspective on AI—not as a threat, but as a teammate that makes human connection possible again.

Building on Quicksand: Why Your Security Stack Is Only as Strong as Your
Data Foundation

• Presenter: Erin Hamm – Field Chief Data Officer, Databee

• Location: Meeting Room 6

We’ve invested heavily in security tools, hired elite talent, and built out SOCs and compliance programs. Yet many organizations still struggle to answer fundamental questions like: “What’s actually running in our environment?” or “Are we compliant?” Why? Because the problem isn’t the security stack—it’s the data foundation underneath it. Like building on quicksand, your security program may look solid on the surface. But when you step into it—trying to extract insights, prove compliance, or prioritize threats—you quickly sink into a quagmire of fragmented, noisy, and unreliable data. Cloud and hybrid environments have only amplified this challenge, scattering critical context across on-prem systems, cloud providers, and SaaS platforms. In this session, we’ll explore how dirty data leads to muddy results, and what it takes to build a stable, trusted foundation. You’ll learn what a mature security data program looks like and how to get there, including how to normalize and integrate data across your environment and embed data quality into compliance, creating remediation workflows, and enabling scalable insights and automation.

Empowering IT Leaders with Unified Infrastructure

• Presenter: Catherine David – Advisory Account Executive, Nutanix

• Location: Meeting Room 7

Empowering IT Leaders
How infrastructure modernization enables faster innovation.
Removing barriers to adoption through simplicity.
Future-proofing organizations with flexible architecture

Belonging in Action: From Hackathon Insights to Real-World Implementation

• Presenters: Cheryl Nachbauer - Entertainment Market Lead + Entertainment Strategist, MA Design; Heather Pfaltzgraff – Asssociate Vice President, YMCA; Stephanie Togneri – Senior Director of Volunteer Engagement, YMCA

• Location: Meeting Room 8

What happens when hackathon ideas move beyond the whiteboard into testing and implementation? In this panel, Cheryl Nachbauer (Colibrí Design Collective / MA Design), Heather Pfaltzgraff (YMCA), and James McIntyre(CTO, YMCA) share how outputs from the Future of Data Hackathon became the foundation for the YMCA Belonging Prototype. Together, they’ll explore hackathon insights → prototype testing → implementation, highlighting design, leadership, and technology working together to measure and strengthen belonging.

Why a Business-First Mindset Makes IT a True Differentiator

• Presenter: Janna Wagoner - Senior Vice President, Technology Transition Director, Fifth Third Bank

• Location: The Learning Center

Depending on your degree, you may have a strong engineering focus — but without understanding the business context, it’s difficult to build solutions that truly enable business goals. I’ll share tips and strategies for learning the business you serve, explain why it’s essential for technologists to keep this perspective in mind, and highlight how the relationship between technology and business partners strengthens when they do.

3:00 PM

Closing Keynote: The Leadership Multiplier: How Women in Tech Drive Teams, Trust, and Transformation

• Presenters: Stephanie Polen - President, The Polen Group; Alicia Gamel - Sr. Director, Workforce Identity, Fifth Third Bank; Katie Graves - Director, Agility - Fifth Third Bank, Patty Strickler-Reisz - SVT, Senior Director Commercial Credit IT Platform Engineering, Fifth Third Bank
• Location: Main Ballroom

This keynote brings together three accomplished executives who recently completed getWITit's six-month Women in Technology Leadership Cohort. Through personal stories and real-world examples, they’ll share how the program helped them navigate the distinct challenges that women in tech often face — from steering innovation in fast-moving environments to leading diverse, cross-functional teams amid organizational complexity.Each executive will reflect on how the cohort provided a space for honest dialogue, strategic growth, and collective learning — equipping them to:

• Navigate complex organizational dynamics with greater clarity and confidence.
• Lead diverse, cross-functional teams while maintaining empathy and accountability.
• Drive innovation in high-stakes settings while managing calculated risks.
• Influence without direct authority, using trust, collaboration, and authenticity as levers of impact.
• Build inclusive, high-performing cultures that empower others to rise.

Together, their stories highlight not just personal transformation, but the broader ripple effect of women’s leadership in technology — how individual growth within a cohort can translate into organizational and industry-wide change.

4:30 PM – 6:30 PM

• Happy Hour and Networking

• Location: Main Ballroom