What’s it Really Like to be a Mom Working in the Tech Industry?
How do working moms navigate the daily ups and downs, find work/life balance, and combat #momguilt? How can we as tech leaders, foster a parent-inclusive work culture? And what advice and inspiration can we pull from other’s experiences?
Tomorrow, June 4th at 12 PM EDT, four women from top Miami tech companies (including our very own CEO), will be having an open and honest panel discussion about these things + more and we invite you to be part of the free conversation. RSVP and get more event details here.
The women will share real insights, personal stories, and actionable tips in an effort to create a more diverse, empathetic, and aware workforce.
Read on to learn more about each panelist.
Lauren Schaefer
Director of UI/UX, Nearpod and mom of 2 (3yr, 5yr)
Lauren is actively involved in the User Experience community and a passionate industry professional energized by opportunities to expand her skills and evangelize for UX. Outside of work she started and runs the South Florida User Experience Meetup, the first major UX community in the area. The group has grown to over 2k local members and meets monthly to share knowledge and discuss industry topics amongst local professionals. She also served on the board of directors for UXPA International and leads a local UXPA chapter. Lauren received her Masters of Human Factors and Information Design from Bentley University and has served as an adjunct professor teaching human factors for Florida International University.
Independently Lauren has worked one-on-one with various local businesses to provide user experience insights, design, research and strategic recommendations for increasing customer satisfaction and product success.
Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn
Carmen Graham
Head of Content and Creative at REEF and mom of soon to be 3 (4 yr, 2 yr, 1 on the way)
Carmen started out with a journalism degree and a dream to be a writer in New York City. She learned to write in 140 characters or less in the infancy of the social media game, with roles at ideeli.com, New York Magazine and Complex Media. Because of her background in narrative-first creative, she’s developed content, creative and production strategy for ComplexCon, PepsiCo/Mountain Dew, Nike, Universal Music Group, Pep Boys, Fruit of the Loom and Verizon, to name a few. Now she leads content and creative at REEF Technology, where they’re on a mission to connect the world to your block. She lives in Coconut Grove with her husband Mike, sons Christopher (almost 4), Bobby (almost 2), and baby Carmen on the way in October!
Connect with Carmen on LinkedIn
Angela Medina
Sr. Product Designer with Buzzfeed and mom of 1 (8 mo.)
Angela is a Digital Product Designer with over 10 years of experience working in agencies, media and tech companies. She currently works on the Commerce team at BuzzFeed.
As a woman and proud Colombian, Angela cares deeply about diversity and inclusion in Tech. While in New York, she led the NYC chapter of Latinas in Tech, a non-profit organization that supports and empowers Latina women working in tech.
As a first time mom, she enjoys caring for his little one and watching him grow. She also loves spending time outdoors in nature, learning about better ways to care for our planet and mentoring junior designers.
Angela has lived in Bogota, San Francisco, New York, and currently resides in Miami.
Connect with Angela on LinkedIn
Nicole Gallardo
Co-Founder and CEO of Gallardo Labs and mom of 3 (4yr, 10yr, 14yr)
Nicole Gallardo is the Co-Founder + CEO of Gallardo Labs, a design-first digital experience agency that’s redefining what’s possible with creativity, technology, and heart. She is the dynamic force behind the agency’s mission and capabilities and pioneered a team culture where different is better, mistakes are opportunities, and the design process is rooted in compassion.
Since co-founding Gallardo Labs in 2012, Nicole has led her team and client relationships by example, solving complex business challenges with integrity, collaboration, and UX subject-matter expertise. She views design as the tool responsible for shaping our future and developed Created for Change, a non-profit design initiative within Gallardo Labs, to effect meaningful change one concept at a time.
Prior to her role as CEO of Gallardo Labs, Nicole spent 10 years as an accomplished creative director, user experience designer, and team builder for industry icons including Publicis Sapient, Quicken Loans, and Norwegian Cruise Line. She founded 2 successful online e-commerce businesses, one that re-invented the women’s couture shoe industry by creating a design-your-own online experience. She is an entrepreneur by heart and is as equally passionate about small start-ups as she is about Fortune 500s.
Nicole is actively involved in the design community and is an advocate for a better K-12 digital education experience. When she’s offline, you can find her at home in Fort Lauderdale, FL or exploring new destinations around the world with her husband and 3 kids.
RSVP and get more event details here. We hope to see you all tomorrow!
