Women in Big Data Global
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We are bringing together industry experts in the field of generative AI and machine learning to share their knowledge and perspective on growth in various areas and applications of AI. Come join us for a day filled with exciting conversations, learning and networking opportunities.
Event Parking: Map & Instructions Here
University of Portland
Bauccio Commons
5000 N Willamette Blvd
Portland, OR 97203
Part 1: The Foundations of GenAI (8:00 AM – 1:15 PM)
Part 2: The Frontiers of GenAI (1:15 PM – 6:00 PM)
AI Engineer
Committee Member, WiBD NW Chapter
Andrea Ballinger
Andrea brings an extraordinary blend of strategic vision and hands-on experience in digital transformation. As a national thought leader in strategy and inclusive technology leadership, she has led multi-million-dollar modernization programs. Her expertise spans enterprise AI strategies, data leadership, and research infrastructure—making her uniquely positioned to explore the essential human skills that complement our AI-driven future. From prompt engineering to ethical reasoning, Andrea will share insights on the foundational capabilities every professional needs. Beyond her technical leadership, Andrea is a passionate AI & Digital Equity Champion who empowers universities and mission-driven organizations to thrive in the digital age. Her human-centric approach prioritizes stakeholder engagement and champions women and minoritized communities in tech.
AI Engineer
Arun Sirimalla
Cecile Kellam
Cecile Kellam, AI & Analytics Senior Solution Architect at NetApp, With over 5 years of driving innovation across NetApp’s cloud portfolio, Cecile brings exceptional expertise in AI-powered security solutions for the public sector. As a trusted NetApp A-Team Technical Advisor and member of the Technical Advisory Board, she understands the critical intersection of AI, analytics, and cybersecurity like few others. Beyond her technical prowess, Cecile is a passionate advocate for diversity in tech, serving on the NetApp Women in Tech Steering Committee where she shapes global initiatives that make our industry more inclusive.
Courtney Whelan
Courtney Whelan-Stillmun is a distinguished Principal Architect at Google Cloud and is passionate about the strategic implementation of artificial intelligence within large-scale enterprise and government organizations. She specializes in advising clients on leveraging generative AI and innovative cloud technologies to achieve transformative and mission-critical
results.
Drawing on over a decade of experience in technology, Courtney has developed deep technical expertise in cloud architecture, machine learning, and AI-driven application modernization. She has a proven track record of designing and deploying sophisticated AI solutions and has been instrumental in pioneering the AI strategy across government agencies, fostering development from the ground up. Her ability to develop compelling proof-of-concept engagements and evangelize new technologies has consistently accelerated the adoption of predictive and generative AI for a wide range of sensitive and complex use cases.
A trusted advisor to both technical practitioners and executive leadership, Courtney is known for her ability to demystify complex technologies and articulate their value to diverse audiences.
Melissa Evers
Melissa is a senior technology executive with over 20 years of experience leading global software engineering organizations and driving enterprise-wide transformation across Fortune 500 companies. Her career reflects a consistent track record of scaling high-performing teams, modernizing legacy platforms, and delivering strategic impact at the intersection of engineering, finance, strategy and software.
Most recently, Melissa served as Vice President in the Office of the CTO at Intel Corporation, where she led a globally distributed team of 600+ and drove several transformation initiatives including unified source code management, DevOps, code security tooling across the enterprise, and accelerated adoption of open source, crafted and executed Intel’s AI Open Source ecosystem strategy and led Developer Relations scale programming. For over a decade, Melissa led global software development teams across open source system software from PC, to Edge, to Cloud. Earlier in her career, Melissa was a Finance Controller at Intel, a Strategic Analyst in the Corporate Strategy Office at Dell, and a Field Engineer at ExxonMobil.
Melissa’s board experience is broad including the Linux Foundation Governing Board, Forte Foundation Board, Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission – Technology Consortia, the Maseeh College of Engineering Advisory Committee at the University of Texas at Austin, as well as several others. She currently serves as Board Chair for the Technology Association of Oregon, the state’s leading technology trade association.
Melissa earned both her Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. She is also a certified Executive Coach and a passionate advocate for inclusion initiatives. Based in Portland, Oregon, Melissa is mom to 3 amazing young people, 2 dogs and 4 chickens.
Michelle Salvado
Michelle Salvado is the Chief Operating Officer of Embed Security, a cybersecurity startup leveraging Agentic AI to help security teams focus on what matters most. Before joining Embed, she founded PATH Leadership Solutions to support senior technical leaders. Michelle also held executive and technical leadership roles at Trellix, FireEye, McAfee, Intel, and other leading tech companies over a 30-year span.
She holds an MA in Organizational Development and Leadership from Fielding Graduate University, along with an MBA and a BS in Computer Science from West Chester University. Michelle is a certified executive coach through the International Coaching Federation and the Center for Executive Coaching.
Shweta Malik
Surekha Reddy
Surekha Reddy is a proven innovator and executive with 25 years of leadership across Cloud, AI, Security, and Data Centers. Known for driving technology transformation and delivering significant business impact, she specializes in leading large-scale AI/ML and Cloud transformations. Her strategic vision and leadership at Intel for two decades resulted in a proven track record of building high-performing teams and achieving significant revenue growth. Most recently, she served as Founder and Chief Product & Technology Officer of the Agentic AI startup, Cognogent. She is also a passionate advocate for community building and upskilling, bringing her expertise and dedication to advancing diversity and inclusion in tech.
Surekha serves on the Board of Directors for Women in Big Data and the WiBD AI for Cybersecurity Global Executive Chair, as well as on the Board of Directors – DEI for SIM PDX. She holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from SV University, India, and an Executive Certificate in AI and Machine Learning from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Cecile Kellam
Cecile Kellam is a seasoned AI & Analytics Senior Solution Architect supporting the U.S. Public Sector at NetApp. With over five years of experience driving innovation across NetApp’s cloud portfolio, Cecile brings deep technical expertise and a passion for empowering public sector organizations through data-driven solutions.
She is a trusted NetApp A-Team Technical Advisor and a dedicated customer advocate on the NetApp Technical Advisory Board. Cecile also plays a key leadership role in the NetApp Women in Tech Steering Committee, where she helps shape global events and initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion in technology.
Cecile’s unique blend of technical acumen, strategic insight, and commitment to community makes her a valuable contributor to the summit and a respected voice in the public sector technology space. When not playing the role of a techie in her day job, she is a mom, plant & animal lover, and avid traveler.
Elyse Rosenburg
Elyse Rosenberg is the Chief Information Officer and Director of the Bureau of Technology Services for the City of Portland. She and her talented team deliver and secure a full suite of centralized technology services, from connectivity to 250 locations, to the region’s Public Safety Radio System, to Portland.gov, the City’s digital front door. During her 27 years of local government service, Elyse has worked in a variety of strategic, financial, and policy roles in arenas including technology, finance, environmental protection, and aviation. She is married to the wonderful Matt, has two rescue dogs, and enjoys fiddling and singing in various musical projects.
Linu Parappilly
Naveen Gudigantala
Naveen Gudigantala is the Silicon Valley Distinguished Professor at the University of Portland’s School of Business. He holds a Ph.D. from Texas Tech University (2009), and his research focuses on issues concerning the use of artificial intelligence in organizational settings for realizing business value, ethical and sustainability issues in supply chains, and information systems education. His journal articles have appeared in internationally reputed journals in information systems (IS) and in reference disciplines of computer science, marketing, and management (e.g., Decision Support Systems, International Journal of Information Management, Communications of AIS, AI Magazine, etc.). He has also presented his work at many prestigious international conferences (e.g., The International Conference on Information Systems, The Americas Conference on Information Systems, etc.). He has served as a reviewer for more than ten of the top academic journals in information systems, in addition to serving as an associate editor for information systems’ leading academic conference (ICIS). He also serves on the editorial review board of the Journal of Information Systems Education. He has taught courses in graduate, undergraduate, and online formats, and some of his courses include business analytics, data science, sports business analytics, operations and technology management, systems analysis, and decision modeling. He won the University of Portland’s Outstanding Teaching Award, the Difference Maker Award; and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Rawls College of Business, Texas Tech University. Prior to his Ph.D., he earned his M.S. from Texas Tech University (2004), P.G.D.B.M. (equivalent to MBA) from the Institute of Public Enterprise, India (2000), and a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Osmania University, India (1998).
Pradeep Kumar
Pradeep Kumar is an enterprise technology leader with over two decades of experience driving innovation at the intersection of artificial intelligence, infrastructure, and strategy. As an Enterprise AI Architect at a large healthcare organization, he is part of the core team shaping an enterprise trust layer for AI—a secure foundation enabling responsible and scalable adoption of large language models and intelligent agents.
He also serves as Trustee and Past President of SIM Portland, a trusted peer community of technology leaders and influencers dedicated to advancing innovation, leadership, and the next generation of IT professionals. In addition, Pradeep is Chair of the IEEE Communications Society Oregon Chapter, which promotes the advancement of science, technology, and applications in communications and related disciplines while fostering the exchange of ideas and technical excellence across the professional community.
Reet Kaur
Reet Kaur is the CEO and Founder of Sekaurity, a cybersecurity consulting practice providing Virtual CISO (vCISO) services alongside tailored advisory in AI Security, Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC), and enterprise risk management. Through Sekaurity, organizations gain board-level expertise and strategic security leadership without the cost of a full-time CISO, while also accessing consulting support to strengthen resilience and achieve compliance.
As the former Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the largest higher-ed institution in Portland, Oregon, Reet built and led programs protecting systems serving more than 60,000 students. With over 20 years of experience in IT and cybersecurity, she has held leadership roles at Merck, Nike, AECOM, Fidelity, and CIBC, supporting enterprise transformation and the secure adoption of emerging technologies across finance, healthcare, pharma, higher education, and retail.
Reet is also a published author of 97 Things Every Application Security Professional Should Know (O’Reilly) and a LinkedIn Learning instructor, with courses on AI Security Foundations, OWASP Top 10 for LLMs, and Cybersecurity Due Diligence in Mergers & Acquisitions. Her work bridges technical security, board governance, and executive decision-making, making her a trusted advisor to leaders navigating complex cyber and AI risk.
She holds globally recognized certifications including CISSP, CISM, CRISC, PMP, and the NACD Directorship Certification® (NACD.DC), and is an alumna of the University of Waterloo and Carnegie Mellon University. She is an active member of Chief, the CISO Society, and Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS), and is passionate about mentoring the next generation of cyber leaders while advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion in tech.
Tisson Mathew
Tisson Mathew is the Founder and CEO of Skypoint, a HITRUST r2-certified AI platform transforming healthcare with agentic AI. A former CTO for Cambia Health Solutions and technology leader at Intel and AWS, Tisson has spent over 20 years building secure, scalable data and AI systems. At Skypoint, he leads the development of AI agents that unify data, automate workflows, and deliver measurable impact across healthcare and senior living. He is a recognized voice in AI, data governance, and digital health innovation.
Victoria Price-Doucet
At StrateSea, Victoria leads the development of FeatureLab, a no-code AI platform that accelerates target detection and classification for hydrographic surveys, maritime ISR, and Uncrewed systems. By eliminating processing bottlenecks, FeatureLab empowers teams to build and deploy models tuned to their own data, sensors, and missions — without requiring in-house ML expertise or cloud infrastructure.
With a background in oceanography, AI/ML product development, and executive leadership, Victoria is passionate about bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and field-deployable, operator-first tools. She is also a strong advocate for building dual-use companies with integrity and purpose, advancing innovation that serves both commercial and defense applications.
Vivek Vishwakarma
Vivek Vishwakarma is an entrepreneur, investor, and technologist leading ThirdAI Automation, an industrial AI company that accelerates troubleshooting and reporting through automated root-cause analysis. A former Intel technologist with 10+ patents and 300+ research citations, he speaks on the intersection of advanced manufacturing, data, and AI.
Dr. Ameeta Agarwal
Jennifer Waldrip
As VP of Client and Talent Services, Jennifer champions results and growth by leading the sales and delivery teams. Her leadership style prioritizes hiring, training, and developing talent. As part of the Executive Team, she helps develop, oversee, and execute on strategy for key growth initiatives.
Jennifer’s 30 years of experience in the staffing business allows her to serve as a liaison between the corporate world and the talent field. Leading multiple markets and lines of business propelled her consulting career, eventually leading her to partner with ProFocus. Before she joined ProFocus as VP, she worked closely with us in a consulting role with a laser-focus on quality. Her passion for helping others succeed makes her a great cultural fit at ProFocus.
When she’s not at the office, you can find Jennifer with her family. Her husband and three children make sure that every day is filled with love and a new adventure. A true Oregonian, Jennifer soaks up any sunshine she can get and loves to end her day with a run, walk, or bike ride.
Jennifer and her family are passionate about giving back and serving their communities. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Astoria High School Scholarship Inc and also volunteers at her church teaching youth, and leading self-reliance courses.
Sacha Basho
Sacha Basho is a senior technology and communications executive, currently serving as Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at IQ Wired, a women-owned and women-led technology brokerage. In this role, Sacha leads the development of supplier ecosystems, builds SLED and enterprise sales practices nationally. Sacha has over 30 years in sales leadership for technology companies where she built high performing teams through retention and development personnel strategies (averaging 70% retention). Known for creating trusted advisor ecosystems, fostering sustainable partnerships, and driving inclusive leadership, Sacha blends strategic vision with a people-centric leadership style rooted in playing to people’s strengths (Arranger, Developer, Maximizer, Relator and Empathy).
She is also deeply engaged in community leadership, serving as SIM Board Director – Sponsorship, SIM Women Champion, and has served in board and committee roles with Link for Women, Go Red for Women, and the Oregon Executives Association.
Surekha Reddy
Surekha Reddy is a proven innovator and executive with 25 years of leadership across Cloud, AI, Security, and Data Centers. Known for driving technology transformation and delivering significant business impact, she specializes in leading large-scale AI/ML and Cloud transformations. Her strategic vision and leadership at Intel for two decades resulted in a proven track record of building high-performing teams and achieving significant revenue growth. Most recently, she served as Founder and Chief Product & Technology Officer of the Agentic AI startup, Cognogent. She is also a passionate advocate for community building and upskilling, bringing her expertise and dedication to advancing diversity and inclusion in tech.
Surekha serves on the Board of Directors for Women in Big Data and the WiBD AI for Cybersecurity Global Executive Chair, as well as on the Board of Directors – DEI for SIM PDX. She holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from SV University, India, and an Executive Certificate in AI and Machine Learning from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Veena Hadagali
Veena Hadagali is the Senior Staff Security Engineer at GEICO. She is a seasoned Security Leader and Technologist with over 20 years of experience spanning cybersecurity, software engineering, technical program management, and quality assurance across both startups and Fortune 100 companies. She brings deep expertise in secure development practices, governance, risk and compliance, vulnerability management and incident response in complex cloud and enterprise environments. She is recognized
for her ability to bridge technical depth with program execution, delivering secure, scalable, and compliant solutions that drive business success.
In addition to her professional work, Veena serves as the U.S. Regional Chair for Women in Big Data AI for Cybersecurity, where she leads community engagement, fosters leadership, and promotes knowledge sharing. Outside of work, she enjoys dancing, yoga, hiking, and traveling with her family.
Committee Member, WiBD NW Chapter
Chandana Pulikallu
Chandana Pulikallu is Senior Operations analyst with 12 + years of experience optimizing business processes, driving operational efficiency, and leveraging data-driven insights to support strategic decision-making. Proven track record in cross-functional collaboration, KPI development, and process improvement initiatives in Retail , Banking and Automobile Industries. Adept at translating complex data into actionable solutions that align with organizational goals.
Chandana also specializes in supporting leadership teams with insights that improve productivity, reduce costs, and streamline workflows. Passionate about building scalable solutions and fostering continuous improvement across departments.
Manisha Yadav
Manisha Yadav is an AI/ML Engineer and community builder passionate about making advanced technologies accessible and impactful. She has worked on projects ranging from centralized model libraries and scalable data science toolkits to real-time computer vision and robotics applications. Beyond engineering, Manisha is deeply engaged in STEM outreach — she coaches FIRST robotics teams, develops hands-on robotics and AI learning programs through Rose City Robotics, and mentors students in building technical and leadership skills. As a committee member of the Women in Big Data Northwest Chapter, she helps create pathways for students and early-career professionals to connect with industry, showcase their work, and grow into the next generation of AI leaders.
Shweta Malik
Shweta Malik is a Platform PnP Architect and a recognized technology leader in the semiconductor industry with over 11 years of experience. At Intel Corporation, she specializes in designing power and performance-optimized architectures for computer processors, with a particular focus on 3D creator AI workload scenarios. Her deep technical expertise allows her to craft high-performance solutions that drive the next generation of computing technologies, bridging the gap between hardware innovation and AI advancements.
As the Chair of the NW AI Summit, Shweta plays a pivotal role in advancing AI research and industry collaboration. A passionate advocate for diversity in tech, she leads initiatives with Women in Big Data Northwest, inspiring and empowering women to break barriers and excel in data science and AI. Her leadership goes beyond technology—Shweta is committed to fostering an inclusive environment in which diverse voices can thrive and influence the future of tech.
Combining her extensive experience in computer architecture and AI workloads with her advocacy for diversity, Shweta continues to shape the semiconductor and technology industries, positioning herself as a trailblazer for innovation and inclusion. In her free time she enjoys gardening, social dancing, reading and travel.
Shweta Mokashi
Shweta Mokashi is a technology leader with 15+ years of experience spanning hardware engineering, product management, and go-to-market strategy. As Marketing Lead and Program Manager for Women in Big Data’s Pacific Northwest Chapter, she drives community engagement and growth through strategic content creation and impactful programs. A Wharton MBA graduate, Shweta spent the better part of her career in silicon validation at Intel, where she led cross-functional global teams through complex system validation and debug processes before transitioning to lead go-to-market strategy for Intel’s $1B Workstation segment. Her unique journey from hands-on validation engineering to product leadership gives her a distinctive perspective on the full product lifecycle. She is passionate about fostering inclusive tech environments and mentoring emerging leaders, combining deep technical expertise with strategic vision to create meaningful impact in the technology community.
Surekha Reddy
Surekha Reddy is a proven innovator and executive with 25 years of leadership across Cloud, AI, Security, and Data Centers. Known for driving technology transformation and delivering significant business impact, she specializes in leading large-scale AI/ML and Cloud transformations. Her strategic vision and leadership at Intel for two decades resulted in a proven track record of building high-performing teams and achieving significant revenue growth. Most recently, she served as Founder and Chief Product & Technology Officer of the Agentic AI startup, Cognogent. She is also a passionate advocate for community building and upskilling, bringing her expertise and dedication to advancing diversity and inclusion in tech.
Surekha serves on the Board of Directors for Women in Big Data and the WiBD AI for Cybersecurity Global Executive Chair, as well as on the Board of Directors – DEI for SIM PDX. She holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from SV University, India, and an Executive Certificate in AI and Machine Learning from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Swaroopa Prabhakar
Swaroopa Prabhakar is a Data Analyst and aspiring Data Scientist with a deep curiosity about how data can drive better decisions and foster more inclusive communities. She brings a multidisciplinary background and hands-on experience across the public sector, education, and publishing domains.
She volunteers with Women in Big Data (WiBD), actively planning and organizing community events that inspire collaboration and professional growth among women in technology. Her involvement with WiBD fuels her passion for learning, networking, and empowering others in the data community.
Beyond data, Swaroopa is a singer and music teacher, participating in cultural events that celebrate creativity and connection. Whether through analytics or music, she strives to create spaces where people can learn, grow, and thrive.
Veena Hadagali
Veena Hadagali is the Senior Staff Security Engineer at GEICO. She is a seasoned Security Leader and Technologist with over 20 years of experience spanning cybersecurity, software engineering, technical program management, and quality assurance across both startups and Fortune 100 companies. She brings deep expertise in secure development practices, governance, risk and compliance, vulnerability management and incident response in complex cloud and enterprise environments. She is recognized for her ability to bridge technical depth with program execution, delivering secure, scalable, and compliant solutions that drive business success.
In addition to her professional work, Veena serves as the U.S. Regional Chair for Women in Big Data AI for Cybersecurity, where she leads community engagement, fosters leadership, and promotes knowledge sharing. Outside of work, she enjoys dancing, yoga, hiking, and traveling with her family.
