Welcome to the 4th Detroit International Women's Day Innovation Summit @ DTE Energy! (w FREE PARKING)
Complete Registration: https://bit.ly/compass2025
"Redefine What's Possible in Detroit"
Join us for the 4th Detroit International Women’s Day Innovation Summit on Saturday, March 29 at DTE Energy for an energizing day of talks, workshops, and celebration dedicated to women in technology. Guided by Women Techmakers’ 2025 global theme, “Redefine Possible,” this summit will explore how women are redefining the boundaries of what technology can achieve—especially in AI and emerging fields—while actively shaping its future. Attendees will hear from local and international speakers about cutting-edge innovation, share best practices for career advancement in tech, and connect with peers who are equally passionate about championing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Hosted in partnership with Compass and GDG Detroit, this event is part of Women Techmakers’ largest annual campaign and embodies the spirit of International Women’s Day by spotlighting women’s contributions and catalyzing conversations on new opportunities in technology. Expect a day filled with insightful panel discussions, hands-on workshops, and networking sessions, all designed to inspire participants to challenge assumptions, overcome barriers, and boldly reimagine what’s possible in tech.
We look forward to celebrating International Women’s Day with you and fueling Detroit’s tech community to shape a more inclusive, innovative tomorrow.
Schedule
8:30 AM: Registration & Breakfast
9:30 AM: Welcome & Opening Remarks with Compass Detroit & Google Women Techmakers
9:45 AM: Intro to Scope Focus with Scope Focus
10:00 AM: The AI Era and Your Digital Footprint: What You Need to Know with Kavitha Bangalore @ Cleveland Clinic
10:30 AM: Inclusive Smart Mobility: Enhancing Social Inclusion through Technology with Hoda Solati and Shima Solati
11:00 AM: Breaking into Cybersecurity with Mattalynn Darden @ Comerica Bank
11:30 AM: Building a Global Tech Career Through Experience with Jessica Hoopfer @ Checkout.com
12:00 PM: Speed Networking with Scope Focus
12:30 PM: Lunch Break & Networking
1:00 PM: Redefine What's Possible Panel Discussion with Ida Byrd-Hill (CEO @ Automation Workz), Lia Moore (CEO @ Tropical Pillow), Lisa McKenzie (President & General Manager @ Freudenberg e-Power Systems), and Megan Torrance (CEO & Chief Energy Officer @ TorranceLearning) with Moderator Tim Moore (CEO @ Clixie AI)
2:00 PM: Resilient Minds, Thriving Careers: Mental Health Strategies for Women in Tech with Shantalea Johns @ Wayne State University
2:30 PM: Your Natural Blueprint: Redefining Your Impact and Presence, Unlocking Leadership with Shruti Agarwal @ Levelwing Media LLC
3:00 PM: When the Imposter is Me: Overcoming Self-Doubt to Lead and Innovate with Lorrena Black @ She Served LLC
4:00 PM: Closing Remarks & Prizes with Compass Detroit & Google Women Techmakers
4:30 PM: After Glow
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Hosts
Anika Raisa Chowdhury - University of Michigan Information and Technology Services (Data Analyst Intern)
Anika is a final year graduate student pursuing Masters of Science in Data Science and currently interning with the University of Michigan Information and Technology Services. She is a computer Engineer and is enthusiastic to learn and adapt to new advances in technology.Her passion extends beyong data and code, as she believes in the power of networking to connect people and ideas. She can be…
Ankita Guha - Freudenberg Group (Data Analyst Programmer)
Ankita is working as a Data Analyst Programmer at Freudenberg Group. She works mainly on automating business processes, designing ETL pipelines, developing dashboards, statistical analysis & testing along with developing Machine Learning Models to predict & classify battery signals telemetry data. Earlier this year she was invited to speak at Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conference wor…
Bandhan Kaur - Excelerate America (Software Engineer)
Bandhan is a back-end software engineer at Excelerate America, Google Women Tech Makers Ambassador, Change Collective's inaugural cohort member, diversity advocate with DEI Committee for her university's college of engineering, and an ex-volunteer AP computer science teacher for Microsoft TEALS. Growing up as a woman of color studying computer science, her aim is to break barriers on women in …
Divya Lakshmi - GDSC MSU (President)
Huda Hussaini - ETAS (Cyber Security Software Engineer)
Integrating AI and cybersecurity testing for automotive vehicles at ETAS.
Iris Yuning Ye - Impartial (Product Manager)
Jenna Ritten - InnerSource@IBM (Chief Architect & Chief Developer Advocate)
Jenna is Lead Architect for InnerSource@IBM and the Chief Developer Advocate for IBM Developer Advocacy. She also serves as COMPES Chair for COMPES Detroit. She works on expanding the reach of open source technologies to global developer communities. Her areas of interest include hackathons, design-thinking workshops, NLU/NLP, gamified learning, Blockchain, and Serverless. Jenna is an advocat…
Julia Suzuki - Google Women Techmakers Ambassador (People Data Science & Social Entrepreneur)
Julia is a people data science & social entrepreneur whose mission is to make the world a better place by operating at the intersection of well-being, data & AI, and business. Her primary focus is to address issues around the collective well-being of individuals, organizations, society, and the planet. She is a speaker, thought leader, and strategist in workplace well-being and has ove…
Mai Nakhala - ADT (Sr. UX Researcher and Designer)
Medha Muppala - Jameo (Product Designer)
Medha Muppala is a user interface designer, speaker, writer, and mentor with a background in computer science. On the professional front, she crafts delightful digital experiences and conducts usability audits & research. In her spare time, she helps early designers get started and thrive in their design careers.
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Partners
Google Women Techmakers (https://developers.google.com/womentechmakers)
Google’s Women Techmakers program provides visibility, community, and resources for women in technology.
Compass Detroit (https://bit.ly/bhm-summit-website)
The Collective of Minority Professionals and STEAM Societies (formerly COMPES) was formed in 2000 as an initiative between the NSBE, SHPE, and SWE Detroit professional chapters. The mission of this collaborative partnership is to support the local Detroit community in upskilling, career growth, networking, and to provide access to new opportunities.
DTE Energy (https://www.dteenergy.com)
DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.3 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio also includes non-utility businesses focused on industrial energy services, renewable natural gas, and energy marketing and trading.
GDG Detroit (https://gdg.community.dev/gdg-detroit/)
The Detroit Google Developers Group is an inclusive group that meets monthly online and in downtown Detroit to help educate and provide networking opportunities for software developers in the Detroit area.
NSBE Detroit (https://nsbedetroitprofessionals.org)
Representing Black Engineers in Detroit. NSBE Detroit Professionals strive to increase technical awareness, encourage scholastic achievement, and stimulate enthusiasm in the black engineering community of Detroit. NSBE's mission is to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. The NSBE Professionals inspire the next generation of technical professionals, and serve as a catalyst for transform
Grand Circus (https://www.grandcircus.co)
Grand Circus is a virtual coding bootcamp that's been changing lives and careers since 2013. Our grads have landed roles with Amazon, Ford, Rocket Mortgage, and many more top employers. We've partnered with Apple, Google, and Meta to make tech careers more accessible to everyone.
Google (https://www.google.com)
Our mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
We are committed to significantly improving the lives of as many people as possible by protecting users, building belonging, expanding opportunity, responding to crises, and advancing sustainability.
SHPE Detroit (https://www.shpedetroit.org)
SHPE Detroit is transforming lives in Detroit by inspiring and motivating young Hispanic students to excel in STEM education through mentorship and community involvement and enhancing career opportunities for Hispanics by building a strong professional network.
College for Creative Studies (https://www.ccsdetroit.edu)
CCS provides students a rigorous and innovative education aligned with industry requirements. Our graduates are innovators, problem solvers and futurists who are prepared for a career, not just a job. CCS alumni know success. They are entrepreneurs. They are working artists. Fortune 500 companies hire them. The stories you will watch here are a testament to the impact CCS alumni are making in the art/design world. All of them dared to dream big. Let their stories inspire you.
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Complete your event RSVP here: https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-detroit-presents-redefine-possible-detroit-international-womens-day-innovation-summit/.
