Staff

As a queer, black, disabled, primary caregiver, Daaimah faced many barriers simply entering the tech industry and when getting into her first technical role; she discovered it was a whole new beast compared to her past work in the grassroots nonprofit world: writing grants, managing programs, supporting equity and inclusion through public policy education, and advising persons with disabilities on careers. Following completion of the Techtonica program in 2019, she worked at SurveyMonkey as a software engineer, tech lead at Hack The Hood, and technical career counselor with Code Tenderloin. Wanting to pay it forward, Daaimah volunteered as a graduate board member and mentor program manager at Techtonica until she was hired as the Software Training Engineering Manager at Techtonica, where she now utilizes the skill sets in her arsenal to advocate for mindful accommodations, training access, and new pathways to entry for underrepresented intersectionalities in the tech space. She grew up and still resides in the Bay Area. For kicks, she enjoys hitting the trails with her two children and two dogs, as well as learning about science and anthropology.

Joy has a background in project management and health. She is passionate about mental health and general well–being, and believes everyone deserves a chance to showcase their skills and talents. Having worked with different nonprofits, Joy has enjoyed helping processes flow smoothly by conducting research, writing reports and summaries, collaborating remotely, providing customer care, and doing other project-related tasks. Working with Techtonica has given her a platform to make many lives better.

Margaret Fero, a white nonbinary person with their hair up, smiles at the camera in high-contrast lipstick

Margaret Fero is an interdisciplinary hacker with professional experience in education, technical writing, software development, and information security. They are excited to apply their background to share Techtonica's mission with companies and individuals who share our desire to economically empower people whose perspectives may otherwise not be represented in key conversations about technology. In their spare time, Margaret enjoys basking in the many useful services of local libraries.

The need for more diversity, inclusion, and equity in tech and the empowerment experienced becoming a software engineer inspired Michelle to organize support groups, meetups like PyLadies SF (the world's largest chapter of women who code in Python), workshops, the #ILookLikeAnEngineer ad campaign, and Techtonica. Michelle has also worked as a developer advocate. She loves biking, reading, making and eating cookies, and going on walks with her fluffy dog.

Board Members

Alexandria has worked in tech for 13 years — at Yahoo, Facebook, LinkedIn, Airbnb, The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and currently Lyft. Alexandria has carried roles of Recruiter + D&I thought leader to elevate programs and partnerships, along with re-designing approaches to hiring. Beyond her day-to-day, she does her knowledge-sharing through think tank sessions with various nonprofits and panels such as Black Girls Code, Grace Hopper Conference, and Expat Women. She is passionate about diversity engagement and community building.

Annie Tsai is the Chief Operating Officer at Interact, a SaaS marketing software company, and part-time Venture Partner at The House Fund. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley (2001 — Go Bears!), Annie has 20+ years in building, growing, and leading a variety of functions across the non-technology side of the house at software companies in the US, EMEA, and APAC. Annie's passions include lifting up working mothers, ensuring the products are built by people who look like their customers, investing in improving public education, and ensuring every child has a safe place to sleep at night. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband, two children, and pup.

Krys is a Staff Software Engineer at Carta, an ownership and equity management platform. She is committed to increasing the number of female and Latinx computer programmers. Krys does this by giving technical talks and volunteering. In her talks, she seeks to give a face to those who are not usually represented amongst conference speakers. She believes the more you see, the more there will be. Krys is also a huge advocate of equal opportunities in the workforce, especially equal pay. In 2019 she was featured in the #NothingLess Micro Documentary by Hired. In 2018, she gave the talk “Applying Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In principles in technology” as part of the Visionary Voices program. Learn more at her website: www.krysflores.com

Marisabel currently serves as the Director of Tech & API Partnerships at Carta, a leading SaaS provider of cap table software. She has over 10 years of experience working in tech in the Bay Area, holding positions at the intersection of growth, marketing, and product. She has been trained to think critically and creatively across diverse teams to bring innovative solutions to the market and understands the need for diversity not only for a company’s culture but also for its long-term success. Having experienced IPOs and acquisitions firsthand, she recognizes the life-changing opportunities that come with working in the tech industry and is passionate about growing the female and Latinx representation in this space. She currently resides in the Bay Area, with her husband, daughter, and pup.

Monikka has 20 years of software experience and spent most of her career in clean, renewable energy projects. Her past positions include engineering at Stem, Apple, and as VP of Software for UniGen Resources. In her time at UniGen, the California Energy Commission funded them to prototype an analytics-based control system to increase renewable integration, which they successfully completed and demonstrated for the Department of Energy. Monikka co-founded her own company, Astrus, a platform for building 3D virtual spaces for artists and communities. She has worked with numerous D&I tech non-profits throughout the years supporting underrepresented groups in tech through mentorship and education.

Sheila is an experienced product and privacy attorney working at the intersection of privacy, law, and technology. Though her current focus as Chief Privacy Officer at Plaid is on privacy and data ethics, her experience at Twilio Inc. and Zynga Inc. has allowed her to develop as a utility player, at various points overseeing and building teams to manage product counseling, litigation, public policy, compliance, regulatory, and law enforcement response functions. Sheila is passionate about fostering a tech industry that is inclusive and making sure the opportunities it affords are open to people of diverse backgrounds. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, cross-country skiing, and hiking with her pup in the mountains.

Fifteen participants, mostly women, gathered after a workshop.

The Techtonica Squad includes software engineers, community volunteers and leaders, non-profit and startup founders, teachers, curriculum development specialists, venture capitalists, and social impact strategists.

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