Lesbians Who Tech, a global community of over 30,000 LGBTQ women in technology and their allies, announced six new keynote speakers ahead of the 2018 Lesbians Who Tech + Allies Summit in March.
Ingrid Nilsen, YouTube icon, UN Ambassador, and Ladies Who Lunch co-host; Madame Gandhi, electronic music artist and L.A.-based activist; Ilene Chaiken, T.V. director, writer and producer of hits like The L Word and Empire; Sally Kohn, LGBTQ activist, columnist and television commentator; and Megan Smith, the 3rd Chief Technology Officer of the United States under President Obama and former Google vice president, and Alicia Garza, the co-founder of BlackLivesMatter, will all speak at the 5th Annual Lesbians Who Tech + Allies Summit.
“The six women that we are announcing as keynotes for our fifth annual summit are reshaping the narrative around justice, equality and doing the work to change the face of the tech industry,” said Leanne Pittsford, CEO and Founder of Lesbians Who Tech. “Lesbians Who Tech is a global grassroots community that’s dedicated to creating visibility for lesbians, non-binary, LGBTQ women and getting more of these badass queer folks at the executive table. These speakers represent the best of innovation, creativity and trailblazing across industries.”
Other notable keynote speakers include Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook Chief Operating Officer; Tegan + Sara, Canadian indie pop duo and activists; Kara Swisher, co-founder of Recode; and Bozoma Saint John, who joined Uber as Chief Brand Officer in June 2017.
The 5th Annual Lesbians Who Tech + Allies Summit will take place in the Castro District of San Francisco on March 1-3 and include “TED” style talks, “Ignite” talks, speed mentoring, workshops, tech demos, and recruiting and retention sessions. The summit’s keynote addresses will take place on from 10-12pm on March 2.
Past speakers at the annual Lesbians Who Tech + Allies Summit include Lydia Polgreen, Editor in Chief of the HuffPost; Luvvie Ajayi; Megan Smith, 3rd CTO of the United States; Jenna Wortham, NYTimes; Stacey Abrams, Candidate for Governor of Georgia; Patrisse Colors, Founder, BlackLivesMatter; Senator Tammy Baldwin; Sally Kohn, CNN; Marc Benioff, CEO, Salesforce; and more.
