Volunteer Spotlight: Kari Fass

Why do you volunteer for PDXWIT? 

I volunteer with PDXWIT because culture change takes a community.  I love how unique all of our members are and that we can bring those voices together to advocate for the most inclusive change possible.  We make tech better by speaking up.

What is your day job or another passion of yours (besides PDXWIT)? 

I work at Chegg Thinkful, an online career accelerator.  I started my career in diversity education in traditional higher ed, and I am so thankful to work for a mission driven company building amazing technical solutions.

For the last 10 years, I’ve played flat track roller derby and currently serve on the Board of Directors for the world’s largest nonprofit roller derby league, the Rose City Rollers.  I’ve grown so much through that community and am so proud of our mission to serve women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals to realize their power on skates and off.

What has been your favorite PDXWIT project, initiative or event you have participated in as a volunteer? Why?

Participating in the Speakers Bureau is one of my favorite things about PDXWIT.  Having a role that speaks to my strengths makes it fun and easy to show to up and do the work, even when life gets busy.  On top of that, I love that we act as ambassadors into the greater Portland community.  When we engage folks directly and in small group settings, we build relationships that hopefully lead to allyship and advocacy in their workplaces and communities.

What is something people may not know about you? 

The pandemic-pause has gifted me the time to start improv comedy classes with Curious Comedy!  I’m making new friends while giving my creativity a jumpstart in a really safe, inclusive space.