Join us for Happy Hour at PGE on February 18th!
At our February Happy Hour we will be honoring a local legend here in Portland: Donna Hammond, one of Oregon’s first black female electricians. Ms. Hammond has lived a tremendous life, having dealt with significant cultural isolation within her industry.
The theme of the evening will be “Isolation at Work.” To get the conversation flowing, the conversation prompt will be “Have you ever felt isolated at work?”
While the event is primarily intended for networking, we will have a short segment at 5:30 pm to share important announcements and showcase members of our community.
Hazel Valdez and Dawn Mott will be our emcees for the evening.
A representative from our host company PGE will share what they do and what job opportunities are available at the company
Donna Hammond will share her story and highlight a local organization that is making a difference in Portland.
During the event, we’ll have more to do than free-form networking:
An Activity Table where people can get creative. This is a fantastic way to meet others if large groups are not your thing. If you have trouble finding it, look for Meg Aul, our Event Activities Director.
A section for job seekers and those hiring, to ensure people get connected.
A PDXWIT volunteer table, where community members can learn about volunteer opportunities that exist within the organization.
Agenda:
4:30 p.m. - Doors open/Networking
5:00 p.m. - Introductions, Announcements + Lightning Speakers
6:30 p.m. - Event ends
HOST SPOTLIGHT
Kathy Stone-DeBerry, PGE
What is your title and your favorite thing about your job?
Manager, IT HR Systems.
My favorite thing about my job is finding and growing talent. I’m nearing the terminus of my career, so it’s exciting to find young individuals, particularly women, that I can mentor to eventually take my place or move on to the next level in their career. Changing technology is interesting but since I started in the field over 30 years ago, technology has been changing and continues to change. What is exciting and different is the diversity in the domain that has been happening in the last 10 years or so.
How did you become involved in PDXWIT?
I heard about PDXWIT through PGE. I’m as I stated above, I’ve always been interested in supporting diversity in technology. PDXWIT is an organization that fits that interest.
What do you like to do for fun in Portland?
For fun, I cook and read non-fiction historical biographies. I’m currently reading a biography of Washington Irving and one of Harriet Tubman.
We’re on the lookout for speakers
Do you have a unique story to tell? Do you have a specific skill set you’d like to share with our community? We’re always looking for speakers to share their knowledge at an upcoming PDXWIT event. Learn more about our current speaking opportunities.
Do you want to host an event?
Is your company interested in hosting a PDXWIT event? This is a great opportunity to gain powerful exposure to the local workforce while showing your support for inclusion in Portland’s technology industry.
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