Tech Unlocked

AJ is the founder of Blademy, an online learning community that prepares black millennials for in-demand careers in tech, design, finance, and entrepreneurship. He is also the Digital Program Manager at Chevron, where he leads a team of Software Engineers, Designers, and Data Scientists on a journey of digital transformation.

A trained Engineer and Entrepreneur, AJ has managed to navigate solving global energy problems, thriving on Wall Street, and building digital technologies at some of the largest global corporations, including Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, and BP.

As a speaker and moderator, AJ has presented at Linkedin, University of Houston, and South By Southwest—one of the largest tech & media conferences in the world. AJ has also been featured by Google, Parameters Magazine, Cullen College of Engineering, Noire TV, Society x Tech, Her Campus, The 234 Project, and many others.

AJ is a graduate of the Summer Venture in Management Program at Harvard Business School. He has also been recognized as a Top 20 Young African Rising Star, Forbes 30 Under 30 Scholar, and the Face of Nigeria, among others.

Connect with AJ:

Personal: https://ayoolajohn.com

Blademy: https://blademy.com

Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/ayoolajohn_/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayoolajohn_/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayoolaj/

Connect with Grace:

If you like this episode, please leave a rating and review on iTunes. Stay in touch with Grace on twitter/Linkedin @gracemacjones and follow the show @techunlockedpod on twitter and @techunlocked on Instagram. Use the hashtag #Techunlockedpodcast. Have a tech-related question? Shoot me an email [email protected] :)

Resources for learning how to code:

Edx

Coursera

Udemy

Codecademy

Codenewbie

Treehouse

Groom Dinkneh is the Co-Founder of GoLocker, a startup reimagining the post-purchase experience for retailers and grocers by providing local pickup points for their customers integrated right into the checkout. Prior to joining GoLocker, Groom was an associate at Williams Capital, a boutique investment bank based in New York. As a member of the fixed income sales and trading group, he marketed debt instruments to institutional-grade clients ranging from pension funds, state and local funds and asset managers.

An active community engager and volunteer, he was awarded by the Tufts University Alumni Association the Young Alumni Service Award for his work developing mentorship curriculum for alumni of color fostering relationships with undergraduate students. Groom currently lives in New York and spends his free time competitively running and cycling, listening to Afrobeats, thinking about trends in urban retail and speculating the next crazy application of AR/VR using your phone.

Stay Connected with Groom:

Company Website - www.golocker.com

Twitter - @gdinkneh

Medium - https://medium.com/@Dinknehgr

If you like this episode, please leave a rating and review on iTunes. Stay in touch with Grace on twitter/Linkedin @gracemacjones and follow the show @techunlockedpod on twitter and @techunlockedpodcast on Instagram. Use the hashtag #Techunlockedpodcast

Sage is recreating seats of power for and by womxn of color so that our workforce reflects what womxn of color bring to the table: resilience, ROI, and liberation. Sage Ke'alohilani Quiamno is an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker and changemaker. As co-founder of Future For Us, a platform dedicated to advancing of womxn of color through community, culture, and career development, Sage has galvanized a nationwide movement to build a future of work reaching new levels of growth through diversity, equity, and inclusion. Starting her career in pay equity, she provided 4,000+ women with the tools and resources they need to advocate for themselves at work and, as a result, negotiate $500K in salary increases and secure 150 promotions. Sage is an amplifier, advocating for womxn of color at work in top publications and organizations - from Forbes, NPR and GeekWire to SXSW, the Women's March, Microsoft, Starbucks, and more. Sage has gathered a groundswell of support and recognition - a clear signal that our cities, companies, and economy are ready and already fighting for equity at work. Recent accolades include Rising Star Awards from Seattle's National Organization for Women and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, KUOW Radio's Boss Tactician Award, University of Washington's Community Leadership Award, and a nomination for Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2020. She was recognized as one of Seattle's Most Influential People of 2019 by Seattle Magazine. Sage is a native Hawaiian who looks at systems, processes, and people with an indigenous lens to leave a better world for generations to come. Her story - your story - our story - continues. Follow her work on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Medium.

Stay connected with Sage & Future For us

• Future for Us Website
• Follow Future for Us on Instagram: @futureforus.now
• Follow Sage on Instagram: @sageq
• Like Future for Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/futureforus.now
• Follow Future for Us Twitter: @futurefor_us

Pariss Athena is the creator of the #BlackTechTwitter hashtag and movement, proving that the "pipeline problem" in tech isn't true and that there is an entire community of Black technologists in the industry. #BlackTechTwitter has been featured in tons of interviews, articles, tech talks and has even caught the attention of influencers from tech to Hollywood. The hashtag even pops up as a suggestion on Instagram because of how frequently it is used. Pariss was asked to speak at Twitter about hashtag and the importance of paying close attention to this new found community. Pariss is also Founder of Black Tech Pipeline (#BlackTechPipeline) which is a Slack community for #BlackTechTwitter to continue learning, collaborating and networking among technologists who look like them. Along with the Slack community, there is a weekly #BlackTechPipeline newsletter full of interviews, features on different softwares and technologies, job and speaking opportunities and more.

Connect with Pariss online:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParissAthena

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/parissathena/?hl=en

#BTP's twitter: https://twitter.com/BTPipeline

#BTP's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/btpipeline/?hl=en

BTP Discord: https://discord.gg/aq5qHM7

BTP Slack: https://join.slack.com/t/btpipeline/shared_invite/enQtNzE1MTY1MzY1MDQ0LTlkOTg4M2VlNGRjZmNlMGU1NzVhN2U3ZGQxN2Q4MzJhZjgyOTY5ZjlmYzFkMDllMmQwZTFjOTBmNjNkZmY0OWM

Newsletter: https://blacktechpipeline.substack.com/welcome

"Progress is far more important than perfection"

In this episode, I chat with Tiana Davis Kara about her transition from marketing into tech. We discuss how to find your passion in tech, being a woman of color in tech, code-switching vs bringing your authentic self to work, what Gen Zs are looking for in a tech company and how to get involved in the amazing work BUILT BY GIRLS is doing to equip the next generation of female and nonbinary tech leaders, builders and creators.

Tiana Davis Kara, an advocate for the future female workforce, is currently Executive Director for BUILT BY GIRLS. She oversees the strategic direction and brand development for the social impact brand; furthering its mission to equip the next generation of female and nonbinary tech leaders, builders and creators. Previously she worked with Black Girls CODE developing strategic brand partnerships that furthered the organization's efforts to increase STEM education opportunities for girls of color. With more than a decade of marketing experience, she's led creative collaborations and built cultural relevance for major global brands. When she's not on a plane or glued to her laptop, she's snapping photos as a freelance photographer in historic Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

You can connect with Tiana on Instagram @tianawanders and visit https://www.builtbygirls.com/ to learn more about Built by Girls.

In this episode, I chat with Senior Product Manager Angelina Howard about her tech career journey from being a Supply Chain PM to recently becoming a Senior Product Manager at Amazon. We talked about the difference between Product Management vs Program Management, who influence products in different tech companies (PMs, SWEs, Designers, etc ), the importance of ERGs( Employees Resource Groups) and much more!

Angelina Howard has a diverse background in personalization, e-commerce, supply chain management, and go to market strategy. In addition to product management, she is an experienced diversity leader at Amazon.com as the Global President of Amazon's Black Employee Network (Affinity Group) focusing on intersectionality and diversity in tech. Lastly, she is an experienced speaker and instructor with an emphasis on high school and college students, product management, supply chain, and diversity.

You can connect with Angelina on LinkedIn or via her website https://www.angelinahoward.com/about-angelina

In this episode, Tech global evangelist Tim Salau shares his non-traditional path into the tech industry. Tim is a community leader & keynote speaker who passionate about community building, education, collaboration and the future of work. Tim is the CEO of guide a social e-learning platform helping high school students learn essential life skills from their favorite creators. He leads the Future of Work with WeWork as their Global Evangelist, and the founder of "Mentors & Mentees, a Guide community", a 10,000+ member community for students and professionals who want to take control of their careers to achieve career fulfillment and thrive in the Future of Work.

Key takeaways:

• How to take ownership of your career in the future of work.
• The difference between life skills vs tech skills
• How to take a personal inventory of the skills you have and figure out what you need to work on.
• How to identify your Strengths/skills and identify your gaps
• Prioritize your Purpose > Paychecks. How to align your purpose to your career.

Stay connected with Tim:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsalau/
• Website: https://www.timsalau.com/
• Join the Mentors and Mentees Community: https://www.facebook.com/MentorsandMentees/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/timsalau
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timsalau/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetimsalau

Stay connected with Grace:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracemacjones/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/GraceMacjones
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gmacjonez/

Let's keep the conversation going. We want to hear your thoughts and questions! Use the hashtag #techunlockedpod on twitter. For questions email [email protected]

Thanks for listening!