We’re so excited to support and inspire so many women across Perth to enter tech roles, and because of that, we’d like to shine a light on the incredible women in the She Codes community who have been nominated for the WiTWA Tech+ 20 awards for women in tech.
Alongside the support of AWS, U.S. Government, WRAYS, Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Valrose, Kinetic IT, Metisphere, Optus, Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, Appbot, Multiplier Media, and Department of Communities, She Codes are delighted to be a part of the WiTWA community, and spend this time of year showcasing the work and achievements of everyone. Below are just a few of the fabulous nominees who are a part of the She Codes community.
- LJ Kenward
Our very own She Codes Coordinator, LJ’s journey into tech is a little unique, after driving 100-tonne mining trucks on mining and construction projects in Western Australia, LJ decided she needed a change. Putting passion before profit, LJ has worked for 3 years in her own time to contribute to a better future for all people in tech and those who use it, and is excited to pivot again professionally to dedicate her career to the cause, by joining She Codes Australia.
- Hayley van Waas
As the lead mentor for She Codes Plus, Hayley believes it is empowering to understand how technology works and dedicates a lot of her time to educating others about computer science and programming.
- Meagan Cojocar
Part of our first Plus cohort, Meagan works full time as product lead for a tech startup and is passionate about bridging the gap between business and tech. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary in Canada and has experience in data analytics and business management.
- Katie van den Brand
As the Meshpoints Lead, an initiative that aims to provide practical support to local innovation facilitators who deliver social benefits to regional communities, Katie supports She Codes in regional WA, with a South West program kicking off across the 2019-2020 financial year.
- Jo Minney
She Codes mentor, and founder of boutique digital agency House Digital, Jo loves tech, transitioning from a process engineering career in mining to running her own web development agency and empowering the Perth tech community. As well as supporting us and our coding workshops both in Perth and Bunbury, Yanchep, Geraldton, Port Hedland, Karratha and Newman – Jo even wrote our WordPress tutorial and built our website!
- Sam Brown
Sam Brown is a mentor and connector, volunteering her time at She Codes (previously PWG) events in Perth, and drove a team up to volunteer at the Geraldton Web Girls event. She is also a supporter of diversity, both internally, and personally. She was one of the founding team members of VGW, single-handedly scaling an overseas team from 6 to 150 in only a few years, growing culture in such a way that most of those employees are still with the company 5 years on!
- Caitlin Bathgate
Caitlin is fuelled by the wonderful experience of mentorship and regularly shares her experience and enthusiasm for engaging women with STEM skills at Girls Programming Network (ECU Joondalup), She Codes and local outreach events. When not volunteering, Caitlin can often be found bringing her diverse creative, technical and communication skills to local tech, social impact and education spaces around WA.
- Jess Budd
Jess started her journey in tech by coming along to an early She Codes workshop! Now, Jess works as a digital producer that develops and implements digital initiatives at WA’s most successful not-for-profit health organisation. Jess actively promotes increased representation of women and diversity in technology by encouraging a supportive, collaborative and inclusive web community, and was one of the HTML/CSS mentors for She Codes Plus.
- Julie Grundy
One of our incredible mentors and speakers for the Plus cohort, Julie is an accessibility consultant with a background in front-end web development. She trains clients and the developer community in how to make digital products accessible to people with disabilities. As a popular speaker at conferences and meetups, Julie shares her enthusiasm and passion for accessibility at every opportunity.
- Amy Kapernick
Assisting and volunteering her time as a She Codes mentor, Amy is a freelance developer who has forged her path by starting her own business at only 20 years of age. With several academic awards to her name, she regularly shares her knowledge with her peers and the next generation of developers by mentoring, coaching, teaching and feeding into the tech community in many ways.
Congratulations to all of the 186 women who have been nominated for the awards this year! To see the full list of nominees, visit the Women in Tech WA website here, and be sure to grab your tickets for this years upcoming Conference and Awards Night.