8-8:30 a.m. 

Minnesota – The State of Tech Talent

A look at the current state of Minnesota’s tech workforce, widening gaps in our tech talent pipelines, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.  Join us for this data-driven session that level-sets where Minnesota stands today and what needs to be addressed for the future.  

Speakers 

• Jeff Tollefson, President & CEO, Minnesota Technology Association 
• Jade Denson, VP, Programming & Member Experience, Minnesota Technology Association 
• Erin Olson, Director, Strategic Research, RealTime Talent 

8:30-9 a.m. 

Equity & Inclusion – Putting Words into Action  

Tawanna Black facilitates a conversation with leaders from Target and U.S. Bank on the importance of building diverse teams and inclusive workplaces.  Learn about new initiatives intended to open more doors of opportunity for historically marginalized talent pools and strategies for developing talent once on-board.  

 Speakers 

• Greg Cunningham, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, U.S. Bank 
• Mike McNamara, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Target 

Facilitated by Tawanna Black, Founder & CEO, Center for Economic Inclusion 

9-9:50 a.m. 

The Future of Work – CIO Perspectives and Priorities  

How has COVID impacted current and future workforce strategies?  What does this mean as it relates to hiring, onboarding, developing, and retaining talent?  Learn how these leaders are optimizing talent in more challenging times. 

Speakers 

• Sameer Badlani, MD, FACP, Chief Digital Officer & Executive Vice–President for Technology Services, M Health Fairview  
• Sean Lennon, Chief Information Officer, Medtronic 
• Andrea Markstrom, Chief Information Officer, Taft Law 

Facilitated by Jennifer Hauschildt, Vice President, Human Resources, Uponor 

9:50-10 a.m. 

Break

Remainder of morning 

Attend a series of 30-minute breakout sessions.  Choose from three tracks in each time period: 

• INSPIRE – Learn why it is important to inspire more Minnesota youth to pursue STEM careers, the challenges faced by those addressing this issue, and how our business community can help. 
• HIRE – Hear new approaches to sourcing, hiring, and on-boarding talent at a time of remote work and changing organizational priorities. 
• DEVELOP & RETAIN – Explore how leading companies are developing and optimizing their talent and creating inclusive cultures where people want to work and choose to stay. 

10:00-10:30 a.m. 

Choose 1 of 3: 

INSPIRE – Reality Check: The State of Computer Science Education in Minnesota

Is it true that Minnesota ranks last in the nation in the percentage of high schools offering computer science curriculum? Learn more about the challenges we face as we work to develop our next generation of developers. 

Speakers 

• Sarah Carter, STEM/Computer Science Integration Specialist, Minnesota Department of Education 
• Cassie Scharber, Ph.D., Associate Professor,  University of Minnesota; Steering Committee Member,  CSforAll-MN 
• Andrea Wilson Vazquez, Director of Educator Training, Code Savvy; Innovative Instructional Coach, Intermediate District 287

HIRE – Leveraging Non-traditional Hires to Drive ROI 

Technology and Talent leaders with Granicus will share their learnings regarding effectively hiring and leveraging non-traditional talent. Specifically, they’ll talk about the why and how they positioned hiring bootcamp graduates as a strategic priority. They’ll also reveal why bootcamp grads most recently represent the largest portion of their technology workforce. Attendees will walk away with a better understanding of how to get strong return on investment from non-traditional talent and get some tools to advocate for tapping into bootcamp talent within your respective organizations. 

Speakers 

• Tracie Karsjens, Director of Engineering, Granicus 
• Nick Stroozas, Recruiter, Granicus 

DEVELOP & RETAIN – Perspectives on What Matters and What Works to Create an Inclusive Culture

Listen in as local tech professionals at varying levels share their perspectives on the impact culture can have in the work place. From setting the tone at the top to feeling engaged when you’re entering a new team, our speakers will share what’s worked, what hasn’t, and offer insights in to how you can enable a more inclusive space.

Speakers 

• Ruchir Jaipuriyar, Sr. Manager, Applications, Digital Advisor Services, RBC Wealth Management 
• Michelle Pokrzywinski, Director, Engineering and DevOps,  Kognitiv
• Kaisa Taipale, PhD, Senior Data Scientist, C.H. Robinson 

Facilitated by Caroline Karanja, CEO, Hack the Gap 

10:35-11:05 a.m. 

Choose 1 of 3: 

INSPIRE – Career Pathways: Promising Practices & Business Partnerships  

Learn about in-school and out-of-school programs equipping students with the digital and professional skills required to succeed on a pathway to tech career success and the important role our business community can (and must) play in this critical work. 

Speakers 

• Sareen Dunleavy Keenan, Senior Program Officer, Greater Twin Cities United Way 
• Alexandra Holter, Ph.D., STEAM Magnet Coordinator, Brooklyn Center Community Schools 
• Andrea Wilson Vazquez, Director of Educator Training, Code Savvy; Innovative Instructional Coach, Intermediate District 287
• Dr. Michael G. Wulf, Founder & Executive Director, Minnesota STEM Partnership 

Facilitated by Allison Barmann, Executive Director, Genesys Works 

HIRE – Interviewing: Hiring for the Engineering Mindset 

Explore how to create new talent pathways into technology.  Increase access to tech by choosing to hire and invest in talent that may have found engineering in a less traditional way but has the mindset of curiosity and problem solving and the determination to make it a career.   

Speakers 

• Megan Grimm, Director Talent Acquisition, Target 
• Alicia Henderson, Director of Technology, Target 

DEVELOP & RETAIN– Developing Tech Talent from Within: Best Buy’s Field Infiltrator Program 

The Field Infiltrator program was created to provide opportunities for field employees, to leverage employee skills, to build a stronger connection between field and corporate team members, and to find creative ways to build an internal tech talent pipeline. 

Speakers 

• Rosie Nestingen, Tech Transformation Director, Best Buy 
• Josh Wadsworth, Associate Manager Tech Transformation, Best Buy

11:10-11:45 a.m. 

Choose 1 of 3 – Minnesota Technology Association to deliver closing remarks during final 5 minutes of each breakout below. 

INSPIRE – Voices of Youth: The Power of Opportunity 

Hear from Minnesota youth about what is sparking and sustaining their interest in technology and the role you and your employers play in helping build a more diverse tech workforce. 

Speakers 

• Stuti Arora, Computer Science Student, University of Minnesota 
• Claire Holmes, Senior, Mayo High School, Rochester
• Susan Sama, Software Engineer – EEP, Target 

Facilitated by John Bartucz, Teacher,  Rochester CTECH; Professor, Rochester Community and Technical College and Winona State U; Founder, Rochester Area Youth Tech Foundation; President, CS Teachers Association of Minnesota; 2020 Aspirations in Computing Teacher of the Year 

HIRE – Onboarding Non-traditional Talent

Increased demands for software engineers and building a more diverse tech workforce has revealed the importance of sourcing talent from non-traditional backgrounds like bootcamps. But once you’ve hired bootcamp graduates, how do you effectively train and onboard those candidates to ensure they feel confident in their first technical role and connected to their teams despite not coming from a traditional CS background? Our panel of junior developers (and the leaders responsible for their onboarding) will share the tactics and best practices that facilitated a smooth and effective onboarding process when they started their first role as an engineer. 

Speakers 

• Shanice Gipson, Technical Associate, VMLY&R 
• Gabby Spurling, Director of Technology, VMLY&R 
• Thomas Juranek, Software Engineer II, Nextek Development 
• Rob Reynolds, Director of Software Engineering, Nextek Development 

Facilitated by Erica Prairie, Director – Early Tech Career Development Programming, Optum 

DEVELOP & RETAIN –  Growth and Development at Thomson Reuters 

Speakers 

• Jenna Sprattler, Sr. Network Manager, Thomson Reuters
• Danny Stubbings, Global Technology Executive, Thomson Reuters 

Facilitated by Laura Miller, Talent & Development Manager, Thomson Reuters and Lucy Rangecroft, HR Business Partner for Technology, Thomson Reuters

11:45 a.m. 

Forum concludes