Greetings DC ACM followers!
Please read below for our list of 2019 election cycle candidates.
Voting in the election will close at 9:00 p.m. on Friday, July 6th. If you have any questions on how to vote, contact Jessica at jbell@dcacm.org.
Anita Hall – Candidate for Chair
Professional Experience
My career in the technology field began 6 years ago at Clearly Innovative Inc. I began small doing UX/XI and requirement documents and eventually began an apprenticeship working directly under the CEO Aaron Saunders a developer of 30 years. Throughout my apprenticeship I worked on several small-scale projects before moving up and got the opportunity to work on a few large-scale projects including the mobile application for the National African American Museum of History and Culture. While at Clearly Innovative I also helped bootstrap a tech education company Luma-Lab which focused its efforts on underserved communities. I did the logistics for the events and the class schedules. Additionally, I taught HTML/CSS and JavaScript classes to Middle and High School students and eventually began teaching adult workshops. I also volunteer as a mentorship lead for Women Who Code DC. I work now as a Developer on the Native Applications team at The Washington Post.
Position Statement
I would like to help diversify membership and attendance to DC ACM events. I have strong ties to the tech community in DC as well as connections to organizations who I believe could benefit from partnerships with DC ACM. I also have a close connection to the minority tech groups and tech education programs in the DC area. I would like to help strengthen DC ACM’s connection to the community with new perspectives and initiatives. I want to help keep DC ACM inclusive and a safe learning space for all, specifically women and underrepresented groups. I’d also like to help provide advocacy and career mentorship to those who need it.
Chris Nguyen – Candidate for Co-Chair
Professional Experience
Chris is a senior software engineer with over 15 years of experience in software development at various tech companies and for the government. Throughout his career, he’s been called a “webmaster”, “programmer”, “developer”, “engineer”, “sys admin”, “tech lead”, “scrum master”, and “project manager”, but his love for technology stems from the creativity and problem aspects of computing that supersede any job title. He’s a polyglot by nature, both in programming and in communication. He studied computer science and linguistics at the University of Maryland, College Park and completed his graduate studies at the George Washington University.
Position Statement
Technology has always been a gateway to personal expression for me. The intersection of art and technology has the power to empower individuals to learn more about computer science and the industry applications of academia. For example, Magenta is an open source project that enables generative art using machine learning. Video games are an especially popular and powerful intersection of art, storytelling, music, and code. With this role, I would like to make DC ACM and computing research more accessible to individuals interested in technology, especially those in underrepresented communities. I would also like to explore partnerships with other groups, such as Papers We Love or Hack && Tell to strengthen connections with the local communities that thrive on the same joy of computing.
Kelly Miller – Candidate for Treasurer
Professional Experience
I am an entrepreneurial communications strategist with experience helping clients (from Fortune 100 to startups) showcase value with vivid, data-rich storytelling and targeted media wins. Before joining Banner Public Affairs as a Director, I was a Public Affairs Manager at CTIA – The Wireless Association with my hands in telecommunications policy, B2G marketing, social media strategy and nonprofit advocacy (through the Wireless Foundation branch). I joined Women Who Code DC as Communications Lead in early 2018 and have begun implementing a refreshed series of workshops and panels in order to help women promote themselves and their work. I am also involved with DCFemTech and do as much mentoring and pro-bono communications consulting for nonprofits as I can..
Position Statement
I want to continue the outstanding work of predecessors in order to increase and diversify attendance to DC ACM events. This year, I have been helping grow and elevate DC women-focused technology groups (Women Who Code, DCFemTech) by adding my perspective as a communications-minded professional. I would love to help DC ACM expand its reach into younger demographics and continue its diversity-minded initiatives. In line with my constant tracking of emerging trends, I will help DC ACM stay on top of the new skills and technology that members should have on their radar and in their toolbox. As a leader in the DC ACM community, I also hope to help other professionals with communications backgrounds increase their technical knowledge.
