Meet our Panelists! To Pivot or Not to Pivot

Meet our panelists! we are hosting a “To Pivot or Not to Pivot” panel discussion, with speakers from a variety of industries and with diverse experiences. Panelists will share lessons learned and insights from navigating their pivots (or decisions not to pivot) and recommendations on how to create a solid support system to achieve your goals.

- Michelle Carlen -

Panelist

Michelle leverages over 25 years of expertise in hospitality, tourism, and property management to produce value-added results for her clients, including impactful and sustainable strategies, improvements in organizational development, executive presence and communication skills, robust growth cycles and bottom line, and positive growth mindsets. 

Michelle is an energetic professional business and career coach, trainer, and facilitator who has worked with hundreds of clients including organization executives, business owners, entrepreneurs, employees, and job seekers. Before joining WEV as an instructor, Michelle had been familiar with the organization and admired its work.

- Julia StewarT Lowndes -

Panelist

Julia Stewart Lowndes, PhD is a marine ecologist working at the intersection of actionable environmental science, data science, and open science. Julia’s main focus is mentoring teams to develop technical and leadership mindsets and skills for data-intensive research, grounded in climate solutions, inclusion, and kindness. She founded Openscapes in 2018 as a Mozilla Fellow and Senior Fellow at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at UCSB, having earned her PhD from Stanford University in 2012 studying drivers and impacts of Humboldt squid in a changing climate.  

- Christina Hamilton -

Panelist

Christina Hamilton is a software engineer at Invoca. After 6 years as a content marketing professional, she enrolled in UCLA's Full Stack Web Development Bootcamp and entered the computer science industry as a quality assurance engineer, before transitioning to software development. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from UC Santa Barbara.

- DEBRA COOK -

Panelist

Debra Cook has a BS in Physics from Humboldt State University and an MS in Physics from University of Washington. She worked in nanotechnology for 20 years (scanning probe microscopy and nanoscale infrared spectroscopy) as an applications scientist and R&D applications manager. Her first career pivot was changing from full time to part-time/contract work when she had children. Her second career pivot four years ago was changing to a new role in a new field, design verification engineering in the medical device industry.

- ROWSHAN RIMA -

Panelist

Hi, I’m Rowshan Rima. I have a master’s in mechanical engineering from University of South Carolina-Columbia, and currently working as a Design Verification Engineer in Karl-Storz. My professional passion lies in conducting research and finding innovative solutions to complex problems. My pivotal moment was when I made the decision to become the primary caregiver for my daughter, and I’ve had the privilege of staying with her for the first 5 years of her life.

In my free time, you can often find me travelling, and taking photographs. I am excited about personal and professional growth, both within the company and as a parent to my daughter.

- RASHI BAHRI -

Panelist

Bio coming soon!

SBWiSTEM SPOTLIGHT: Katie Castillo & Carey Caulfield from Crossnokaye

For those of you who don’t already know, Santa Barbara Women in STEM in partnership with CrossnoKaye is hosting a Speed Networking event on Wednesday, June 22, 2022 at 6:00pm PST at CrossnoKaye in the Granada Building.

We will have food, drinks, and - for the first time - a headshot photobooth to refresh your LinkedIn profile (if, like us, it's been a few years...)!

After hearing from CrossnoKaye, we'll start our Speed Networking session - a fun, low-stress facilitated networking activity where you can meet others, share experiences, and learn effective networking skills! These skills will help you make a great impression, whether you're looking for work, hiring, or just like connecting with others.

Speed Networking is SB Women in STEM's most popular kind of event, so we will cap RSVPs when we reach our limit.

This past week, we connected with Katie Castillo and Carey Caulfield, both from CrossnoKaye, an actively growing tech start-up here in Santa Barbara, CA. They shared what they love about working at CrossnoKaye, what they’re looking for in applicants, and what makes CrossnoKaye unique. We even got to learn some fun facts about these STEM gals! Check out their interviews below, and be sure to attend on June 22!

Q: What do you love about CrossnoKaye?

Katie: I love the people! Everyone who works here is not only someone I enjoy working with on a day-to-day basis, but I want to hang out with after work.

Katie Castillo, CrossnoKaye

Carey Caulfield, CrossnoKaye

Carey: Supportive leadership, Flexible work schedule, great teammates, a place right here in Santa Barbara where I can have a huge impact.

Q: What are key things (skills, experience, interests) that you look for in applicants?

Katie: We love to see driven and innovative applicants with wide variety of both tangible and intangible skills who are looking to make a difference and create meaningful impacts in the world. We are a close-knit team who empower and inspire each other everyday, and we have a lot of fun along the way. Every new team member brings a refreshing perspective and energy and we’re excited to keep expanding and diversifying our CrossnoKaye family. Joining this company is a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Q: Are you able to tell us about CrossnoKaye's sense of work culture, community, and collaboration?

Carey: We have diversity. 25% women and growing. My favorite is our CK Women in Tech group. A place for women to support each other. We truly believe the saying "empowered women, empower women.”

CrossnoKaye celebrating their first customer going “live”.

Q: What is unique about CrossnoKaye?

Carey: CK is unique because we are a small company of 45 people, but we are solving a BIG problem that many people don't even know about yet affects them daily. We are a part of keeping America's food supply fresh, safe and healthy before it hits the grocery stores. That takes a lot of power to keep everything refrigerated and frozen! But because of smart technologies like ML, AI, we are able to save food storage warehouses millions of dollars on their monthly energy bill, not to mention, reduce pollution and greenhouse gases. Another unique thing is that our team, including our development team, is all located in the US.

 

Q: What’s your go-to work snack?

Katie: Snacking is a true weakness of mine and the endless amount of snacks available is not helping my lack of self-control. I think I’ve had every snack available in the kitchen, but you will most commonly see me eating some popcorn, pita chips, and almonds, but always ending the day with a little dark chocolate (because it’s good for my health).

Carey: Cheetos (guilty pleasure!)

Q: What was the last song or Podcast you listened to?

Katie: Fleetwood Mac-Dreams

Carey: My First Million! Love podcasts!

Q: Favorite hobby/activity to do outside of work?

Carey: Pickleball!!! (plus we have a Pickleball Club at CK!)

 

Q: Is there anything else you’re thinking about or would like to share?

Katie: Feel free to reach out! CrossnoKaye loves Santa Barbara and investing in the community. If you want to learn more about us, see what positions are coming down the pipeline, or apply for a position you see available. I am always willing to chat and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

 

CrossnoKaye is an actively growing tech start-up here in Santa Barbara, CA with a mission to make a measurable impact on climate change. We are a B2B SaaS company building a cloud-connected operating system that will revolutionize the heavy industrial sector and bring them into the digital age.

Women in Healthcare - Meet Our Panelists!

Our Virtual Panel is coming up on Wednesday, September 29th at 6pm! Read about our panelists from clinical areas, research, and healthcare tech who will share some of the experiences that have led them to their current roles.

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- Brina Aceves -

Moderator, SBWiStem leadership

I’m Brina, a fourth year at UCSB as a Cell and Developmental Biology major and a part of Prof. Thomas Weimbs research lab where we investigate polycystic kidney disease and the development of new therapies. I hope to go into the research field and eventually study women's health. My goal is to empower women in STEM and better healthcare provided to women all over! Outside of academics I do love surfing, being active and cooking!

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- Christine Raby -

Panelist, well health

Christine Raby is the VP of Professional Services at WELL Health. Prior to WELL Health, Christine worked on public health initiatives at Mayo Clinic and Mount Sinai. She then transitioned to healthcare technology, where she drove growth at Noom Health and MDLIVE. During her time off, Christine enjoys exploring the great outdoors with her Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

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- Sara Imam -

Panelist, Well Health

Sara Imam is a senior at the University of California, Berkeley, pursuing a degree in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, with a mathematical emphasis on data science. She is currently a Jr. Software Engineer at WELL Health. Sara also enjoys numerous volunteer and extra-curricular activities, such as serving as the president of Womxn in Mathematics and teaching classes about 3D printing. Outside of work, Sara spends her time playing video games and Magic the Gathering, building computers, 3D printing, listening to music, and she is a huge mechanical keyboard enthusiast. Sara is fluent in English, French, and Bengali.

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- Joy Kane -

Panelist, Santa Barbara county Health Department

Joy Kane is the Senior Epidemiologist at Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. Since the start of the pandemic, Joy has overseen the COVID-19 Epidemiology Branch, which has provided Santa Barbara County residents and decision makers with vital data on the pandemic. Joy has over 10 years of experience working in public health settings. Joy holds a Master's degree in Public Health, specializing in Epidemiology. In her free time, Joy enjoys beach days with her dog.

- Brenda Aceves -

Panelist, Interventional Radiology Nurse Practitioner

Brenda Aceves is an Interventional Radiology Nurse Practitioner at Stanford. She works directly with Interventional Radiology physicians to provide optimal care to inpatient and clinic patients. As a clinician, she provides direct care in treatment and management of patients that require minimally invasive surgical procedures. She collaborates with other specialties to provide multidisciplinary care, including, gynecology, oncology, vascular, etc. Previously, she started a Nurse Practitioner run inpatient Cardiology service at Loma Linda University Medical Center, where she was the primary provider for hospitalized cardiology patients. She received her BSN in 2014, MSN-FNP in 2018, and was recently accepted to a DNP-Executive track at John Hopkins University. She loves to participate in initiatives that focus on improving minority health care and health disparity, specifically among the Latino community. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

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- Barbara Conviser -

Panelist, Sansum Clinic

Barbara Conviser has worked in healthcare for over 20 years.  As an epidemiologist, research director and informatics manager, she combines analytics with wide-ranging industry experience to improve both care and efficiency. 

She began her career in Clinical Research and served as Research Director at the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara, where she expanded a small department into a thriving program, partnered with global research consortiums.  

Looking to engage in problem-solving on a broader level, she transitioned to Population Health and Value Based Care, where she utilizes clinical data and analytics to improve health across populations while ensuring efficient utilization of healthcare resources. 

Barbara currently serves as the Director of Population Health and Decision Support at Sansum Clinic where she bridges the technical aspects of healthcare with the hands-on operations and patient/provider aspects of care delivery.  

Barbara received her undergraduate degree in molecular biology from Princeton and her Masters in Public Health-Epidemiology from UCLA. She came to Santa Barbara in 2003, where she still happily lives with her two children, husband and dog.

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Special thanks to WELL Health for sponsoring this event!

Lightning Talks Spotlight: Ali French & Lauren Wong from HG Insights

For those of you who don’t already know, Santa Barbara Women in STEM is hosting our first of many Lightning Talks event on March 3, 2021 at 6:00pm PST via Zoom. This event is sponsored by HG Insights, and will feature 10 speakers, from a variety of companies, who will share their software-related projects and passions in only three minutes! There will be prizes and giveaways for both the speakers and the attendees. We hope to see you there!

View the event and RSVP:

Lightning Talks Event - Software. March 3, 2021 at 6:00pm PST.

This past week, we connected with Ali French and Lauren Wong, both from HG Insights, a technology intelligence software company located in Santa Barbara. Ali is a Sr. Manager of Global Revenue Operations, and Lauren is a Senior Data Services Engineer. They shared what they love about working at HG Insights, their perspective on what the recruiting process is like now, and what HG Insights is doing to maintain collaboration among teams. Check out their interviews below, and be sure to catch their Lightning Talks on March 3rd!

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Q: What do you love about HG Insights?

Ali: I love that we're growing quickly but are able to maintain the internal personal relationships of a small company.

Ali French, HG Insights

Ali French, HG Insights

Lauren Wong

Lauren Wong, HG Insights

Lauren: Definitely the culture! Working with colleagues who are just as passionate and motivated about what we do is a bonus that motivates me to do my best daily. Its rewarding being able to see my day-to-day work impact our customers directly as well.

Q: How are you able to share the sense of work culture, community, and collaboration to prospective employees via remote interviews? 

Ali: I like to talk about the "before times" and compare it to how those same things are now. For example - in the "before times" we could easily walk to the funk zone or somewhere close for happy hour and in the "now times" we do virtual happy hours (not as many as when WFH first started - the zoom fatigue is REAL but that's ok and people understand that virtual happy hours don't HAVE to happen, and they can be scheduled ad hoc).

Q: How has the office environment changed since going remote?

Lauren: Aside from the Zoom fatigue that I'm sure we're all experiencing, I would say HG has done a good job at keeping all of us connected. Whether it's through virtual happy hours, drive-thru lunches, or keeping our company town halls a good mix of business and fun. HG's company culture is a large part of our office environment as well, I think all of my colleagues genuinely like working with each other and connecting with each other, so it's really a natural thing.

HG Insights Group Fitness Class

HG Insights Group Fitness Class

Q: What are key things (skills, experience, interests) that you look for in potential interns or entry-level employees?

Ali: Problem Solving is number 1 for me. Not just from the standpoint of "can this person fix what's broken in the system/process" but from the standpoint of can this person be forward thinking enough to know that a solution is a bad idea because it solves a problem today but will lead to another one in 6-12 months. Even if those situations are unavoidable and you have to put a Band-Aid on something, having the ability to identify those situations is key. This is also a reason why I'm a big fan of giving late-stage candidates interview assignment/project - it weeds out people who aren't serious about the opportunity and gives them a real-life example of something they'd need to problem solve for on the job.

Lauren: I would say it's important for potential interns to have a natural desire and passion for working with data. Having that innate curiosity for asking the 'why' and challenging what is considered the standard quo is something HG looks for in its candidates.

 
 

Q: How has the interview process (and/or recruiting process) changed since going remote?

Ali: Personally, I like zoom interviews. It keeps people on time because both the candidate and the interviewer can see when another person has entered the zoom room, signaling that it's time to wrap up. That was hard to do when conducting in person interviews without feeling rude to the candidate. And if one interview runs late, it throws off the entire schedule which can often lead to last minute shuffling of interview slots (and everyone hates last minute schedule changes!)

Q: Hobby/activity you have picked up in quarantine?

Ali: PiYo!! (Pilates-Yoga Hybrid). Pre-quarantine I was not a huge fan of group classes but now I'm a big fan. I love it even more because it's run by a co-worker’s wife. Her Facebook group has been a life saver for both my physical and mental health during quarantine!

Ali with her dog

Q: What’s your go-to work snack?

Ali: Chips, Chips and more chips.

Lauren: Before our offices closed, I definitely would go for our usual Wednesday bagels, but since work from home, I love going for a classic avocado toast with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar or Trader Joes' soft dried mangos!

Q: What was the last song you listened to?

Ali: I don't wanna know - Fleetwood Mac

Lauren: Pretty Bug (feat. James Vincent McMorrow) by Allan Rayman

Santa Barbara Women in STEM

president@sbwomeninstem.org