Tech Talent Programs

IT Career Conversations: IT Project Management 

Thursday, February 29, 2024 - 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

This IT Career Conversation features information about how an IT Project Manager plays a crucial role in planning, executing, and overseeing information technology projects within an organization. Their primary responsibility is to ensure that projects are completed on time, within budget, and meet the specified requirements. They play a multifaceted role, requiring a combination of technical expertise, leadership skills, and effective communication to successfully deliver IT projects. 

IT Career Conversations: Data Solutions Team

Friday, February 23, 2024 - 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Data is in Progressive’s DNA. This IT Career Conversation features a team from Progressive’s Data Solutions Department and explores how data is at the center of their customer experience strategy. The team from Progressive will include IT professionals that have experience as Data/Business Intelligence Analysts. 

Oracle Applications Analyst

Friday, February 2, 2024 - 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

This career conversation will feature information about how to understand business problems and opportunities and recommend solutions that enable an organization to achieve its goals by implementing an Oracle Cloud Module that focuses on accounts payable in Finance. Maanasa Humchad, an Oracle Applications Analyst will discuss supply chain management and the ways she implements Oracle Cloud at Sherwin Williams in IT Finance. 

Data Mining & Data Science

Friday, January 26, 2024 - 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m

Democracy, by definition, is very participatory. Data Analysis can help. Join us for a career conversation focused on how large data sets can be used to foster civic engagement and positive change. This career conversation will feature a data mining project focused on making Cuyahoga County’s Criminal Court case dockets available for analysis of our legal and criminal justice system. Natalie Olivo, a Machine Learning Engineer will discuss the project and share insights into how large datasets can be leveraged for social good and discuss the IT careers that are associated with data science. 

Blockchain Technology    

Thursday, January 11, 2024 -10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Blockchain technology is the foundational technology behind cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Join us for an IT Career Conversation focused on blockchain technology with Joe Ketcham, Senior Software Developer from the Federal Reserve Back of Cleveland to learn more about this dynamic and growing field of technology.

IT Career Conversations: IT Support

Friday, December 8, 10-11 a.m.

IT support is as essential to a small company as it is to large corporations.  In this IT Career Conversation, you’ll meet with a local IT support company called NetworkinGuy’s, a small business IT support outsourcing company which has been in business for 20 years.  NetworkGuys will share how they support small businesses with IT planning, project management, and technical support and provide info on how to get started with a career in IT Support. 

IT Career Conversations: Augmented & Virtual Reality Apps

Friday, December 1, 1 - 2PM

This IT Career Conversation is focused on augmented and virtual reality with the creator of Spherio, a customizable AR/VR creation app.  The conversation explores AR/VR, the possibilities to become an AR/VR creator today, and the jobs/career opportunities associated with AR/VR in the future.   

IT Career Conversations: Digital Innovation Accelerator 

Thursday, November 2, 2023

This IT Career Conversation features an engaging and thought-provoking conversation with Jeff Arko, from Sherwin-William’s Digital Innovation Accelerator.  The conversation explores the dynamic landscape of digital innovation and its impact on businesses.

IT Career Conversations: Cybersecurity

October 17, 2023

This IT Career Conversation features panelists Yasmin Abdul-Khaliq, Tim Thompson, and Melissa Jolly sharing their knowledge and experiences in Cybersecurity.   

IT Career Conversations: Electric Vehicles

September 29, 2023

Join David Brown (Co-founder of NexGen Interactive and Founder of the Minority Tech Alliance) in an engaging session as he dives into the world of Electric Vehicles. This session will provide valuable information about IT careers in the rapidly growing electric vehicle sector. 

IT Career Conversations: Women in IT

September 15, 2023

Discover the journey of women in IT during this IT Career Conversation. Our panelists Aerin Kerbs, Jennifer Zacharia, Gwen Davis, and DeAngela Townsend-Brooks will share their journeys and insights about the Information Technology industry. Join our session to gain valuable information to fuel your own success.

Network Operations

2023

Headlines in 2019 declared Cleveland to be one of the “worst connected US cities” for access to high-speed broadband. Digital C, a local non-profit fixed wireless Internet provider is working to build networks in unserved and underserved neighborhoods in Cleveland. In this IT Career Conversation, you’ll meet Digital C’s Lead Network Technician discussing networking solutions they are using to reduce Cleveland’s digital divide.

Cellular Network & Data Center Operations

2023

It’s estimated that we take around 93 million selfies each year and that 2/3rds of them are taken on smartphones. That’s a lot of data moving from smartphones, through cellular networks, to data centers worldwide. In this IT Career Conversation, you’ll meet a team from Verizon who design the networks and engineer the data centers that move and store all those selfies.

Artificial Intelligence with Hyland Software’s Innovation Team  

2023

Will advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) make knowledge workers obsolete?  In this IT Career Conversation, members of Hyland Software’s Innovation Team (who started their careers as software developers) discuss how AI is changing the IT world.  They also discuss some of the practicalities of using AI tools like GPT-3 and DALL-E.   

Web Developers

2023

Web Developers Anyone can build a website, right? Well, that might be true, but to do it right, you need a lot of behind-the-scenes people working to make sure the site runs smoothly. In this IT Career Conversation, you’ll meet a full-stack developer and a Quality Assurance engineer that are graduates from Urban City Codes, a community-based tech training company that is working with under-represented, under-resourced individuals to teach them how to be competitive in our tech-driven economy. These graduates from Urban City Codes will explain how they design websites and keep them humming long, error free. 

Virtual Reality Game Designers

2023

Virtual Reality game developers share their experience of developing and releasing their award-winning VR Game Straylight in early 2023.

Remote Tech Support

2023

The shift to remote work has created new challenges for IT professionals providing help desk and technical supports to employees that now work at home.  Learn how the Technical Support Team from FIT Technologies employs critical thinking and problem-solving strategies to support a growing remote workforce.  

Cybersecurity Career Conversations

2022

CyberSecurity Career Conversation featuring Austin Schweikert, Student Moderator from Baldwin Wallace University, Grace Hannaman, Manager, Incident Response from Eaton, Tracey Touma, Senior Cybersecurity Specialist from Cleveland Clinic, and Nathan Walker, Enterprise Security Analyst from Avient  

IT Career Conversations V

IT Career Conversations V with Essense Doucet Lead Information Technology Program Manager, KeyBank, Bill Cook, Senior Director, IT Operations & Service Management, General Electric, and Nadia Heard, IT Project Manager, Eaton. 

IT Career Conversations IV

IT Career Conversations IV featuring with Katie Starr, Information Assurance Analyst, Case Western Reserve University; Jennifer Zacharias, Information Security Senior Manager, KeyBank; and Latrecia Hunter, IT Security Project Manager Lead, Progressive Insurance 

IT Career Conversations III

2022

IT Career Conversations III featuring with Roleen Crane, Manager, Site IT Support, Eaton Corporation and Anusha Kandel, IT Global Support services, The Sherwin Williams Company. 

IT Career Conversations II

2022

IT Career Conversations II featuring Grady Burrows, Executive Director, HIT in the CLE; Alicia Stone, Senior Vice president, KeyBank; and William Fudge, VP Software Engineering, OEConnections.

IT Career Conversations I

2021 - 2022

IT Career Conversations I with Nick Gabel, SW Engineer, Eaton ; Jennifer Zacharias, Information Security Senior Manager, KeyBank; and Roleen Crane, Service Desk Manager, Eaton