2022 Conference Speakers (alphabetically)

Samaria Chicas (she/her) Technology Analyst - JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Talk Title: First Generation - Engaging, Empowering, and Retaining a New Tech Workforce

As our technology workforce becomes more diverse, some employees are finding themselves in a new world of corporate lingo and etiquette.

The business culture knowledge gap can impact engagement for these First Generation workers affecting their ability to see a path to success in their role.

How can we create an environment that removes these barriers and fosters active inclusion?

This session will provide tips on how managers and colleagues can empower first-generation tech workers to reach their full career potential.

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Samaria Chicas joined JPMorgan Chase & Co. through the Software Engineering Program in 2017 and currently leads an application development team in Workforce Technology.

Her team focuses on simplifying the employee experience from recruit to retire. Her personal passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion has led to her participation in various internal groups at JPMC including the local Ohio chapter of the LGBT+ Business Resource Group, of which she is currently co-chair.

Samaria earned two degrees at Ball State University in Muncie, IN graduating with her bachelor's degree in 2012 and then returning to complete the Center for Information & Communication Sciences master's program in 2017.

The CICS program allowed her to make a career pivot into technology, creating opportunities to drive DE&I goals in this space.

She is originally from Houston, TX but happily calls Columbus, OH home. She lives with her partner Daniel and enjoys visiting aquariums and museums.

Karen Mangia, Future of Work Advisor | Customer Experience & Customer Success Strategist | Keynote Speaker | Bestselling Author | Thinkers50 | TEDx Speaker

Keynote: Success from Anywhere: Create Your Own Future of Work from Inside Out

Join Karen as she shows us how to build success into every organizational design – regardless of company culture, leadership, or industry – and offers actionable insights on a range of timely and relevant subjects, including:

Rethinking the foundations of what work really means, including work-life balance, the future of work, and where peak performance really comes from
The origins of intolerance, and how to access greater diversity, inclusion, and belonging inside every organization
Creating a high-impact culture in the anxious and stressful pandemic environment by redesigning the game – and creating your own rules
How to overcome feelings of constriction and confinement, to find new possibilities, for your own career
Getting past the feeling that you have to “do it all” in order to succeed
Powerful scientific insights into stress-relief, battling burnout and becoming your best self