We Had a Blast with American Express in Sunrise, Florida
PowerToFly has been fortunate to partner with American Express on past events from New York to London so we were thrilled to return to Sunrise, Florida on August 27th, to host a brand new night of networking and tech talks featuring American Express' women tech leaders and allies.
PowerToFly's Dionna Smith-Keels hosted the event, which took place at Amex's gorgeous (and huge) complex in Sunrise, Florida, which is just thirty minutes from Fort Lauderdale. As our guests arrived, they had plenty of time to network, enjoy refreshments and take part in our complimentary headshot photo station.
After some brief opening remarks from Dionna, Adrianna Bailey - VP, Software Engineering at American Express began the evening with warm welcome remarks, diving deeper into the company culture at American Express that truly sets it apart.
Next up, we were treated to a tech talk entitled "Machine Learning: Unstructured Content Organizer" which was hosted by Amex's Prasad Kanvinde and Valencia Steiger. The audience followed up the talk with plenty of probing questions.
The centerpiece of the evening was a panel discussion where Adrianna was joined by four colleagues to discuss their current projects and career journeys. Our panel then concluded with ample time to take questions from the audience and for our panelists to share career advice. Our esteemed speakers included:
- Ileana Figueroa - VP, Technology
- Lisa Meisenbacher, VP, Technology
- Dean Vocaturo - VP, Network Engineering & Optimization
- Man Chon (Kevin) U - VP, Technology
The night wasn't over yet! Our guests stuck around to mingle and network with our speakers and hiring leaders while everyone walked away with fun goodie bags of Amex swag.
American Express is hiring. Their amazing benefits include up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave, flexible work arrangements, Healthy Living wellness programs, tuition assistance, and great medical coverage. Learn more about American Express and their open roles by going to the American Express profile page on Power to Fly and clicking "follow."
All photos by Ivan Apfel Photography
Getting ready for the night to begin!
A delicious spread.
PowerToFly's Dionna Smith-Keels kicks off the event.
Keynote Address speaker Adrianna Bailey
Adrianna welcomes our guests.
Our amazing panel.
Another look at our panel.
Our panel took questions from the audience.
Top off the night with some delicious treats.
Meet American Express’ Women Tech Leaders in Sunrise
If you are a tech professional in the Sunrise, Florida area and you are interested in attending this event, please email events@powertofly.com to be considered for an invite.
PowerToFly is thrilled to host women-in-tech events with American Express in cities as diverse as New York, Phoenix and London. These gatherings create lasting connections for attendees, and often resulted in hires! We're excited to be partnering with American Express on our second evening of networking and tech talks in Sunrise on Tuesday, August 27th.
Since this is an invite-only event, you'll have the opportunity to network with top women in your field, as well as team members from American Express and PowerToFly. As a plus, we're offering complimentary headshots from a professional photographer at the start of the evening.
The event will take place on Tuesday, August 27th, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm (check-in begins at 5:30 pm) at 1500 NW 136th Avenue, Sunrise.
Agenda (Subject to Change):
- 5:30pm - Check-in & networking over light food + complimentary headshots
- 6:20pm - Kick-off from PowerToFly
- 6:25pm - Keynote address with Adrianna Bailey - VP, Software Engineering
- 6:35pm - Behind the scenes product demo: "ML: Unstructured Content Organizer" with Prasad Kanvinde
- 6:45pm - Panel discussion featuring American Express senior leaders
- Ileana Figueroa - VP, Technologies
- Lisa K Meisenbacher, VP
- Dean Vocaturo - VP, Network Engineering & Optimization
- Man Chon (Kevin) U - VP, Engineering, Data Strategy & Transformation
- 7:00pm - Audience Q&A
- 7:20pm - Networking continues over light food
American Express is hiring. Their amazing benefits include up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave, flexible work arrangements, Healthy Living wellness programs, tuition assistance, and great medical coverage. Learn more about American Express and their open roles by going to the American Express profile page on Power to Fly and clicking "follow."
About our Events: All RSVP'd attendees are welcome, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, or age. If you require any accommodation to fully participate in this event, please email hi@powertofly.com, and we will contact you to discuss your specific needs.
Unfortunately, PowerToFly and American Express cannot admit outside recruiters to this particular event. Please email hi@powertofly.com if you have any questions about this policy.
An Inside Look at Our Event with American Express
On April 12th, PowerToFly partnered with American Express to present an exclusive evening for women in tech at Amex's gorgeous office in Sunrise, Florida. A great crowd turned out to hear a panel of American Express senior leadership, network with both Amex executives and their fellow women in tech and score a complimentary headshot.
- The night kicked off with a keynote address by American Express VP, Technology Ileana Figueroa.
- The audience was treated to insightful product demos from American Express team members Cheryl Duke, Elizabeth Herbert, and Donna Peters.
- The centerpiece of the evening was a fireside chat with Licenia Rojas, a twenty-year veteran of American Express and their Senior Vice President and Unit CIO, Global Services Group.
- Ileana then joined Cheryl Rico, VP and Unit CIO, Global Consumer Services Technology, and Dean Vocaturo, VP/GM, Network Engineering & Optimization for a panel and audience Q&A.
American Express is hiring. To learn more including their open roles, visit their page on PowerToFly and click "Follow."
Check out some photos from the event below!
PowerToFly partnered with American Express to present an evening with their technology team at their office in Sunrise, Florida.
The American Express offices are beautiful!
PowerToFly CRO Caroline Turner kicked off the evening.
American Express VP Technologies, Ileana Figueroa, delivers her keynote address.
The American Express team gave attendees an inside look at some of their company's many products.
American Express' Donna Peters talks product.
The event was a great chance to network with your fellow women in tech and male allies.
Fireside chat participant Licenia Rojas greets attendees.
Panelist Cheryl Rico fields a question.
Licenia Rojas, Cheryl Rico, Ileana Figueroa, and Dean Vocaturo answer audience questions.
A great crowd!
Members of the American Express team were on hand to network with attendees.
An Invite-Only Evening for Women in Tech with American Express Unit CIO Licenia Rojas
This is an invite-only event. Contact hi@powertofly.com for the event password if you think this event would be a good fit for your skill set.
Please join us to meet and hear from Licenia, a 20-year veteran of American Express who has led large-scale projects across the company while acting as the Global Development Committee Chair for the Women in Technology Network. Licenia will be joined by women and male allies from American Express who will be sharing how they're building inclusive environments, while innovating products to fuel company-wide growth.
Since this is an exclusive, invite-only event, you'll also have the opportunity to network with top women in your field and team members from PowerToFly.
We will also be offering complimentary headshot photos for all attendees.
Agenda (Subject to Change):
- 5:30pm - Check-In & Networking over Light Food + Free Headshots
- 6:00pm - Event Kickoff with Caroline Turner, PowerToFly's Chief Revenue Officer
- 6:05pm - Keynote Address from Ileana Figueroa, VP, Technologies at American Express
- 6:15pm - Product Demo(s) + Q&A featuring American Express Women Tech Leaders
- 6:35pm - Fireside Chat featuring Licenia Rojas, American Express Senior Vice President and Unit CIO, Global Services Group; moderated by Caroline Turner
- 6:55pm - Audience Q&A featuring Licenia Rojas and American Express executives including:
- Cheryl Rico, VP, Unit CIO at American Express, Global Consumer Services Technology at American Express
- Dean Vocaturo, VP/GM -Network Engineering & Optimization at American Express
- Ileana Figueroa, VP, Technologies at American Express
- 7:20pm - Closing Remarks
- 7:25pm - Networking resumes over Light Food + Free Headshots
Although this is a networking event (you don't have to be looking for a job to attend), American Express is hiring. Their amazing benefits include up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave, flexible work arrangements, Healthy Living wellness programs, tuition assistance and great medical coverage. Learn more about American Express including their open roles by going to their page on PowerToFly and clicking "follow."
About our Events: All RSVP'd attendees are welcome, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, or age. If you require accommodation to fully participate in this event, please email hi@powertofly.com, and we will contact you to discuss your specific needs.
Unfortunately, PowerToFly and the company it is holding an event on behalf of cannot admit outside recruiters to that particular event. Please email hi@powertofly.com if you have any questions about this policy.