A captivating and engaging speaker

I enjoy getting out in front of people and talking about my passions: Great software, diverse development teams, supporting entry-level developers, and having a customer-focused mindset. I also emcee events - providing an entertaining and energetic experience for conference-goers.

I had the absolute pleasure of working with Wade during the Innovate Raleigh Summit. Wade has been an incredible supporter of our region’s entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem and we are so grateful for his leadership. He is consistently kind, creative, generous, and not to mention hilarious – a true joy to work with. I sincerely hope that we have the opportunity to work together again. –Bridget Harrington, Executive Director of Innovate Raleigh

One of my most popular workshops is my applied improv training. In only a few hours, I can take a group of introverted strangers and teach them about collaboration, listening, ideation, empathy, and more!

Here’s a sampling of where I’ve spoken. I’d love to add your event to the list!

RTP180

From 2018-2023, I was the host of RTP180, a monthly talk series at The Frontier in Research Triangle Park, presented by RTI International.

At RTP180, I kept the show fun and engaging, made the speakers look great, and facilitated Q&A with the audience.

Between March 2020 - July 2021, with the COVID pandemic, I worked with The Frontier to innovate an online version of RTP180, acting as a virtual host for the panel, and adapting to the needs of a Zoom-based format to keep the show engaging and educational.

Speaking History

  • 2022 North Carolina Chef Showdown, presented by the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association - August 2022
  • You (Yes, You) Need to Support Junior Developers - Space Apps NYC Symposium October 2021
  • Building Weird Things With With The National Hockey League Using Ruby! - !!Con, May 2021
  • Emcee - Innovate Raleigh Candidates Forum, August 2019
  • Emcee - High Five, March 2019
  • You (Yes, You) Need to Support Junior Developers - Abstractions Conf, August 2019
  • Emcee, Innovate Raleigh Summit, November 2018
  • Startup Pitch Contest Emcee - All Things Open, October 2018
  • Building Compelling Software For Blue Collar Users - All Things Open, October 2018
  • Building Software For Blue-Collar Users - Fluent, June 2018
  • “Plays Well With Others”: Improv For Nerds - RailsConf, April 2018
  • Improv For Marketers - High Five Conference, February 2017
  • Plays Well With Others - Applied Improv For Technologists - LISA, December 2016
  • Building a pipeline: The case for hiring junior developers - OSCON Europe (London), October 2016
  • Building a pipeline: The case for hiring junior developers - OSCON, May 2016
  • Improve Your Team With Improv - OSCON Europe (Amsterdam), October 2015
  • “You code like a sysadmin” - Impostor Syndrome for the modern developer - OSCON, July 2015
  • Improv For Sysadmins - LISA, November 2015
  • You Code Like a Syadmin - LISA, November 2014
  • Remote Work Panel - LISA, November 2014
  • Improv: Think, React, Go! - LISA, November 2014
  • Improv: Think, React, Go! - OSCON, July 2014
  • Improve Your Team With Improv - OSCON, July 2013
  • Wide Teams Podcast - September 2012
  • Build A Better Team With Improv - OSCON, July 2012
  • Customer Service for Sysadmins - Large Installation System Administration (LISA), December 2011
  • Using OpenStack APIs: Present And Future - OSCON, July 2011
  • Customer Service For Nerds - OSCON, July 2011
  • Build a Better Team with Improv - OSCON, July 2011
  • Leveraging the Cloud for Web 2.0 Applications - Web 2.0 Expo, May 2010