Women in Tech: The Path Forward Virtual Event

Kara Terrell Coston (Moderator)

Kara Terrell Coston brings over a cumulative applied knowledge of 20+ years working in the IT industry. She brings over 13 years of teaching at different colleges and universities. She holds a BBA from University of Memphis, a MS from American University and an MBA from Troy University. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Information Systems Technology.

Ms. Terrell Coston works at IBM as a Mobile Development Manager and as an Agile Coach. Ms. Terrell Coston has worked most of her career in the Defense, Transportation and services industries. Ms. Terrell Coston is a certified Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) Scrum Master, Program Consultant and licensed trainer. She also holds current certifications from Scrum Alliance as a Certified Scrum Master (CSM).

Diya Wynn (Opening Comments—Mentor)

Diya has worked in technology for 25 years and is currently the Global Readiness Lead for Migrations & Modernization at Amazon Web Services. Leveraging her experience working with early stage companies, deep understanding of Operations, IT Service Management and delivery, she works with a global team to position enterprise customers to unlock value and experience the transformation they expect with technology. In addition to her work in technology, she is an Ambassador for Inclusion & Diversity and a pioneer in the company starting and leading the Women in Professional Services, an affinity group focused on gender diversity. Diya expanded her focus beyond the Women in Professional Services and has led several inclusion & diversity initiatives across the business globally including hosting Inclusion Forums, Inclusive Leader Summits, and participating on a leadership team establishing a new affinity group for under-represented minorities. For her model of leadership in this space, she was recently awarded an Inclusion Ambassador Award from her company and is a finalist for the Women in IT Awards Advocate of the Year. Her expertise and passion has taken her internationally to Canada, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, China, Germany, Australia, Denmark and throughout cities in the US where she has been a speaker at industry events, delivered presentations and training.

While technology has been an important part of her life since the 3rd grade, Diya strives to make a difference in the projects she engages and the lives of those she encounters. In every way, her community service reflects the appreciation that she has for life and the opportunities afforded her. Over the years Diya has served in capacities including board member of community organizations, leader in her local church and as a mayoral appointee in Environmental Affairs in the city of Laurel for 6 consecutive years. She currently serves as a Class Agent for Suffield Academy (HS), is a lifetime member of National Alumnae Association of Spelman College and is the President of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College Southern MD chapter.

She studied Computer Science at Spelman College, the Management of Technology at New York University, Special Event Management at George Washington University and is always partaking in opportunities to fuel her love for learning. At the top of all her accomplishments is being the wife of Roger Wynn and mother to two princes, Micah (12) and Noah (9).

Ashly Garner (Opening Comments—Mentee)

Deb Snyder, former Chief Information Security Officer, NYS

Deborah Synder has held executive roles for over two decades and has a broad range of experience in government, policy, cybersecurity, privacy, and information technology. She recently retired from her position as New York State’s chief information security officer (CISO) after over 35 years of public service. As part of New York State's information technology transformation and consolidation initiative, she helped redesign how the state protects its data. As State CISO, she directed the state’s comprehensive cybersecurity governance, risk management, and compliance program, providing strategic leadership and vision while assuring business-aligned, risk-based investments that maximize business opportunity and minimize cybersecurity risk. She also directed the NYS Cyber Command Center, hotline, procedures for reporting and response to cyber-threats, and digital forensics. Read more about her work here.

Deborah holds multiple industry certifications, including Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), SANS Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership (GSTRT) Global Information Assurance Certification, and Project Management Institute certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Emily Baugher, Managing Director, HCL Software

Emily Baugher is currently leading the IBM relationship for HCL Software. Prior to her current role, she was leading the Banking Financial Services vertical for HCL Software. Emily is an integrative thinker with experience aligning business strategy with technology and cybersecurity. During her 17 years with IBM, she led global relationships for Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan Chase. Prior to joining IBM, Emily held executive positions with JPMorgan Chase, Mainspring, and Certco. She is a skilled leader and builder of teams that support global enterprise solutions and has earned a reputation as an innovative problem-solver with a consultative approach in start-ups, small to midsize companies, and major multinational organizations.

She holds an Executive Master in Cybersecurity from Brown University; a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University; an MBA in Finance from Fordham University; and a BBA in Marketing from Pace University. Her research at Brown University was focused on “Cybersecurity and Boards of Directors."

Amanda Fennell, Chief Security Officer, Relativity

Amanda Fennell has taught courses in incident response, digital forensics, and operationalizing threat intelligence since 2013. She entered the industry after completing a master’s in digital forensics (high-tech crime) from The George Washington University. Amanda joined the Relativity team in 2018 as a chief security officer. What was once a vision is now a fully developed global team called Calder7, where cybersecurity, product security, and compliance specialists converge to deliver Relativity’s fully integrated security program. Before joining Relativity, Amanda served as the global head of cyber response and digital forensics at Zurich Insurance Company. She also held several management and consulting positions at Symantec, Dell SecureWorks, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Guidance Software.

As an advocate for pro-active career management and advancement, Amanda served on the advisory board of Rutgers Cyber Academy at Rutgers University, an educational institution committed to creating the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. She is an active supporter of closing the opportunity divide with organizations like Year Up, which ensures young adults gain the skills, experiences, and support needed to empower them to reach their potential through careers and higher education.

Michele Bousquet, CybSec Entrepreneur & Podcaster

Michele Bousquet has a master's degree in computer science from Boston University with a focus on security. She works as a senior security and forensic specialist at Electronic Evidence Retrieval in New Orleans, working in eDiscovery, mobile phone forensics, and digital acquisition.

Michele also serves as an industry digital forensics consultant at Tulane School of Professional Advancement, helps develop and teach the online mobile forensics graduate course at Boston University, and writes a blog on personal security.

Kate Forster, IT Administrator, Joliet, IL HSD

Kate Forster is an adjunct professor in Information Technology (IT) for Tulane School of Professional Advancement. Kate is working on her Ph.D. in information technology. She has master’s degrees in management information systems and library science, as well as practical knowledge from over 20 years of work in the field of information technology. Kate’s IT career includes experience in a wide range of organizations, including IT startups, government agencies, and businesses of all sizes.

Her professional experience spans application system development, database administration and maintenance, business intelligence, and application management. She has spent the majority of her career in the public sector with a focus on giving back to her community. Currently, she serves as the Application and Database Administrator for a local low-income high school district. Kate’s previous experience includes serving as a technology trainer and database application developer at a police department and software engineer for a healthcare software-as-a-service company.