The PennZone

LONG BEACH, Calif. - PennZone -- California-based nonprofit, #LatinaGeeks announces their 10th Anniversary and Inspirada Awards Gala this August 20, 2022- honoring some of the brightest stars in tech. Held at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, CA, the gala will feature a lineup of nominees befitting the seminal occasion and will bring together 200+ Latinas & supporters from across the states.

The Inspirada Awards will honor Latinas who have pioneered innovation and are using technology to create a transformative impact in our community and our world. The nominees are:

SOCIAL IMPACT
Laura Cancel, CEO & Founder, Neddie
Caeley Looney, CEO & Founder, Reinvented
Martha Montoya, CEO & Founder, AgTools

TECH ENTREPRENEUR
Maria Oliveira Tamellini, COO & Cofounder, GamerSafer
Martha Hernández, CEO & Founder, MadeBOS
Cecilia Corral, VP & Cofounder, CareMessage

EMERGING LEADER
Diana Iracheta, Executive Director, Latina Engineer
Jannie Fernandez, Tech Coalition Program Manager, Reboot Representation

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Sophia Valdez, Early Career Technical Recruiter, TikTok

RISING STAR
Fernanda Sulantay Vargas, Graduate Student Researcher, Yale University
Liliana Rodriguez, Engineer I, LPL Financial
Diana Segura, Intern, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The event will include a panel on "Latinas Shaping the Future of Technology," moderated by Annabelle Sedano, anchor/reporter at Univision- with speakers:

• Nuria Santamaria Wolf, Meta
• Tanya Menendez, Snowball Wealth
• Valeria Martinez, VamosVentures
• Daniela Corrente, Reel

The gala will feature Emmy-Award-winning journalist, Claudia Botero as the MC, a cocktail reception, music and dancing, dinner, and a silent auction that boasts signed items from Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Lopez, Julio Urías, and a beach retreat for two in Baja California, Mexico.

"Our gala is a night of inspiration and excitement to help raise funds and awareness so we can continue to drive change for a more equitable and inclusive future for Latinas in tech careers," said LaLa Castro, Cofounder and Executive Director of #LatinaGeeks. "Each of the award nominees embodies the spirit of innovation, creativity, and fearless leadership- and we are honored to host this event and highlight our Latina trailblazers."

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"Tomorrow's technology is being shaped by Latina innovators and leaders," stated #LatinaGeeks Managing Director, Denyse Cardozo. "Helping Latinas take their next step in their tech career is at the heart of what we stand for. Our gala will be a great chance for Latina professionals to meet people who can help them take the next step in their journey."

#LatinaGeeks welcomes Western Governors University as its Red Carpet sponsor and Microsoft, Intuit, Autodesk, and Cox Communications as table sponsors. Companies interested in sponsoring should contact denyse@latinageeks.org.

Learn more about the event and purchase tickets on the gala website.

About #LatinaGeeks

Our mission is to empower and educate Latinas by sharing technical knowledge, business skills, and entrepreneur resources through hands-on workshops, strategic partnerships, and community events. #LatinaGeeks is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit. To learn more, visit their website at http://latinageeks.com.