Lightning Talks ⚡️

Get Ready for Lightning Talks ⚡️

Join us at Tailwind!

A lightning talk is a short ~5-10 minute talk over anything that you find interesting! Talk topics can range over a personal project, a new technology, or just something that makes you think "hey, I bet other people might like to know about this thing." It's a great way for you as an attendee (and speaker!) to learn about a lot of new things that you didn't know about before.

Light refreshments and snacks will be provided!

This month's speakers:

Lida Tohidi - "Neurodiversity as an Asset"
Lida Tohidi is a startup operator turned fractional product strategist, certified coach, and owner of a coffee and cacao farm. With 16+ years of experience leading high-ROI 0-to-1 launches and strategic turnarounds across fintech, health tech, and climate, she’s built products that win awards, get acquired, and make money. A late diagnosed ADHDer and neurodiversity advocate, Lida empowers leaders to scale without burning out.

Bekah Beets - "The 'No Boss, No Bra' Plan"
Bekah Beets is a seasoned back-end software engineer with over 13 years of professional experience. She specializes in .NET, Python, SQL Server, and AWS, and is currently helping her team transition to PostgreSQL. Bekah works at a healthcare claims clearinghouse, where she builds ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) systems that drive data extraction, transformation, and delivery at scale. Her work blends deep knowledge of legacy systems with modern cloud-based solutions.

Leslie Merritt - "From Frankenstack to Functional: Why CiviCRM Beats Five Apps and a Zap!"
Leslie is a versatile Technical Project Manager with expertise in project coordination, risk management, and agile methodologies. With experience spanning Drupal, WordPress, Joomla, and CiviCRM, among other digital tools, Leslie excels in optimizing workflows and training teams to be self-sufficient in their systems. Having previously served as an Executive Director for her
local Chamber of Commerce, Leslie combines leadership, strategic planning, and hands-on technical expertise to guide successful digital projects.

Melissa Talkington - “From Scratch | Tools + Quick Tips: Making a Splash on the Web from Nothing”
Melissa Talkington is a web designer and developer based in OKC. She began writing code in 2008 and hasn’t stopped since! Her life-long appreciation for art and design has translated to her career designing and building sites across the web. Her work spans different industries and project spaces; she is versatile and able to work within existing systems, yet she never shys away from a blank canvas

Angee Noel - "Indigenous in Tech"
Angee Noel is an Indigenous educator and content creator passionate about bridging gaming and education. With a Master’s in Educational Leadership and a Bachelor’s in Family Life Education, she has over a decade of experience in educational and social service settings, including work with nonprofits, schools, and tribal governments. Her career spans after-school programs, child welfare, parent support, and higher education, and she currently contracts as an adjunct professor, collegiate esports consultant, and nonprofit contributor supporting women in tech.

A longtime gamer and content creator, Angee brings her love of digital communities into her work in the esports industry. She founded Gaming is Rezilience in 2024 to uplift Indigenous representation through panels, workshops, and gaming events. She also organizes the OKC Twitch Community Meetups and co-founded the Indigenous Alliance on Twitch, while actively participating in Twitch’s Unity Guilds. Through every project, Angee blends culture, education, and STEM to promote diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.