Elevate & Empower Conference 2026
Boost your Tech, AI, & Cybersecurity journey! Four-track Tech event for students, IT pros, and Tech career transition. Open to all!
Building Birmingham’s Future Tech Workforce
Elevate & Empower 2026 is more than a one-day event—it’s an investment in the future of Alabama’s technology community.
Hosted by TechBirmingham Women in Technology (BWIT), Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) Central Alabama Affiliate, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and Birmingham Tech Council this event brings together industry, academia, and professionals to strengthen our region’s tech talent pipeline.
Enhance your skills, network with industry leaders, and explore the latest trends, innovations, and careers in Technology, AI, Data and Analytics and Cybersecurity.
Multi-track agenda. Open to everyone!
What to Expect
Keynote Speaker
Hear from renowned experts sharing insights and experiences.
Expert Interactive Discussions
Engage in conversations with industry leaders about innovation, the future of tech, and tech career paths.
Multi-track Sessions Agenda
Enhance your knowledge and skills with sessions across multiple tracks:
Networking Opportunities
Connect with peers, mentors, and potential employers.
Resume and Career Guidance
Discover ways to make you stand out and connect with tech companies eager to welcome new talent.
Why Attend?
Professional Confidence
Empowerment through community, knowledge, and inspiration to advance in tech careers.
Upskilling
Hands-on learning sessions in Technology Innovation and professional development.
Career Access
Exposure to real-world IT, AI, and cybersecurity roles and connections with hiring companies.
Networking
Build relationships with employers, mentors, and peers that open doors to internships and jobs.
Mentorship
Guidance from experienced industry leaders to help shape career goals and strategies.
Resume Enhancement
Event participation reflects initiative and engagement in professional growth.
About
The conference will be held Thursday, February 19, 2026 at the Vestavia Civic Center.
Speakers
Meet our speakers!
Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
TEKsystems
Bronze Sponsors
Altec
LBMC
Sponsor Elevate & Empower
Conference Agenda
February 19, 2026 • Multi-track sessions running in parallel
Lynn Dohm, Executive Director, Women in Cybersecurity
Empowering the Future of Work: Practical Strategies for Developing Digital Skills/Core Competencies in a Tech-driven World
Teresa Thomas, EdFarm
Q&A with CISO Ryan Allen
Ryan Allen, UAB Medicine
Build Innovating Product Portfolio in Amazon Quick Suite
Chris Bladon, AWS
Human + AI: Evolving How We Work, Build, and Deliver Value
Raj Vedula, EBSCO
Early/Mid-Career Panel
Moderator: Lakeidra Smith; Lina King, Guidewire Software; Ashley Ferguson, Cyber Investigations & Intelligence Agency; Ananya Thakur, AWS; JG Carver, ITAC; Andrew Alaniz, CipherNorth
Seeing Is Deceiving: Deepfakes, Creative Power, and the New Trust Crisis
Kyle Hinterberg, LBMC
The Human Layer Between Customers and Code
Karan Khanna, Harmony Venture Labs
Productionizing AI Agents with Amazon Bedrock AgentCore
Meera Balasubramaniam, AWS
Resume Review/Local Busines Recruiters/Network Time
Boldness Rewarded: Debug fear, deploy power
Logan O'Neil, Blink
The Future of Cybersecurity: How AI Changes Everything
Emily Feng, UAB
UX Fundamentals for Technologists: Designing Products People Actually Want
Kelli Lucas, LunarLab, LLC
Leveraging Data and AI for Value
Robin Hunt, ThinkData Solutions, Inc.
Who's In Your Corner? Building a Network That Advocates for You
Julie Stein, CGI Group & Lindsey Mitchum, Cisco (Goes to 3p)
From Manual to Meaningful: Applying AI Across the GRC Lifecycle
Grace Beason, Guidewire Software, Inc. & Gavin Grounds, MercuryRisk
AI-Driven Development: How Agentic AI is Transforming Software Engineering
Salil Behara & Sandeep Mehta, AWS
Revolutionizing Small Business with AI & Automation
Jacquisa "Jai" Gibson, Auxilio X