Leadership Team

ChickTech Austin Leaders

Nicole Baratta

Director

Nicole C. Baratta is a Content Strategist at Red Hat. She has been involved in open source communities for the last ten years and believes strongly in the power of community and openness. Nicole is known for many different publications including her books on technology in libraries including “Practical Open Source Software for Libraries”. In addition to her passion for technology and open source, Nicole is a lover of all animals and lives at home with her 2 rescued shelties and 1 rescue cat.

Dana DeFebbo

Assistant Director

Dana is the Web Services Librarian at the Tarlton Law Library, University of Texas School of Law where she is responsible for managing all aspects of the the library’s website presence. She values excellent customer service, treating people with respect and getting the job done thoroughly and correctly. Growing up, Dana was always interested in technology but had few female mentors to share this interest with. She is excited to be involved with ChickTech because she loves helping young women realize their potential in the tech industry.

Maxine Eiland

High School Program Manager

Maxine is the Director of Digital Marketing & Web at SailPoint Technologies. She started her career as a self-taught coder, but over the years she has gained experience in everything from web development to SEO, content strategy, eCommerce and UX. A natural leader, Maxine has conquered the adversity a woman in the technology world often faces by learning to adapt and maneuver without wavering from her goals. Outside of ChickTech and her love for all things tech-related, her passions include playing tug-of-war with her pit-bull mix Petey, watching football, relaxing with friends and family, meditation, yoga and crossfitting. She also loves to try new foods and travel to adventurous destinations.

Margaret Becker

HS Outreach Manager

Margaret Becker is a Senior Project Manager at Directions Research, where she manages custom market research projects for industry-leading technology companies. She received a B.A. in Psychology as well as a B.A. and M.A. in French at the University of Louisville before moving to Austin in 2009. Her previous volunteer work includes counseling and advocacy for survivors of sexual assault with SAFE Austin and providing equine therapy for children and teens with intellectual and physical disabilities. Cultivating opportunities for self-discovery and growth for young people has always been a fulfilling endeavor for Margaret, and is what brought her to join the ChickTech Austin team. In her spare time she can be found on the wall at the climbing gym or on the dance floor of a local honky tonk.

Geeta Shukla

Co-Mentor Program Manager

Geeta has been working in management consulting for over 7 years, focused primarily on software implementations for companies in the healthcare, government, technology, and non-profit sectors. She has a personal passion for increasing access to resources for women and children in the areas of healthcare and education. In addition to working with ChickTech, Geeta serves on the board of a local non-profit called Circle of Health International whose focus is to provide safe healthcare options to moms and babies in rural or undeserved communities impacted by disaster.

She is currently focusing on complimenting her professional experience with courses in the areas of User Experience Design and Mobile App Development. In her spare time, Geeta can be found trotting around town with her two favorite pups and favorite human in tow, trying new food trucks, or spending hours at a time watching Game of Thrones or Parenthood.

Ashley Estacion

Co-Fundraising/Development Manager

Ashley began her professional life as a dancer and choreographer in the Houston area for nine years. She has performed and choreographed for various competitive dance teams as well as the Houston Comets and Rockets. She then earned a degree in Interactive Media Design from the Art Institute of Houston and ran her own multimedia company for two years before joining the interactive agency, SixFoot, in 2008 as a UI engineer. Ashley moved to Austin in 2011 to join HomeAway and has since worked on various global payment functionalities and vacation property owner experiences as a Staff UI engineer. She’s now digging into Java to expand her knowledge and abilities for future opportunities.

Kathy Garin

Co-Fundraising/Development Manager

Kathy provides a consultative approach as a software sales professional for NetSuite (NYSE:N), helping companies leverage cloud-based platforms for their businesses. She utilizes her experience in SaaS sales to increase opportunities for women in tech and is committed to helping decrease the gender gap in the industry. In her spare time, she is a mentor for Big Brother Big Sister of Central Texas, and strives to be a role model for high-school girls who enjoy technology and want to build a successful career.

In addition to ChickTech, she spends her time as an active TableTop board game enthusiast, live-music fanatic, or preparing delicious home-cooked meals for her loved ones.

Brandie Meister

Co-Volunteer Manager

Brandie works as a Team Lead at an IT company in Austin while also volunteering with local organizations. Much of the volunteer work is focused around youth and building opportunities for them to succeed past all obstacles. Brandie has volunteered abroad and is pursuing a career with worldwide Nonprofit organization. Outside of her busy schedule, Brandie enjoys finding new hang out spots in Austin. Hiking, shopping for old books, and traveling all fit into her fast paced lifestyle.

Julie Jarzemsky

Co-Volunteer Manager

Julie is a Software Engineer at data.world, an Austin startup focused on open data. She studied computer science at University of Wisconsin-Madison, during which she taught kids computer science concepts and programming using Scratch. Passionate about closing the gender gap in tech, Julie was eager to start working with ChickTech as soon as the Austin chapter opened, and helped organize their first event. She also mentors people looking to enter the tech field. Outside of work, Julie likes to go to concerts, do yoga and travel, seeking out places to spend time outside and hike.

Stacy Hackenberg

Marketing Manager

Stacy Hackenberg is a Texas native who’s lived in the Austin area for 35 years. She received a Bachelors of Journalism from the University of Texas.. She was a Girl Scout leader for 13 years, seven of which she was the Service Unit Director managing adult leaders. After raising her daughters, she worked in marketing for over 5 years, first with IMS Research and then with IHS, now IHS-Markit. She earned a Masters in Communication, emphasis in Internet Marketing and New Media, from Southern New Hampshire University in 2016. She currently works as a freelance editor and social media marketer.

Christina Sudderth

Co-Logistics Manager

Christina is the Presenter Relations and Logistics Senior Manager for Tales of the Cocktail, the premiere cocktail festival based in New Orleans. Christina moved to Austin in 2013 and works from home managing the logistics for seminars and presenters for each of the events held each year. In addition, she works on organizing and calculating the cocktail recipes and orders for all the events. Through her work she has become a self taught techie and worked with web designers, recipe developers and app builders on a variety of projects. She is excited to join the ChickTech Team and inspire women and girls to pursue careers in technology!

ChickTech Austin Board Members

Margaret Lewis

Margaret Lewis is a technology consultant with extensive experience developing leading-edge software and hardware products for innovative technology organizations. Her background includes Director of Software Planning at AMD, where she developed strategic software plans for AMD’s 64-bit server processors and managed relationships with key software partners. Prior to that she was an Associate Director at the Maui High Performance Computing Center, where she focused on developing and maintaining a user base for their Top500 computer. She also served as a Senior Software Program Manager for Novell, managing a broad range of software development tools for their operating environment. Margaret has a degree from the University of Texas at Austin.