Join us for Seattle Tech Week!
July 28th through August 1st, 2025
Get ready for Seattle Tech Week!
For this year’s Seattle Tech Week, we’re excited to be hosting 6 events, including an in-person event on July 31st, back at one of our favorite Seattle haunts. (Details on that one coming soon!)
See below for our Tech Week event lineup, with links to the registration pages on Luma. You can explore the full Seattle Tech Week calendar of events at https://seattletechweek.com.
From Builder to Leader: The Transition to People Management
Virtual session (Zoom); 12:00-1:30pm on Monday, July 28th | Register
Stepping into your first management role is one of the most pivotal—and misunderstood—transitions in a tech career. Suddenly, success isn’t just about your technical skills, but how you lead people, navigate ambiguity, and balance delivery with development.
This panel brings together tech leaders who’ve made the leap from individual contributor to manager to share what they wish they’d known, what surprised them most, and how they’ve grown through the experience. We’ll explore the human side of management—like giving feedback, setting boundaries, and building trust—alongside the practical realities of shifting priorities and evolving career goals. Whether you're a new manager, considering the move, or mentoring someone on that path, this conversation will offer insight, encouragement, and honest perspective.
AI PM Training in the Real World: From Frameworks to Final Pitches
Virtual session (Zoom); 12:00-1:30pm on Tuesday, July 29th | Register
This virtual session will combine a mini-lesson on what makes AI Product Management distinct, with a brief student showcase featuring 1 or 2 product concept pitches. The session material will draw on frameworks like IDEA and RIPE, taught by UW lecturer and AI thought leader Shaili Guru. Featured students will present their product ideas, share their approach to AI, and reflect on what they learned in the course.
Engineering Your Next Move: Rethinking Leadership Development for Mid-Career Technologists
Virtual session (Zoom); 12:00-1:30pm on Wednesday, July 30th | Register
You’ve built a strong engineering career—but now the rules seem to be changing. Maybe you’re leading teams, working cross-functionally, or asked to think more strategically. You’re not interested in a traditional MBA, but you also know that what got you here might not get you there.
This lunchtime panel is for engineers of all kinds, who find themselves in that in-between space: navigating leadership demands without clear guidance or tools. Join educators from UW’s College of Engineering and Foster School of Business as they explore why so many technical professionals feel underprepared for the next phase—and what’s being done to create better pathways. It’s not a sales pitch; it’s a conversation about the real challenges in engineering career development, and ways mid-career engineers can work to successfully traverse them.
The Mentorship Equation: Finding, Being, and Becoming the Right Guide
Virtual session (Zoom); 12:00-1:30pm on Thursday, July 31st | Register
If you work in tech, mentorship can accelerate your career, unlock insight, and provide you with support when it matters most—but getting started often feels awkward or unclear. How do you find the right mentor? What makes a mentoring relationship actually work? And how do you know when it’s time to become a mentor yourself? In this candid panel conversation, experienced mentors and mentees share what they’ve learned—beyond the clichés. We’ll cover what great mentorship really looks like, how to build trust and value on both sides, and the questions people are often afraid to ask (like: What if it’s not a good fit?). Whether you're looking for a mentor, hoping to become one, or just curious about how to build deeper professional relationships, this session is for you.
CIO vs. CTO: Navigating Power, Partnership, and Progress in Tech Leadership
Networking event at Fremont Mischief; 4:00-7:00pm on Thursday, July 31st | Register
What happens when two of the most critical technology roles in an organization—CIO and CTO—collide, collaborate, or compete? In this candid panel discussion, tech executives from diverse sectors will unpack the evolving relationship between these roles, offering real-world perspectives on how strategic priorities, operational realities, and innovation agendas are shaped differently across industries—from high-growth tech companies to legacy enterprises and government agencies.
Geared toward mid- and senior-level technology leaders, this session will explore how CIO and CTO mindsets diverge, where they align, and what it takes to succeed at the intersection of IT, product, and business strategy.
This event is in-person with hosted refreshments, courtesy of our sponsor.
Thawing the Seattle Freeze: Rediscovering Community in a Disconnected City
Virtual session (Zoom); 12:00-1:30pm on Friday, August 1st | Register
As Seattle’s tech scene continues to grow, many of us are asking: Where did the sense of connection go—and how do we get it back? Between remote work, shifting neighborhoods, packed schedules, and the lasting effects of the pandemic, it’s no wonder so many professionals feel isolated, even in a crowded city. This interactive virtual session brings together community builders, local leaders, and tech professionals to explore what it really takes to foster belonging in Seattle today. We’ll dig into the myths and realities of the "Seattle freeze," share personal stories, and invite you into the conversation. Whether you're new to the area or a longtime local looking to reconnect, join us as we reimagine what community, camaraderie—and even a little hygge—can look like in the Seattle of tomorrow.
For sponsor inquiries or other assistance, please contact info@seattletechforum.org.
For more on our last quarterly event (May 2025), read on below!
Arrival
4pm
Open networking hour, with casual table topics
Hosted bar and heavy appetizers, provided by FareStart
Exec Panel
5pm
Nikhil Kolar serves as the Vice President of Content Ecosystem and Growth for MSN, Microsoft's personalized news and interests platform, reaching millions of users globally through Windows devices and Microsoft consumer applications. In his current role, Nikhil oversees content partnerships and experiences featuring 8,000+ brands and individual creators, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, diverse content to MSN's global audience.
With over two decades of expertise in business, product, and engineering leadership, Nikhil is a seasoned executive dedicated to delivering transformative experiences. To date, his career has spanned computer science, management consulting and product leadership across Amazon, Oracle, Marchex and Microsoft, with impact in broad range of areas including customer experience, partnerships, content trust and safety, intelligence, programming, business operations, and monetization.
Nikhil is deeply passionate about creating innovative, engaging experiences for both consumers and partners, fostering high-performing, collaborative teams, and driving sustained growth across the ecosystem.
Clay Walton-House has spent his career in customer-focused strategy, working across various industries and business models to improve customer engagement, retention, and loyalty. A dynamic leader who enjoys building teams, he believes all organizations have a role to play in facilitating social progress, improving the wellbeing of their customers, and being responsible stewards of the environment.
Clay currently serves as the Divisional Vice President of Membership, CX, Insights & Planning at REI, supporting teams whose charter is to leverage the power of data and insights to better understand and serve co-op members, enabling long-term sustainable growth. Founded in 1938, Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) is the nation's largest consumer cooperative, existing to inspire, educate and outfit people for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship.
Prior to joining REI, he spent 15 years consulting to clients across B2B and consumer industries while at Lenati and PK (now known as Concentrix Catalyst), building a nationally recognized practice focused on customer retention and loyalty. Clients included highly respected businesses such as Microsoft, T-Mobile, Nordstrom, Disney, Adobe, Hilton, Airbnb and many others.
Stephen Heard currently serves as the Interim Chief Information Officer for King County, and department director of King County Information Technology (KCIT). In his role as interim CIO, Stephen oversees a biennium budget of $377 million and leads a talented team of over 450 technology professionals who deliver core I.T. services to more than 15,000 King County employees across all departments.
Stephen joined KCIT in 2007 and has served in many positions, most recently as Chief Technology Officer. In this role, Stephen partnered with county business leaders to target cost-effective and innovative technology solutions. His teams successfully executed key technology improvements that strengthened the resiliency of platforms that are foundational to King County's digital public services; these enhancements have resulted in the reduction of major incidents by 50% across a three-year period.
Prior to coming to the County, Stephen worked in the private tech sector. Stephen has over 20 years of information technology experience including technical and leadership roles within financial services, consumer products, and local government organizations.