Talks Overview

These are the talks I have proposed and presented publicly. I am also open to discussing other specific topics that may be of interest to your audiences. Please get in touch if you would one of these talks at your conference, or would like to discuss other topics I can present on.

The set of programmers: How Math restricts us

People new to programming often have to work through barriers of language and learning in order to become proficient and begin contributing. Does one of those barriers need to be one's math skills? Most schools and textbooks seem to think so. Let's discuss how we're introducing new developers to programming and whether we can make it more inclusive by removing the mathematics and replacing it with logic.

Anti-Domestic Violence

I have been trained in anti-domestic violence techniques. I can give a short presentation (5-10 minutes) at your conference to give attendees the perspective of a person experiencing domestic violence as well as resources to identify and deal with it in their own communities. 

The seven habits of highly ineffective project managers

Project management is a role that takes focus, organization, and support from many parts of the business. It is also often a role that engineers and more senior managers want to support but don't know how. I talk in this presentation about common pitfalls project managers fall into when overseeing their projects. I also cover ways the organization can support project managers more effectively. 

biography

Carol Smith has over 12 years experience with programs, communities, and partnerships. She worked at GitHub managing education partnerships for the Student Developer Pack and at Google managing the Google Summer of Code program. She has a degree in Journalism from California State University, Northridge, and is a cook, cyclist, and horseback rider. 

open source

Having been involved in open source software development and outreach for over 6 years, I am often asked to present on "my career in open source." This presentation is often targeted at young professionals. I am also able to talk more generally about getting involved in open source as a first-time contributor, or about cultural topics specific to open source software communities. 

speaking experience

I have spoken at 24 conferences and given 6 keynote presentations. Please see my list of Speaking appearances for more details.