Erica Woods
Director, Contractor Programs & Philanthropy, Apex Systems
Erica Woods is the Director of Contractor Programs and Philanthropy at Apex Systems. Her focus is on overseeing programs, teams, communication channels, and other resources that support and add value to their IT Contractor Community of 16,000+. Erica also oversees corporate philanthropy efforts and acts as a technical community evangelist for various STEM programs/nonprofits.
Presentations
In an era where AI tools are reshaping the workplace, effective adoption strategies are crucial for both uncovering potential application and driving tool utilization to influence creativity, save time and drive ROI. This session will shine a light on the specific techniques we used to drive companywide user engagement and utilization of Microsoft Copilot, our internal AI tool of choice.
We will dive into 8+ key strategies that we found impactful in fostering a culture of adoption within our organization. We will discuss ideas such as: identifying Change Champions, conducting training sessions, and leveraging ondemand resources to empower users. Attendees will learn how to create a vibrant community around AI, share success stories, and utilize analytics to track progress and drive continuous improvement.
Participants will leave equipped with actionable ideas to help transform team members into enthusiastic advocates for AI tools. Whether you're a leader looking to enhance your team's capabilities or a practitioner eager to implement change management best practices, this session will provide stops for your respective roadmaps to drive awareness, education and change!
Technology professionals have a unique opportunity to use their skills to create meaningful impact—both inside their organizations and within their communities. This session will outline simple, actionable ways you and your teams can give back that result in a win:win for both the community and your culture and employee engagement/fulfillment.
We’ll discuss real-world ideas around how techies can give back internally, such as sharing knowledge through Lunch & Learns, mentoring peers, and organizing team philanthropic initiatives (spoiler: hosting group/s from programs like ‘Code the Dream’ or Best Buddies for an office field trip is a fan favorite!). We’ll also cover more ways to give back externally, including supporting STEM workforce development nonprofits, civic good hackathons, local Meetups, and contributing to tech-for-good initiatives or community events. We’ll learn about national organizations you can look into supporting who are helping upskill future tech generations, including Year Up United, Per Scholas, MSSA (Microsoft Software and Systems Academy), Wounded Warrior Project and more, and highlight specific volunteer needs these organizations have. Lastly, we’ll discuss a bit about the TechSoup nonprofit, and how TechSoup can support and provide cost savings for any nonprofit/s you might be involved in!
“How are you helping unite and bond your teams? What creative team buildings have you tried, both virtually or inperson, to connect the team on both a personal and professional level?”
Join this fun discussion on 12+ creative teambuilding ideas you can give a try to help take your team's connection to the next level! We’ll introduce ideas such as Values Exercises, Wellness Contests, Collaborative Team Development, SkillsBased Volunteerism, and unique games such as ‘Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader’ that our teams have loved!