On April 17, 2015 I was invited to the White House Tech Meetup in Washington, DC with other tech community leaders around the country (about 50 people). It was an honor to represent LA and the Silicon Beach Community. The event was hosted by Megan Smith, US Chief Technology Officer, and organized by Meetup
.com. We met with government officials, city and state representatives, media, to help boost tech innovation across the country, help with newly launched Tech Hire Initiative which is focused on providing training and creating more jobs in technology sector.
The event was announced via White House Blog. You can see the Official Agenda.
It was great to be invited to the White House, to meet incredible tech leaders and receive a Than
k you letter the day after:
“You are truly pioneers. We were thrilled to see the incredible work you do every day recognized at the highest levels of government.
Not only was the White House atwitter by your presence, we generated buzz *everywhere*. We were trending on Twitter all day Friday!
We encourage you to share your thoughts, recaps and progress towards your goals on this stream
. You can continue the conversation, check out some great photos, and find choice quotes via the #WHMeetup tag.
Other ways to revisit the excitement and energy of the day:
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Watch the first 30 mins of talks on The White House YouTub
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Check out our photo album – if you share these photos, please be sure to credit Liz Gorman as photographer
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See familiar faces from the Meetup and hear inspiring stories via our Tech Meetup Spotlight and Girl Develop It videos
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Revisit Scott’s speech about creating opportunity on the Meetup blo
As for press, we’ve seen over 33 media hits so far! Here are some of the most interesting national and local stories:
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CNN Money (4/17/15): First White House Tech Meetup: You are creating opportunity
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NY Times (4/17/15): Friday Briefing mention -
WSJ Live (4/16/15): Meetup: Making it easier for people to connect
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Yahoo News (4/17/15): White House plays matchmaker with local geeks and leaders to get more people into tech job
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WXYZ Detroit TV clip and online post (4/16/15): Detroit Tech Organizer heads to White House for Meetup
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Geekwire (4/14/15): Seattle startup vets picked to attend first-ever White House Tech Meetup
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Orlando Sentinel (4/14/15): Orlando Tech Association Invited to White House
Stay close and keep in touch! We know there will be many incredible returns of the day: think of the commitments made and the partnerships, mentorships and friendships forged.
Let’s do it again soon.
Warmest regards,
Andrea Murphy
Community Engagement Manager
Meetup HQ”
