2026 Panels

Layoffs are a looming reality that we cannot afford to ignore. We aim to bring together voices from across the data community who have experienced, navigated, and overcome being laid off. We invite panelists who want to share their honest stories, practical strategies, and lessons learned about resilience, reinvention, and growth after a difficult setback.

Giselle Doolan

Placeholder

Strategic leader with 17+ years experience in product and tech operations and strategy. Currently the Chief of Staff for Data & AI at Expedia Group. Previous experience includes Google, Vivint Smart Home, Ancestry.com and The New York Times.Tao Tao

Jessica Marx

SEnior Data Scientist

Sr Data Scientist, Data Engineer, and ML Engineer with 8+ years of experience building production ML systems and data infrastructure. 

At Nordstrom, co-launched Smart Markdown, the company's first dynamic pricing optimization model and designed Nordycast, an open source internal ML Ops platform (subject of talk at WiDS Puget Sound 2022). 

At Textio, built core production NLP systems including BERT-based discrimination detection, led cross-functional data migrations, and launched the company’s first experimentation framework. Currently an AI/LLM Engineer at a stealth-mode startup.

Irina Virnik

Data Engineer

Data engineering leader with 15+ years of experience building data platforms and helping teams make better decisions. Currently a Principal Data Engineer at JumpCloud. Previously worked at OfferUp, Disney, and Visa, leading large-scale data and analytics initiatives across cloud environments.