Jacqueline Russell (Moderator)
Jacqueline Russell is a Product Manager at Microsoft in the CoreAI Division, focused on tools and platforms to empower the next generation of developers. Jacqueline has worked at Microsoft since 2005 in various groups focused on technology in education. She is passionate about using technology to enable innovative learning experiences and bring increased creativity to teaching and learning.
Tannu Jiwnani
Tannu Jiwnani is a Principal Security Program Manager at Microsoft, where she leads high-impact identity security and incident response initiatives that protect global cloud infrastructure and enterprise customers. With over a decade of experience spanning cybersecurity, cloud security, identity and access management, and incident response, she is passionate about building resilient security programs at scale.
Beyond her corporate role, Tannu is a dedicated advocate for advancing women’s communities in cybersecurity. She serves in leadership roles across industry organizations, mentors aspiring professionals, and is actively involved in initiatives that create pathways into cybersecurity leadership. Tannu is also a recognized thought leader, speaker, PNW women of influence, and a 425 Business 40 Under 40 honoree.
Khaja Ahmed
Mr. Ahmed has recently retired from his role as Senior Vice President of Product and Application Security at SAP. Prior to that he has led security efforts in Google (GCP), Amazon (AWS) and Microsoft as an organization leader as well as individual contributor. In a career spanning three decades, Mr. Ahmed has worked on security for chips and firmware, operating systems and applications, as well as the largest and most advanced IaaS, PaaS and SaaS solutions. He has invented several innovative security solutions and is named as a lead or co-inventor on 18 patents. He is currently an advisor, consultant and investor in security startups, and a sought after mentor for security professionals from the engineer and architect level to CISOs and CEOs.
He is currently adjunct faculty at Bellevue College where he teaches Algorithms and Security. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking and rowing.
Kendrick (Ken) Hang
Kendrick (Ken) Hang is the Policy Associate for Baccalaureate Programs at the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), facilitating baccalaureate program development for the system’s 34 community and technical colleges. Previously, Ken was a faculty member at Green River College, teaching computer science and serving as the program director for the BAS Software Development program from 2014 to 2024, focused on creating equitable career-connected learning experiences for students.
LinkedIn: [https://linkedin.com/in/kendrickhang]
Venera Arnaoudova
Dr. Venera Arnaoudova is an Associate Professor and Associate Director of the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at Washington State University (WSU). Dr. Arnaoudova is one of the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture (VCEA) Dean’s Faculty Fellows. She serves as the Chair of the Computer Science and Software Engineering Curriculum Committee in EECS.
Dr. Arnaoudova received her Ph.D. degree in Computer Engineering in 2014 from Polytechnique Montréal (Canada), her master’s degree in Computer Science from Concordia University (Canada), and her bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Automation from Polytech’Lille (France).
Her expertise is in the domain of empirical software engineering, human factors, program comprehension, software maintenance and evolution, and poor and good software design and coding practices.
Dr. Arnaoudova is a recipient of the NSF CAREER award in 2020 and the EECS Early Career Award in 2021. She has also received two Distinguished Paper Awards and seven Distinguished Reviewer Awards. She regularly serves the Software Engineering community in different roles, including being a program committee co-chair and member of several conferences.
For more information visit http://www.veneraarnaoudova.com
Crystal Hess
Crystal Hess (she/Dr.) is a Professor of Computer Science at Shoreline College with 20 years of experience in teaching, curriculum design, and program development across community, K-12, adult retraining, and higher-education settings. Crystal is fiercely passionate about educational equity, community building, and focusing on how we learn over what we learn. Crystal holds a Bachelors in Computer Science, a Masters in Information Systems Management, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership; she is also credentialed as a National Board Certified Teacher.
Melissa Cook
Melissa Cook is an Instructional Technology Integration Program Specialist with 20 years of teaching experience, dedicated to empowering K-12 educators to meaningfully integrate technology into their practice. Specializing in K-8 computer science education, Melissa champions both plugged and unplugged approaches grounded in ISTE Student Standards, NGSS, Common Core, and CSTA standards. She prioritizes accessibility, equity, creative robotics, and innovation, supporting educators in using technology as a tool for translation, advocacy, assistive technology, and creative problem-solving to ensure all students develop computational thinking skills and digital literacy.
Last Updated June 4, 2026