Tanya McGinnity

Way back in 2007, I was a girl with a plan. The plan to bring ladies together in their love of technology and geekiness. What came out of this was much more than I ever expected. Collaborations formed. Friendships started. Confidence gained.

I can’t begin to explain how much starting this group has helped me to break out of my comfort zone and I hope has done the same for many of the speakers.

But I was always just able to give the group (and community) 75%. I’m the kind of gal that doesn’t just have one full plate – but a whole cupboard full and while juggling planning the events, finding speakers, promotion and all of the community work that comes with being the gal to contact (ie: helping folks promote their cool events, lending a hand to gals looking for work…), I was also taking French classes, studying and teaching Buddhism, blogging about Buddhism, doing social media campaigns for non-profits, raising wild pugdogs and maintaining a boyfriend who morphed into a fiance and now a husband. Yeah… I’m sure I missed some things in that list.

I’ve decided that it’s time to hand over the keys to the Montreal Girl Geek Dinners group to change things up a bit – both for me and the group.

Your new navigator is Alexandra Dao and you are in exceptional hands. Alex is a born organizer and community cultivator. She comes from startup culture and loves her some internet memes. She is a geek. A girl geek. Huzzah!!! She’s full of great ideas, boundless energy and is just freaking frakking nice. I look forward to what she’ll bring to the group and like a Mama Grizzly, I’ll be around to lend a hand if she needs it.

Georgiana Laudi will be helping Alex out and has already provided me with support on several events in the past. Gia gets social media, goes to a zillion local events and is a huge asset to the group.

Me? Well I have a few other projects cooking up but I’m really looking forward to having the time to meet you. Let’s have a girl geek tea sometime and catch up.

"Newspaper Kitty" by Brit http://www.flickr.com/photos/celinesphotographer/

Not sure if I’m on my way of becoming the Lohan/Hilton of the Montreal techset but I’ve recently been featured in articles in both The Monteral Gazette and Hour.

Many thanks to uber-tech-journalist Roberto Rocha for a great piece in The Montreal Gazette heralding “Twitter as the new Business Card”. (Kudos also to the talented Martin Dufort and Fred Brunel from Where Cloud for coining the story idea).

Also thanks go out to Sara Falconer for asking me to be a part of her feature in the Hour weekly. I’m thrilled that you took an interest in the Montreal Girl Geek Dinners group and am looking forward to discovering more about the WXN – Women’s Exchange Network.