SingleStone is proud to share that Vida Williams, the firm’s Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Data Analytics, will be giving the opening keynote as well as serving as a judge at this year’s Virginia Datathon on October 1, 2020.
The Virginia Datathon, hosted by the Office of the Chief Data Officer and the Library of Virginia, brings together state agencies, students, localities, non-profits, and the private sector to leverage technology and data to develop innovative solutions addressing complex problems. This year’s theme is communities and COVID-19 and serves to explore the multi-faceted effect of the pandemic and contrasting community experiences along with what solutions can mitigate the impact of another crisis and ultimately aid Virginia's recovery. Over 130 participants across 28 teams will be competing to build the best solution.
Throughout her career, Williams has utilized her experience as a data scientist to drive social and economic change in communities. Her recent appointment to Chief Diversity Officer for SingleStone was an intentional approach towards mitigating bias in the data and technology industries.
“I’m honored to deliver the ‘Why,’ explaining the importance of the intersection between data and community for this year’s Virginia Datathon,” said Williams. “I’m looking forward to seeing the teams work and develop data driven solutions—helping us understand and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our communities.”
Williams will be speaking at numerous events throughout the month of October, addressing the need for increasing accountability in the practice of data. She’ll also be speaking at:
- Data Science Connect Virtual, October 7-9
- Data Science ATL Conference, October 15-16
- Open Data Science Conference, October 27-30
In addition to her current roles at SingleStone, Williams was recently named VCU’s da Vinci Center’s first-ever “Innovator in Residence.” She remains active in her community through board memberships with Code VA, Podium, and Virginia Union University’s (VUU) Center for Undergraduate Research.