Valerie P.
About Valerie P.
Valerie P. is an experienced Engineering Manager and the Founder & Executive Director of Tech By Choice, where she has worked since 2018. She has a strong background in engineering, UX design, and project management, and currently holds positions at Alma and Venture Cooperative.
Work at Alma
Valerie P. serves as the Engineering Manager at Alma, a role she has held since 2021. In this position, she focuses on fostering an engineering culture that emphasizes pair programming, test-driven development (TDD), security, and accessibility. Valerie implements effective technical project management frameworks to ensure the successful delivery of high-value projects, collaborating closely with external stakeholders and cross-functional teams.
Current Roles and Responsibilities
In addition to her role at Alma, Valerie P. is the Founder and Executive Director of Tech By Choice, a position she has maintained since 2018. She also participates as a Venture Fellow in the Venture Cooperative's Cohort 3 since 2022. Her diverse roles reflect her commitment to leadership and innovation in the technology sector.
Education and Expertise
Valerie P. earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California State University, Northridge, completing her studies from 2011 to 2016. She possesses a strong background in UX design and front-end development, alongside backend development skills. Her technical expertise includes proficiency in HTML, CSS/Sass, JavaScript, ReactJS, GraphQL, Apollo, Webpack, NodeJS, and Python.
Professional Background
Valerie P. has extensive experience in various engineering and design roles. Prior to her current positions, she worked as an Engineering Manager at Spring Health for nine months and as a Senior Software Engineer at Mastery Logistics Systems for one year. She also held roles as a Tech Lead at Honeybee Health and as a UX Designer/Front End Developer at META+LAB and Estify.
Community Involvement
In 2018, Valerie P. contributed to the Greater Los Angeles Area as a Chapter Leader for Girl Develop It, promoting coding education for women. Additionally, she served as a UX/UI Instructor and Curriculum Engineer at UCLA Extension from 2018 to 2019, where she shared her knowledge and expertise with students.