Jenna Ritten (She/Her)
About Jenna Ritten (She/Her)
Jenna Ritten is a Director and a prominent figure in the tech community, currently serving as the Slack Community Leader and holding multiple roles at IBM, including Chief Developer Advocate and Lead Architect. With a strong educational background in languages and computer software engineering, she actively contributes to various organizations focused on professional development and diversity in technology.
Current Roles at IBM
Jenna Ritten holds multiple positions at IBM, including Chief Developer Advocate and Lead Architect since 2023, and IBM Developer Advocate since 2021. She has been with IBM since 2018, where she initially worked as a Cloud Software Developer Apprentice. Currently, she also serves as the IBM Developer Austin Team Lead and Cloud Developer Advocate. Her roles involve advocating for developers and leading initiatives to enhance community engagement and technical education.
Work at Women Who Code
Jenna Ritten has served as a Director at Women Who Code since 2019. In this role, she focuses on empowering women in technology through professional development and community-building initiatives. Her leadership contributes to creating a supportive environment for women pursuing careers in tech.
Education and Expertise
Jenna Ritten earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Russian Languages & Literature from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Iberian Studies from Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo. She also completed a Full Stack Web Development program at Dev Bootcamp and holds a Post-Baccalaureate in Medical Sciences from Wayne State University. Her technical expertise includes programming languages such as Ruby, JavaScript, Python, and frameworks like React and Node.
Community Involvement
Jenna Ritten actively participates in various community organizations. She is the Professional Development Chair for the Society of Women Engineers - Detroit Section and serves as a Board Member for Automation Workz. Additionally, she is involved with AFROTECH as the Creator of AfroHacks and is an Ambassador for Women Techmakers. Her commitment to community engagement emphasizes her dedication to fostering diversity in technology.
Technical Skills and Methodologies
Jenna Ritten is proficient in a wide range of technologies and development methodologies. She has experience with frameworks such as Sinatra, Rails, and Django, and is skilled in using databases like PostgreSQL and MongoDB. Her development practices include Agile Methodologies, Pair-Programming, and Test-Driven Development. Ritten regularly participates in workshops and hackathons to further enhance her programming skills.