Meet The Team

Chairperson & President: Nicci Townsend

Nicci Townsend leads a Strategic Account Management team in the Media & Entertainment industry at Microsoft. The team is focused on high growth potential customers and is responsible for ensuring realized value of Microsoft products and services. Nicci began her career in account management in the telecommunications industry at ATX Communications and worked for various technology companies over the years. Nicci has over twenty years of high profile client management experience and is primarily focused on maintaining and fostering C-suite relationships. She is dedicated to people development and serves as a mentor to many who are looking for support and guidance in the area of career development and advancement.

In 2018, Nicci co-founded techaWare, a non-profit organization raising awareness and educating women of all ages on careers in technology through mentorship and programs, volunteer work and events. Nicci resides in Vermont with her husband and their three daughters. Nicci graduated from St. Lawrence University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a minor in Psychology. Her interests include music, art, reading, mindfulness and yoga practice.

Vice President: Jill Alspach

Jill Alspach is Managing Director of Spock Logistics - a boutique consulting firm which focuses on PMO, training, communications, change management, large-scale software implementations and the Procure to Pay process. Check it out here: www.wearelogical.com.

Most recently, Jill was honored as Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2023 Women of Influence. She is also Executive Director for Women in Tech Leadership (www.witleadership.com), Adjunct Professor at Widener University and sits on Widener’s School of Business Advisory Board. Jill holds a B.A. in Business and Economics from Ursinus College and her MBA from Widener University.

Development Director: Guy Fardone

Guy is extremely active in helping drive various initiatives close to him and currently serves in an advisory capacity on several boards for technology companies, charitable non-profits, Chester County Economic Development Council and is a founding member of the Downingtown STEM Academy. He was recognized by Mentor Connect in 2021 as a Most Valuable Mentor of the year and recognized in the past by the Philadelphia Business Journal as one of the top regional business leaders with its prestigious “40 Under 40” award. Guy was the Executive Entrepreneur in Residence for the Cottrell Entrepreneurial Leadership Center at West Chester University in 2019 and was formerly a Founding Partner and CEO of Evolve IP, a pioneering and award winning, global cloud technology company headquartered in the Philadelphia area.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Guy is a certified Sommelier with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust through the Napa Valley Wine Academy and selects many of the wines used for techaWare’s famous Women, Wine and Tech events. He lives in Chester Springs, PA with his wife and three children and, in his spare time, is an outdoor sports enthusiast and youth football league coach.

Partnership Coordinator: Kiley Surma

Kiley Surma is a Senior Customer Success Account Manager at Microsoft. Kiley enjoys change and learning, which is what has led to a successful track record across global human resources, marketing, communications, program management, and sales. In her current role, she partners with Big 4 customers to realize the value of their technology investments. As a first-generation college graduate and a non-technical woman in tech, she is passionate about supporting other women's advancement in the technology industry, particularly those who may never write a single line of code.

A Minneapolis native, Kiley has also lived in Miami, Chicago and Sydney, Australia, before settling into Fort Greene, Brooklyn, with her husband, Maxime, their toddler son Jules, and rescue cats Milou and Pepin. When not working, she enjoys practicing yoga, learning French, traveling, reading, and attending concerts in New York City, which she deems the greatest city in the world.

Events Coordinator: Lindsey Calabrese

Lindsey is a Business Transformation Manager at LinkedIn, identifying and driving process improvement across their global sales operations team. She is a lifelong learner and is passionate about helping young professionals navigate their career.

After graduating from the University of Delaware Lindsey began her career at Deloitte Consulting’s federal practice in Washington, DC. As a Business Technology Consultant, Lindsey supported large scale system integration efforts. Lindsey also worked for Aramark, a global fortune 200 food service company headquartered in Philadelphia, as their Director of Business Process. She led initiatives to improve front-line workforce management capabilities, such as deploying scheduling and timekeeping system enhancements, rolling out new mobile technologies, building and facilitating manager training programs, and driving alignment on key performance metrics.

Lindsey currently resides in West Chester PA, with her husband and goldendoodle, Maverick. In her free time, she loves to experiment with baking, explore the outdoors, and share laughs with family and friends.

Secretary: Alice Bailey

Alice Bailey has spent the past decade building her career at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, most recently as Program Manager of the 22q and You Center in Clinical Genetics. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Spanish from Ursinus College. Alice is incredibly passionate about amplifying women’s voices in the workplace and looks forward to bringing her organizational skills and operational expertise to her role as Secretary of techaWare.

Marketing Director: Jasmine Baskin

Jasmine is a high-performing project and product manager in reshaping technology, software, commerce, and media sectors. She demonstrates proficiency in decoding market trends and crafting strategic product positions; specializing in streamlining operations through automation, resulting in significant efficiency gains. She is known for steering cross-functional teams through impactful campaigns and launches and is adept at leveraging her savvy business acumen to drive innovation. Jasmine currently works in Marketing Operations at Microsoft and has previously worked across Series B & C startups, Media Networks, and Fortune 500 companies. Jasmine has been recognized for achievements in Voyage Atlanta and nominated for Forbes 30 Under 30.

Jasmine holds a Bachelor's in Mass Media Communications, a Master's in Technology Entrepreneurship, and an Executive Certification from Cornell University. Jasmine's passion includes creating spaces for like-minded individuals, helping women propel in tech, and volunteering. Jasmine is a member of the National Coalitionof 100 Black Women and the Order of Eastern Star.

Jasmine currently resides in Dallas, TX. In her free time, she loves horseback riding, trying new foods, and traveling the world to unlock new adventures.

Membership Director: Gwen Smith

Gwendolyn Smith is the Director of Professional Development at 1EdTech. With twenty years of expertise in education, professional development and edtech, Gwen has a deep understanding of how technology can be used to support and improve teaching and learning. Her experience includes teaching, curriculum development and innovation, and building professional development certification programs from the ground up. She is a strong advocate for the seamless use of instructional technology to develop interoperable digital learning ecosystems where students of all ages can succeed.

Gwendolyn is passionate about the power of the individual and the value of professional relationships for both career and personal growth. As a non-technical woman in tech, she knows firsthand the challenges of navigating a career change into the tech space and is a strong believer in sharing that experience to help others. Prior to joining the techaWare board, she served as a mentor with techaWare and as a curriculum design volunteer for TechGirlz.

Gwen lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with her husband and their three furbabies: mastiff mix rescue pup, Luna Lovegood, and two persian cats, Gritty and Maki. In her free time she loves to cook, read, hike and work on her ad-free food blog, The Wandering Hearth.

Social Media Director: Hannah Karaman

Hannah Karaman is a dynamic and passionate entrepreneur with a strong love for startups, small businesses, and marketing. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, where she studied Business, Entrepreneurship, and Italian. Hannah thrives on building communities through social media and runs a successful social media marketing freelance business, catering to startups and small businesses.

Based in Philadelphia, Hannah is dedicated to empowering women in business and tech. She is actively involved in the local community and enjoys networking with like-minded individuals. Passionate about travel, Hannah recently spent five months working abroad in Florence, Italy, further enriching her global perspective and expertise.