Anna is a proud transgender woman, and currently works as an Advisory Engineer at IBM after joining IBM through the 2018 cohort of IBM's Tech Re-Entry Program. Anna took a 3 year career break to explore a personal lifelong passion: fashion, working as a pattern maker for an up-and-coming fashion designer, and modeling in Fashion Weeks in New York City, London, Los Angeles and Kochi, India. We talk to Anna about her amazing journey of self-discovery and share tips for anyone who is looking to pivot their career. This talk is presented in partnership with iRelaunch, 'your return to work experts.'
Diversity Reboot Summit
Fashion, Tech and New Beginnings: The Amazing Career Journey of Anna Nguyen
This event has ended. You can watch the recording here.
Virtual
Meet The Speaker
Anna Nguyen
Advisory Engineer, IBM and President of PFLAG Austin
Anna is a Vietnamese American transgender woman, software engineer, longtime Austinite,activist for LGBTQiA+ and human rights causes, and runway model. Anna is an Advisory Engineer at IBM.
She is the president of PFLAG Austin and has served on its all-volunteers board for six years. PFLAG is a national non-profit that unites LGBTQiA+ people and their family and allies to support, educate, and advocate. She also volunteers with several other LGBTQIA+ organizations as well as with Meals On Wheels Central Texas.
Assigned male at birth, Anna started her gender journey in 2013 and transitioned fully in 2014. In 2019, she was the LGBT Female Grand Marshal of the Austin Pride Parade.
In 2018, she was awarded the Daughters of Bilitis award by Queer Women in Leadership.
In 2016, the Austin Chronicle named her one of the "Top Ten Queer Heroes".
Anna grew up in Saigon, Vietnam, migrated to England as a war refugee, lived in NYC for many years, and settled in Austin in 1992.