Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Dingelstedt.
Hi Kelsey, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My personal background is in hospitality. I grew up working at my family’s restaurant in my hometown — an experience that taught me a lot about communication, loyalty, and what it looks like to manage a variety of personalities in high-stress situations. It also instilled in me a passion for providing others a place to connect with family and friends. Once I went to college (go Bucks!), I explored a few other avenues of education but always kept coming back to Hospitality Management. Throughout my time in the program, I had several experiences, from event management to restaurant management, retail, and more. After I graduated in 2016, I inevitably hopped back into the restaurant industry.
Then, enter pandemic. Everything I knew and enjoyed about the industry had changed so quickly, as it did for many others. Around the same time, a long-time friend (and founder of Women in Analytics) approached me with an opportunity to use many of the skills and goals I possessed from my time in the service industry in a new way — managing a virtual, professional community.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Overall, my transition into my current position has been smooth! Prior to me joining the organization, our admin team has done a phenomenal job establishing a support system of folks who are passionate about what we do and have the time/resources to help out.
We’ve been impressed with Women in Analytics & DataConnect Conference, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Women in Analytics mission is to increase visibility to the women making an impact in the analytics space and provide a platform for women (including gender-fluid and non-binary individuals) to lead the conversations around the advancements of analytical research, development, and applications.
We were founded in 2016 with the goal of supporting minorities in the analytics space and have grown into a global community focused on bringing visibility to women in the field while delivering top-notch analytics content.
The inaugural conference (now known as the DataConnect Conference) took place in Columbus, OH, and hosted an audience of 150 individuals. The event was welcoming to anyone that wanted to attend with a spotlight on women speakers that shared their work in the analytics space. We not only offer a space for women to share their knowledge and experiences on a technical level, we offer supporting resources to help them grow and develop — complimentary speaker coaching, opportunities to network with fellow speakers, and more — all with the goal to bring top-notch content to our event and increase the number of women in the speaker circuit.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I’d be foolish not to mention our own podcast, Women in Analytics After Hours. I also enjoy listening to National Parks After Dark, Planet Money, and AI or Die.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.womeninanalytics.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-in-analytics-community/
