Call for Speakers
Celebrating Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - Because Happiness Happens When Everyone Belongs
28 Aug 2026
Online
August is Happiness Happens Month, and we’re celebrating it by uplifting the joy, creativity, and innovation that flourish in a truly inclusive data community.
The Microsoft Data Platform DEI Group is now accepting session proposals for a special event dedicated to all things diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, neurodiversity, and belonging. We’re looking for speakers who want to share stories, strategies, lived experiences, and practical insights that help our community grow stronger — and happier — together.
We welcome sessions across personal, technical, cultural, and community-focused themes, including (but not limited to):
- Building inclusive, psychologically safe data teams
- Accessibility in data tools, dashboards, engineering, and documentation
- Neurodiversity in tech — strengths-based approaches, lived experiences, and supportive practices
- Representation and visibility across identities in the data community
- Allyship, mentorship, and sponsorship that actually works
- Navigating identity and authenticity in technical spaces
- Mental health, burnout prevention, and sustainable careers
- Global perspectives on equity in data and AI
- Stories of resilience, joy, and community impact
If your talk helps someone feel seen, supported, empowered, or inspired — it belongs here.
All experience levels are welcome. First-time speakers, seasoned presenters, and everyone in between are encouraged to submit.
Let’s celebrate the happiness that happens when every voice, every mind, and every story has a place.
Call for Speakers
13 May 2026
30 Jun 2026
all submitted sessions
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Submitted sessions
- SQL Server 2025: The Developer’s Revolution
- When Data Professionals Stay Invisible: Bridging Confidence Gaps in Tech
- This IS My First Rodeo: Being New to the Game Doesn't Mean Being Bad at It
- Prompting as Product Thinking: The Skill You Already Have and Did Not Know to Name
- Happiness in Hustle Culture: Finding Joy When the Work Tries to Swallow You Whole
- Senior Enough: On Claiming Space Before Anyone Gives You Permission
- Inclusive by Design: Building AI That Serves Global and Underserved Markets
- Same Words, Different Worlds: Building Bridges, Not Barriers
- Differently Wired Professionals: From Survival Mode to Sustainable Excellence
- Ethics Beyond Algorithms: Building Inclusive, Psychologically Safe Data Teams
- The Sponsorship Gap: Why Mentorship Isn't Enough for Women in Technical Roles
- The survival kit. The journey of a Latina in data
- "Unstoppable: Breaking Barriers & Rebuilding Systems for Lasting Change"
- Trust as a Foundation for an Inclusive Workplace
- Unplug the Mouse: An Accessibility Audit of Power BI Copilot
- How Community Builders Shape the Future of Tech
- Foundry IQ: Building Intelligent Products at Scale
- Reinventing Yourself in Tech: Skills, Transitions & Mindset for the Next Era
- When the firehose causes the Burnout
- Talking about mental health - For you and for them
- What Ketchup/Curry Teach Us About Inclusion
- Scalable Event Streaming and Observability with Microsoft Fabric Eventhouse
- From Data Silos to Unified Context: Architecting an Internal AI Business Memory
- Diversity Equity & Inclusion in Data Architecture
- Translating WCAG Accessibility Standards into Dashboard Design Practice
- Beyond Red, Amber, Green: Building Colour-Accessible Dashboards
- AI for Good Starts with Intent: Lessons from Building a Power BI Accessibility Checker