Analytics Community Program

Built a regional data and analytics community from scratch — 10+ events, 100+ attendees, and a network that became a talent pipeline and professional amplifier.

Technologies Used

Community Building Event Programming Technical Education Networking

Key Features

10+ technical meetups organized in Nashville

100+ attendees across the series, growing event by event

Topics spanning SQL, Python, Tableau, BI tools, and data career paths

Cross-functional audience: analysts, engineers, business stakeholders

Built a talent pipeline that directly benefited Root Labs hiring

Project Overview

While building Root Labs in Nashville, I wanted a room where data practitioners and curious business people could learn from each other. So I started one: a recurring technical event series that grew alongside the company.

What It Became

The format evolved based on what resonated: short technical talks, live demos, open Q&A, and time for people to actually talk to each other. Topics ranged from practical SQL performance tips to Python pipeline walkthroughs to career path discussions for analysts wanting to move into engineering.

The audience was deliberately mixed — I wanted analysts, engineers, product managers, and founders in the same room. Some of the most useful conversations happened between a data engineer explaining how a pipeline worked and a business stakeholder explaining why the data never seemed right.

Outcome

The program ran for two years, grew consistently, and produced real outcomes: hiring referrals, collaborative projects, and — more than anything — a group of people who could pick up the phone and get a useful answer. That network is one of the most durable things I built during the Root Labs years.

Completed on: Jan 1, 2025