Frame Shift Consulting creates and delivers engaging and inclusive training. We are the leading provider of ally skills training, which teaches people with more power and influence how to support marginalized people. Frame Shift has worked with more than 60 clients around the world, ranging from household names to brand-new startups. Our extensive experience in the technology industry gives us unique insight into the challenges of training at tech companies. Learn more about our work on our press page.
Founder
Founder and principal consultant Valerie Aurora has been creating and teaching training classes since 2012. She has taught ally skills to more than 3000 people in 10 countries. Before becoming a trainer, she worked as an open source software engineer for more than ten years. She has served as a keynote speaker or speaker at dozens of conferences. She is located in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 2010, Valerie co-founded and served as executive director of the Ada Initiative, a non-profit dedicated to supporting women in open technology and culture. In this role, she led the creation of the Ally Skills Workshop and taught it at dozens of companies and conferences. She has also developed and delivered training programs for online collaboration, meeting skills, and mentorship.
Prior to that, Valerie worked as an open source software engineer for over ten years, specializing in the Linux operating system and file systems. During this time, she worked for a variety of tech companies, from small hardware vendors to multinational software giants. In 2013, Valerie was honored with the O’Reilly Open Source Award for her work.
To discuss training, speaking, or consulting from Frame Shift Consulting, email us at contact@frameshiftconsulting.com.
Facilitators
We partner with several facilitators to provide the best fit of facilitator, topic, and client. Our current facilitators include:
Valerie Aurora is Frame Shift’s founder and principal consultant. She has taught ally skills to more than 3000 people in 9 countries. She worked as a software engineer for more than a decade, specializing in operating systems, and co-founded and led the Ada Initiative, a non-profit supporting women in open technology and culture. She is located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more about Valerie here.
Kendall Howse is a senior designer at CoreOS, a software infrastructure startup acquired by Red Hat. At CoreOS, he was co-founder of the company’s Diversity Council, where he worked alongside the CTO to foster a company culture of inclusivity and empathy. He is a member of AIGA San Francisco, the professional association for designers, and Bay Area Black Designers. He is located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more about Kendall here.
Cynthia Tee is a Vice President of Technology in Commerce at Nordstrom. She was Executive Director of Ada Developers Academy, which teaches programming to women, trans, and non-binary people. She worked as a software engineer and product manager. She is located in the Seattle area. Learn more about Cynthia here.
Dr. Sheila Addison is President of Margin to Center Consulting, and full-time faculty at Antioch University Seattle in the Couple and Family Therapy program. She has a PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy from Syracuse University and worked in private practice for several years before returning to full-time teaching. She is located in the Seattle area. Learn more about Sheila here.