Meet Chi Hack Night's New Co-Presidents!

Published on Apr 6, 2025 by Sean Watland, Sneha Jalukar & Samantha Goodman

From left to right, Sean Watland - Outgoing Chi Hack Night President, Sneha Jalukar and Samantha Goodman, Chi Hack Night Co-Presidents

After serving as Chi Hack Night’s second President, Sean Watland is stepping down after two years. Congratulate Sneha Jalukar & Samanatha Goodman Chi Hack Night’s new Co-Presidents! Sean will remain on the Board of Directors for the remainder of his Board seat term.

Sean, Sneha and Samantha each have a statement to share:

Sean Watland, outgoing President

I am so grateful for my time serving as President of Chi Hack Night. Over the past two years, I am proud to see how much our organization has grown - not only in growing attendance but in how we have embraced change as a community as well. I have so much gratitude for our Board of Directors (past and present) for how much work they have put into making this organization a little bit better every day. Thank you all for embracing change and working hard with me over these years!

Lastly, I want to thank all our whole community for making this place as special as it is. None of what we do could be possible without you all.

I am thrilled to introduce our new incoming Co-Presidents, Sneha Jalukar and Samantha Goodman, as I know they will certainly do great things for our organization!

Sneha Jalukar, Co-President

Hi everyone! I know a lot of you, but let me introduce myself for those who don’t already know me: I grew up in Michigan - and when I was in university I was proud to run multiple “Major League Hacking” hackathon events. When I graduated and moved to Chicago, I was searching for an outlet to get involved in the civic tech community and give back with my skills.

I’ve been so grateful to the Chi Hack Night community for welcoming me with open arms, and I was honored to join the board in 2022.

As the newly elected co-president, I want to carry on the amazing efforts of the board and previous presidents (Sean and Derek). I’m also excited to:

• Grow the community - I want to find ways to make our events more inclusive, welcoming to first-time attendees, and sustainably grow the number of members at our events. A lot of people are looking for a space like Chi Hack Night to connect with the community and work on important passion projects. I hope to build on the work of the board to make sure the Chi Hack Night meets the needs of the moment.

• Cultivate a culture of learning - I want to carry over a goal from Sean (our last president). Chi Hack Night historically has been a place not only for people to build, but to grow. I would love to encourage more workshops, lighting talks, learning focused breakout groups and “learn with me” moments that celebrate joy and curiosity.

• Strengthen partnerships and impact - Chi Hack Night has been running events since 2012! As our membership continues to grow and evolve - and the city and world around us continues to change rather quickly - I’d love to build stronger bridges between Chi Hack Night and the rest of Chicago - whether it’s local nonprofits, city departments, or grassroots orgs.

I’m also thrilled to be working with Samantha, my co-president and fellow board member! With us co-leading, we’re ready to shake things up and bring fresh energy and perspectives to push our organization further.

Chi Hack Night has been frequently described to me as a “do-ocracy” - a place where people who show up and do the work shape what happens next. I’m proud to be a part of that tradition, and even more excited for where we can go forward from here. If you have ideas, thoughts, or want to be involved - feel free to reach out to me anytime.

With that said - go forth and hack!

Samantha Goodman, Co-President

I’m a long-time Chi Hack Night attendee and volunteer, and have served on the Board for the past year. I hope to continue to shepherd a positive and welcoming atmosphere at Chi Hack Night and grow its membership.

The fact that Chi Hack Night has endured so long is a testament to the dedication of the many volunteers, as well as the need for a space to work, learn and collaborate together. I’m looking forward to 2025, and with the uncertainty that we’re all facing, it’s doubly important to maintain and grow our community. There are many things I love about Chi Hack Night that I want to preserve, but also want to be flexible and respond to changes as needed.

Working with Sneha is going to be great - we’re both very dedicated to Chi Hack Night and I look forward to collaborating with her. Since this is a volunteer position we figured there is no reason not to split the duties, work together and get things done as a duo instead of one person completing everything alone. Here’s to a collaborative and wonderful term as co-presidents!

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