Inclusion Networking Near Me

Escape to Italy! Women's Networking Social

Fun Networking Lunch with other female entrepreneurs and businesswomen! Bring a friend or two who would like to mix, mingle, and meet like minded women. Lunch orders placed at 12:30 (please arrive in time to be seated with the group). At 2 PM, enjoy shopping at this unique market. *Ladies are responsible for their own meal and shopping expenses.* Questions? Susan Z - 937-409-0554 • [zmusique@sbcglobal.net](mailto:zmusique@sbcglobal.net)

Data & Analytics Wednesday - Fighting Hunger with Data

**Beyond the Numbers: How Mid-Ohio Food Collective Combines Data, Customer Insights, and Human-Centered Design to Fight Hunger** Data tells us what is happening. Customer stories help us understand why. So, what happens when dashboards and lived experience are brought together? In this session, [Mid-Ohio Food Collective](https://mofc.org/)'s Data & Insights team will share how quantitative analytics, qualitative research, and human-centered design are combined to make more informed decisions, improve programs, and better serve our customers and partners. Attendees will learn how a mission-driven organization is building a culture where data and lived experience work together to drive impact. **About Our Speakers** [Kevin W. Jolly](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinwjolly/) is Mid-Ohio Food Collective’s Sr. Manager of Data and Analytics, having joined the organization in February 2026. He earned his PhD in General Psychology from the University of Texas at El Paso after attending Iowa State University and like anyone who has studied human behavior, he remains fascinated by the stories that people tell through their data. Kevin has served in data and data leadership roles in a career that spans the education and energy sectors, and he takes the greatest joy in visualizing information for others. He lives in Columbus with his wife, two dogs, and a handful of chickens. [Nicole DeLozier](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-delozier-157483162/) is the Strategy & Insights Manager at Mid-Ohio Food Collective, where she leads customer insights, qualitative research, and human-centered design initiatives that help shape organizational decision-making. Throughout her career, she has been driven by the belief that the strongest insights emerge when data and human experiences are understood together. Nicole is passionate about helping organizations combine data, lived experience, and curiosity to better understand the communities they serve. When she’s not facilitating conversations or designing research projects, she’s often exploring new ways to bring people together through learning, creativity, and shared experiences. **Thanks to our 2026 sponsors:** [Clarivoy](https://www.clarivoy.com/), [What Box Consulting Group](https://www.whatboxconsultinggroup.com/), [Conductrics](https://www.conductrics.com/), and [Piwik PRO](https://piwik.pro/) More info at [cbusdaw.com](https://cbusdaw.com/)

Dublin, OH

DevOps Social & Networking

DevOps Columbus is hosting an event for DevOps industry professionals as well as those interested in DevOps. Come to talk, meet new people with like-interests, have food, and enjoy the time together. Join us for pizza, drinks, and networking @ Improving's office. Doors open at 5:45.

September Book Club Meetup

Welcome, readers! Our September read is ***Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America*** by Eliza Griswold. A Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction book detailing the 318-page true story of Stacey Haney, a single mother and nurse in rural Washington County, Pennsylvania, whose family suffered severe illnesses after leasing their land for fracking. **Please note our location change:** We will meet at **The Pub Out Back** in their Room Out Back space. We are welcome to bring in our own food, but **drinks must be purchased at the bar.** Parking is available in the public lot off of W New England Ave or on-street in the Old Worthington area. Happy reading!

Evolve Elevate (Virtual)

Evolve is all about creating an Authentic Community, Deeper Connections, and Confident Growth. We are a group of entrepreneurial women who connect personally and professionally. We welcome every guest to experience our authentic community with no cliques and no judgment. Come as you are! There's a seat waiting for you. Elevate is an action-oriented connection experience designed to help women entrepreneurs move beyond surface-level networking and into meaningful growth, collaboration, and courageous action. Each session centers around a focused business or personal development topic, followed by intentional breakout discussions that encourage deeper conversations, real relationship-building, and practical next steps. Unlike traditional networking events, Elevate is designed to create momentum. Women are encouraged not only to share ideas, but to actively support one another through accountability, collaboration, brainstorming, and action-based growth. Every meeting is an opportunity to build authentic connections, gain fresh perspective, and leave with a clear action step to implement before the next session. This is a space where women rise together — not through competition or hustle culture, but through encouragement, courage, consistency, and intentional community. \*\*Evolve Women's Collective is a membership based professional women's group. You can find more information at [www.EvolveWomensCollective.com](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.EvolveWomensNetwork.com&sa=D&source=calendar&usd=2&usg=AOvVaw0UekYvD4PoVa7WUlFFVHyp). Feel welcome to be our guest anytime! [Join the Call](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://zoom.us/j/7894682064&sa=D&source=calendar&usd=2&usg=AOvVaw127u1EMKvrsjTOPRaLUJ51)

Dublin, OH

Men's Group meetup

**The idea for this group is to build a community where men can gather together and build connections & learn and grow from each other.** How we start each meeting is by each of us checking in with our "roses and thorns" aka what are the good things and the bad things going on in your life recently? Then we will go into a topic discussion. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS** \*\*THERE WILL BE A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY FOR NO-SHOWS. IF YOU RSVP TO A MEETING AND FAIL TO SHOW UP WITHOUT NOTICE, YOU'LL BE REMOVED FROM THE GROUP. THIS IS TO PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF THE GROUP\*\* 1. Confidentiality - EVERYTHING that is shared NEVER leaves this space so that this space remains safe and sacred. There is a zero tolerance policy for this. If a man is in violation of this, they will be permanently removed from the group. 2. Non-Judgement - we respect and honor every man’s truth so that we may receive the same from others. While we may not agree on everything, we commit to respecting every man’s perspectives and engaging in honorable discussion with one another. 3. Be committed - honor your commitment to this group and to yourself. If you attend a meeting, please commit yourself fully to the meeting. Also be committed to your own journey. When we fail, we own it & clean it up. 4. Speak from the heart - this is NOT a space to “look good”, have the “right” answers, and have it all together. Relax and know you are not alone. Be exactly who you are within the safety of this space. 5. Be supportive - This means always willing to provide encouragement to your fellow men, encourage action and momentum in each other’s lives.. Be willing to challenge each other. Be willing to hold each other accountable. 6. Participation - what you receive from this community will be a reflection of what you put into it. Period. We ask that you share your perspectives, reflect on others, and give/receive support when and where it’s needed.

A Developer’s Guide to Running LLMs Locally- Alan Barber

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** *Tensors, Tokens & Too Much VRAM: A Developer's Guide to Running LLMs Locally* What actually happens when you send a prompt to an LLM? What are tokens, tensors, attention, quantization, and all those mysterious gigabytes of VRAM doing? And why does your GPU suddenly become the most important piece of hardware in the room? This talk takes a developer-friendly tour through the fundamentals of modern LLMs. We’ll try to demystify concepts like context windows, model quantization, and inference performance without requiring a PhD in linear algebra. Then we'll take those concepts out of the textbook and into the real world, looking at tools such as Ollama, LM Studio, and vLLM and what it takes to run useful models on your own hardware. By the end, you'll have a mental model for what an LLM is actually doing, how local inference works, and why sometimes the answer to "How much VRAM do I need?" is apparently "all of it." **YouTube Link** TBD

CONNECTED Westerville Mastermind Group

Join the CONNECTED Westerville Mastermind Group for a dynamic afternoon of B2B networking! This event is perfect for professionals looking to expand their business connections, share insights, and foster collaboration within the community. Whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this event offers a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, build relationships, and grow your network in a supportive environment. Connect with like-minded individuals, explore potential partnerships, and discover new opportunities for professional growth. Don't miss out on this chance to enhance your business network and take your career to the next level with CONNECTED Westerville Mastermind Group! We meet the 4th Monday of every month from 11am-1pm. Welcome and general networking from 11am - 11:30am with core meeting 11;30 - 12:30 and a final round of networking from 12:30 - 1pm.

Columbus Verified Gay Professionals Speed Dating

An inviting virtual gay speed dating night for singles living in Columbus, held via Zoom. We are a supportive and inclusive group where local residents connect with authentic people nearby. Look forward to brief individual conversations, organized by age group, all while relaxing in your own space. Sign up here: [Reserve your place](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=636.0&productType=onlineSpeedDatingGay&city=Columbus&groupurlname=level-up-together-mobile-gaming-social&face_v=5.0) Clicking RSVP indicates your interest. To participate in the sessions, please complete your registration at the link provided above.

BTW Columbus Meetup

Join Black Tech Week in Columbus on September 23 for an evening of connection, conversation, and community. We're bringing together entrepreneurs, founders, technologists, creatives, investors, and ecosystem builders from across the region to explore ideas, share experiences, and build meaningful relationships. Whether you're growing a company, exploring a new opportunity, or looking to expand your network, this meetup is an opportunity to connect with people who are creating, collaborating, and driving innovation forward. Black Tech Week is an award-winning, community-driven platform that brings together the people and ideas shaping the future of technology, entrepreneurship, and economic growth. Our meetups extend that mission year-round by creating space for authentic conversations, new partnerships, and stronger local innovation ecosystems. Doors open at 5:30 PM. Come share what you're working on, learn from others, and leave with new connections that can help power what's next. We look forward to seeing you in Columbus.