For Immediate Release (September 15, 2017)
ORLANDO, FL — Activist and organizer Ida Eskamani is announced as the new Co-Boss of Nerd Nite Orlando.
Nerd Nite, a monthly event that features educational and entertaining presentations in a casual atmosphere, operates in over a hundred cities around the world, including Tokyo, Seattle, New York City, London, Fort Lauderdale, Des Moines and Austin.
Nerd Nite launched in Orlando on Thursday, March 14, 2013 by founding organizers Valerie Cepero, Josh Manning, and Ricardo Williams. 
For the past two years, Williams has solely organized and hosted Nerd Nite Orlando. Eskamani, who nerds out about astronomy, music and nature, will work side by side with Williams to organize monthly events as well as special programming and share hosting duties on certain evenings.
The announcement was made on Thursday, September 14th at “Nerd Nite Orlando LV: Neural Networks, Autonomous Vehicles, & The Procrastination Paradox” where Eskamani took the stage at the end of the evening to emphasize big plans for 2018 including a Nerd Nite Prom and how they’re going to “triple everything in size and Nerd Nite this whole damn town!”
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Contact:
Ricardo Williams
Host, Nerd Nite Orlando
813–464–1712
Ida Eskamani is a first generation Iranian-American and a native of Orlando, Florida. She earned dual degrees in Political Science and Sociology and has served on top political campaigns, advocacy organizations, and institutions including the Obama White House, Sen. Bill Nelson’s re-election campaign, and Equality Florida. Following the tragedy at Pulse, Ms. Eskamani launched the Pulse Victims Fund, raising $10 million dollars for Pulse families and survivors and played a key role in victim service and advocacy efforts following the tragedy, with a focus on intersectionality and empowerment. She has organized large-scale demonstrations in support of the black lives matter movement, LGBTQ+ equality, common sense gun safety measures, and in resistance to Trump’s travel ban. Ms. Eskamani earned her Masters in Public Administration from UCF in 2016, and currently serves as Chief of Staff to Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, as well as on the Board of Directors of Organize Florida, a community-based, nonprofit member organization of low and moderate income people dedicated to the principles of social, racial, and economic justice. She also serves on Equality Florida’s Greater Orlando Steering Committee.
