15 Kick‐Ass Women in WordPress to Follow on Twitter

We could all use a little more girl power, and that’s especially true in the tech industry.

Be honest. Can you count all the women in the tech sector who you can name on one hand? There’s a good chance you answered yes. But just because the ladies aren’t getting as much attention, that doesn’t mean they aren’t making huge waves in the WordPress community.

That’s why you should be following these 15 women in WordPress on Twitter. They all have a lot to say, and are sure to inspire you in 280 characters or less.

1. Mika Epstein

Twitter: @Ipstenu

As DreamHost’s official WordPress guru, Mika Epstein troubleshoots any issue that comes up, offers top-notch support, and plays a key role in building and maintaining DreamPress, our managed WordPress hosting solution. She’s also a master on Multisite and .htaccess.

When she’s not working as a WordPress developer, she’s racking up stamps in her passport to speak at WordCamps about coding and open source technology and maintaining LezWatch.TV, “the greatest database of queer characters and shows,” where she develops software and sifts through queer representation on TV to make the data visible. But you don’t need a passport to read her musings on Twitter about WordPress — and sports, LGBT issues, and so much more.

2. Naomi C. Bush

Twitter: @naomicbush

Naomi C. Bush and WordPress go way back.  She previously modernized WordPress by developing a way to accept payments through your site via processors like Stripe. Currently the head Gravity Forms wrangler, Bush has been working with WordPress since 2005 as a professional site developer, plugin developer, and college educator.

The WordCamp regular shares her musings about WordPress and all things tech on Twitter on the regular. Follow her and you just might learn a thing or two.

3. Tammie Lister

Twitter: @karmatosed

Tammie Lister knows so much about building community websites using BuddyPress that she could write a book about it. So she literally did: BuddyPress Theme Development. That impressive skill set has served her well in her current job as an experience designer at Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com.

Based in the UK, she has spoken all over the world at WordCamps, waxing poetic on topics like knowing your users and creating human connections online. Then there’s Twitter, where she shares insights and advice on the WordPress world — no lecture fee necessary.

4. Helen Hou-Sandí

Twitter: @helenhousandi 

Any WordPress user should look up to Helen Hou-Sandí. As the Director of Open Source Initiatives at 10up, her agency designs and develops WordPress tools. So what have they done to enhance the user experience?

Think game-changers like a notification plugin that allows content creators to alert their subscribers to new posts in real-time and a drag-and-drop ordering system for WordPress posts.

As a WordPress Lead Developer, Hou-Sandí works on constantly growing the platform. She makes it easy to get a glimpse into her world on her Twitter. The self-described “sometimes collaborative pianist” and “bossed up bad Asian mom” expounds on everything from IKEA trips to Mike Pence to favorite snacks. You should follow her tweets; she’s always unfiltered — and always entertaining.

5. Sara Rosso

Twitter: @rosso 

The ultimate Renaissance woman, Sara Rosso’s resume is an impressive read. She lived in Italy from 2003 to 2016 and blogged about it at Ms. Adventures in Italy, where she now covers food and travel.

That’s not her only foodie credential: She’s the founder of World Nutella Day and co-hosted the event until she turned the reins over to Ferrero in 2015. She launched a podcast, Eye on Italy, all about — you guessed it — Italy, before everyone else had one.

Rosso also writes about tech and building a business at the aptly-named When I Have Time. An avid photographer, she sells some of her photos to Getty Images. Finally, there’s her actual day job: overseeing the marketing department and being a product lead for paid plans at Automattic. All that and more is on display on her Twitter feed.

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6. Stephanie Leary

Twitter: @sleary

When you’re ready to learn more about WordPress, pick up Stephanie Leary’s book, “WordPress for Web Developers.” The freelance WordPress consultant breaks down building WordPress themes and plugins, as well as server-related issues. As someone who has developed several plugins herself, she would know the drill. 

With her newest book, “Content Strategy for WordPress,” Leary offers advice for “content strategists and managers on implementing a complete content strategy in WordPress: evaluation, analysis, content modeling, editing and workflows, and long-term planning and maintenance.”

And her Twitter account is just as informative and straightforward, with Leary dishing on parenting, politics, and everything in between. 

7. Lisa Sabin-Wilson

Twitter: @LisaSabinWilson

If you’re in need of a brush-up on WordPress basics, Lisa Sabin-Wilson is your girl. Currently the COO and partner at WebDevStudios, she’s the author of WordPress for Dummies, BuddyPress For Dummies, WordPress All In One For Dummies, and WordPress Web Design For Dummies. That’s proof that she knows exactly how to deliver easy-to-digest information for users of all levels.

Sabin-Wilson is just as good at giving presentations, as her WordCamp talks prove. Her Twitter account is equally dynamic.

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8. Rachel Cherry

Twitter: @bamadesigner

As a freelance software engineer and Web Accessibility Specialist and Consultant, Rachel Cherry still builds with WordPress. With over a decade of experience in back- and front-end web development and digital design, she spent years as a web designer and developer for The University of Alabama.

As the director of WPCampus, she leads the community-centered organization on how to use WordPress in the academic world, which feeds off her passion for collaborating. She tweets about just that, along with being a fitness addict and traveler.

9. Kathy Drewien

Twitter: @kdrewien 

Kathy Drewien believes “your website is a showcase that tells your story and shares how you positively impact the lives of others.” And we agree. 

A self-proclaimed WordPress fanatic, Drewien (and company) helps both struggling website owners and organizations alike in their quest to use WordPress confidently, while enjoying it too. A firm believer in the power of community, she offers personalized guidance to novice users and those whose sites are “abandoned, ugly, broken, outdated, and non-productive.”

When she’s not working on bringing people together, you can find Drewien tweeting about Mr. Rogers, facilitating monthly WordPress meetups in Atlanta, and working on the WordCamp Atlanta and WordCamp US organizer teams.

10. Carrie Dils

Twitter: @cdils

If you want to make a good living doing work you love, call on Carrie Dils. With 20 years of experience running a web agency, Dils is an experienced WordPress developer and consultant who uses her wisdom to help other freelancers build successful businesses for themselves. 

Offering hands-on courses through The Fearless Freelancer, she encourages freelancers to learn new skills and generate revenue. Her podcast “officehours.fm” focuses on helping independent WordPress developers and designers grow their business skills. If you’re more of a reader, check out Dils’ blog, where she offers specific WordPress tutorials and writes about business, freelancing, and web accessibility. 

And if all that’s not enough, Dils also provides WordPress and web development courses through LinkedIn Learning. Be sure to pore through her website carefully — Dils has a lot to offer. 

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11. Claire Brotherton

Twitter: @abrightclearweb 

Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Claire Brotherton is a freelance web designer/developer who’s been building websites using WordPress since 2012. Focusing on responsive web design and web accessibility, she designs clean, modern-looking websites using HTML5 and CSS3 in WordPress. 

With A Bright Clear Web, Brotherton helps individuals, small businesses, and third sector organizations create elegant websites and a robust online presence using WordPress. Her services include website design, tweaks, maintenance, and even WordPress training. 

12. Kim Doyal

Twitter: @kimdoyal

Formerly known as “The WordPress Chick,” Kim Doyal started an online business in 2008 and spent much of her professional career developing her brand around WordPress, building websites for clients, and running “The WPChick Podcast.” But in 2018, this well-known content marketer said goodbye to “The WordPress Chick,” and hello to Kim Doyal. 

Now, Doyal focuses on “Content Marketing for Busy Entrepreneurs Who Give A Sh*t” — helping them grow their online presence, sharing tips for growing a client base, and encouraging her followers to “show up” in a meaningful way. While her lifestyle biz was built using WordPress, Doyal now runs “The Kim Doyal Show” and continues to offer content marketing guidance as the co-founder of the Content Creators Planner. 

13. Bridget Willard

Twitter: @YouTooCanBeGuru

If you own a small business, Bridget Willard wants to help make sure you show its best side on social media. As a consultant with a background in teaching and accounting, Willard specializes in B2B relationship marketing, and has helped build notable brands for organizations such as Riggins Construction, GiveWP, and the Make WordPress Marketing Team. 

An avid WordCamp speaker, she has also been an organizer for both WordCamps Los Angeles and Orange County. 

Want free marketing advice from Willard? Tune in to “WPblab,” a podcast and live YouTube show she co-hosts with Jason Tucker on the WPwatercooler network. 

14. Alice Elliot

Twitter: @alice_elliott

Alice Elliot is a digital marketer and blogger who specializes in “explaining things really simply” — it’s no wonder WordPress was her platform of choice when she started blogging back in 2006. 

Passionate about blogs and the benefits they can bring to both individuals and businesses, Elliot started her award-winning blog, Fairy Blog Mother, to provide a jargon-free, highly visual way to show beginners how to use WordPress. 

These days, Elliot is taking a break and using her blog “to promote good and positive commenting, and also to explain why there is so much nastiness and negativity on the web right now, and what can be done about it.” 

15. Jenny Beaumont

Twitter: @jennybeaumont

Before she became the Senior Project Manager and Advanced Certified Scrum Master at Human Made, Jenny Beaumont had been a freelance web designer and developer in France for 15 years. Before WordPress even existed, Beaumont co-founded an international web design and development agency — ultimately setting off her career in the web industry where she’s gained expertise in design, animation, front-end development, e-commerce, and project management over the years. 

Now, Beaumont is an active member of the WordPress community in France and abroad and a former organizer of WordCamp Paris and WordCamp Europe. 

Who Else?

Do you know someone who would be a great addition to this list? Let us know!