And yes, when I was finally in a position to recommend myself as a speaker, I did it. Up until then, I had been pestering the conference chairs about their lack of female speakers and introducing them to everyone I knew that I thought should be speaking for them.

Now I try to prod along some gals I know who I think could be great... encouraging them to speak at user groups with hopes that I'll be able to eventually recommend them for conferences. (And yes, I have done the same for plenty of guys, too!)