Arts

Talented creative individuals working in the field of visual, auditory and performance arts

Gunnard Engebreth

Gunnard Engebreth

Gunnard began in software development during the Dot Com boom of the 2000s in Atlanta, Ga. The rapidly changing landscape of technology and needs created an environment full of learning opportunities -- beginning with Perl and quickly moving to PHP. He specializes in the modernization of legacy applications, APIs and creating modern development team solutions.

Gunnard Believes in FOSS and has contributed to projects such as Wordpress, The Devil Box, and DischordPHP. As an author, Gunnard has written multiple articles for php[Architect] magazine as well as 2 books from APRESS Publishing on PHP 8. Gunnard has also been a notable speaker at multiple conferences such as MadisonPHP, longhornPHP, Techlahoma and Chaos Carnaval.

You may find him at gunnard.org, @gunnard@phpc.social on Mastoodn, @gunnard on twitter or his pseudonym @ansivideos on youtube. Gunnard currently lives in the north Georgia mountains with his wife, two boys, 12 chickens and 3 goats.

Gunnard began in software development during the Dot Com boom of the 2000s in Atlanta, Ga. The rapidly changing landscape of technology and needs created an environment full of learning opportunities -- beginning with Perl and quickly moving to PHP. ... Show more

Lena Reinhard

Lena Reinhard

Lena Reinhard is a VP Engineering, leadership coach, facilitator, and artist. In her 20-year career, she’s served in tech leadership roles, such as VP Engineering with CircleCI, Travis CI, and a SaaS startup co-founder & CEO. Now, she helps leaders and teams succeed in co-located and remote teams in organizations from startups and scale-ups, to corporations. Lena is queer and neurodivergent. She loves to read, sing, and wander around the forests and lakes of her home in Berlin, Germany. In her artistic work, she primarily paints and works with fibers; her pieces currently focus on the themes of loss and letting go.

Lena Reinhard is a VP Engineering, leadership coach, facilitator, and artist. In her 20-year career, she’s served in tech leadership roles, such as VP Engineering with CircleCI, Travis CI, and a SaaS startup co-founder & CEO. Now, she helps leaders a... Show more

Cigdem Kadakoglu

Cigdem Kadakoglu

A Docker Captain and Microsoft MVP, is a Cloud and DevOps engineer, consultant, and instructor with expertise in Microsoft Azure and DevOps practices. Passionate about teaching, she delivers both practical and theoretical courses on Azure, and DevOps. Cigdem helps organizations implement DevOps transformations across cloud and on-premises environments while contributing to the community through insightful technical articles and videos on cloud adoption and DevOps best practices.

A Docker Captain and Microsoft MVP, is a Cloud and DevOps engineer, consultant, and instructor with expertise in Microsoft Azure and DevOps practices. Passionate about teaching, she delivers both practical and theoretical courses on Azure, and DevOps... Show more

Benjamin Nothdurft

Benjamin Nothdurft

Benjamin has a long-term and hands-on experience with introducing, building, running, coaching and speaking about Java, Microservices (including DDD and events), Docker/Containerization, distributed/self-contained systems (SCS) and disruptive technologies.

At day he works as Tech Lead for Cloud Technologies at codecentric. At night he hacks on innovative trends like FaaS, Service Meshes, Voice UIs and IoT. At evenings he organizes workshops, talks and code retreats at the Software Crafters Community Jena (Softwerkskammer Jena) and the Java User Group Thüringen. On weekends he serves as a board member at the Java Aktuell Magazine and at the JavaLand conference – leading the Architecture and Methodology & Culture streams.

He also runs Open Data Hackathons as well as Devoxx4Kids events. Regularly he also gives university lectures on OOP, Java, Docker, Git, Project Management and Agile Methodologies. In his leisure time he enjoys road cycling, art & theaters, wine/gin/whiskey tastings and discussions about politics and improving IT organizations.

Benjamin has a long-term and hands-on experience with introducing, building, running, coaching and speaking about Java, Microservices (including DDD and events), Docker/Containerization, distributed/self-contained systems (SCS) and disruptive technol... Show more

Richard Rauser

Richard Rauser

CTO at fan3. 25 years engineering and team leading experience. Creator of anglez.xyz generative NFT art project.

CTO at fan3. 25 years engineering and team leading experience. Creator of anglez.xyz generative NFT art project. Show more

Waleed Arshad

Waleed Arshad

Waleed Arshad is a dedicated software architect and community leader within the global Flutter ecosystem. As Pakistan's first Google Developer Expert in Flutter and the author of "Managing State in Flutter Pragmatically," Waleed is passionate about sharing his knowledge. He currently works as a Senior Software Engineer at talabat (UAE) and contributes to academia as a remote Visiting Faculty at IBA Karachi, where he also holds a Masters in Computer Science. Waleed further strengthens the tech community as the Tech Director of GDG Cloud Emirates (Dubai) and has been instrumental in nurturing Flutter Karachi for the past seven years.

Waleed Arshad is a dedicated software architect and community leader within the global Flutter ecosystem. As Pakistan's first Google Developer Expert in Flutter and the author of "Managing State in Flutter Pragmatically," Waleed is passionate about s... Show more

Kevin Blanco

Kevin Blanco

Kevin Blanco is a Senior Developer Relations Advocate and growth strategist with over 15 years in tech leadership. Distinguished as one of the few video producers who deeply understand both technical concepts and product-led growth, Kevin creates compelling content that resonates with developers and drives B2B engagement.

From shaping AI strategies at IBM Watson to building scalable cloud solutions for Google, Microsoft, and Nintendo, Kevin has a proven record of driving innovation and delivering measurable results. His rare combination of technical knowledge, storytelling expertise, and data-driven growth strategies enables him to craft video content that not only educates but also accelerates user acquisition and product adoption.

Known for his expertise in developer relations, Kevin connects deeply with technical audiences through action-driven talks and practical insights. As an inspiring keynote speaker, he delivers impactful presentations that empower developers and tech leaders to tackle real-world challenges with confidence and creativity.

Kevin's key competencies include:
- Video & Livestream Production for Technical & Developer Audiences
- Product-Led Growth Optimization & User Acquisition
- Developer Go-to-Market & Growth Marketing Strategy
- Data-Driven Experimentation & A/B Testing
- Tech Event Speaking (Virtual & In-Person)
- Developer Community Building
- Product Market Fit Validation
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership
- Use Case-Based Solution Development
- Storytelling-Based Script Writing & Content Creation

Speaker at Featured Events:
- All Things Open AI 2025
- Keynote at DevFest YYC Calgary 2024
- DevFest Montreal - AI 2023
- DevRelX Summit 2023
- Hashnode Bootcamp 2023
- Keynote at Google I/O Extended Toronto. 2024
- DrupalCon New Orleans 2016
- DrupalNorth Montreal 2016

Certifications and Recognitions:
- Google Developer Expert
- Google Innovator
- Google Champion
- Google Certified Educator/Trainer
- Google Certified Cloud Architect
- Blackmagic Design Certified Trainer
- Davinci Resolve Certified Editor
- Davinci Resolve Certified Colorist

Kevin Blanco is a Senior Developer Relations Advocate and growth strategist with over 15 years in tech leadership. Distinguished as one of the few video producers who deeply understand both technical concepts and product-led growth, Kevin creates com... Show more

Aashish Manchanda

Aashish Manchanda

I am a UX design leader and product strategist with a decade of experience in creating user-centric digital solutions. Currently, I work as a product design leader focusing on enterprise design for Cisco. My expertise lies in scaling design systems, leading cross-functional teams, and driving business impact through innovative UX strategies.

I’ve had the privilege of speaking at global conferences like UXDX and NFT.London, where I share insights on blending creativity, research, and technology to deliver impactful results. My experience also includes leveraging design and AI to drive sustainable practices through in-depth research, usability testing, and exploring how design influences user decisions toward eco-friendly outcomes. Additionally, I’m passionate about mentoring emerging designers at premier institutions, helping them shape the future of user-centered design.

I am a UX design leader and product strategist with a decade of experience in creating user-centric digital solutions. Currently, I work as a product design leader focusing on enterprise design for Cisco. My expertise lies in scaling design systems, ... Show more

João Esperancinha

João Esperancinha

João is a 10+ years experienced Software Developer, Studied Telecom Engineering at ISEL Lisboa, and worked in different companies in Portugal, Spain, and The Netherlands. He is a certified Kong Champion, a certified Java Developer (OCP11) and is a Certified Spring Professional 2021. Outside the software development Universe, João is someone interested in arts and crafts and making stuff out of old materials creating the occasional modified furniture. João loves plants and has a small potted garden with Yuccas and blueberry bushes. He has one particular YouTube channel called JESPROTECH dedicated to engineering where João shares his experience with the world.

João is a 10+ years experienced Software Developer, Studied Telecom Engineering at ISEL Lisboa, and worked in different companies in Portugal, Spain, and The Netherlands. He is a certified Kong Champion, a certified Java Developer (OCP11) and is a Ce... Show more

Clément Raussin

Clément Raussin

I have been passionate about development since I was very young, with over eight years of deep involvement in the cloud-native ecosystem.
After applying my expertise at the highest levels of the French government, I joined Qim info as Head of the Cloud & DevOps at Qim info in Switzerland.
My role is to support cultural and technological transformations to overcome the challenges of Cloud and DevOps.

I am the founder of Photon, a globally recognized iPad application for managing lighting in cinema, concerts, and theater.
I combine technical expertise with a strong understanding of artistic needs to deliver innovative and high-performance lighting management solutions.

I have been passionate about development since I was very young, with over eight years of deep involvement in the cloud-native ecosystem. After applying my expertise at the highest levels of the French government, I joined Qim info as Head of the C... Show more

Vicente Suc

Vicente Suc

Ing. en sistemas, Co-fundador de CSN y Proticket.io, Co-Lider del Java User Group y Lider del AWS User Group Guatemala, especializado en crear soluciones seguras y escalables sobre la nube de AWS. He liderado proyectos en sectores de salud, educación, BPO's, eventos masivos y plataformas digitales, combinando inteligencia artificial, servicios serverless y visión de negocio. Actualmente impulso iniciativas tecnológicas que optimizan procesos y mejoran la experiencia.

Ing. en sistemas, Co-fundador de CSN y Proticket.io, Co-Lider del Java User Group y Lider del AWS User Group Guatemala, especializado en crear soluciones seguras y escalables sobre la nube de AWS. He liderado proyectos en sectores de salud, educación... Show more

Daniella Karni-Harel

Daniella Karni-Harel

Senior backend engineer who thrives on blending structure and creativity, whether coding or storytelling. Passionate about “using your powers for good”, she is volunteering as a software engineer in several organizations, such as Midaat. She cares deeply about wildlife, and volunteered at both the Wildlife Hospital and the Haibulans. She is currently volunteering for the Haibulans as tech consultant.

Senior backend engineer who thrives on blending structure and creativity, whether coding or storytelling. Passionate about “using your powers for good”, she is volunteering as a software engineer in several organizations, such as Midaat. She cares de... Show more

David Ta

David Ta

Staff Software Engineer · GDG Nantes Android Lead · AndroidMakers by droidcon Staff · Watercolorist

Staff Software Engineer · GDG Nantes Android Lead · AndroidMakers by droidcon Staff · Watercolorist Show more

Elitsa Popova

Elitsa Popova

Db2 and RACF Mainframe services. Professional background - full stack web application developer, art teacher, personal trainer.

Db2 and RACF Mainframe services. Professional background - full stack web application developer, art teacher, personal trainer. Show more

Kshitij Raj Sharma

Kshitij Raj Sharma

I am Kshitij raj sharma from Nepal , An OSM enthusiastic , Open Source Spatial Developer , Geomatics Engineer. I love maps and love contributing & making tools that benefits humankind

I am Kshitij raj sharma from Nepal , An OSM enthusiastic , Open Source Spatial Developer , Geomatics Engineer. I love maps and love contributing & making tools that benefits humankind Show more

Praise Adegoju

Praise Adegoju

Machine Learning Practitioner and Community Strategist dedicated to driving Nigeria’s tech ecosystem. Formerly sevred as a Campus Lead for Google Developers Group (GDG) and a Campus Strategist for Perplexity AI, she has championed "permissionless leadership," growing her local developer community with active members.

Praise combines technical expertise with grassroots impact. Trained with Nigeria's premier AI organization, she has worked on building AI tools for healthcare and education, focusing on bridging the gap between global technology and local application.

She is on a mission to prove that world-class innovation happens in Africa, not just is imported to it. Praise believes the next generation of African leaders won't just use AI—they will shape it.

Machine Learning Practitioner and Community Strategist dedicated to driving Nigeria’s tech ecosystem. Formerly sevred as a Campus Lead for Google Developers Group (GDG) and a Campus Strategist for Perplexity AI, she has championed "permissionless lea... Show more

Neeraj Pandey

Neeraj Pandey

Neeraj is the co-founder of Vivid Climate, a climate management and accounting platform. Neeraj is a polyglot. Over the years, he has worked on a variety of full-stack software and data-science applications, as well as computational arts, and likes the challenge of creating new tools and applications, and is an active speaker with talks and tutorials presented at multiple conferences.

Neeraj is the co-founder of Vivid Climate, a climate management and accounting platform. Neeraj is a polyglot. Over the years, he has worked on a variety of full-stack software and data-science applications, as well as computational arts, and likes t... Show more

Aroma Rodrigues

Aroma Rodrigues

Aroma Rodrigues is a software engineer working at JP Morgan Chase. As a techno-activist she has been a part of many projects that promote diversity and inclusion. She believes that Automation is the path to Inclusion. In 2016, a teammate of her "Shoes for the Visually Impaired" project presented it at the FOSSASIA. She reads, writes and enjoys walking to explore places. She presently works in a financial services firm and believes that solving problems that she has would solve problems for a large chunk of the world. An ML enthusiast she has about 20+ Coursera Certifications with the respective project work to support her learning in that field. She presented a talk on “De-mystifying Terms and Conditions using NLP” at PyCon 2018.

Aroma Rodrigues is a software engineer working at JP Morgan Chase. As a techno-activist she has been a part of many projects that promote diversity and inclusion. She believes that Automation is the path to Inclusion. In 2016, a teammate of her "Shoe... Show more

Carlos Z. Reyes

Carlos Z. Reyes

As a Technical Account Manager at Red Hat, I work every day to transform business objectives into innovative technological solutions. I am a cloud enthusiast dedicated to leveraging modern tools to solve complex needs, specializing in the design of hybrid cloud architectures and the implementation of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to build scalable, resilient systems. I am passionate about understanding the intersection between technology and business strategy to drive growth

As a Technical Account Manager at Red Hat, I work every day to transform business objectives into innovative technological solutions. I am a cloud enthusiast dedicated to leveraging modern tools to solve complex needs, specializing in the design of h... Show more

Sofiat Nafiu

Sofiat Nafiu

I’m Sofiat Nafiu, a dedicated user experience & visual designer with over 5 years of experience in branding and product design.
I'm currently, the Chief Driver & Funding Designer at Moospire, an innovative tool designed to help creatives enhance and streamline their workflow by allowing them to create, curate, & customize moodboad from the web or with AI. Over the years, I have led design initiatives at Moospire and spearheaded design and strategy at Niyo Group as a brand designer, collaborating extensively with marketing, sales, and product teams to unify brand strategies and elevate customer experiences. My freelance work with various brands has further honed my expertise, where I applied advanced design principles and utilized industry-standard tools like Figma and Adobe Creative Suite to transform complex concepts into user-friendly designs. I'm dedicated to creating accessible, inclusive, and functional designs that enhance usability and engagement.

I'm also passionate about teaching upcoming designers and contributing to their growth, ensuring they understand how design works, user behavior, and the principles that guide good design.

I’m Sofiat Nafiu, a dedicated user experience & visual designer with over 5 years of experience in branding and product design. I'm currently, the Chief Driver & Funding Designer at Moospire, an innovative tool designed to help creatives enhance an... Show more

Daan van Berkel

Daan van Berkel

Daan van Berkel is a enthusiastic software tinkerer with a knack for presenting technical details in a clear and concise manner.

Daan van Berkel is a enthusiastic software tinkerer with a knack for presenting technical details in a clear and concise manner. Show more

Ting Li

Ting Li

Ting Li
Sr. Solutions Architecture Specialist | Terraform Expert | Speaker | ex-Microsoft

Ting Li is a seasoned technology leader with over 19 years of experience in IT, specializing in infrastructure automation, project management, and cybersecurity. As a Sr. Solutions Architecture Specialist at HashiCorp, she helps organizations design and implement scalable, secure, and automated solutions.

Previously, Ting spent 11 years at Microsoft, where she worked across Sales, Marketing, and Product teams, collaborating with global enterprises to drive digital transformation. Her expertise spans both pre-sales and post-sales engagements, with a strong focus on customer enablement and solution delivery.

A passionate advocate for knowledge sharing, Ting has been a featured speaker at major industry events, including Microsoft TechEd (2006–2008, 2016), Microsoft product launches for Office and Windows, Seattle HUG, HashiCorp webinars, and various local meetups. She is committed to training and mentoring teams, partners, and customers, empowering them to maximize the value of HashiCorp’s products and solutions.

Ting is also a blogger and thought leader, sharing her insights on Terraform workflows, infrastructure automation, and best practices. Her posts, such as "Which Terraform Workflow Should I Use? VCS, CLI, or API?" and "Optimizing Your DevOps with Terraform", have been widely read by IT professionals looking to streamline their operations and improve collaboration.

Beyond her professional work, Ting enjoys traveling with her family, hitting the slopes, and writing books.

Ting Li Sr. Solutions Architecture Specialist | Terraform Expert | Speaker | ex-Microsoft Ting Li is a seasoned technology leader with over 19 years of experience in IT, specializing in infrastructure automation, project management, and cybersecu... Show more

Hilary Nicole Ivy

Hilary Nicole Ivy

Hilary Nicole Ivy is a systems thinker, storyteller, and scavenger of strange data. She teaches data analytics and geospatial technologies, leveraging Python, SQL, and satellite imagery. On her off time, she writes speculative fiction and maps imaginary worlds.

Hilary’s career has included adversarial testing of AI at Google, where she led ethical investigations into AI systems, and the Department of Homeland Security, where she tracked fraud across global networks. She’s built adversarial datasets, taught machines to see bias, and helped humans see patterns in the noise.

Now based in Vermont, Hilary teaches at the Community College of Vermont and works as a Business Process Analyst at Vermont State Colleges. She founded Betty Ivy Reads a narrative‑driven data literacy and STEM education platform that helps time‑strapped
faculty deliver engaging, project‑based data science curriculum while protecting academic integrity. She recently returned to school to study studio art, adding visual storytelling to her toolkit of code, maps, and myth.

Hilary Nicole Ivy is a systems thinker, storyteller, and scavenger of strange data. She teaches data analytics and geospatial technologies, leveraging Python, SQL, and satellite imagery. On her off time, she writes speculative fiction and maps imagin... Show more

Hanne Rentsch Ersdal

Hanne Rentsch Ersdal

Hanne R. Ersdal is a designer with over 10 years of experience in the development of industrial products and services. As the head of Eggs Stavanger, she works works to build the office and to promote design. She teaches the subject of Business Design and Development at UiS (University of Stavanger).

On stage, Hanne is full of energy and enthusiasm that is contagious and she has previously participated in the following events and teaching engagements:

2024 - Kaleidoscope, Competence that changes: Energy transformation for a sustainable future, led panel discussion
2024 - Lecturer in Master course Business Design and Development, University of Stavanger 2024 - Lecturer in PhD course, Design Thinking for Transdisciplinary Research, University of Stavanger
2023 - Viking Next Level, Innovate or die, talk
2023 - Laerdal Medical internal Event, Product talk, the Product Trio
2023 - Opportunity Festival, Fomo, Side event, Product talk, led panel discussion
2022 - Tekna X, lecture, Empathy enables technology
2022 - Initiative to create the Master's in Transformation and Innovation, several presentations on design and strategy

Hanne R. Ersdal is a designer with over 10 years of experience in the development of industrial products and services. As the head of Eggs Stavanger, she works works to build the office and to promote design. She teaches the subject of Business Desig... Show more

Sylvain Gougouzian

Sylvain Gougouzian

Dev / Formateur GreenIT
Speaker,
Chef d'orchestre,
(Retro)Gamer,
Papa geek,
Eleveur de GNUs

Dev / Formateur GreenIT Speaker, Chef d'orchestre, (Retro)Gamer, Papa geek, Eleveur de GNUs Show more

Nadia Tokerud

Nadia Tokerud

Nadia is skilled at being angry and even more skilled at seeing through the anger of others. She revels in frustration and loves figuring out what angry users really need.

Nadia is skilled at being angry and even more skilled at seeing through the anger of others. She revels in frustration and loves figuring out what angry users really need. Show more

Connor Peshek

Connor Peshek

Outside of enjoying engineering, Connor Peshek is a musician, frequent traveler, and enjoyer of picking up heavy things and putting them back down. He's done DevRel for 4+ years at companies like Cloudflare and authentik

Outside of enjoying engineering, Connor Peshek is a musician, frequent traveler, and enjoyer of picking up heavy things and putting them back down. He's done DevRel for 4+ years at companies like Cloudflare and authentik Show more

Lex Lofthouse

Lex Lofthouse

Lex Lofthouse is a Senior Designer at Nzime, a digital agency in Nottingham. She has been working in the design industry for 15 years.

She specialises in UX design, but has experience across a range of design disciplines including digital, brand and print.

In her spare time Lex is a massive Pokemon TCG fan, loves kayaking, badminton and gaming. Plus despite being a professional designer she is also an advocate for Comic Sans, the world’s most misunderstood typeface (come and ask her why).

Lex Lofthouse is a Senior Designer at Nzime, a digital agency in Nottingham. She has been working in the design industry for 15 years. She specialises in UX design, but has experience across a range of design disciplines including digital, brand a... Show more

Jenna Ritten

Jenna Ritten

Jenna Ritten (@jritten) is Chief Developer Advocate & Architect for the InnerSource Ecosystem at IBM Research and Lead Organizer for InnerSource Summit 2025 New York. She leads IBM's InnerSource transformation across the enterprise, enabling open collaboration, innovation and reuse done right at scale. Jenna partners with InnerSource Commons to co-create industry patterns and standards while building bridges between IBM Research innovations and the global developer community. Her expertise spans developer relations, enterprise infrastructure and platform, cloud-native, AI/ML, quantum computing, and fostering collaborative development cultures. A passionate advocate for open innovation in Tech, Jenna champions non-traditional paths into technology and actively builds communities that foster open collaboration and sustainable technology.

Jenna Ritten (@jritten) is Chief Developer Advocate & Architect for the InnerSource Ecosystem at IBM Research and Lead Organizer for InnerSource Summit 2025 New York. She leads IBM's InnerSource transformation across the enterprise, enabling open col... Show more

Youvna Salian

Youvna Salian

I began writing thought pieces on sustainable design, diversity, and inclusivity while I was still a design student who was trying to find my colours.

I actively look for opportunities to advocate for gender-inclusive design practices and had the opportunity to present a talk at a design conference last year, based on a collective case study on UX design in e-retail platforms for Fashion and Apparel, highlighting common gender-binary biases. It was while researching for this that I realised that the data gap isn’t limited to a particular industry like fashion, but lacks in general. These biases show up in the products that we interact with every day.

This, along with the rage from blood-boiling statistics in the book 'Invisible Women', by Caroline Criado Perez, prompted me to work on 'Designing Value Beyond the Binary'.

As a non-binary person, motivated by my lived experiences as a consumer and driven by my spirit as an informed UX designer, I believe that Inclusivity shouldn’t be an afterthought. I can safely say that, having been on both sides of the coin, the designer and the user in this context, empathy goes a long way. Making one feel seen and heard can be so validating, and that validation shouldn’t be something that feels extraordinary to experience. It should be normal.

I'm here dropping my two cents to be part of something that creates value.

I began writing thought pieces on sustainable design, diversity, and inclusivity while I was still a design student who was trying to find my colours. I actively look for opportunities to advocate for gender-inclusive design practices and had the... Show more

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