Marquise is a hair stylist with 20 plus years of experience in braiding, extension hairstyling, and natural hair care. After a sudden house fire in 2016 Marquise was forced to relocate to another state leaving her devoted clientele of years behind. As a mother she needed an immediate income with a flexible schedule. She found a local blowout salon that was hiring, but with no previous blowout experience she was hesitant to apply. After a mediocre training session from the salon Marquise knew her level of excellence in blowouts would have to come from within. With lots of practice, dedication, and a bucket of tears she mastered this timeless technique. Because Marquise stayed focused and never gave up, she earned a salon position in management where she began teaching others how to perform fabulous blowouts, that even furthered her love for hairstyling. Marquise has had the pleasure of working on celebrity photo shoots, being lead stylist at industry based pop up shops, as well as worked on major red carpet events such as: The Country Music Awards, Telemundo Awards, Latin Music Awards, J. LO x Guess photo shoot, and numerous wedding and formal events on the infamous Las Vegas Strip.

Marquise is a hair stylist with 20 plus years of experience in braiding, extension hairstyling, and natural hair care. After a sudden house fire in 2016 Marquise was forced to relocate to another state leaving her devoted clientele of years behind. A... Show more

Onoriode is a passionate and purposeful designer with years of experience working with design agencies and businesses, both in teams and as a freelancer. He solves problems working hand-in-hand with businesses by creating timeless brand identity designs and digital products that are user-centered.

Onoriode is a passionate and purposeful designer with years of experience working with design agencies and businesses, both in teams and as a freelancer. He solves problems working hand-in-hand with businesses by creating timeless brand identity desi... Show more

Lifelong artist and maker, Faye is the one woman band behind Geeky Faye Art, an online channel looking to inspire creativity and exploration combining technology, traditional mediums, and geeky interests while also showing that you can be a woman in a pretty dress creating amazing things. While still relatively new in the digital sphere, her work and videos have been promoted by Tested.Com, The 3D Printing Nerd, Naomi Wu and Instructables.

Lifelong artist and maker, Faye is the one woman band behind Geeky Faye Art, an online channel looking to inspire creativity and exploration combining technology, traditional mediums, and geeky interests while also showing that you can be a woman in ... Show more

Mynah Marie is a writer, programmer, and musician from Montreal, Canada, currently based in Israel. As a musician and live coder, she performs under the name Earth To Abigail. Through her creative work, Mynah rejoices in bridging the gaps between the "rational" and "irrational" to find that fine line where, as humans, we find wholeness.

Mynah Marie is a writer, programmer, and musician from Montreal, Canada, currently based in Israel. As a musician and live coder, she performs under the name Earth To Abigail. Through her creative work, Mynah rejoices in bridging the gaps between th... Show more

Michael Heath is an innovation strategist and Frontier Firm advisor who helps organizations move beyond digital transformation into intelligent transformation. With more than 15 years of experience across the Microsoft ecosystem and enterprise technology, Michael partners with leaders to align people, platforms, and purpose through AI, automation, and data.

Throughout his career, Michael has led enterprise initiatives that drive measurable growth, operational efficiency, and long-term adoption. His work focuses on translating strategy into practical execution, helping organizations modernize how work gets done while bringing teams along for the journey.

Michael’s perspective sits at the intersection of technology and human behavior. As a speaker and practitioner, he shares real-world lessons, practical frameworks, and honest insights that help organizations move from experimentation to meaningful impact at scale.

Michael Heath is an innovation strategist and Frontier Firm advisor who helps organizations move beyond digital transformation into intelligent transformation. With more than 15 years of experience across the Microsoft ecosystem and enterprise techno... Show more

With a lifelong passion for the weirdness of the internet and a day job as a development lead for whoever hired him, Lemon spends his professional time making websites for money and his free time making websites for no money.

He's created a number of stupid things for the internet, like all the games on kinda.fun, the wikiHow guessing game damn.dog, the Google Autocomplete game idiots.win, and a bunch of other things of questionable use. He also hosts a podcast that looks at some of the internet's weirder subcultures. It is not safe for your work, unless you work somewhere really cool.

With a lifelong passion for the weirdness of the internet and a day job as a development lead for whoever hired him, Lemon spends his professional time making websites for money and his free time making websites for no money. He's created a number... Show more

Layla is a Microsoft MVP, Progress Champion, 3 times GitHub Star, and former director on the board at the .NET Foundation.
She is the co-founder of November North, a micro-game studio, developing and producing a first-person stealth game titled "The Third Tourist" - go and wishlist it on Steam!

Layla lives in the UK with her husband Jim and dogs, Cookie and Summer.

Layla is a Microsoft MVP, Progress Champion, 3 times GitHub Star, and former director on the board at the .NET Foundation. She is the co-founder of November North, a micro-game studio, developing and producing a first-person stealth game titled "The... Show more

Hannes is a developer, a coach and a father of 3.

In software development, he has always had a passion for performance, databases, distributed systems and large scale applications. He's always weighing every solution's benefits against its drawbacks, reducing friction where possible.

As a coach, he is enthusiastic about knowledge sharing, personal growth and building careers. Building a company culture around learning is what gets him out of bed.

In his free time, when he’s not building LEGO® castles with his kids, he likes to spend time building guitars, playing chess, mountain biking and doing all round geeky stuff.

You can often find him on stage at the conference afterparty, especially as the guitarist of Dylan Beattie & the Linebreakers.

Hannes is a developer, a coach and a father of 3. In software development, he has always had a passion for performance, databases, distributed systems and large scale applications. He's always weighing every solution's benefits against its drawbac... Show more

Yannis Martin is an engineer and sociologist by training. With over twenty years of experience supporting digital transformations, he has worked for the past decade as a consultant in project management, cybersecurity governance, and interim management. In 2024, he began doctoral research on the interactions between artificial intelligence, complexity theory, and the humanities and social sciences. His research focuses on AI considered both as a mediating device for human cognition and as a constituent element of complex socio-technical systems. A lecturer at the University of Avignon since 2021, he joined emlyon business school and INSA Lyon in 2025. In 2026, he became a member of the CNRS research group "Internet, AI and Society."

Yannis Martin is an engineer and sociologist by training. With over twenty years of experience supporting digital transformations, he has worked for the past decade as a consultant in project management, cybersecurity governance, and interim manageme... Show more

I am Harshavardhan Bajoria founder of community named Devorld, Associate Product Manager @Unstop, GitHub Campus Expert, MLSA - Gold. I have cracked 7 Microsoft Azure Certifications: MCE, AI-102, DP-100, AI-900, DP-900, PL-900 and AZ-900. I am also Azure Developer Community lead and have been actively taking sessions, workshops on Microsoft Azure and GitHub products.

I am Harshavardhan Bajoria founder of community named Devorld, Associate Product Manager @Unstop, GitHub Campus Expert, MLSA - Gold. I have cracked 7 Microsoft Azure Certifications: MCE, AI-102, DP-100, AI-900, DP-900, PL-900 and AZ-900. I am also Az... Show more

Currently a Microsoft Data Platform MVP, Jared has been a data engineering consultant for over a decade, implementing Microsoft products. For more than three decades, he has been honing his skills in theater and other performing arts. As a speaker, Jared marries these two disciplines together, creating dynamic presentations that add entertainment to education. This symbiotic relationship can improve presentation engagement, support attendees in knowledge retention, and foster a culture of passion for the data industry.

As a speaker, Jared has spoken at events such as:
-FabCon Vegas and Atlanta
-DataCon Seattle (Microsoft Data Conference)
-PASS Summit
-SQL Saturdays, Multiple
-Microsoft Fabric Global Online Conference
-Future Data Driven Summit
-GroupBy Conference
-and more!

He also runs the YouTube channel DataBard, focused on making Data fun and teaching techniques along the way.

Technically-speaking, Jared has multiple Microsoft certifications in both on-prem and cloud technologies. He has extensive knowledge in:
-Microsoft Fabric
-SQL Query Development and Performance tuning
-Kimball Data Modeling
-ETL design patterns
-Azure SQL DB and Azure SQL MI

In his spare time, he continues to perform in community theater productions, as well as musically for his church. Upon request, he would be happy to assist with more theatrical portions of events, such as performing musical numbers.

Currently a Microsoft Data Platform MVP, Jared has been a data engineering consultant for over a decade, implementing Microsoft products. For more than three decades, he has been honing his skills in theater and other performing arts. As a speaker, J... Show more

Dylan Beattie is an independent consultant who has been building data-driven web applications since the 1990s. He’s managed teams, taught workshops, and worked on everything from tiny standalone websites to complex distributed systems. He’s a Microsoft MVP, and he regularly speaks at conferences and user groups all over the world.

Dylan is the creator of the Rockstar programming language, and the founder, vocalist and lead guitarist with The Linebreakers, the world's greatest nerd comedy classic rock disco alt punk covers band.

Dylan Beattie is an independent consultant who has been building data-driven web applications since the 1990s. He’s managed teams, taught workshops, and worked on everything from tiny standalone websites to complex distributed systems. He’s a Microso... Show more

Microsoft MVP Alumni and SAFe PO/PM certified professional with a strong passion for building impactful mobile applications and exploring the evolving landscape of AI. With over seven years of experience in the Xamarin ecosystem and now deeply engaged in .NET MAUI, has consistently focused on delivering high-quality, cross-platform solutions that balance performance, usability, and scalability.
Author of AI-Enabled Apps with .NET MAUI: How to Build Cross-Platform .NET MAUI Apps with the Latest AI Capabilities, bringing together hands-on development experience and a forward-looking perspective on integrating AI into modern applications.
Particularly passionate about UX and UI design, with a keen eye for creating intuitive, user-centered experiences across platforms. In recent years, has specialized in UI testing, best practices, continuous integration, and performance optimization within .NET MAUI projects, helping teams build more robust and maintainable applications.
Naturally curious and continuously learning, with a growing interest in AI and machine learning, especially in how these technologies can enhance real-world products. More recently, has expanded focus into product management and digital product strategy, combining technical expertise with a user- and business-oriented mindset to drive meaningful product outcomes.

Microsoft MVP Alumni and SAFe PO/PM certified professional with a strong passion for building impactful mobile applications and exploring the evolving landscape of AI. With over seven years of experience in the Xamarin ecosystem and now deeply engage... Show more

Sagar is a Staff Android Engineer who has been building apps for 11 years now. He is also a Google developer expert in Android and a co-organizer for Google Developer Groups at Boston and enjoys educating for the mobile dev community.

Sagar is a Staff Android Engineer who has been building apps for 11 years now. He is also a Google developer expert in Android and a co-organizer for Google Developer Groups at Boston and enjoys educating for the mobile dev community. Show more

Matthias is a passionate C# developer and likes to talk about clean code, testing and tooling in general. Much of his spare time is devoted to his very own open-source projects. He is working at JetBrains as developer advocate for the .NET department.

Matthias is a passionate C# developer and likes to talk about clean code, testing and tooling in general. Much of his spare time is devoted to his very own open-source projects. He is working at JetBrains as developer advocate for the .NET department... Show more

Osita Ifezue is a researcher, international keynote speaker, and storytelling strategist. He is the founder of Njiko Storytelling, with over 25 years of experience training individuals and developing storytelling strategies. He has created the Storyboard Backcasting and Origin Story-Loop Strategic Frameworks, strategic storytelling tools designed to enhance learning in the storytelling process. Beyond entrepreneurship, Osita founded Entergrate, an NGO in Finland that focuses on social inclusion, and he hosts the podcast Think About It! With Osita Ifezue.

Osita Ifezue is a researcher, international keynote speaker, and storytelling strategist. He is the founder of Njiko Storytelling, with over 25 years of experience training individuals and developing storytelling strategies. He has created the Storyb... Show more

Espen is a developer and architect with over 25 years of experience. He has worked on everything from embedded systems, electronics and games to large-scale cloud applications. He is as full-stack as they come. Espen started coding at age six on a C64 and has been cranking out software ever since.

He served as the principal architect, tech lead and lead security
engineer on the compensation scheme for Covid-19 suffering
businesses released by the Norwegian government.

Espen was the Senior VP of Technology Exploration for DNB in San Francisco and is currently doing technology and security research in DNB NewTechLab.

Espen is a developer and architect with over 25 years of experience. He has worked on everything from embedded systems, electronics and games to large-scale cloud applications. He is as full-stack as they come. Espen started coding at age six on a C6... Show more

Harshad Sadashiv Kadam is a Senior Infrastructure Security Engineer at Indeed where he architects Zero Trust, SASE, edge-native security, and multi-cloud infrastructure at enterprise scale.

A CISM-certified practitioner and member of the ISACA Emerging Trends Working Group, his open-source research in AI agent detection and edge infrastructure security has drawn independent citation from security vendors and practitioners globally. He is the founding chapter lead of AI Security Engineers Austin and a conference speaker whose talks span AI security, deception engineering, and edge infrastructure at security conferences globally.

Harshad Sadashiv Kadam is a Senior Infrastructure Security Engineer at Indeed where he architects Zero Trust, SASE, edge-native security, and multi-cloud infrastructure at enterprise scale. A CISM-certified practitioner and member of the ISACA Eme... Show more

💃 On March 6, 2026 Devika Toprani pioneered the pre-AI sense-making layer: Before any AI interaction begins, users externalize their own reasoning through structured visual orientation

🔄 Somagraphic Learning™ framework (SLF)
3 stages, Attempt ➔ Map ➔ Refine. Sequence is non-negotiable. AI enters at Refine. Not before

🧠 10 original constructs: Preserve critical thinking, building REAL clarity

🗺️ Deployable analog-first protocol that makes AI literacy actually work: Map Before Machine™
World’s first AI literacy mechanism requiring users to generate a timestamped cognitive artifact before AI

🌍 Accessible. Policy neutral
Pen & paper. Embeds in AI/LMS before chatbot. Ensures learning is FELT. Timestamped. Verifiable. 10 min. No curriculum redesign. Immune to software updates. Specific prompts. Efficient. Less tokens. Sustainable. Shield against automation bias

🚀 Scalable across 6+ industries: Healthcare, Defense, Cybersecurity, Education, IP & Governance. Seeking pilots & grants

❌ SLF = Not an AI literacy framework
The human cognition layer that makes AI literacy possible

✍️ Proposed Standard: Somatic AI Literacy™
Capacity to establish embodied conceptual orientation before AI interaction. Doesn’t exist in AI literacy frameworks

🧩 Bio
Devika is a multidisciplinary human-AI learning systems architect & global educator with 5 years experience across the US, UAE and India
🇴🇲 Oman-Born | 🇦🇪 UAE Golden Visa Holder | 🇮🇳 Indian

🏢 Career
Coordinated US national accreditation at UIUC School of Social Work, supported HR at George Mason University | K-12 Educator | EdTech Program Ops

✨ Trajectory
- Invited Speaker, DEI 2026, Microsoft Data DEI Group
- Speaker, UIUC WebCon + Northwestern TEACHx 2026
- Oxford AIEOU Human Flourishing Lab individual contributor
- Soulful Learning with AI, on Substack (690+ subscribers)
- Merit Scholar, Siebel SHIFT Human-Centered Design
- Book chapter, AI Everywhere Vol. 2 (in press, Nov 2026)
- Featured, 5+ podcasts/events

🎓 Education
MS Management & Quantitative Sciences (STEM) | Dual BS/BA Psychology | UK & India-certified L&D diplomas | Google UX Design certified

🤝 Connect & Collaborate
🔗 https://devikatoprani.carrd.co/

Learning is Not AI-made. It’s Soul-made. AI only refines, what YOU bring to the chatbot. 🌟🤖

© Somagraphic Learning™ is IP Protected, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licensed, USPTO trademark pending. Published on OSF, SSRN, UIUC IDEALS

💃 On March 6, 2026 Devika Toprani pioneered the pre-AI sense-making layer: Before any AI interaction begins, users externalize their own reasoning through structured visual orientation 🔄 Somagraphic Learning™ framework (SLF) 3 stages, Attempt ➔... Show more

Architect, engineer, designer, speaker, writer - professionally I've worn many hats spanning diverse business domains and tech stacks, and know a new challenge awaits!

Conferences allow me to share my experiences and insights to help you navigate our constantly-changing technical landscape with confidence. Though implementations differ, the underlying solutions - and problems within - often repeat. My goal is to share what I've learned so you can recognize patterns and make better decisions in your own work.

Architect, engineer, designer, speaker, writer - professionally I've worn many hats spanning diverse business domains and tech stacks, and know a new challenge awaits! Conferences allow me to share my experiences and insights to help you navigate ... Show more

Martin Förtsch is an IT-consultant of TNG Technology Consulting GmbH based in Unterföhring near Munich who studied computer sciences. Work wise his focus areas are Agile Development (mainly) in Java, Search Engine Technologies, Information Retrieval and Databases.

As an Intel Software Innovator and Intel Black Belt Software Developer he is strongly involved in the development of open-source software for gesture control with 3D-cameras like e.g. Intel RealSense and has built an Augmented Reality wearable prototype device with his team based on this technology.

Furthermore, he gives many talks at national and international conferences about Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, 3D-camera technologies, Augmented Reality and Test Driven Development as well. He was awarded with the Oracle JavaOne Rockstar.

Martin Förtsch is an IT-consultant of TNG Technology Consulting GmbH based in Unterföhring near Munich who studied computer sciences. Work wise his focus areas are Agile Development (mainly) in Java, Search Engine Technologies, Information Retrieval ... Show more

Alessandro is a Community Evangelist / Sr Solutions Engineer in the F5 community team, where he empowers users in their journey to stay ahead of the curve by using the latest F5 / NGINX tech offerings. Alessandro is also the primary maintainer of the NGINX Ansible collection, the NGINX Docker unprivileged image, the NGINX community forum, and implementer of community best practices efforts on the various F5 GitHub repos, amongst being a contributor on various other OSS projects and initiatives at F5. Past speaker engagements include NGINX Sprint (previously known as NGINX Conf), Ansiblefest, AWS:ReInvent, cdCon, and Nerdearla. In his free time, Alessandro enjoys theatre, cinema, traveling, cooking, and any and all types of exercise.

Alessandro is a Community Evangelist / Sr Solutions Engineer in the F5 community team, where he empowers users in their journey to stay ahead of the curve by using the latest F5 / NGINX tech offerings. Alessandro is also the primary maintainer of the... Show more

Shobhit Verma (aka TheJugaadGuy) is an SRE Lead with 15 years of experience in Infrastructure, Cloud, and Observability. He has led large-scale projects in banking and telecom, working extensively with AWS, Terraform, ELK, and Dynatrace to build reliable and scalable systems. Beyond engineering, he is a filmmaker and content creator with 50,000+ followers, known for simplifying complex technical topics through engaging content.

As an active community member in AWS User Group Pune, Atlassian Community, and Toastmasters, Shobhit brings a unique mix of technical depth, storytelling, and stage presence. He is now building his journey into Developer Relations (DevRel), where his mission is to empower developers with the right tools, stories, and confidence to succeed.

Shobhit Verma (aka TheJugaadGuy) is an SRE Lead with 15 years of experience in Infrastructure, Cloud, and Observability. He has led large-scale projects in banking and telecom, working extensively with AWS, Terraform, ELK, and Dynatrace to build reli... Show more

Ray Kim is an advocate for documentation and technical communication. He is a co-founder of the Albany, NY SQL group (CASSUG) and has previously been a member of PASS and the Society for Technical Communication (STC). He has spoken at PASS Summit and STC Summit, as well as numerous other events. He has worked various positions in technology, including as a developer, webmaster, analyst, technical writer, and instructor. He holds an MS in technical communication from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a BS in computer science from Syracuse University. He currently works as a technical writer and trainer for The Professional Development Program at The Research Foundation for SUNY.

A musician in his spare time, Ray plays four different instruments (piano, clarinet, mallet percussion, saxophone). He also enjoys going to ball games and doing CrossFit, and is a two-time SQLServerCentral.com fantasy football champion. He, his wife Lianne, and their two cats Dwayne and Marko, live in Troy, NY.

Ray Kim is an advocate for documentation and technical communication. He is a co-founder of the Albany, NY SQL group (CASSUG) and has previously been a member of PASS and the Society for Technical Communication (STC). He has spoken at PASS Summit an... Show more

It's never easy to describe oneself, especially when one is interested in so many different topics and fields and I guess that says something about who I am afterall. I find it fun and entertaining to teach difficult subjects through exotic methods and stories and people seem to also have fun while I do so.

I believe in the union between science and human values (read fun) and I often work and participate in non-profit organization and projects which aim to bring culture and scientific knowledge.

It's never easy to describe oneself, especially when one is interested in so many different topics and fields and I guess that says something about who I am afterall. I find it fun and entertaining to teach difficult subjects through exotic methods a... Show more

James McGillivray, Data Management and Analytics MCSE, has been working in Business Intelligence for over a decade. He spends his working hours building solutions that allow people to make informed decisions. quickly and accurately. He is a Director at South African Data Consultancy, Cobalt Analytics.

Before his career in data, James was an avid musical theatre student and musician. This love for performance has developed into a passion for developing and delivering presentations that are informative and enjoyable. James speaks frequently at Data Community Events, and has presented at some of the most well-known Data Events around the globe, including PASS Summit, SQL Bits and the Power BI World Tour.

James McGillivray, Data Management and Analytics MCSE, has been working in Business Intelligence for over a decade. He spends his working hours building solutions that allow people to make informed decisions. quickly and accurately. He is a Director ... Show more

I am a professional with more than 10 years of experience in the IT world, specialized in Business Intelligence, analytics and information representation. Throughout my career, I have worked extensively in requirements analysis, relational and analytical database modeling, ETL process development as well as reporting and data visualization, using tools such as Power BI, Azure services or Microsoft SQL Server BI suite.
In addition to this, I have a master's degree in graphic design and illustration, which allows me to combine my technical skills with a creative perspective to generate attractive and effective visual solutions, using the Adobe suite and other tools.
Outside the professional field, I enjoy drawing, playing guitar, walking, cooking, watching series and movies. I am always looking to learn new things.
This mix of interests and skills allows me to approach projects with a broad and creative vision.

I am a professional with more than 10 years of experience in the IT world, specialized in Business Intelligence, analytics and information representation. Throughout my career, I have worked extensively in requirements analysis, relational and analyt... Show more

David is a family man, software developer, musician, illustrator, and Microsoft MVP living in North Georgia, USA. David runs on a high-octane mixture of caffeine and JavaScript, and is made entirely of bacon.

David is a family man, software developer, musician, illustrator, and Microsoft MVP living in North Georgia, USA. David runs on a high-octane mixture of caffeine and JavaScript, and is made entirely of bacon. Show more

In his current role Todd co-launches a new venture backed startup every few months, acting as an interim CTO / founding engineer. Over Todd’s close to 20 year career, he has held titles such as head of engineering, director of engineering and principal software engineer. Todd loves to build things and, like many of us, has been enjoying the shift into the AI native mindset of software development. When Todd is not telling an AI to write code, he can be found strumming his guitar in random places, such as the beach, in the mountains, on his front porch, or even at a tech conference such as this one :). Todd is passionate about creating positive experiences for people, including through writing music, building products, and community building . Todd is always open for a jam session or the occasional paired programming with strangers, just ask.

In his current role Todd co-launches a new venture backed startup every few months, acting as an interim CTO / founding engineer. Over Todd’s close to 20 year career, he has held titles such as head of engineering, director of engineering and princip... Show more

Solution architect from Norway with a passion for vintage clothing and good customer experiences. Guro has worked for 10+ years with Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform. Her background is varied, with experience in retail, fashion, financial services, marketing, and event management.
Guro is part of organizing multiple community events, such as the Nordic Summit.

Solution architect from Norway with a passion for vintage clothing and good customer experiences. Guro has worked for 10+ years with Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform. Her background is varied, with experience in retail, fashion, financial services... Show more